SEARCHING FOR MEANING AND HAPPINESS:

1.          WHO AM I 

 I wish to reflect with you on my identity as a creature, a human being, a Christian and God’s dopted son. I shall narrow down my inquiry to four fundamental and simple questions: Who am I? Who are you for me?  Who is God?  Who is Jesus Christ? We start our reflection by facing the first question: Who am I? 

I am a creature in the universe. I am an ecological being, part of the universe.  God is my Creator and therefore I ought to be a responsible creature that respects and cares for God’s marvellous creation, our common home, an awesome imprint of God. As God's image the human being has relative dominion over nature. This dominion to be true must be a caring and grateful dominion, a humble and penitent dominion: "And man, but a speck of your creation, wants to praise you" (St. Augustine).

I may be partly guilty of the deterioration of the environment, a consequence perhaps of my interior deterioration: "The devastation of the natural environment inexorably manifests the devastation of the interior world of contemporary man" (A. Auer). I do not forget the words of theologian L. Boff: “The most threatened species of the world are the poor.”

I am a human being. I am different from the other living beings and the irrational animals. I belong to the human species. I am an individual, body-soul, different from other individuals. I am a person, that is, a rational being: with body to feel, intelligence to understand, and will to freely want and to love. As a person, I am open to other human persons, and to creation. I am a religious being closely related to God as my Supreme Being, my Creator and my Father through his Son Jesus in the Spirit.

As a human being, I have a personal conscience that tells me that my happiness is found radically in goodness and that my basic responsibility is to form well and obey my conscience that tells me what to do, that is to do good, and what not to do, that is to avoid and fight evil.

 I am a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and of Mary, God/Man, my life and my everything. He keeps telling me: "I am the way and the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). To be a Christian means to be in Christ, that is, to be a new creature (2 Cor 5:17). Jesus Christ came into the world so that we all may have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10), who keeps giving us life through the Spirit (Jn 3:5). The life that Christ brought and keeps bringing to me - to us - is the life of grace, which is a limited but real participation in Gd’s very nature, and initiates eternal life on earth: Jesus came down so that everyone "may have eternal life" (Jn 3: 16; 1 Jn 5:11-12). My life is rooted in grace, practiced in virtues and witnessed in love: love of God, love of myself, love of all neighbours, and love of God’s creation.

What is the purpose of my life? The purpose is to search for happiness, to be happy, which is the way to give glory to God. What makes my life meaningful? I need money: it is useful, but happiness is somewhere else. I may like power, but usually power corrupts unless it is used virtuously to serve others. I may love pleasure, but if pleasure is harmful to me or to others it cannot be the source of my happiness. I search for knowledge and realize the help of science and technology, but these may be well and badly used: only if ethically used they may help us be and improve our happiness. In classical philosophy and theology, only true wisdom, virtues, above all love, can make us relatively but truly happy in this life.

What is happiness really? Happiness is another name for love. In our imperfect world, happiness is hope: hope that tomorrow will be better. It will be, if I journey today – and every day - by the path of truth, freedom, justice and love. In this life, genuine love gives meaning to my life, in particular the love of Jesus in my soul.

I am asked by my humanity and my faith to care for life in the universe, for my own life. As a human being I have a right to life and the responsibility to care for it. I am, therefore, against suicide. I am a human person, a human being with great dignity. I am also a wounded human being - and a sinner. After all, what do I have that I have not received (cf. 1 Cor 4:7) – from God, from family and friends? Realizing my constant need of God and of others makes me – should make me - humble!

A final question: Who is the human person for Jesus Christ? For Jesus Christ, “man is a being whose greatness consists in his openness and offering to God and brethren, and whose destruction stems from self-enclosure in his own selfishness. For Him, to be a human being is to love” (J. L. Martin Descalzo). In every human person, I  see a son or a daughter of Him who wants to be called “Our Father” (cf. CCC  2212). All human beings, therefore, are my sisters and brothers.

And to conclude! Who am I? I am a human being with a great dignity, but I am also a wounded human being who needs others to live a flourishing life in communion, who needs God and his Son, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Certainly, “to be is to love.” # (FGB)

ONCE MORE: NO TO WAR

When one speaks of war in ethical and Christian perspective, he or she will most probably think of “the Just War Theory”.

In the past, and up to the twentieth century, wars seemed to be inevitable and the application of the Just War Theory, an ethical demand – or excuse – to go to war and to defend wars. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the Just War Theory was “resurrected” again. President George W. Bush and other world leaders used the Just War Theory to justify the war  - and not only against terrorism.

