What does the Bible say about beauty? It contains passages about women who are beautiful (Esther, Leah, the woman of Song of Solomon). But it also tells us that God is beautiful! Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I asked of the Lord…to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Saint Thomas of Aquinas wrote that all people desire goodness, truth, and beauty, which can be found in God, who is all of these.
I’ve struggle with the idea that beauty might offer value on par to goodness and truth. But maybe I’m invited to see God’s work in new ways. How might beauty be part of the life of faith? One way is by appreciating the beauty of creation. Another is creating beauty ourselves, with knitting needles, pen or pencil, an instrument, or watercolors. Beauty can be where we find God.
This message is excerpted from “Beauty and the holy” by Lisa A. Smith in the March/April 2022 Gather magazine.
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