To continue with the answer to the reader, I want to add that if we are invited by Christ to suffer with him, this means voluntary mortifications, prayers, fastings and so on.
Now, God can give physical pain and mental pain to us and if we do not complain, if we joyfully accept these pains as redemptive, we are joining in His invitation to suffering.
But, to know what is a consequence of sin is not that difficult. If I am running down a hill in high hells and break several toes, those injuries are a direct result of a lack of prudence and carelessness about my body. Vainglory may even be part of this accident.
Likewise, is someone has a fender-bender because they are on a cell phone, that accident is a consequence of the sin of irresponsibility and so on.
However, some physical and mental pain is given by God for our purification, for the removal of the predominant fault. Too often I hear people say, "Oh, she is a suffering soul, or a victim soul" when in reality, the person is suffering her own pain of purification.
The purified person who freely accepts extra pain, such as the great saints and mystics who received the stigmata, have been joined to Christ in His suffering. They are true suffering servants, or even victim souls.
Few are so pure as to suffer with Christ like that.
Those martyrs who suffer in the name of Christ and His Church share voluntarily in the Passion. Again, this is redemptive suffering. Therese, the Little Flower, suffered terribly in her last two years of life in pain, both physical and spiritual pain. She was joined to the Cross.
If we fight suffering and complain, if we do not accept it graciously, we are NOT joined with Christ and we merit nothing.
Divine Providence determines our suffering.
I hope this is helpful to the reader who asked.
