God allowed persecution and tyranny to exist in our ancestral countries to weed out weak Catholics. As St. Columban said, “Without a battle, there is no victory. Without a victory, there is no crown.”
Many of those who survived the tyranny, discrimination, and oppression of the Old World made it to the New. Here, hard work brought prosperity to them and their descendants.
Another spiritual battle was here to be fought, this time with prosperity.
The immigrants’ children were tested, not with deprivation but with plentitude. Many, whose ancestors survived Turks, Protestants, Communists, Nazis, masons, and revolutionaries in France, Spain, and Russia could not survive peace and prosperity.
God made American to provide freedom and riches, another test of faith. For many Americans, “Lord, have mercy and help me to grow closer to you. ” has been replaced with “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz.”
At judgment, rewards are apportioned accordingly.
