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Can Beauty Distract Us From God?

AMDG

I recently came across an article by the Most Reverend James Conley, STL, Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, titled "Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Role of Beauty in the Restoration of Catholic Culture". It's a beautiful analysis of how beauty leads us to God's glory.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people wonder, sometimes very loudly, why Catholic churches are so beautifully decorated. After all, their reasoning goes, the money spent on this could be better spent on other, less "frivolous" endeavors. There is a sense that we should be somber and subdued, like somehow a dark, dank, monotone church will make us holier. Why?

God made beauty. He made humans in His image and likeness, and naturally we appreciate beauty. Have you ever seen a beautiful sunrise or sunset, all aglow in purples, blues and reds? Did you stop what you were doing, even if for a few seconds, to appreciate its beauty? The subtle change from a deep purple to a glowing violet, on to varying shades of blue and finally the orange and red that light up the sky?

Sunrise Over the Ocean

From Bishop Conley's article:

"The experience of beauty is transformative. It awakens a sense within us, that life is meaningful on the most profound level. Beauty can move us to humility, giving us a sense of wonder before the mystery of life. The encounter with beauty speaks to us about the true, awe-inspiring nature of existence."

Honestly, I have always appreciated the beauty in our faith. For me, entering a beautiful, "old" church fills my soul with awe. It makes me feel so much closer to God. The beauty leads me to its Creator.

Case in point - the Milk Grotto Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. It's a very simple facade, with very little ornamentation. However, when compared to the stone walls around it, it stands out. It draws your focus to the arched entrance, then up to the picture of the Virgin and Child, rising again to the pointed arch and finally, to the stone cross atop the arch. This little bit of beauty intuitively tells us that this place is special.

The Milk Grotto Church in Bethlehem

"When we begin with beauty, this can then lead to a desire to want to know the truth of the thing that is drawing us, a desire to participate in it. And then the truth can inspire us to do the good, to strive after virtue."

We certainly live in a time where beauty has lost its subtle, sublime dimension. The media often tells us that beauty has to be explicit and revealing. Virtue is no longer considered beautiful, but frumpy and old-fashioned. If you google "Catholic woman" images, you will see some very interesting pictures; even pictures that contradict each other.

"The language of beauty is especially important in our time, because we live in a period of grave intellectual and moral confusion."

The "grave intellectual and moral confusion" of our time is strikingly evident in that Google search. But two items are certain to appear on this search: a rosary and a veil. These two are the symbols our culture still associates with "Catholic" and "woman".  Again, why? It goes back to beauty.

While a rosary has a function, it can also be beautiful. From the beads, to the center, to the crucifix - the beauty in our faith doesn't stop at the church door. And what better way to live our faith than to use the beauty that God has given us for His greater glory?

Oxblood Cezch glass and Snowflake Obsidian Stone Rosary

I often hear women (and sometimes men) ask if wearing a mantilla is too distracting. Does it take away from the Mass?  Can a veil be "too beautiful"? Do we, as veil-wearing Catholic women, at some point fall into a trap, giving more importance to the beauty of the veil itself rather than to what it represents? Possibly.

Lace veils are certainly beautiful, and the veil makers have put their God-given talents to good use. And it's very encouraging to see veiling return, especially in this day and age, where people are searching for truth and beauty among the confusion.

French "Rose Basket" Calais Lace Veil

When you enter a Catholic church you can't help but notice the beauty, that sublime beauty that leads you to God. We can choose to criticize and allow this beauty to distract us - or we can allow it to fill us and point us toward God. And when you enter a Catholic church and see a woman (or several women) wearing a veil, that adds to the beauty. It's a reflection of the Virgin Mary and of Christ's church, present and ready to adore our Savior. I certainly hope it makes you think holy thoughts!

"So we must develop our own appreciation of beauty, wherever it exists. Then we can help others to see beauty for what it is: an earthly reflection of God’s glory—a glory that leads to truth and goodness."

This last quote in particular strikes me as I think of a veiled woman, "an earthly reflection of God's glory - a glory that leads to truth and goodness".

"Catholic Woman Praying"

For more on why Catholic women wear a veil at Mass: Thinking About Veiling at Mass? You're Not Alone!

Pax Christi.

Two Great Giveaways You Can't Miss!

I just got wind of two great giveaways!

The first one comes from catholicmom.com - several books, including "Why The Eucharist Matters For Your Life" by Christ Padgett.

Click on the book above to enter!


The second giveaway is for Dr. Scott Hahn's book, "Joy to The World". Click on the image to enter.

