I read about a protestant musician recently who abandoned his faith and became an atheist. He claims that he went through a very difficult time in his life and that his faith was unable to help him through it. Therefore, he gave it all up and now believes in "science". I feel sorry for him, and am deeply saddened by whatever those trials and challenges were to his life; I am sure that they were painful. I am also saddened by the fact that it appears that he did not consider whether the problem may be more in his understanding of the faith than in the faith itself.
At the very root of the issue, the protestant understanding of the Christian faith is based on the same details as the Catholic understanding: the trinitarian view of God and divine redemption. Yet, when we dig a bit deeper, we will find that the protestant faith is actually a truncated view of the faith of the Christians of the first few centuries. I am not the first one to point this out; even as a protestant (years ago) I knew that there was a difference in protestantism and the early Church. Most protestants today would resolve the dilemma by saying that the early Church was wrong (when I stopped saying that, I became a Catholic).
This is the reason why I would say that the above mentioned musician is doubly wrong. Not only is he wrong in his understanding of the Christian worldview, he is wrong in his choice to embrace a pagan worldview. Yet, on the other hand we can say that he is correct, because protestantism does not truly have what is necessary to help us through all the trials of life. Yes, it does have some of the Catholic faith still present; just enough, as a matter of fact, to help most protestants to make it through. It does not, however, have the fullness of the faith, and that makes it more like a medical clinic than like an actual hospital.
I could go so far as to say that any protestant who rejects the Christian faith because of its inability to help in times of need is like someone who would take his bicycle back to the store because the engine would not start. You cannot complain that Christianity is unable to help because protestantism is unable to help. It is the Catholic understanding of suffering that makes such a difference. There was once a man who explained the Catholic view of suffering to an unbeliever who had never heard it before; the response was priceless: "Wow, I did not know that the Church had worked out the details of suffering so much--I guess it is because Catholics have suffered a lot for the last 2000 years!" Yup.
What is your view of suffering? There is a lot of suffering going on these days, and just because you are (probably) a Catholic does not guarantee that you have a Catholic understanding of suffering. The Church teaches (and has always taught) that our suffering can have a redemptive impact, not just for ourselves, but also for others. Just like Christ's death has an eternally redemptive impact, those united to Christ can accomplish a similar (albeit smaller) impact on others. This means that suffering is not just "bad stuff", and also that it is not always supposed to be avoided! The modern Catechism says that Christ, while on the cross, gave new meaning to suffering. He changed what it can do. I have never met a non-Catholic who had that exact understanding of suffering. I will bet that the musician mentioned above did not either.
So when we look out at the miserable state of things in the world (and in the Church as well) and wonder why this is happening, then the answer should be clear. God has chosen us to go through this suffering, not just because the world is a sinful place, but also because there can be great blessings that come from suffering. Do not just say "why me?" when you suffer, but recognize that you may be able to help others with your suffering. Consider also that suffering can be endured with great faith and hope in the gracious hand of God. When that happens, even greater blessings ensue.
What is your view of suffering? How do you perceive it? Is it something to be avoided at all costs? Or, rather, is it something that can be used for the glory of God and the good of mankind? How we approach suffering will determine the difference in how we approach all of life. We have to admit that we are going to suffer at some time in our lives--no one is fully exempt from that--and if we admit it, then we have to deal with it somehow. We can deal with it like a pagan (no hope, suffering is pointless, just try to find some happiness before you die); we can deal with it like most protestant theology says (some hope, and maybe God will help you); or we can deal with it like a Catholic: God ordained it because He knows it can be used for good--now trust Him.
