Posted by Emily, UST Senior, Elementary Education and Catholic Studies
Friendly “good mornings” from my classmates on those early Tuesday and Thursday mornings set the stage for the next 100 minutes when you will find students ranging from freshman to adult in JRC exploring the “Paths and Practices of Catholic Spirituality”. More commonly known as Catholic Studies 201, it is a closer look at a few different applications of Catholic spirituality and how these ideas apply to our lives. Our class begins each day with a prayer asking Our Lady and the Saints to be with us as we delve into lecture and discussion on our readings – Church documents, works of the Saints, C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, and other Catholic perspectives on aspects of spirituality.
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Posted by Kelsey, UST sophomore, Psychology, Catholic Studies, Renaissance Program minor
We are all of us searching for happiness. The happiness we seek, though, is not a temporal fulfillment, but rather an eternal joy. Through an understanding of the Gospel message, we realize that it is impossible to find happiness in this time-restricted world. There is only one true source of happiness, and that is God. How, though, do we find God and thus attain happiness? From the Bible to the great works of G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis to thinkers like Romano Guardini, John Henry Newman, and the popes, this course not only explained what happiness is, but how to attain it. It prompted students to think analytically about the texts while at the same time inspiring in them a desire to examine the great work of their own lives.
The “Search for Happiness” class is more than just an informational lecture series; it is truly a journey of faith. As we examined happiness in light of the mystery of the Church, the four cardinal virtues, sin, self-gift, vocation, and the Eucharist, I found myself falling ever more in love with God. Never in my life have I had a class like it, and never in my life have I liked a class as much as this one. If you think you might take this class, enter into it with your heart wide open. I think that you, too, will find it to be deeply rewarding, and you may even find yourself experiencing a bit of the happiness that God is longing to give you.