How do you seek happiness now? The American ‘pursuit of happiness’ is often driven by consumerism. In his message at the beginning of Lent 2011, Pope Benedict XVI denounced consumerism. He warned of the violence it does to the dignity of the human person. ‘The idolatry of goods... not only separates us from others but empties the human person and leaves him [or her] unhappy’ Pope Benedict XVI What are some of the reasons People may pursue happiness in material objects?

How do you seek happiness now? For centuries philosophers and theologians have addressed the human pursuit of happiness. Aristotle taught that happiness is the chief desire of the human heart. St. Augustine of Hippo wrote, ‘You have made us for yourself alone and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.’

How do you seek happiness now? Blaise Pascal believed, ‘There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God... ’ Karl Rahner, SJ, taught, ‘We all have an innate desire for God— because we are made in the image and likeness thereof; God has implanted a “God seed” in each of us, it is to grow and blossom throughout life.’ Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM describes this desire and search for happiness as a ‘“homesickness” for God’.

How do you seek happiness now? Morality refers to the goodness or evil of human acts. The moral law urges us ‘to do what is good and avoid what is evil’ (CCC, no. 1713). This course will prepare you to live out: God’s plan of goodness in your life God’s will for your happiness God’s will for the happiness of all people

The divine path for the human pursuit of happiness Consider the following questions. Why did God make us? What must we do to gain happiness? In the Book of Genesis, the two accounts of creation reveal that the will of God is that our happiness be rooted in our relationship with God, our Creator. God wills to share his divine life with all of creation—including his love truth goodness beauty

St. Irenaeus taught, ‘The glory of God is the human person fully alive, human life is the vision of God.’ The Creator has given us responsibility over our own lives, over all creatures and over the earth. This includes a responsibility to respect the dignity of every person, including ourselves. The divine path for the human pursuit of happiness

You are capable, with God's grace, of shaping your own life—to craft who you become. You can make a positive difference for good in the lives of those around you. You can bring the leaven of the Gospel into the world. You can work to rebuild the world according to God’s original plan of goodness. You can work to bring about the Kingdom (reign) of God that Jesus inaugurated. Share ideas on ways people can work together to contribute to making this change a reality.

We are images of God After he created human beings, male and female, ‘God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good’ (Genesis 1:31). God created the human person ‘in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27).

We are images of God ‘[T]he Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being’ (Genesis 2:7). Each one of us is alive with the very breath of God.

We are images of God The second account of Creation also reveals that Adam and Eve had the ability to know and choose between good and evil. We learn that God creates the human person with an intellect and free will. By use of our intellect we have the ability to recognize the will of God and to choose freely what is good and avoid what is evil. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. ‘The choice of evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin’ (Compendium, 363).

Overcoming obstacles to happiness Temptation presents evil as ‘good’. Temptation is ‘an attraction to act contrary to right reason and the commandments of God’ (CCC, Glossary). Temptation comes in many forms and from many sources. Sometimes we can see through the deceit of temptation. Other times we may freely and knowingly choose to follow a road that leads to our unhappiness. f

Overcoming obstacles to happiness We can pray the Lord’s prayer and ask for God’s grace to know, resist and reject temptation. God never gives up on us; God’s divine plan of goodness will come about. Jesus’ redeeming work was and continues to be the restoration of humanity to the state of original holiness and original justice. Through his Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus has freed us from the power of evil. Life in Christ is the path to happiness.

St. Augustine of Hippo Augustine was born in modern-day Algeria in AD 354. Augustine was a born questioner; continuously wondering, searching and seeking for truth and happiness. His father, Patricius, was a pagan, and his mother, St. Monica, a devout Christian. Augustine’s search eventually took him to a crossroad in his life journey where he ‘detoured’ from the way of Christianity. He struggled intensely with the truth that he was not living his life in accordance with the values his mother instilled in him.

St. Augustine of Hippo During Augustine’s struggle, his mother, Monica, never stopped praying and believing that her son would eventually respond to God. The Catholic Church has named Monica a saint and the patron saint of mothers. Augustine has become a model of the human search for happiness.