Happiness Is For You

Nature inspires us with secret repugnance of the remembrance of the last things; it seems to nature that cheerfulness and mirth are incompatible with habitual attention to these main truths of life.

But the fact is, we are unhappy because we do not reflect on these truths; If the ones penetrated into our minds and became the daily rule of our conduct, the largest part of our troubles, regrets and disquiets would disappear at once. How could we still torment ourselves about the thousand trifles of human life if we said boldly to ourselves: ‘The figure of this world passes away?’ ‘What does it profit a man to gain the whole world?’ ‘Seek the kingdom of God, and all the rest will be added to you.’

We would not give up our hearts to sadness for a moment of suffering, if we thought seriously of death which will soon separate us from everything- of judgement which will place us before God to render him an account of our actions- of the eternity of joys or of torments which awaits depending on what we have done well or ill.

It is this vantage point that we must place ourselves; if we are faithful to it, trouble and disquiet will happily be banished from our hearts.