CATHOLIC CAUCUS: The Catechism Explained - Introduction - II How are we to attain to eternal happin


INTRODUCTION. 
II. HOW ARE WE TO ATTAIN TO ETERNAL HAPPINESS?
Eternal happiness consists in union with God, through the exer- 
cise of the intellect contemplating God and the will loving Him. 
If we wish to attain it, we must begin to draw near to it in this life. 
We must seek to know and love God. But love of God consists in 
keeping His commandments (John xiv. 23). From this it follows 
that: 
We shall attain to eternal happiness by the following means: 
1. We must strive to know God by means of faith in the 
truths He has revealed to us. 
Our Lord says: "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, 
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent " (John 
xvii. 3). That is to say, the knowledge of God brings man to eternal 
happiness. 
2. We must fulfil the will of God by keeping His commandments. 
Our Lord says to the rich young man : "If thou wilt enter into 
life, keep the commandments" (Matt. xix. 17). 
By means of our own strength we can neither believe nor 
keep the commandments; for this we need the grace of God. 
Even Adam and Eve in a state of innocence needed the help of 
grace. He who travels to a distant country, besides his own exer- 
tions needs money for the journey. The farmer cannot cultivate his 
land without the aid of sunshine and of rain. Man, too, has a special 
weakness by reason of original sin. This makes grace the more indis- 
pensable. The blind man needs a guide, the sick man strengthening 
food. We are like a man who through weakness has fallen to the 
ground, and has no power, of himself, to rise. He must look around 
for one to aid him. So Our Lord tells us: "Without Me you can do 
nothing" (John xv. 5). As the sun is necessary to the earth, to en- 
lighten and warm it, so is grace necessary to our soul. 
We obtain the grace of God through the means of grace instituted 
by Jesus Christ. 
3. We must therefore avail ourselves of the means of grace; of 
which the chief are holy Mass, the sacraments, and prayer. 
The means of grace are a channel through which grace is conveyed 
to our soul. Faith is the road which leads to heaven, the command- 
ments are like sign-posts by the way, the means of grace the money 
for the journey. "The way that leads to life is narrow and thorny; 
the way that leads to destruction is broad, and many are they who go 
in thereat" (Matt. vii. 13). 
It is also true that he who desires happiness must have religion. 
Religion consists in a knowledge of God and a life corresponding 
to the will of God. Religion is not a matter of feeling; it is a matter 
of the will and of action, and consists in following out the principles 
that God has laid down. Mere knowledge does not constitute relig- 
ion, else the devil would have religion; the service of God is neces- 
sarily included in it. We do not call a man a baseball player or 
cricketer because he knows the rules and nature of the game; practice 
is also required. 
It is also true that he who desires to be happy must strive to be like 
to God. 
Man becomes like to God when all his thought and action resemble 
the divine thought and action. The commandments of God are a 
mirror, in which we recognize whether our actions are like or unlike 
those of God.

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INTRODUCTION.

THE CATECHISM EXPLAINED

INTRODUCTION