Does life get easier after conversion?

I'm on our parish RCIA team, and being fairly new to active Catholicism myself, a common (though often unasked) question is: Will my life get easier once I accept the Catholic faith?

It's reasonable enough to ask; it would probably seem unnatural to start any kind of new practice with the idea of making our lives *more* difficult. You can turn on your TV just about any time of the day or night and see some man or woman offering money, health, a new car, romance, or whatever--in direct response to the sending of a few hundred dollars, whether the religion in question is Christianity or the other great American religion, vanity.

But I think it's important to understand that there are no such material assurances in scripture.

Let's take Mary as an example. She is told by an angel that she will conceive and bear a son. "You have found favor with God," Luke reports. That seems like quite a distinction, as of course it is.

Today, we would think that finding favor with God to be a pretty cushy assignment.

And yet...where does Mary give birth? Not in a maternity ward (of course, there weren't any); not even in nice hotel. In a stable.

No sooner does she give birth than the Holy Family must literally flee for their lives to another country.

Was she married to a wealthy man? Hardly. Joseph was a carpenter, a blue-collar worker. No fancy home, no servants.

And let's face it, it's downhill from there. She went on to witness her only son tortured and executed to the taunting of a mob. Shortly thereafter, she had to comfort and encourage the disciples, a skittish bunch if ever there was one. (Read Blessed John Paul II's "Redemptoris Mater" for more on this.)

Today, we might be tempted to think that if that is favor with God, he can keep it. Even Teresa of Avila (who is becoming one of my favorite saints) once said to God, "If this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few."

So in today's WIIFM (What's in it for me?) culture, we get back to our original question: Will my life be easier after my conversion?

Well, who can say? I would think that if you believe having a big house and a new car will make you happy, your conversion still has a way to go. Instead, think of it this way: come what may, you know--truly know--that you are embraced by a loving God whose ultimate plan for you is better than anything you can imagine for yourself.

Mary knew it, though it must have broken her heart. Still, she persevered, and now rules as Queen of Heaven. What a great example--and lesson--for us!

To sum up, your life may not be "easier" after conversion--but it will certainly be *better*.