 |
| ENLARGE |
By Beatitude is meant the supreme happiness of man, the satisfaction of all the needs of his nature, the perfecting of his being, the attainment of his highest aspirations, the accomplishment of the purpose of his existence. The one object which is capable of satisfying all these requirements is God. God is the Beatitude of man. Man's happiness, considered subjectively, is the consciousness of possessing God. In this state of completion there is no further wanting, no further striving; all that is attainable has been attained; nothing further remains; man enters upon perfect repose and peace. Yet Beatitude is not the repose of inactivity; it does not mean that human faculties have no further exercise; it is not the termination of active life; it is the perfection of our life, and life is essentially action. Further, we enter into a participation in the divine life; and God, while immutable, is pure activity. The action of our future life will differ widely as to its methods from our present activity. Instead of seeking what we do not as yet possess or perhaps can never attain, we shall find employment for all our energies on that which we shall then possess. We shall possess God substantially, we shall see Him face to face, yet we shall never comprehend Him thoroughly; and for all eternity we shall continually progress, drinking more deeply of the fountain of delights, and receiving ever new revelations of the divine perfections, truth, and goodness. So St. John, in describing the abode of our eternal rest, represents the Cherubim as resting not by day or night in their activity (Apoc. iv. 8). As Beatitude is action, so you must prepare for it here by continual activity, never resting in the service of God and man.
