Happiness? The Answer May Surprise You
Reflection questions:
- Does it make sense to you to envision the Christian moral life as ongoing formation in learning “how to be good at being human”? What is appealing about this approach? What might make it more challenging than other approaches to morality?
- What struck you about the path to happiness Jesus outlined in the Beatitudes? Did anything surprise you? Anything make you uneasy?What struck you about the path to happiness Jesus outlined in the Beatitudes? Did anything surprise you? Anything make you uneasy?
- Have you ever, like Augustine, feared happiness? How did you respond to Augustine’s analysis of the nature of true happiness? Have you ever, like Augustine, feared happiness? How did you respond to Augustine’s analysis of the nature of true happiness?
Paul Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. A proud native of Louisville, Kentucky, he received his B.A. from Bellarmine University in Louisville, his M.Div. and M.A. degrees from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and his Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from the University of Notre Dame.
He is the author of several books, including Friendship and the Moral Life; Becoming Friends: Worship, Justice and the Practice of Christian Friendship; Happiness and the Christian Moral Life: An Introduction to Christian Ethics, revised 4th edition; and Living Vocationally—The Journey of the Called Life, co-authored with Charles Pinches. He has published articles on Christian theology, ethics, and spirituality in both scholarly and popular journals.
Paul is an active member of the Passionist Family of Holy Cross Province. Paul and his wife Carmella live in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
