Spiritual Connection: Your Path to Happiness (Local Insights)

Residents seeking greater peace and happiness may find answers in spiritual connection, according to insights shared on the radio program Trending with Timmerie. The program featured Father Robert Spitzer discussing happiness and its link to prayer.

Father Spitzer stated that humans are designed for a relationship with God. He explained that feelings of alienation, guilt, and unease can arise from separation from God or from violating divine laws. These feelings, he suggested, are physical manifestations of one's spiritual state, noting that neglecting sacraments, Mass, and prayer amounts to neglecting spiritual health. "When we are separated from Him and we don’t have Him in our lives, we feel this very bizarre sense of transcendent loneliness," he said.

The discussion cited research from the American Psychiatric Association that compared the mental health of religious individuals with non-affiliated individuals. According to the program, the study found that non-affiliated individuals experienced significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, familial tension, suicidal ideation, and suicide.

Father Spitzer outlined four levels of happiness: pleasure, passion, purpose, and the ultimate good, which he defined as the desire for perfection and for God. He asserted that earthly pursuits cannot fully satisfy the human longing for this ultimate happiness, which can only be found in God. "He made us to be fulfilled with nothing less than His infinity, eternity, and perfection in truth, love, goodness, beauty, and hope," Father Spitzer explained. "So if we’re trying to get that happiness out of this world, we won’t. And you can expect to find what the American Psychiatric Association found."

True knowledge of God requires communication through prayer, which can take many forms including silence, mental conversation, or vocal prayer. Residents are encouraged to utilize these methods of communication.

Trending with Timmerie airs weekdays at 6 p.m. CT.