Why do bad people prosper so much while good people suffer more than they prosper?

In her profound moments of mystical ecstasy, recorded in her magnum opus The Dialogue, Saint Catherine of Siena questioned the heart of God regarding the mysteries of Providence. One of the saint's greatest afflictions lay in understanding why wicked men, distant from divine grace, so often prospered materially, enjoying success, riches, and temporal honors in this world.

In response, the Eternal Father revealed to her the perfect workings of His justice and mercy. God explained to the Doctor of the Church that even wicked people, who voluntarily rejected Him, perform a few humanly good actions throughout their earthly life. Since the Creator is infinitely just and no good work goes unrewarded, He rewards these small positive acts with material goods and success while still on Earth. However, earthly goods are fleeting and do not constitute the ultimate reward.

This concession, however, also serves as a grave warning: because they denied salvation and chose selfishness, these individuals exhaust their entire reward in the present time. Whoever freely rejects divine grace and remains in unrepented sin distances themselves from eternal communion with God. After the death of the flesh, only eternal suffering remains for their unrepented guilt.

In contrast, those who welcome the divine will, persevere in charity, and remain faithful, even while facing earthly sufferings and trials, receive a reward that does not end with death: eternal participation in the life of God. Thus, their true and ineffable reward is stored up primarily for eternity, where they will enjoy everlasting union with God.

Thus, Saint Catherine contemplates that divine justice transcends the limits of this existence, revealing that the true prize is not earthly success, but the eternal happiness prepared for those who love the Lord. In this way, God simultaneously manifests His mercy and His justice, granting each person that which corresponds to the choices made throughout life.

BUT UNDERSTAND THIS: this does not mean that prospering and being successful is bad! God can permit this for a Christian here on earth as well, provided they know how to properly use these blessings for the good of their neighbor too, without becoming a slave to money. As Friar Gilson teaches: "the more you earn, the more you can help and enable others to prosper as well, who in turn will help even more people, and so on." It becomes a great virtuous circle of Christian aid. Money and wealth need to serve a Christian purpose in your life, not become the cause of your perdition.

Saint Carlo Acutis was a great example of this: he was young, handsome, wealthy, and lived in Milan, a city of glamour. He had everything to have lived an unrestrained and carefree life. But he chose to follow the paths of the Lord and bring his family along, showing them through his Christian example that wealth needed a purpose. Today, the Acutis family helps the world, with his mother and father currently being very discreet people detached from worldly riches.

But God does not abandon His sons, as Jesus said (Matthew 6:33): "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." So if you seek dignified work, are honest, and put God first in your life, but are facing serious financial problems, God offers several heavenly treasures to help us. 

One of them is the intercession of the Saints. Saint Expeditus is one of the patron saints of urgent causes to whom you can turn for intercession to pay off your financial debts. And the advice remains: never stop helping your neighbor, even during times when bank accounts are tight, for this demonstrates your trust in God that He will provide for you, so that "all these other things will be added to you."

_{References: Livro da Divina Doutrina - O Diálogo, de Santa Catarina de Sena, @rezartv1, @padrefabiovieira, @eu.murilosoares; Friar Gilson's homilies; AI-generated image, text written with AI assistance.}