Beauty and Catholicism

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Ontheway

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It has been said that “Beauty is an enduring, tangible, and necessary indication of the Lord. When beauty has been allowed to wither, the liturgy and the faithful are moved away, however unintentionally, from the divine presence.”

One of the most beautiful pieces of religious music is Allegri’s Miserere. Here is the link.
youtube.com/watch?v=IA88AS6Wy_4

As we look at the modern church and the chaos in the world, it is worth remembering the beauty of Catholicism.

Please share your favorite music, art, poetry, etc. as it relates to our faith in the creator and savior of the world.
 
Thank you for sharing these. I’m still listening to the first, and it is lovely.
May God bless you and all who visit this thread.
Amen.
 
The Church has never tried to divorce Beauty from Truth. Fr. Robert Barron said that.
 
The musical selections in the thread are lovely. I would suggest “Missa Brevis” by Malignus Youth as a different and equally effective form of beauty.
 
Many have written and spoken about beauty and faith. Here is something from Pope Benedict"

“I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth…are the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated.”1 Throughout his career, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI has, time and again, emphasized that the via pulchritudinis, the way of beauty, constitutes a privileged path by which to advance the New Evangelization.
hprweb.com/2015/01/pope-benedict-xvis-theology-of-beauty-and-the-new-evangelization/
 
Ontheway said:
This is so, but most of the beauty has been stripped away from modern churches, at least in America.
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Although I like beautiful old churches, many of the modern churches have a different form of beauty. As an example, I was married in a modern-looking church. It was not my preferred architecture but at the time it was my parish church and I was dealing with a lot of hassles so it was easier to schedule the wedding there as it was close by, we knew the priest well, etc. I was a bit sad that the church had the more modern, bare (to me) architecture, but my mother and the photographer both noted that this church had huge clear windows looking out on the church grounds (which were pretty, with flowers and trees) and a lot of light came into the church. This too was beauty, though not the traditional stained glass window kind.

It would be good if we allowed for different forms of beauty while not rejecting any one form in favor of another.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Although I like beautiful old churches, many of the modern churches have a different form of beauty. As an example, I was married in a modern-looking church. It was not my preferred architecture but at the time it was my parish church and I was dealing with a lot of hassles so it was easier to schedule the wedding there as it was close by, we knew the priest well, etc. I was a bit sad that the church had the more modern, bare (to me) architecture, but my mother and the photographer both noted that this church had huge clear windows looking out on the church grounds (which were pretty, with flowers and trees) and a lot of light came into the church. This too was beauty, though not the traditional stained glass window kind.

It would be good if we allowed for different forms of beauty while not rejecting any one form in favor of another.
Click to expand...
Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. I have found this definition -

Beauty

Beauty can help evoke wonder and delight, which are foundations of a life of wisdom and inquiry.[v] Beauty involves apprehending unity, harmony, proportion, wholeness, and radiance.[vi] It often manifests itself in simplicity and purity, especially in math and science.[vii] Often beauty has a type of pre-rational (striking) force upon the soul, for instance when one witnesses a spectacular sunset or the face of one’s beloved. Beauty can be understood as a type of inner radiance or shine coming from a thing that is well-ordered to its state of being or is true to its nature or form.[viii]
cardinalnewmansociety.org/educating-truth-beauty-goodness-2/
 
The choir at Claire College, Cambridge,… how many parishes have such a choir ?

Fact is, Claire College during the reign of Henry VIII, had an alumnus Hugh Latimer, who worked for the king in the desolation of Catholic Monasteries. Latimer was eventually burned at the stake by Queen Mary for refusing to recant his Protestant beliefs.

Anyway, the point here is that although the music is beautiful, it’s rare that a parish, other than the diocesan cathedral, has such a choir or orchestra capable of providing such level of music.

Many parishes like my own small parish, have volunteers who’ll lead the congregation in singing with guitars and hymns from the Glory and Praise Hymnals, which are approved by the USCCB.

There is a beauty in the hymns, especially when the people participate.

However, as in many parishes, the volunteers like myself have aged out of the music and there aren’t any young people taking over.

In short, the music at many parishes, is pathetic, especially as the pastors are forced to hire organists from outside the parish, some of whom have little knowledge of Catholic Music.

Two weeks ago we sang “A Simple Life,” from our Glory and Praise hymnal. It’s not a Catholic song, but a Shaker tune, which had nothing to do with praise and worship of God, but how living a simple life is a good life. youtube.com/watch?v=CLAnuG1340g

It’s to the point that when we’ve had Mass without music because the organist’s was away, it’s preferable.

That all being said, the Eucharist of the Mass is what makes it beautiful, regardless of the music.

Christ is the focus and the reason why we attend Mass in the first place. Try to stay focused on what’s important, not what’s more entertaining.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The choir at Claire College, Cambridge,… how many parishes have such a choir ?

Fact is, Claire College during the reign of Henry VIII, had an alumnus Hugh Latimer, who worked for the king in the desolation of Catholic Monasteries. Latimer was eventually burned at the stake by Queen Mary for refusing to recant his Protestant beliefs.

Anyway, the point here is that although the music is beautiful, it’s rare that a parish, other than the diocesan cathedral, has such a choir or orchestra capable of providing such level of music.

Many parishes like my own small parish, have volunteers who’ll lead the congregation in singing with guitars and hymns from the Glory and Praise Hymnals, which are approved by the USCCB.

There is a beauty in the hymns, especially when the people participate.

However, as in many parishes, the volunteers like myself have aged out of the music and there aren’t any young people taking over.

In short, the music at many parishes, is pathetic, especially as the pastors are forced to hire organists from outside the parish, some of whom have little knowledge of Catholic Music.

Two weeks ago we sang “A Simple Life,” from our Glory and Praise hymnal. It’s not a Catholic song, but a Shaker tune, which had nothing to do with praise and worship of God, but how living a simple life is a good life. youtube.com/watch?v=CLAnuG1340g

It’s to the point that when we’ve had Mass without music because the organist’s was away, it’s preferable.

That all being said, the Eucharist of the Mass is what makes it beautiful, regardless of the music.

Christ is the focus and the reason why we attend Mass in the first place. Try to stay focused on what’s important, not what’s more entertaining.

Jim
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I tend to agree that the music that is heard in our parishes is bad and distracting and I know we our parishes lack the resources necessary to create something that can be done a professional musicians and singers. I do want to make one point however.

From time to time I attend the Spanish mass at my church. The Spanish speaking community here is small and there are usually about 100 people at the service. Music is provided by the parish members. A couple of guitars and a few singers. Simple folk with no professional training.

The music they create comes from the heart and their faith. It is simple, sometimes off key and unpolished. But, there is so much beauty in that simplicity and imperfection, the music is so genuine that it communicates directly. This is something that can not be taught in our parishes.
 
Ontheway said:
I tend to agree that the music that is heard in our parishes is bad and distracting and I know we our parishes lack the resources necessary to create something that can be done a professional musicians and singers. I do want to make one point however.

From time to time I attend the Spanish mass at my church. The Spanish speaking community here is small and there are usually about 100 people at the service. Music is provided by the parish members. A couple of guitars and a few singers. Simple folk with no professional training.

The music they create comes from the heart and their faith. It is simple, sometimes off key and unpolished. But, there is so much beauty in that simplicity and imperfection, the music is so genuine that it communicates directly. This is something that can not be taught in our parishes.
Click to expand...
I have also heard such music by Spanish speaking groups in the past. It was beautiful and from the heart.

The bottom line, isn’t that what the music at Mass suppose to be ?

Jim
 
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