God’s Desire for Us: Happiness and Holiness
God’s ultimate desire for humanity is both holiness and authentic happiness, which are viewed as interconnected, not mutually exclusive. God created humans for love and eternal union with Him, meaning true, lasting happiness is found by aligning with His will, living virtuously, and pursuing sanctification.
God created humans out of love and desires to live in a relationship with them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the desire for God is written in the human heart, and only in Him will people find the truth and happiness they seek.
CCC 27: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for: The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.”
It should be noted that Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension happened at a moment in history, but the effects of the redemption he won for us encompasses all time – past, present, and future. He died for our sins and for the sins of those yet to be born out of love for us. However, as with any gift, the gift of redemption requires a response from us. If we reject the gift, or if we fail to use it properly, we cannot enjoy the benefits it provides, and we risk offending the giver.
“The root reason for human dignity lies in man's call to communion with God. From the very circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For man would not exist were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator.” (GAUDIUM ET SPES, 19; Vatican II Document)
God does not thrust the gift of redemption upon us. To do so would conflict with another gift he has given us – the gift of free will. Instead, Christ’s superabundant redemption serves as a standing offer to ever person to freely choose to love and serve God as the means of accepting his invitation to enter eternal life. “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11: 25-26). The redemption makes eternal life possible for us, but we must both live and believe in Christ in response to this great gift if we wish to accept it.
Ultimately, our deepest fulfillment comes as we live according to the way we were created to operate. Everything that is created is created for a purpose. God created us for a unique purpose, and since God is good, His purpose is good. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
While God wants people to be happy, He desires even more that they be sanctified so they can be with Him for eternity. Authentic happiness is the fruit of holiness, which involves losing oneself in Christ to become the best version of oneself. The Church teaches that genuine, stable joy is possible even amidst the challenges of life, provided one is centered in the will of
the Father. And it is the role of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which are central to this, acting as the source and summit of the Christian life, feeding the desire for God, and providing the strength to live a holy, happy life.
—Dn. Gerry Flamm
“Dear children! Today I call you to conversion. This is the most important message that I have given here. Little children, I want each of you to be a bearer of my messages. I call you, little children, to live the messages that I have given you throughout these years. This time is a time of grace. Especially now when the Church also calls you to prayer and conversion. And I, little children, call you to live my messages that I have given you throughout this time since I have appeared here. Thank you for having responded to my call!”
