CCC 1718
Life in Christ›SECTION ONE MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT›CHAPTER ONE THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON›II. The Desire for Happiness
The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it: We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated. How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you. God alone satisfies.
Footnotes
- St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1, 3, 4: PL 32,1312.
- St. Augustine, Conf. 10, 20: PL 32, 791.
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. apost. I.
Ecclesiastical Documents (1)