Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Intrinsic Goodness of Beauty

   Churches in the United States are businesses and social gathering places first and foremost. When my English husband first visited me here, he was surprised to see churches that seemed like aircraft carriers and warehouses on the side of the road. They are much unlike most English churches, which are often quite old with intricate architecture reminiscent of days when quality and beauty really mattered.
He commented to me that he has never felt inspired to go into an American Protestant church and finds it odd that so many of them don't even appear to have windows. 

"Nobody would live in a building like that, so why should God be housed in it?" he speculated.
Now I could be going a bit far down speculation road here, but I don't think the architects and those directing them are very much concerned about housing God. It appears, to me, to belie a casual attitude with regard to pleasing the Lord. And why not, if you consider the bread and wine to be merely symbolic, but not really the body and blood of Christ?

   When I put myself in the Protestant mindset, it appears to be perfectly reasonable to think "God understands" or "God doesn't care what our buildings look like as long as we love Him and our neighbors". There is something to be said for that, but personally I feel that great glory can be given to God through our effort to make a beautiful space for Him.

The space you worship in has the ability to influence your sense of awe and reverence for the Almighty. Of course aesthetic concerns are hardly moral or intellectual, but to me, it's still (in all honesty) one reason why I'm not Protestant! Yes, it is a small niggly reason, but it is a reason nonetheless.

I like a pretty Church. Call me old school. I don't think Mary, who housed the Lord, would have been an ugly woman - especially considering the fact that He made sure to preserve her from the stain of original sin! That having been said, God is not "too good" for less aesthetically pleasing spaces. After all, he was born in an inn and laid in an animal's manger.
How great is our Savior - to humble himself so!

God created humans as a perfect unity of body, mind, and soul. Therefore our perceptions are not restricted to just theological, philosophical, or otherwise intellectual revelations. Neither are they restricted to spiritual revelations, given as a gift to those who are open to belief. Indeed,we can also learn about the reality of God through our senses - sight, smell, sounds, touch, and taste.
That is one reason why the Catholic liturgy is so appealing to many. Its "bells and whistles" are beautiful to us on a deep level. We hear the Word of God. We taste the gift of Love in the Eucharist. Occasionally we "smell" incense, and we shake hands during the sign of peace. We see the crucifix, a reminder of the eternal sacrifice of Christ that we celebrate at Mass. We see the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

A Catholic Mass is very involved! It marries body, mind, and spirit in a way that few other things in life can. Marriage, more specifically the marital act, is one of the few "activities" (this word falls short) that can fulfill the human person in the to the fullest extent possible. And what is more beautiful than the fruit of the marital act - a tiny perfect innocent baby? Only one thing: the fruit of universal Love that is given to the Church, through the liturgy, to spread throughout the world!! The fruit of marriage is life. The fruit of the Mass is eternal life.

Oh dear, I've gone down a "theology of the body" rabbit hole... I really should do a post about marriage! Back to the subject...

Beauty is more than just a visual thing. There is also beauty in the soul. I would like to propose a type of biblically-informed hierarchy of beauty. A beautiful soul is to be treasured more than a beautiful body. All souls are beautiful because they are unique and formed individually by the mind of God. Their value is derived, in part, because they are immortal in the "image and likeness of God". This does not pass away.

A beautiful body will not retain its beauty forever, but like all things of visual attractiveness being bestowed with good looks is an unasked for gift that God chooses to grant to some individuals for reasons only He really understands. I'm sure there is a reason why God creates less than attractive people, but I'm not inclined or qualified to speculate on that topic! (i.e. I am a coward).

"
But the LORD said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7

"
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30

Thank goodness my soul isn't hideous; I would have had zero chance with my husband!

A lot of people like to point fingers at the wealth of the Church. If you love the poor and suffering so much, they cry, why not sell some of the art housed in the Vatican? Why not sell the Pieta, that glorious effigy of the mourning Madonna holding her dead Son in her arms?

The answer is this: the beauty of art is a priceless gift that can help us be inspired to search for God. When we imperfect, flawed, pitiful, and broken humans are in the presence of beauty - whether it be natural or man-made - our spirits are lifted out of the mundane to focus on that which is greater.

Timeless pieces of art serve the faithful by helping to inspire and retain a sense of awe in us towards the Almighty. We are more capable of appreciating the rich tapestry of His Church and His universe.
They touch the deep recess of the soul that longs for God. A God who is beauty, Truth, and Love.

There is an intrinsic goodness in beauty. "I am who am", God says. God just "is". In a similar way, beautiful things just "are". We can sit all day describing the characteristics and attributes of a pretty flower, but at the end of the day we realize that we can't really "get at" what it is that we are really drawn to. Why do people all over the world, through all the ages, love the rich colors of nature? The fresh scent of a newly blossomed rose?

Just like Plato's allegory of the cave, we can only see the dim likeness of perfection reflected on the wall. It is not until we see the Truth of reality in heaven that we will comprehend the pure essence of beauty which is God Himself.

It is a beautiful moment when creation beckons us to contemplate the Creator and brings us to a greater appreciation of His goodness and love.

It is important to keep beautiful things in the proper perspective, though. They should bring our hearts and minds to God. If we become too attached to creation (whether natural or man-made), it is harder to part with it. We have a strong tendency to become too attached to this life and its pleasures.
Like all of creation, beauty passes away.
(A perfectly relevant quote from the Little Flower herself, St. Therese)

The Creator alone is eternal and unchanging.
We can only have eternal life if we love Him and follow Him in the person of Christ, who has reconciled us.

Please pray for me, I am always praying for you.

1 comment:

  1. Steve, I'm only going to reply once. This is how Catholics understand original sin. God created Adam with original justice, which is sanctifying grace and all the other gifts God gave Adam. When Adam sinned, he lost that original justice, the sanctifying grace and all the other gifts, and death entered the world. Adam did not transmit original justice to his descendants or the rest of mankind because he lost it. What mankind inherited is the sin and death.

    >>> Original sin is not an *actual* sin on our part, it is the *lack of original justice.* <<<

    You cited Romans 5:12, but read verses 12-19. Saint Paul is talking about original sin when he said death entered the world through Adam's sin and death reigned. Later, through Jesus we regain sanctifying grace (not original justice unfortunately, but sanctifying grace).

    Use Catholic sources to learn what the Catholic Church *actually* teaches. It's the best way to discover if the claims of the Church are true. (Spoiler alert: they are.) May the peace of Christ reign in your heart.

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