Happy believer: 4th Thursday of Easter

“If you understand these things, you will be happy when you put them into practice” (Jn 13:17) The gospel of John does not speak of the beatitudes or in other words, of the conditions for happiness. It does, however, speak of only one condition for happiness: to put into practice the right belief.

Happiness and faith are not somethings we usually put together. Faith is to believe what the church tells us to believe and happiness will depend on the few satisfactions we manage to get in life after we have done all we had to do. Happiness is a kind of extra bonus we receive occasionally.

However, it is working for what we truly believe in our hearts that gives us the fullness of satisfation, albeit in the midst of obstacles and sufferings. Happiness does not depend on occasional satisfactions which we derive from providential situations but from the satisfaction of having the most important needs in our lives met: the need of meaning, the need of accomplishment, the need of being someone to someone, the need of a vision that fulfils us and working for it. The works of faith do bring happiness.