A frequent source of in-fighting amongst Christians involves beauty. How beautiful should our churches be? How beautiful should our Liturgies be? And why? In these discussions, there are two points that often go overlooked:
1. We Worship Beauty.
2. Created Beauty Points towards Divine, Uncreated Beauty.
If you want to understand the Mass, and why there’s such an emphasis on beauty (instead of the stripped-down worship services and whitewashed churches of some Protestant denominations), consider these two points, and how they play out in the life of Israel, the Church on earth, and in Heavenly glory.
Tag: beauty
The Problem of Beauty
Simon Vouet, Father Time Overcome by Love, Hope and Beauty (1627) A lot has been said about the “problem of pain.” Why, if God is both loving and all-powerful, is there still suffering in the world? The question is a challenge for Catholics, as for all theists. As believers, we have some sense of why a loving… Continue reading The Problem of Beauty
The Two Liturgical Rules I Wish Everyone Would Follow
There are lots of fights over the way that the Mass is celebrated, and about liturgical beauty more broadly. I think it would help to bear in mind two rules, both of which are borne out a simple reality: the Mass is the place in which we encounter Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. With that… Continue reading The Two Liturgical Rules I Wish Everyone Would Follow
What Shawshank Redemption Can Teach Us About the Liturgy
There’s a great scene in the film Shawshank Redemption, one of the best prison movies of all time, in which a prisoner, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), plays “Duettino – Sull’aria” from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” over the prison P.A. system. You can watch the clip from the movie here, or just listen to the song below: What I… Continue reading What Shawshank Redemption Can Teach Us About the Liturgy
Why “Lord of the Dance” Should be Taken Out of Church
Growing up, my favorite “hymn” was Sydney Carter’s Lord of the Dance, because I found it upbeat and catchy — to be quite frank, it wasn’t far removed, musically, from a lot of popular children’s artists. Raffi, for example, could easily have been a folk-Christian writer, by tweaking his lyrics slightly. Today, I still can… Continue reading Why “Lord of the Dance” Should be Taken Out of Church
The Mass Done Right
I’ve done my share of kvetching about the Mass done poorly — those Masses with sappy songs about and to us; those homilies which start out bland and end up heretical; all done within the confines of a church which looks like a conference room in wartime. I mention these things for one major reason:… Continue reading The Mass Done Right
Beauty as a Proof for God
The lead blogger behind Catholic Eye Candy has determined that he’s not called to be a priest after all, and has apparently left the seminary. He announced on Thursday that he’s closing the blog, although thankfully, leaving it up. He has determined that he is not, after all, called to the priesthood, although he seems… Continue reading Beauty as a Proof for God