I. — The Quest of Happiness
"Thou Shalt Love the Lord Thy God with Thy Whole Heart"
The human heart craves and seeks unceasingly for happiness. Many find but a small measure of happiness in this life because they lose sight of their eternal destiny — the object of their creation — which is to know God, to love Him, to serve Him, and to be happy with Him. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself " (Matt. xxii. 37, 39). The whole law depends on these two commandments; so Our Lord Himself assures us. The fullest measure of happiness even here on earth is attained by harmonizing one's conduct with the commandments of God, by doing well one's duties to God and man; for this means the possession of a peaceful conscience, a clean heart, a sinless soul; and this is essential to happiness; hence, St. Ignatius prays: "Give me, Lord, only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I shall be rich enough; there is nothing more that I desire." To be in the state of grace — to have God's love — that is essentially necessary to true happiness. "Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos?" "If God be for us, who is against us?" (Rom. viii. 31.) The end of man's creation is to glorify God. But in promoting God's glory we are at the same time promoting our own
