I can put together two themes here. The agnostic is the peter pan. Those men, and I have heard this in my own family, who say "Catholicism is too hard" have fallen into being babies or have never been real men.
The agnostics avoid suffering. They choose the easy way out by not practicing the virtues and by avoiding responsibility.
Therefore, the peter pans frequently have no faith, are seculars, are caught in the flesh and the world.
Those men who do not grow up will not choose the hardest way, the way of martyrdom. Here are some thoughts from St. Thomas More.
"What men call fame is, after all, but a very windy thing. A man thinks that many are praising him, and talking of him alone, and yet they spend but a very small part of the day thinking of him, being occupied with things of their own."
"I will not mistrust [God], though I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of being overcome with fear... I trust he shall place his holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning."
"If any man marvel that God made all His creatures such as they should always need aid of His grace, let him know that God did it out of His double goodness. First, to keep them from pride by causing them to perceive their feebleness, and to call upon Him; and secondly to do His creatures honor and comfort."
"Often, actually very often, God allows his greatest servants to make the most humiliating mistakes."
"A man buys hell here with so much pain, that he might have heaven with less than one-half. Occupy your minds with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones. Unoccupied, they cannot be."
"If I am distracted, Holy Communion helps me to become recollected. If opportunities are offered by each day to offend my God, I arm myself anew each day for the combat by the reception of the Eucharist. If I am in special need of light and prudence in order to discharge my burdensome duties, I draw nigh to my Saviour and seek counsel and light from him."
