Spiritual Vitamins

Vitamins are important for physical health. What about spiritual health? Here in this short, educational video, Fr. Mike Joly reminds us to take our “spiritual vitamins” beginning with happiness. What is happiness? Fr. Mike offers a quick summary of Fr. Robert Spitzer’s four levels of happiness to instruct us. First, there is physical happiness. You’re hungry so you eat. Yet, the hunger will return, so this can’t be true happiness. Then, there’s a psychological level of happiness wherein we compare ourselves to others and judge self worth based on various traits. This also isn’t true happiness. Next, is the joy we receive from doing good for others and them seeing good in us. This is a higher level, but still not true happiness. Where is that to be found? The fourth and final level which Fr. Mike calls “sublime beatitudo”: the gift of God given to a person because He is welcomed in their life. “God happening to me let’s me see and let’s you see in a much deeper way,” Fr. Mike says. Let us remember to take our spiritual vitamins everyday beginning with happiness.