1.7 Why should I believe in God?
People long for ultimate happiness in their lives. Many people have found that in the long run happiness cannot be found in success, power or possessions. People often mention relationships as an important source of happiness. True happiness comes from within, from knowing that we are loved and that we are doing the right thing.
The most important truth about man is that we belong to God – he created us and loves us. In the end, ultimate happiness can only be found with him. It may sound simple, but it is a profound truth that in order to become happy, you only need to consent whole-heartedly to God’s plan for you and to co-operate with this plan.
Why does man have a desire for God?
God himself, in creating man in his own image, has written upon his heart the desire to see him. Even if this desire is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only in God will he find and live the fullness of truth and happiness for which he never stops searching. By nature and by vocation, therefore, man is a religious being, capable of entering into communion with God. This intimate and vital bond with God confers on man his fundamental dignity. [CCCC 2]
Why do we seek God?
God has placed in our hearts a longing to seek and find him. St. Augustine says, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” We call this longing for God religion.
It is natural for man to seek God. All of our striving for truth and happiness is ultimately a search for the one who supports us absolutely, satisfies us absolutely, and employs us absolutely in his service. A person is not completely himself until he has found God.“Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it” (St . Edith Stein). [Youcat 3]
[God] is the source of our happiness and the very end of all our aspirations… We pursue him with our love so that when we reach him we may rest in perfect happiness in him who is our goal. [St Augustine, The City of God, Bk. 10, Chap 3. (ML 41, 298)]
