St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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10 IGNATIAN some one seemingly more worthy of recognition may appear to obscure the former's worth. Noble souls have lived and died in obscurity, whether through their own modesty or through the blindness of humanity. Ignoble men have received the plaudits of the mob and their names have become household words, though their lives have been unworthy and their ideals low. Placed upon the pinnacle of fame, man still seeks to attain a wider recog- nition. Contentment is not his. Further quest and the ac- companying fear of failure are strangely inconsistent with that peace of mind which perfect happiness should bring. Far better is it to have peace and contentment in this life than honor, bringing with it too often selfishness and the envy of small minds. Thus can be seen the failure of earthly gifts to bring true happiness. Perfect happiness, as we know, is that condition of the soul in which every good is possessed, every evil ex- cluded, and there is present the conviction that that condition shall be enduring. From a consideration of this definition the faults and shortcomings of riches, honor and pleasure are self-evident. All leave in their wake marks of pain upon the heart. The pleasures of the earth are imperfect, are not conducive to the highest ideals or safeguards from suffering. We labor for many years in the pursuit of wealth, yet in one instant we lose all in the advent of death. Well can we ex- claim as did Solomon of old: Vanity of Vanities, and all is vanity. Life after all is but a turbulent ocean upon which we are tossed as a tiny craft in the teeth of a mighty gale. As long as we are upon the earth there is a continual warfare between our lower and higher natures. The passions, ever rebellious, seek to lead us to ignore the dictates of conscience, make the soul subservient to the body and keep the heart in a constant state of disorder. Endlessly seeking for a greater share of good things we go through life. We gain the object of our desire, but once gained, fascination gives place to un-

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HEART YEARNINGS 9 Wealth has been the undermining influence by which man and even nations have fallen. Yet great as has been the havoc wrought by wealth, greater by far has been that worked by sensual pleasures. Rome, the greatest of all ancient Empires, fell through this means, while the present decline of many modern nations may be attributed to the same cause. - The quest after perfect happiness should raise us above things material, should give us higher ideals, and nobler thoughts. Yet how far different does this gratification of bodily pleasures affect us. Man cannot act against the dic- tates of his conscience without suffering anguish, without realizing his humiliation and his lack of moral strength, his sin. Vice not only produces suffering spiritually, but physi- cally as well. The body, though strong and robust, cannot withstand the assaults by this sin any more than can an ancient fortification the modern projectile. In yielding man falls to a plane as low, and in some cases lower, than that of the dumb brutes. Is this the means by which to attain perfect happiness? Is this the method to be employed so that the eternal craving may find satisfaction? Gaze upon the broken bodies of these who have become the slaves of this apalling vice and an answer will be found. Who among men has not sought after honor in some form or another, at some stage of life. The desire to attain honor is, in the words of Rev. W. Kelley, one of the most powerful of human instincts. We seek to gain the commendation and praise of our fellow creatures and in this we find enjoyment and satisfaction 5 yet honor considered either as the knowledge others have of our good qualitiesg or the outward manifestation of this knowledge, cannot give perfect happiness. Honor cannot add one whit of perfection to our intellect or our will. It is but an earthly gift, bestowed by a fickle hand, bringing with it an uncertain period of possession. To-day one may be acclaimed by all, to-morrow

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HEART YEARNINGS 11 rest and once again we resume the quest. And so on through our entire span of existence come desire, success, discontent. Those three words, small in themselves, easily understood, form the impassable barrier rendering perfect happiness in this life an impossibility. . . Perfect happiness is unattainable in this life. Does that mean that we are never to taste of the sweets of true beati- tude, or merely that what we are unable to obtain in this life may be possessed in a life to come? Can the heart find satisfaction some place or is it doomed to an eternity of unrest? The answer must necessarily be that we can attain perfect happiness in a life to come for we cannot reconcile the fact that God, having given us this compelling desire, would leave us without the means necessary for its attain- ment. No one believing in the Creator can doubt the existence of a life wherein perfect happiness is to be found. Has God given to us a desire higher than the things of this life only to withhold from us the fulfillment of that desire? My life on this earth has been one of unrest, of sorrow and sadness. In a distant land there awaits us an everlasting existence of joy and gladnessg a life of rest and peace g a dominion of perfect happiness. The soul is made for heaven and for the possession of an uncreated good. God being the only uncreated Good, it follows that in Him alone perfect happiness is found. Even in this life, by a knowledge indescribable, are we made aware of the fact that God is the ultimate end of our desires. To him do we turn in adversity, and thus acknowledge our de- pendence, and his powers of comforting and rendering us happy. Our bodily cravings find satisfaction in the material goods of life, but not so with the soul. It is continually stretching forth in its search after loftier things, and, possessing the capability of love, truth and goodness, seeks to perfect these