Thinking about Beauty…

Lately I have been considering the meaning of beauty, how it has appeared through history, and mostly its application to liturgical art. If beauty is truly the splendor of truth, then should not ever dimension of a church reflect the Splendor of the Lord? Beauty is a gift in a church. It is not present only for the sake of worshiping, but is also a reflection that worship is a gift for us.

Aquinas tells us that God is not just beautiful, but is Beauty itself. Thus, that which is beautiful should help lead one towards the Lord. God wants us to honor Him with beauty, similarly to how he wants us to pray and sacrifice. A further comparison we can look at is how He wants a man and wife to enjoy the splendor of the marital act, and so in a similar way He desires man to enjoy beauty.

-Written by Halyna Rerick

More thoughts to come. What do you think the purpose of beauty is in churches? Comment below.