Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

Mankind is created by God to be happy. Living in happiness is a fundamental desire and aspiration, which is engraved in human nature. However people make themselves miserable by doing something that results in the opposite of the happiness they really crave for. Sin is an act that destroys the very existence of human beings who look for happiness instinctively and that makes them unhappy. In fact, sins such as thief, murder, adultery, and fraud are not only ethical sins but also legal crimes which undermine the order of human society. When we look into the relation between sins and the longing for beatitudes engraved in human nature, sins are more than ethical and legal issue. This is because sins are deeply connected to happiness of human beings. God created men to live a happy life, while showing mercy toward those who commit a crime and live a unhappy life. So God wants to forgive men’s sins and make them happy again. In the view of the Catholic Church, mankind is born with original sin. That’s why people should be forgiven from their original sin through the sacrament of Baptism, which is the first step to salvation. In addition, since human nature is weak, we cannot be happy without receiving absolution of sins we committed in the journey of life. To this end, God prepared the sacrament of confession for absolution. Even for a sick person who cannot make a confession of sins, God heals and forgives them through the sacrament of anointing of the sick. With the sacrament, God forgives sins which are sickness of the soul as well as physical illnesses. After all, these three sacraments have a common denominator of forgiveness of sins, which reflects good will of God who wants to bring unhappy humans with sins back to a state of happiness. We are all vulnerable humans but created to be happy. To be happy, it would be better for us to expect living in the state of true happiness after receiving forgiveness of our sins that are the source of unhappiness.