The Just Theory war came up again repeatedly to justify some wars (2022-2026). May we speak today of a just war?

    

WARS AND THE “JUST WAR”

War is understood as an armed conflict between armies of enemy States. In the current context, war is also understood as an armed conflict between a State – or many States – and organized social groups or organizations similar to States, for instance terrorist groups.

There are different kinds of war. For our purpose, we point out mainly two. We speak of offensive war (unprovoked war against another State), and defensive war (war against an unjust aggressor). Furthermore, we may speak of preventive war (going to war to prevent the threat of war from another State). Besides, and considering the weapons of destruction used, we talk of nuclear, bacteriological or chemical wars.

The expression “just war” was coined by Aristotle and other Greek philosophers. The Just War Theory was proposed and defended by the two great theologians St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. The classical explanation is St. Thomas’, found in question 40 of his Summa Theologiae II-II.

  The Angelic Doctor ask ed himself: Is it always a sin to wage war? (Hence, he is against all wars, in general). Generally, it is immoral and unchristian to wage war: it is a vice against charity, which is peaceful. How about in some exceptional cases? Exceptionally, war can be licit – ethical and justifiable - if it fulfills three rigorous conditions, namely, it is called by public authority, there is a just cause, and the intention is right, that is, for the sake of justice and peace.

The most difficult condition to carry out is the second: going to war for a just cause. A just cause requires the fulfillment of four strict rules: (1) The presence of grave injustice obstinately pursued; (2) The need to make recourse to war to obtain justice; (3) Proportion between the gravity of the injustice and the calamities to ensue from the war (the principle of “double effect” and “the lesser evil”); (4) A realistic probability of victory.

 Obviously, St. Thomas’ doctrine of the just war, within the treatise of charity not only justice, is ordered to avoid wars. Why? Because it is almost impossible to fulfill all the conditions ad bellum and in bello (to go to war and during the war). St Augustine says that “it is a higher glory to procure or maintain peace by peace, not by war.” (cf. Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, FT, footnote 242).

 

MAGISTERIUM OF THE CHURCH

Regarding the teaching of the Church on the just war, there is a harmonious development of doctrine. Vatican II (1962-1965) closes the door a little more to the possibility of a just war in the context of nuclear weapons and the arms race. Vatican II states: “War today must be evaluated with an entirely new attitude.” “It is our clear duty to strain every muscle as we work for the time when all wars can be completely outlawed by international consent.” Vatican II continues to speak of the right – and duty – of legitimate defensive war as a last resort (cf. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 79, 80 and 82).

  In his encyclical Pacem in Terris (no. 55), Pope John XXIII is strongly against war in the new context of nuclear weapons: “In this age which boasts of an atomic power, it no longer makes sense to maintain that war is a fit instrument with which to repair the violation of justice.” From the podium of the United Nations in New York, Pope Paul VI cried out (October 4, 1965): “No more war! War never again! Peace, it is peace which must guide the destinies of peoples and all mankind.” In his Message for the 1982 World Day of Peace, Pope John Paul II spoke of war in general and of defensive war in particular. The Polish Pope said that Christians strive “to resist and prevent every form of warfare,” for war is “the most barbarous and least effective way of resolving conflicts.” Nevertheless, facing grave injustice, Christians favor the collective defense of society in the name of justice: “In the name of an elementary requirement of justice, people have a right and even a duty to protect their existence and freedom by proportionate means against an unjust aggressor.” This traditional teaching, however, is harder to apply – if at all possible - in the context of the new deadly weapons.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) speaks of war within the fifth commandment: Thou shall not kill. It presents with brevity and clarity the teaching of the Church, particularly the conditions for a just war - after Vatican II (CCC, n. 2309; cf. Ibid. nn. 2307-2317).

Pope Francis spoke frequently against war and wars. The Argentine Pope speaks of the negative effects of wars on the environment and on the poor. War and the death penalty, he tells us, are “false answers” that do not resolve the problems they are meant to solve,” but “introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society” (FT, 255); cf. Ibid. n. 255-270). War is not “a ghost from the past but a constant threat” (FT, 256). War implies “the negation of all rights .and a dramatic assault on the environment.” Indeed, “Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil” He underlines “the injustice of collateral damage” (FT, 261). Indeed, in the context of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the enormous growing possibility of new technologies,” there is the grave danger of not using them wisely. Hence, “we can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits.”

