As we all know our founding fathers said that we were all created with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are told that the purpose of government is to protect these rights. While it makes sense that the government should protect us from being unjustly or prematurely killed and our government should protect us from being unjustly imprisoned or enslaved the government cannot do anything about our happiness. In fact by definition no one can, not even ourselves.
The root word of the words “happy” and “happiness” is an Old English word “hap”. The definition of the Old English word “hap” is “a chance event over which you have no control”. Because this is the definition of “hap” when something occurs without known cause we say it just “happened.”
The word happy is used when all of your “haps” are lined up just the way you would like. When they are you are said to be in a state of “happiness.” But you see the problem! If a “hap” is a chance event over which you have no control then you have no control over your “happiness.” Happiness occurs by chance events lining up indiscriminately. By definition no one can pursue “happiness.”
The Bible is not filled with “happy” people. It is filled with joyful people. “Happiness” is based on circumstances outside of oneself while joy is always found within. Joy springs from an inner contentment based on settled belief and expectation of good.
Joy is knowing a secret. Imagine you of one of ten students in a class. Passing this class is a prerequisite of completing your degree and showing up and participating in each and every class is a requirement of remaining in school. It is the day of the final exam. No one in the class has a grade sufficient to pass the class even with a perfect score on the final exam but everyone must be present and complete the exam in order to continue in school. Each and every student is hopeless – except you. Last night the professor called you and admitted that the students were failing because of his failings as a teacher and that he was going to make everything right. His plan was to give everyone in the class an A for the course on one condition. His condition was you could not tell anyone of his plan until he did. You had to hold in the truth.
The time for the final exam has arrived. You are sitting in a class with nine other students who are absolutely hopeless. As you look around the room all you see is nine empty faces, in fact anger is right under the surface. But your fellow students notice something different on your face. Because you know a secret and you are filled with joy, your countenance begins to rise. In a seemingly hopeless situation you are filled with joy that you cannot contain. Your fellow students accuse you of being crazy, not smart enough to understand the current situation. But in fact your are the only one who knows the truth – and the truth has set you free.
The Bible is filled with people who know a secret. It is filled with people who know who they are in Christ and where they are going. Their circumstances are difficult but their hearts are light. They are filled with joy!
Great post Steve.
“felicitas” is the Latin for Happy…so even older than old English and while it does portend to a sense of happenstance…it also alludes to a sense of blessedness intricately linked to fruitfulness.
Aquinas ties it to the natural order of things lived out. A happy dog is a dog doing and being what dogs are made to do and be (a dog with a bone). A happy man is a man doing and being what man is made to do and be.
So how does man be what man is made to do and be? Well, it is more complex than what a dog has to figure out for sure…But I think you are right in that man is made to know things.. I don’t think that means just book knowledge, otherwise all educated people would theoretically also be happy.
So, 1 Corinthians 13…We know in part, one day we will know in full.
Here is how Aquinas puts it together.
Man can experience a sort of worldly happiness (felicitas). Its actually a good and real thing. Learning skills, gaining knowledge, loving people…enjoying time with your wife for example.
However, worldly happiness is only as good as it is realized in proportion to what it really is…temporal.
Yet, why do we want more?
We are finite, yet we are made for the infinite.
So earthly happiness uh…happens, when we live how we are made to live. But even this happiness is only realized when we understand it rightly, namely that it is a shadow. Even loving some one can become inverted and distorted when we try to make them something they can never be: some sort of ultimate source of happiness. Things that make us happy are good because these natural things are good in and of themselves, (what spouse wants to be loved only and because they serve as a utilitarian signpost towards heaven). Yet they simultaneously can be received as alluding towards an even greater transcendent happiness “beatitudo” (infinite and ultimate fulfillment).
Natural happiness (felicitas) lived with an openness towards an infinite happiness (beatitudo).
The short hand for all that…Grace perfects nature.
Man’s ultimate happiness (“beatitudo”) consists in pariticipation in the Divine Life (heaven). “…even as I am fully known.”
We have it good (even when its hard) and it only gets better! I feel pretty happy thinking about that 🙂
Amen!
Yes, I agree whole heartedly……. Happiness is situational or circumstantial. It is an emotion of the flesh that can come and go. Things, people, etc. can make us happy. But Joy is spiritual; it is from a true relationship with God. It is forever! We can be unhappy, sad, or mournful, but still have joy. Thank you Jesus. Praise be to God!
sorry for the long reply. 😛