Around 412 or 413 AD, Augustine delivered a remarkable homily on Easter Monday, now known as Sermon 231. In order to solicit resurrection faith, Augustine appealed to the universal human longing for happiness. After briefly examining and eliminating a number of possible paths for achieving happiness, Augustine turned to the risen Jesus of Nazareth and placed the following words in his mouth:
I’m inviting you to my life, where nobody dies, where life is truly happy…that’s where I’m inviting, to the region of the angels, to the friendship of the Father and the Holy Spirit, to the everlasting supper, to be my brothers and sisters, to be, in a word, myself. I’m inviting you to my life.
Augustine, Sermon 231.4, 5