A couple of Saturday mornings ago, the first three items on my local news bulletin were the stabbing of an author at a literary event, life support being turned off for an actor after a car accident and more accounts from the atrocities of war in Ukraine.  It was a startling reminder to me of the violence and ugliness of life.  And I started to ponder: how do we all go on?  How do we make sense of the ugliness of life and not lose heart? 

And then during a walk, I saw my first spring blossom.  From a twist of what looked like dried branches this one small blossom had burst forth.  The surprise of this tiny pink spark filled me with hope and stopped me in my tracks.  I was overwhelmed in the face of its fragile beauty.  It made my heart soar. 

I think many of us feel the darkness of the current time.  War, pandemic and violence encircle us, and it feels as though humanity is on a downward spiral.  The ongoing tussle over the future of the Church can leave us feeling a little lost.  The falling number of Mass attendees and the lack of engagement with the Tradition can dis-hearten us.  Daily life can sometimes feel more burdensome than joyous.  We may wonder about God’s presence and how God is being revealed to us in these times.  We may feel as though we are wandering in our own 21st century desert. 

And then a little spark such as my tiny pink blossom is a reminder that the human capacity for awe and wonder cannot be crushed.  In addition to being a sign of new life, I was drawn to its beauty, and, for a moment, it encouraged in me a peace of heart.  And I wonder if this is one of the reasons why, throughout the ages, people have both created and been drawn to beauty. 

Earlier this year Pope Francis met with a French group (Diaconate de la Beauté) which is dedicated to supporting artists and celebrating sacred art, architecture, poetry, and music.  In speaking with the group, he noted that the world needs beauty now more than ever because beauty is a source of joy which puts us in touch with divine goodness.  In a 2016 speech he observed that ‘little sparks of beauty and charity can heal and ‘mend’ human fabric’.  These words built upon those of John Paul’s 1999 Letter to Artists, Benedict XVI’s 2009 address to artists at the Sistine Chapel (described as a ‘sanctuary of faith and human creativity’) and Paul VI’s address to artists at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council where he observed: 

 “This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair.  Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart, and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration.  And all this through the work of your hands . . . Remember that you are the custodians of beauty in the world.”

Art, music, literature, film, poetry, dance, a loving smile – beauty is all around us, if we have the eyes to see.  A path, perhaps, for the healing of hearts and souls.  A different form of accompaniment.  A way without the clumsiness of words. 

In ‘The Idiot’, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that ‘The world will be saved by beauty!’ and I think anything that takes us out of ourselves and serves to soften the heart, to smooth our rough edges and to enable a lightness of spirit can transform any corner of the world.  Beauty can also enable us to encounter the handiwork of God in our everyday lives. 

But I suspect we are more than custodians of beauty.  We draw upon and we create beauty in order to continue the work of revealing God to the world.  To remind ourselves and others that life is graced and blessed because Jesus is the Emmanuel.  To encounter another way of being through the stillness of the heart.  To continue the work of mending and re-creating the human fabric.  And, to prompt ourselves into living as though we truly believe that the world is filled with the goodness of the Lord. 

You can read more about the 7 sparks of beauty here: 7 “Sparks of beauty” Pope Francis says can change the world (aleteia.org)

By Cathy Jenkins