In this new context, “it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war’. Never again war!” Pope Francis maintains that the concept of “just war,” no longer be upheld today (FT, 258).  The Pope frowns, too, on “the possibility of legitimate defense by means of military force,” and thinks, moreover, that “preventive attacks or acts of war entail “evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated” (FT, 258).

Pope Leo XIV speaks often against war and for peace and reconciliation, and in favor of dialogue among nations and their respective governments.  Th North American Pope repeat similar words  in every country he visits: “I am here to proclaim peace” (Cameroon, April 14, 2026).

There is furthermore, from Vatican II up to Pope Leo XIV, a firm condemnation of the arms race as a mens of deterrence. Vatican II considers the arms race “an utterly treacherous trap for humanity” that harms the poor immensely (Gaudium et Spes, no. 81). Pope John XXIII rejected deterrence and proposed a progressive disarmament. Pope Paul VI deplored deterrence for it does not remove but aggravates the risks of war, and also because it leaves the poor poorer: every exhausting armament’s race is an intolerable scandal (opulorum Progressio, no. 53). Pope Francis speaks of “the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response” to the challenges posed. “International peace and stability cannot be based on a false sense of security, on the threat of mutual destruction or total annihilation, or on simply maintaining a balance of power.” He advocates for the establishment of “a global fund” fed by the money to be spent on weapons and other military expenses (cf. FT, 262).

It used to be said: Si vis pacem, para bellum (if you want peace prepare for war). Today we say:  Si vis pacem, para pacem  (If you want peace, prepare for peace). As Gandhi repeated, “There is no way to peace, peace is the way”. For Jesus Christ, we walk to peace by the path of justice and love. The Psalmist proclaims: Justice and peace kiss each other” - on the bridge of love. (Love or charity necessarily requires justice and goes higher: it makes every other not just an equal but a brother or sister). With many others, Christians are asked by their humanity and faith to be artisans of peace in a world at war. Those of us who are for peace and are against wars try seriously to live just, compassionate, peaceful lives and, united, proclaim peace as the only way to peace. 

One may not speak ethically against war (aren’t we all against wars?) if there is no coherence among basic ethical principles. Being against war and for dictatorships of the right or the left becomes not credible. Fundamental human rights must be respected and defended by all. 

The fifth commandment continues voicing out: “Thou shall not kill”. It is interesting to note that the first Christians should neither be soldiers nor judges: the soldiers may kill, and the judges may send “criminals” to death row for punishment with the death penalty.

Once more, as a human being and as a Christian, as a brother in our common humanity, let me cry out:

NO MORE WAR. WAR, NEVER AGAIN.  (FGB)

 

 

 

LENTEN MEDITATIONS: CONCLUSION 

VIII. EASTER IS JOY

 

Faith is a gift, a grace of God, including believing in the resurrection of Christ. A “reasonable” argument of Christian faith for Christ’s resurrection are the appearances of Jesus to the disciples. For many believers, a most convincing argument is the incredible change that took place in Jesus’s disciples: before the resurrection, they were very sad and scared; after the resurrection, they became incredibly courageous and joyful, that is, Easter People. How about us who also believe in Christ’s resurrection and ours, in Easter?

What is Easter?  Easter means “to live from the resurrection” (Bonhoeffer), to live our life with courage and gladness. Truly, Easter is joy (“Happy Easter”), a joy that - as Jesus told the apostles at the Last Supper - “no one will take from you” (Jn 16:22). On the glorious day of the Resurrection of Christ, and thereafter, all rejoice.

We imagine the two disciples of Jesus on their way back to Emmaus from Jerusalem: Jesus had died; they are deeply sad. They had a reason to be sad: they believed Jesus was dead. Therefore, the end of the story. Period. What is bad is that those who believe that Jesus rose from the dead are sad (J. L. Martin Descalzo). “There is little use telling people that Christ will bring them joy …, if our own lives are gloomy” (W. Barclay, In Jn 4:43-45). “It is impossible to be sad in the presence of the Risen Lord” (Schillebeeckx). No wonder, the monk and theologian Evagrius Ponticus (4^th century), following the Desert Fathers, added, to the traditional seven capital sins, the eighth capital sin: sadness, which is the contrary of joy.   

We all know that the core of Jesus’ preaching is the Sermon on the Mount, and the heart of the Sermon, the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are “eight forms of happiness” (J. M. Cabodevilla). Some love to add a ninth beatitude for us: “Happy are those, Jesus says to Thomas, who have not seen, and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29).

