Pastoral Ministries / Sean Hussey

Creator is the only true source of our happiness

One of the attributes of God is his divine unicity. Jesuit Father John Hardon, an author of several books, explains that God’s divine unicity means that there can necessarily only be one true God.

“There are not many gods [polytheism], or just one chief god [henotheism], or two gods [Manichaean dualism],” Father Hardon writes in his book The Catholic Catechism. As we read God’s word through the prophet Isaiah, “I am the Lord, there is no other, there is no God besides me” (Is 45:5).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that written in the heart of every person is a deep longing to find truth and happiness (#27). Whether we know it or not, this desire is ultimately a desire for God.

God’s divine unicity is important for us today because we are constantly making other “gods” out of the things of this world (honor, fame, power, pleasure or material goods) and elevating them to the highest place in our lives. However, the divine unicity of God reminds us that there is only one God and besides him, there is no other.

Whenever we try to create gods out of the things of this world, even if they are good things, we will always end up being let down and longing for something more.

The Book of Psalms says that there is no good apart from God and that “those who choose another god multiply their sorrows” (Ps 16:4). The truth is that there is only one God, the Creator of everything, and he is the only true source of our happiness and the deepest longings of our hearts. As St. Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Our archdiocesan Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry (YACCM) exists to lead all young adults (ages 18-39) in central and southern Indiana into a relationship with Jesus Christ and to equip them to become lifelong, missionary disciples, because it is only in Jesus that we find the rest that our hearts long for.

One way we hope to do this is through our summer Theology on Tap program hosted at McGowan Hall, 1305 N. Delaware St., in downtown Indianapolis. Theology on Tap, or TOT for short, is a speaker series that gathers young adults. We’ve outgrown every bar in Indianapolis with 250-350 people in attendance! TOT is a great opportunity to connect with others and take the next step in your walk with the Lord.

TOT dates for this upcoming summer are June 8, July 22, July 6, July 20, Aug. 3, and Aug. 17. If you know any young adults (friends, family, co-workers, neighbors) who have wandered away from the faith or are interested in learning more about Catholicism, we encourage you to invite them to join us for Theology on Tap this summer! Check out our website to learn more: at https://indycatholic.org/theology-on-tap.
 

(Sean Hussey is the director of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry within the archdiocesan Secretariat for Pastoral Ministries. He can be reached at shussey@archindy.org.) †