“In the tradition of Catholic Christianity, well-being describes the overall health and happiness of the human person, made in God's image and likeness and sustained in life by his Spirit. It is a holist appreciation of the different facets of the human condition existing in harmony and flourishing together. The Catholic understanding of well-being encompasses the physical health, emotional health, mental health and spiritual health of the person. Yet we hold that the human person is greater than the sum of their parts and that all the constituent parts of the human condition unite under the aegis of the unique person, created, loved and known by God.
The Church argues that well-being has a very important social dimension. It is not an achievement but a fruit of harmonious relationships with God and others and therefore is something that depends on conditions outside the person rather than something exclusively within the person’s own capacity. It pays careful attention to the conditions that ought to exist to make well-being possible. So too does our understanding of well-being include an important moral dimension. Certain behaviours lead to fulfillment and happiness and other behaviours lead to misery and sadness. Finally, based on the Gospel of Christ, the Church understands well-being not just in the present but as connected to the past and the future. This emphasizes the importance of hope for the well-being of people suffering from negative life experiences such as hurt and disappointment. It holds out the hope that leads people forward towards the ultimate well-being of the human community and the fulfillment of all desire in the kingdom of God".
Fr Billy Swan