Sole Satisfier is a term in Christian theology which refers to God as the only one who can satisfy human beings. The terminology is based on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, who said: "God alone satisfies". This is based on the Bible: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" ; "Only God is good". Aquinas in his philosophy also discussed summum bonum, the greatest good.
Biblical basis
, whom Christian theology considers as God, said: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me: for I am gentle and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." Jesus Christ also said: "Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. In his discussion with a young man, he also said: "Only God is good." David says to God in a Psalm, "You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing." These and dozens of other scriptures refer to God as satisfaction for mankind.
Theological and philosophical basis
On the part of man
According to Christian philosophy, the basis of the doctrine that only God satisfies the human soul is that the faculties of man which makes him really human are the intellect and will. These two faculties, which distinguishes him from animals, are "open to the infinite." This means that with his intellect or mind, man can always "know more" i.e. he can keep on receiving new information, new meaning without ever filling up. He can also "love more", i.e. he can always expand the quantity of the people and things he loves, and he can also improve the quality of that love. Thus only the Infinite God can satisfy the human spirit that is open to the infinite. St. Thomas in Summa contra Gentiles states: "the will's desire is satisfied by the divine good alone as its last end."
On the part of God
, a Christian philosopher who follows the steps of Thomas Aquinas, says that only God wins in the list of Candidates for the Greatest Good. He lists other candidates which people seek: pleasure, power, money, honor, virtue, wisdom. And they all pale in comparison with God because they are temporary, limited, and many are means to an end and not the end itself.
Augustine is the foremost Western Father of the Church. In modern language, he was, before his conversion to Christianity, considered a playboy and a cafeteria believer, choosing whatever faith suited him. These did not satisfy him thus he wrote one of his most famous words:
Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas wrote the Summa Theologiae, a comprehensive summation or compendium of theology.
In his book, Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that "The issue is the primacy of God." He said that God is "the reality without which nothing else can be good... If man's heart is not good, then nothing else can turn out good either. And the goodness of the human heart can ultimately come only from the One who is goodness, who is the Good itself." Benedict XVI also asked rhetorically: "What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God.....He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope, and love. The importance of "faith, hope and love" was already emphasized by the then Cardinal Ratzinger in his book God and the World. There he quotes Sor Lucia on what is the real message of Fatima. Sor Lucia told him to tell the world this: Don't take notice of the other things related to the Fatima story. The only message that is important is "faith, hope and love." Benedict's first two encyclicals are on love and hope.
