Abstract
This thesis explores the intricate relationship between happiness and suffering. All men necessarily seek the acquisition of happiness. That is, all men are born with an innate, inescapable desire to reach a state whereby they will be so entirely, perfectly satisfied that there would be nothing left to desire. Further, all men unavoidably and acutely experience human suffering in life, culminating in death. This thesis seeks a comprehensive framework that answers and reconciles these two fundamental aspects of human existence. It begins by examining various philosophical perspectives on happiness and suffering, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in addressing the complexities of these experiences. After a careful examination of Aristotle, regarded as the apex of philosophical thought on these matters, the thesis identifies the inherent limitations of philosophical reasoning in fully resolving the questions surrounding happiness and suffering, particularly concerning their ultimate meaning and purpose. Finally, this thesis demonstrates how the definitive answer to the question of happiness and the meaning of suffering transcends the limits of philosophy and lays comfortably within the domain of theology. The question of happiness and the problem of suffering converge and see reconciliation in the person of Jesus Christ, as through His life and Paschal Mystery the nature of man’s perfect happiness is revealed as the beatific vision of God, and suffering and death are transformed from an obstacle to attaining happiness into the way and means by which man achieves his true ultimate end – perfect and everlasting participation in the divine life. Christ paradoxically binds these two mysteries together both in effecting the Redemption of Man through His Passion and Death, and in the regenerated life of His disciples journeying toward perfect union with God through Him and His Cross.