Weekly Newsletter
NEXT ON CRTL: Don’t miss a discussion on Beauty in the Orthodox Christian home between Fr. Chris and Matushka Jenny Shroedel.
BEAUTY WILL SAVE THE WORLD
Dostoevsky’s often quoted line about how “beauty will save the world” displays a uniquely Orthodox Christian perspective. Preserved in Orthodoxy is the ancient Christian mindset that focused on a cosmos redeemed by the grace of God and returned to its Eden-like magnificence.
I remember discussing theology with a committed atheist. This young man was authentically brilliant, educated, and articulate. He argued incessantly from logic that there was no God. I reminded him that beauty in the world said otherwise, and he responded “Ah but what is beauty?” He was speechless when I told him that it is the existence of the very concept of beauty that draws the soul to the knowledge of God. The very fact that there is even the idea of beauty leads me to believe there is a God.
But is beauty internal or external? The old saying is “beauty is skin deep.”
Well, perhaps physical beauty is only skin deep, but lasting beauty glows from the inside out. That’s why Orthodox icons seem to glow with an inner beauty. They depict a soul transfigured by the grace of God that works its way out to be visible to everyone around that person. Superficial beauty gets old fast, but authentic inner beauty has a way of growing with age.
So, why is it that “beauty will save the world?” Is beauty really a “theological” idea? You better believe it is. Where do you think the human race got the idea that there was such a thing as beauty?
Here are three insights about authentic beauty that offer each of us, and yes, even the whole world, salvation.
First, Beauty Begins with God. The psalmist said “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4) It is God Himself Who taught the world the meaning of beauty. He alone is the Author of beauty. He planted Eden’s gardens and He was the first to look on His creation and declare it “very good.” So beauty, like Truth, first begins with a Person – God Himself. Outside of God we can only hope to glimpse the merest shadows of beauty, but in His Face we see what beauty was meant to be.
Second, Beauty Lifts the Mind. St. Paul advised the Philippians “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” When we avoid the ugliness of the world and dwell on that which is “lovely” we begin to develop the eyesight of God Himself. God sees His world in all its beauty and He loves His creation. The fathers often taught us that being able to see the beauty in all things is the first step to loving even your enemies. Unless you put effort in seeing the beauty all around you, you will be swallowed by the ugliness of life. God created you for better things.
Finally, Beauty Enlivens the Soul. St. Peter encouraged us to “not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” Authentic Christian beauty adorns the soul first and then shines through to the outside. This beauty is the radiant Presence of God in the life of the believer and that very Presence is the abundant life Christ promised to every one of His disciples. This life of God sets the believer free to live a daily life typified by the beauty of the Christian soul. Far from being the grandiose productions of make up, hairdo, and chic clothing, this is a simple and quiet beauty made up of the daily choices and actions of a Christian who has been transformed by God’s Presence in their lives.
Ultimately, Christian beauty is defined very differently than the ideas of beauty that only decorate the outside. This beauty is an inward flame kindled by the love of God and love for God. This loveliness then extends itself outward to encompass all of our life. When this happens the scripture is fulfilled where Jesus called us “a city set on a hill that cannot be hid” (see Matthew 5:14). May God grant us the courage and the faith to possess THAT kind of beauty.
Join me this week as Matushka Jenny Shroedel shares with us about how God’s beauty can adorn our homes.
Until next week.
Yours for the spread of Orthodoxy,
Fr. Chris Metropulos