When we chase happiness in health, pleasure, or even the soul itself, we’re bound to be disappointed—because the body fails, delights fade, and even our own virtue longs for something higher. Augustine warns us not to fight over whose interpretation of Moses is right, but instead to cling to truth and love of neighbor. And Origen presses us to consider that even human temptations and struggles come from deeper causes than flesh alone, pointing us toward the soul’s freedom in God. Together, these voices remind us: happiness is only found when the restless heart meets its true end in Him.
Origen – De Principiis (Peri Archon), "On First Principles", Book 3, Chapter 4
Augustine – Confessions, Book 12, Chapters 24–25
Thomas Aquinas – Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part, Question 3, Articles 4–6
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