The disciples of Jesus rejoiced when they saw the Lord (Jn 20-20). The community of the first disciples rejoiced! The converts by Paul and Barnabas “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). After baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip was snatched away by the Spirit and disappeared, “but the eunuch continued on his way rejoicing” (Ac 8:38-39). The jailer of Paul and Silas in Philippi rejoiced with his whole household after having received the gift of faith in God (cf. Acts, 16:33-34).

Following the apostles, the disciples of Jesus through the ages believe in Christ’s resurrection, which is pure joy: Joy to the world; joy to you and me. All the saints are joyful: “the greatest of their gifts was their smile.” Thanks be to God, because we believe in the resurrection of the Lord. We are - we ought to be - joyful: joy is “the daughter of happiness” (Fray Luis de Granada); and the smile, an expression of joy - like the Alleluia

How did the first Christian communities experience Christ’s Resurrection?  The first Christian communities celebrated the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus through one whole night and the dawn of the following day. We are told that many nonbelievers were waiting for them in front of the place where the Christians celebrated the long Vigil and Easter Day. What for? To see the radiant expression - the joy - in the faces of the Christians. In fact, their boundless joy, St. Augustine tells us, their boundless joy converted many unbelievers to the Risen Lord.

We are God’s creatures, and rejoice with God’s Creation: “The hillsides are wrapped in joy, the meadows are covered with flocks, the valleys clothed with wheat; they shout and sing for joy” (Ps 65: 12-13). Yes, Isaiah chanted, “the Lord is my salvation… Sing praises to the Lord… Sing for joy” (Is 12:2, 5-6). The prophet cried out to God: “Though the tree does not blossom…; though the flock is cut off from the fold…, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the God of my salvation” (Hab 3:17-18)

How may we, believers in the Risen Lord, not be joyful? Joy, or true satisfaction and delight, is a quality in the lives of good people, of believers, in particular of authentic Christians. We believe that God is One and Triune, one God only and three divine persons: God the Father is our creator and power; God the Son, is our savior and redeemer (of the whole humanity), and God the Holy Spirit, our grace and advocate. Joy is one of the fruits and blessings of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). “No one is as happy as an authentic Christian” (Pascal). This is the reason why some of our brothers and sisters add to the Ten Commandments, the eleventh commandment: “Be joyful.”

What is the main cause of Christian joy?  God’s love: God loves us. In spite of our sins, God the Father loves us, God the Son heals us, and God the Holy Spirit strengthens us with divine grace and joy (cf. Lk 15:10). True love or charity – a share of God’s love in us - is the main source of real happiness and joy. Indeed charity – or love of God and of all neighbors - causes real joy, an effect of charity with peace and compassion. Charity is rooted in grace, which is a limited but real participation in God’s divinity.

But, a difficult but: How may we be joyful when suffering comes to hurt us? Suffering is part of our life: we all “carry the wounds of Christ”; we all carry our own personal cross. But suffering is not directly opposed to joy (someone said that the opposite of joy is resentment). This is also true today: we denounce evil, but we are joyful, in spite of the miserable wars (that we denounce restlessly) and of our saddening tears. Disordered or not well integrated suffering does wound the lovely virtue or good habit of joyfulness or gladness. The key word that gives meaning to our life and makes it joyful is love. And love, which is patient, can make suffering bearable, light, and even joyful, although this is less common as Teresa of Ávila tells us. Disciples of Jesus through the centuries, when persecuted and martyred, were and are “full of joy” (Acts 5:41).

In our life, joy and suffering are mixed. In the life of St. Dominic, for instance, his tears of joy and of suffering are mingled, but he always had spiritual joy. The way of the cross is the path to our resurrection: there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Like Christ’s, our cross is a victorious cross. Jesus’ death on the cross was “a death of reconciliation and love, a death that leads to the resurrection and to life.” In a similar way. “The Christian does not die to stay dead, but to rise. Death does not have the last word” (José Antonio Pagola, Jesucristo). Love has the last word. 

We are pilgrims on the way to our resurrection. Our life is a journey of faithful, loving and joyful hope towards our Father’s home. St. Paul encourages us: Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12). And faith, love and hope pray. We pray that at the end of our journey, Jesus will tell us, to you and to me: Come, share your master’s joy (Mt 25:21-23).

How wonderful! Indeed, how amazing! We are Easter People and Alleluia is our song. Alleluia, that is, praise the Lord! (FGB)