Joseph Pieper (1904-1997), German philosopher and theologian, wrote Happiness and Contemplation in 1958. In this short work, he summarizes much of the theology of Thomas Aquinas. If you are willing to read slowly and thoughtfully, you will encounter rich, life-transforming spiritual food on these pages. The following are a few of the quotes I noted in my journal:
- Every human being, without exception, is called to eternal contemplative happiness with God.
- The human craving for happiness may be distracted by a 1000 small gratifications but “one sweet fruit is sought” (Dante).
- The ultimate satiation of man’s deepest thirst takes place in contemplation.
- Many joys in the course of everyday life come to us. They are a foretaste and beginning of perfect joy. The whole good cannot be quenched by anything less than God! It cannot be found in realm of created things. What then is the drink known as happiness that can ultimately suffice this thirst of the whole human being? GOD. – Eternal life, eternal banquet, glory, salvation.
- When you taste God, there is nothing else to wish for. A surpassingly happy person has everything he/she wants. Everything is “in him” and nothing can happen to him… he lacks nothing. He cannot even be disturbed. – For Christian martyrs, not even torture could tear from them the happiness of contemplation.
G.K. Chesterton, considering his life in retrospect, said he had always the mystical conviction of the miracle in all that exists and of the rapture dwelling essentially within all experience. There are three separate assertions here: 1. That everything holds and conceals at bottom a mark of its divine origin; 2. That one who catches a glimpse of it “sees” that this and all things are “good” beyond human comprehension; 3.That seeing this, he is happy. Here in sum is the whole doctrine of the contemplation of earthly creation. It is the requisite for the good of the human community that there should be persons who devote themselves to the life of contemplation. It is “useless” and the yardstick. Contemplation keeps the true end in sight, giving meaning to every practical act of life! For man here on earth, there is nothing more meaningful than the love of God. The greatest menace for capacity for contemplation – busy! Dry, empty stimuli that kill the receptivity of the soul. If we have not escaped from harried rush, mad pursuit, from unrest and from the necessity of care, we are not happy. Its’ very premise is freedom from the fetters of workaday busyness! The happiness of contemplation is not a comfortable happiness – Teresa of Avila asserted that more courage is required to lead a life of contemplation than to elect martyrdom. How different do you find this from the kind of Christian sermons/messages we hear today?
