Let us Begin

So. God. Pretty big topic there. Not something you can really cram into, say, a nutshell (or a blog). But we've got to start somewhere.

Here's what I know: In my life, I've been touched by God. I've always been a rather pessimistic and anxious person, and felt dissatisfied for most of the years of my life. That is, until I finally "let go and let God" as the phrase goes.

Basically, I got sick of being sick (as in, the sickness that results from sin). And it's good that I did, because now, though I'm still far from perfect, I'm really happy, happier than I've ever been in my entire life. I find it difficult to convey the bliss I've experienced from growing closer to God because I don't want to put myself on a pedestal. So I'll just say this: an excellent recipe for lifelong happiness includes the mass, sacred scripture, and personal study and prayer. The sacraments don't hurt either. Why do these actions give us such perfect joy? Because Saint Augustine hit the nail on the head when he said, "You have made us for yourself, oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." Pretty smart guy.

I hate to be repetitive, but in the interest of driving the point home, I ask again: why is it that hiding our hearts within God gives us such immense happiness? Three simple little words: God. Is. Love.

That phrase covers pretty much everything and anything, in my opinion.

Think about it. What is the number one thing that the advertising industry capitalizes on more than anything else? Love. You may be tempted to think that it's sex (and you wouldn't be wrong) but we learn from John Paul II's Theology of the Body that sex, at it's very core, is an act of selfless, sacrificial love (or at least, that's how it was originally, and how it's meant to be still; but that's another topic for another day...). Seriously. How did Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Kate Hudson, and all these other stars get so overwhelmingly rich? Two words: Romantic comedies. The world sells us love in the form of movies, music, books, art, clothes, perfume, shampoo, you name it. What does this say about our basic desire as humans?

We are constantly searching for love because God is love, and he made us for himself. Although a large portion of the human race is unaware of it, their hearts are searching for God.