But, with all of this, I want to look at a beautiful speech of our saintly Pope Benedict XVI from Zenit and other news sources. A group from Bavaria, (which I would LOVE to visit) brought a mini-folk festival to Castle Gandolfo.
The Pope stated after being treated to a late birthday present of dancing and singing, that their culture was one of beauty.
"It is not simply a matter of entertainment, but of a culture of gladness, imbued with joy; it is born of an interior acceptance of the world, of an interior 'yes' to life that is a 'yes' to joy," he said. "It is founded upon the fact that we are in harmony with creation, in harmony with the Creator himself, and for this reason we know that it is good to be a person."
A usual, this is profound. Beauty is an attribute of God, as I have have mentioned here and elsewhere, and we engage in that Beauty through prayer and reflection, as well as creation. We, like God, who made us in His Image and Likeness, create beauty. Beauty does come from harmony and peace, but also reflection.
The Zenit report continued:
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| Thanks to Wiki |
The Pope said that in Bavaria, it is "easy to recognize that God is good and be glad about it" since the region is so beautiful. At the same time, the Pontiff continued, God has made the region beautiful with the collaboration of the local people. "[T]he men who live in this land, precisely from their 'yes,' knew how to give it its complete beauty; it became so beautiful only through the culture of persons, through their faith, their joy, songs, music and art. The Creator did not wish to do this alone but only with the help of men."
It is our duty to create and be beautiful spiritually. One reason why we encounter hatred if we are walking with Christ is that evil is ugly and hates beauty. Notice this in the culture of death, which is also the culture of ugliness.
Zenit reported:
Ever the teacher, Benedict XVI went on to note that "someone could ask whether it is right to be so happy when the world is so full of suffering, when there exists so much darkness and evil? Is it right to be so high spirited and joyful?"
"The answer can only be 'yes!'" he affirmed. "Because saying 'no' to joy we do nothing of use to anyone, we only make the world darker."
I think of St. Augustine and St. Bernard of Clairvaux who both encountered God as the Beautiful. To know God is to desire Beauty. So, our ancestors, when they created beautiful Churches in the wilderness which were beautiful, were in touch with God in a way that we are not. We must, absolutely must, remove ugliness from our lives.
Do not watch television. Read news and be selective. Do not listen to the radio. Find the news you need online. Listen to classical music, and create, even in simplicity, a beautiful habitat for yourself. Plant flowers..pray.
Do not collect ugly things. If something is not beautiful or useful, throw it out. Surround yourself with positive people so that you can reach out to those caught in ugliness.
Here is the Pope again,
"From our faith we know and every day we see that the world is beautiful and God is good. And because of the fact that he became man and dwelled among us we know it definitively and concretely: yes, God is good and it is good to be a person. We live in this joy, and from this joy we try to bring joy to others, to reject evil and to be servants of peace and reconciliation."
We can change the world through Beauty, especially through the Tridentine Mass.
And, to become beautiful, one must go to the sacrament of Confession often and Mass daily, if possible.
Choose beauty and be a light in the world. Christ came to us in simplicity, but His Beauty has changed the world. We must cooperate in that change and mission. Only in Christ are we in harmony.