The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain” (CCC 2562). Discover how prayer shapes our desires, draws us closer to God, and leads us toward the happy life our hearts are created to seek.
Christian joy is a deep, abiding state of the soul that comes from living in communion with God. It is not merely a transient emotion, but rather a profound state of being that aligns us with our highest purpose and equips us to experience the richness of life by living fully, loving deeply, and engaging meaningfully with the world around us.
Gratitude is our way to demonstrate thankful appreciation for everything in our lives. Adopting an attitude of gratitude promotes happiness and wellbeing. Simply put, we cannot be hateful if we are grateful.
Our Christian teaching supplements the four cardinal virtues with the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity (or love). These theological virtues elevate and perfect our habits, thus directing us toward the supernatural happiness that can only be achieved by our union with God. Theological virtues are infused in our souls through God’s gift of sanctifying grace.
The cardinal virtues are the four moral virtues thought by ancient philosophers to form all other virtues acquired by human effort and repetition. The concept of these virtues–consisting of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance–traces back to Plato. Saint Ambrose later assigned the designation “cardinal,” stemming from the Latin root “cardo” or hinge, to emphasize that on these four qualities hinge the moral life.
