Does Christian virtue lead to happiness in this life?

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Qoeleth

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There seems to be three possible views:
  1. Yes, for one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is joy, and generally, being Christian involves (but is not limited to) embracing ‘civic virtues’, like hard work, being co-operative, etc., so therefore Christians tend to be prosperous, and happy with good human relations, as well as casting away pride and greed, which cause sorrow.
  2. No, for it is written, “Blessed are them that mourn”, and “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy”, and “Whoever hates his life in this world…”, and “In the world you will have sorrow…”, and Christ, our exemplar, was “the man of sorrows”. Christian virtue involves self-denial, and ‘going against the flow’ of the world, and living like “exiles in a strange land”.
  3. There is nor particular connection between Christian virtue and happiness in this life. The two are basically unrelated.
Each of the positions seems to have some merit. I am interested to see what people think, or have experienced.
 
God gives and takes away, acts according to His good will. Who knows what He has in plan? 🤷

If God grants someone true joy, then I suppose no amount of hardships on this earth would faze him/her.

But most of us aren’t saints, so I would say roller coast ride – when we have things our hearts desire, we are glad. when we don’t, we’re sad.

It’s our job to desire what is good, I guess…
 
Does Christian virtue lead to happiness in this life?
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Yes.

I didn’t answer the poll, because I do not know what you mean by “success.”
 
A Christian and a hater will experience joy and sorrow for very different reasons. A Christian will mourn because they will experience the joy of God’s love and the knowledge of his eternal sustaining power, and they will be grieved to see others that seem to have no desire for any such thing. They will sigh at how wonderful the world would be if every single person had an appetite to worship and serve God. They will face difficulty simply for wanting to be what God made us to be.

Ultimately, it is my opinion that a principled Christian is happier in this life than a pagan, but an inconsistent or undisciplined Christian may be less happy than a consistent yet entirely unvirtuous pagan.
 
Yes, Padre Pio lead a very hard life of strict fasting and suffering but he was still happy.

You need to understand that just because you suffer or have to give up stuff it does not mean you cannot be happy. Stuff does not equal happiness which is contrary to how the world says it works. Suffering does not mean you have to be sad as well.

Since I have returned to the faith I have never been more fulfilled or happier. While being a Christian I suffer more now than I did before it is not the same kind of suffering. Before I suffered to satisfy myself or family/friends/society and so on. In the end the sacrifices I made had no meaning it was stuff that I just HAD to do. Now since I have rediscovered my faith a couple of years ago I understand how to focus my efforts. By offering up my suffering for our Lord and salvation of souls it has meaning. Knowing how much Christ suffered just so I could have a chance at salvation humbles me even though I have to deal with an increase difficulties now that I am a Christian. I have a God who loves me and hopefully one day I will be able to walk in haven in our Creator’s presence. Between now and then I have work to do so I can make my Father in Haven proud of me.

Being Christian in my line of work (mental health) and academic circles makes it very hard for me to fit in. I have values I cannot waffle on whereas before I could just shrug and go with the flow. So even though I am an outcast in my field and society tries to censor my beliefs I have a sense of joy now that I have never had before. By fostering a strong prayer life and going to daily mass I have found a source of joy that cannot be described in simple terms of “living a Christian life is practical so I am happy.”

I am happy because even when I am persecuted or ridiculed for my beliefs I can go to prayer or adoration and be overwhelmed by a sense of our loving Creators presence in a very real way. By rediscovering what it meant to be a Christian I have experienced a strong tangible relationship with our creator and in doing so the rest of the personal sorrows, ambitions, desires I dealt with in the past seem less significant.
 
Yes, because living with the intent of practicing Christian virtue gives peace, and a person cannot have happiness without peace.

But happiness and suffering can co-exist in a person. I think this is the most distinctive mark of all saints. Happiness is not an absence of suffering, but the ability to see beyond suffering.
 
Caroline723 said:
Yes, because living with the intent of practicing Christian virtue gives peace, and a person cannot have happiness without peace.

But happiness and suffering can co-exist in a person. I think this is the most distinctive mark of all saints. Happiness is not an absence of suffering, but the ability to see beyond suffering.
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👍 It is folly to stake everything on the things of this world.
 
SinnersAnonymus said:
Yes, Padre Pio lead a very hard life of strict fasting and suffering but he was still happy.

You need to understand that just because you suffer or have to give up stuff it does not mean you cannot be happy. Stuff does not equal happiness which is contrary to how the world says it works. Suffering does not mean you have to be sad as well.

Since I have returned to the faith I have never been more fulfilled or happier. While being a Christian I suffer more now than I did before it is not the same kind of suffering. Before I suffered to satisfy myself or family/friends/society and so on. In the end the sacrifices I made had no meaning it was stuff that I just HAD to do. Now since I have rediscovered my faith a couple of years ago I understand how to focus my efforts. By offering up my suffering for our Lord and salvation of souls it has meaning. Knowing how much Christ suffered just so I could have a chance at salvation humbles me even though I have to deal with an increase difficulties now that I am a Christian. I have a God who loves me and hopefully one day I will be able to walk in haven in our Creator’s presence. Between now and then I have work to do so I can make my Father in Haven proud of me.

Being Christian in my line of work (mental health) and academic circles makes it very hard for me to fit in. I have values I cannot waffle on whereas before I could just shrug and go with the flow. So even though I am an outcast in my field and society tries to censor my beliefs I have a sense of joy now that I have never had before. By fostering a strong prayer life and going to daily mass I have found a source of joy that cannot be described in simple terms of “living a Christian life is practical so I am happy.”

I am happy because even when I am persecuted or ridiculed for my beliefs I can go to prayer or adoration and be overwhelmed by a sense of our loving Creators presence in a very real way. By rediscovering what it meant to be a Christian I have experienced a strong tangible relationship with our creator and in doing so the rest of the personal sorrows, ambitions, desires I dealt with in the past seem less significant.
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Welcome to the forum. 🙂

A superb post. 👍
 
It depends on the situation and society, as the situation and society determine what is considered “successful”. (Even whether success or happiness is defined in material terms is largely culturally conditioned.) Christian virtue is not guaranteed to lead to happiness and prosperity in this life, nor is it guaranteed to lead to suffering, although Christ promises that we shall be persecuted for his name and store up treasure in Heaven, and rarely (if ever) promises that we shall be successful and prosperous in this world, although we may at times some of us receive a foretaste of the success of Christ on our behalf. Since the world, by and large, still does not know God with zeal according to knowledge (whether the world ever will before the parousia is a question of eschatology, with those answering affirmatively being called postmillennialist), Christ says: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you … The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you … But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.” The same God who said this is the God who was tortured and remained “obedient unto death, even death on the cross”. Promises for a perfect world where “there are no more tears and suffering, for death had passed away” are generally limited to the New Jerusalem. For Christ says, “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and give to the poor, and follow me.”

Now, does Christian virtue lead to spiritual or psychological or otherwise “internal” success and happiness in this life? Most certainly, for Christ says, “Whoever finds his life shall lose it, and whoever loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” The martyrs, while having their material success (and even their very bodies) burned to ash - ashes to ashes, dust to dust - counted themselves to be ultimately successful for being able to “bear witness” in such a fashion - the meaning of “martyr”. They lost their lives, but gained the world, both for themselves in eternal felicity, and for true religion - “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church” - for, as God says: “What doth it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
 
I realise that what is ‘happiness’ and ‘success’ is somewhat undertermined, and intentionally so. Only the individual can know how happy they are, or how successful they feel.

I suppose the question also involves this: Does God reward virtue in the present life?

Pro: The Psalms and much of the OT clearly states that He does.
Con: Such a position seems to fly in the face of experience, and much NT theology.

Thomas a Kempis says we cannot enjoy both this world and the next. That seems a little extreme, but there must be something in it. On the other hand, the Psalms insist that the virtuous man will be blessed with children, lands, victory, etc.
 
I know from experience that virtue does confer a certain sense of fulfillment with which the pleasured of the world cannot compare. However, I recognize also that a servant of God is more likely to experience events whose negative emotional weight would crush most people. Thus, none of the options are correct.
 
If the answers offered were merely “yes” or “no,” I could simply say “no,” although even by that, I would only mean “not always,” since some people manage to be happy, even though they sacrifice and obey God.

However, I disagree completely that the reason for choosing “no” is a lack of harmony with the world. The problem, rather, is that God’s will puts us at odds with our own natural desires, which we can no longer see fulfilled in this life. It’s as Saint Paul said; “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are, of all men, most to be pitied.”
 
Qoeleth said:
Thomas a Kempis says we cannot enjoy both this world and the next. That seems a little extreme, but there must be something in it. On the other hand, the Psalms insist that the virtuous man will be blessed with children, lands, victory, etc.
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It is a question of balance. To stake everything on happiness in this world is a mistake because if we love ourselves too much we become unlovable. Without self-imposed hardship we cannot reach heaven…
 
mytruepower2 said:
If the answers offered were merely “yes” or “no,” I could simply say “no,” although even by that, I would only mean “not always,” since some people manage to be happy, even though they sacrifice and obey God.

However, I disagree completely that the reason for choosing “no” is a lack of harmony with the world. The problem, rather, is that God’s will puts us at odds with our own natural desires, which we can no longer see fulfilled in this life. It’s as Saint Paul said; “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are, of all men, most to be pitied.”
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👍 Simplistic answers are usually incorrect.
 
Christian virtue does lead to happiness both in this life and in the next.

Satanic vice leads to misery both in this life and in the next.
 
the happiness that Christians seek is not worldly happiness and worldly success. We seek the happiness of union with God in this life and in the next. This is the only happiness that matters this is the only happiness we seek.

So happiness and success in this life is different than the happiness christians are called to seek.
 
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tonyrey:
It is a question of balance.
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No, it’s not. This cannot be overemphasized. It’s a question of extremity. Christians are called to give God everything, not to “balance” Him with the world.
 
Qoeleth said:
I realise that what is ‘happiness’ and ‘success’ is somewhat undertermined, and intentionally so. Only the individual can know how happy they are, or how successful they feel.

I suppose the question also involves this: Does God reward virtue in the present life? . . .
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Happiness and success are difficult to define, not so much because they are subjective feeling states, but because we are called upon by God for different purposes. To the degree that we fulfill His will, we are happy and successful. Self-reports are not necessarily valid reflections of the person’s condition. Such feelings, as they are commonly understood, do frequently seem based on transitory circumstances in people’s lives. Happiness is more than a feeling of contentment and can be present even when there is great suffering.

A favourite C.S.Lewis quote from The Great Divorce comes to mind:
“Son,‘he said,’ ye cannot in your present state understand eternity…That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, “No future bliss can make up for it,” not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say “Let me have but this and I’ll take the consequences”: little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man’s past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man’s past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why…the Blessed will say "We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven, : and the Lost, “We were always in Hell.” And both will speak truly.”:
 
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