Pax Christi.

Introducing Our Rosary Shop

Hand Crafted Amethyst and Hematite St. Benedict Rosary

I felt the pull to make rosaries in 2007, when I started wearing my Miraculous Medal daily. I would make a few and give them away to friends and family. 

This year, my friend Mary encouraged me to offer them for sale on my website. I must say that I never expected them to be so well received. After all, I'm not a "professional" rosary maker. But I've had quite a few people remark on how much they enjoy my rosaries, especially the weight of the beads (I use hand made Czech glass beads and semi-precious stones) when praying with them. Several people ordered them to give as presents since they are heirloom-quailty.

I also received feedback from customers who want a rosary but prefer something less expensive, mainly to have in their car or purse, or as a present for a little one who might not yet appreciate a more expensive rosary.

Black Glass Rosary - Value Line

Then there's the increase in evil all over our world, and the knowledge that Our Lady is the one who crushes the serpent's head. And how many Marian apparitions encourage us to pray the rosary?

All of these situations came together as encouragement, and I'm pleased to announce my rosary shop on Etsy: Silver Hill Treasures, as well as more offerings on the Rosary page on the website. So where is this going? Honestly, I'm not sure. Much like my veil shop, I am taking it one day at a time, trusting that Our Lady has plans for my humble endeavor and I am merely her instrument. Sometimes I wish she didn't trust me with so much, but I can't tell her no. So yes, I tend to overextend myself (and it's my husband who reels me in) - but I'm so in love with our faith that I want to share it with everyone!

Hand Crafted Turquoise and Red Czech glass Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary

I've added Italian centers and crucifixes to the Holy Land selection I already had. I'm not quite ready to take custom orders, but it's something I will probably do if I'm able to juggle it (there I go with that overextension thing)! 

What about you? Do you pray the Rosary daily? Are you thinking about starting?

A Catholic Book Giveaway, Have You Entered?

Christian Persecution and Saints at the Well

My last post was a little bit of an overview of the local Catholic conference I was a vendor at, and today I want to share two stories from the conference: the lovely lady from Iraq and the Tiny Saints.

The Lovely Lady from Iraq

As a vendor at a conference, you get to talk to so many people, and every so often there is a conversation that stays with you. On Saturday, I was helping a customer select a Spanish mantilla when I noticed a lady waiting to talk to me. When I was done and turned to talk to her, I noticed she was about as tall as my maternal grandmother. She asked me what I had in very light lace, and as we talked about the French mantillas I carry, I noticed a slight accent. So I decided to ask her where she was from.

"Minnesota", she said. "We didn't have to travel far to come to this conference".

I said, "Oh, OK, that's not far at all. Where are you originally from?"

She hesitated. Immediately I sensed why, "I ask, because my grandmother was from the Middle East and you remind me of her".

"She was? From where?", she asked. "Beit-Jala, Palestine," I replied, "and my grandfather's family, from Bethlehem." "Ah," she said, "I am from Iraq."

Silver Star marking Christ's birthplace - Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine

The conversation that ensued was one of the most emotion-filled I have had in a long time. We talked about our hesitation, as Middle Easterners, to say where we (or our ancestors) are from, because of the assumption that Middle Eastern is synonymous with terrorist. We chuckled at how every time, we have to explain to people that the original Christians - those who followed Christ from the very beginning - are our ancestors. No, we aren't terrorists - far from it. We are the survivors of Christian persecution, the living proof that no matter how bad things get, there is hope, there is a future, and Christians will live on, even if that means in other countries.

The Arabic letter N, "nun", used by Muslims to identify Christians (Nazarenes).

Of course we talked about Iraq and the persecution Christians are suffering  now, and how we both know it will take centuries to reestablish a Christian presence there - an awareness that neither one of us is sure the West has fully realized.

Our families fled the Middle East, looking for peace and stability - and employment. Some came to the US, some to Latin America. In the end, we are all over the planet, really, and I'm always surprised at how easily conversation flows simply because of that shared history as Christians - regardless of which Middle Eastern country we hail from.

Of course, the conversation was made complete when we talked about family and food - the two things that come in tied at second for Middle Eastern Christians, right after our faith. When the lady left, my daughters remarked that it was amazing how quickly she and I hit it off, "like you had known each other for years, mom."

Saints at the Well

Sunday came fast, and both the girls and I realized that if we wanted to look around at what other vendors offered, we had to get going. So we took turns visiting other booths. One that had stood out to all 3 of us when we came in in Saturday was the Tiny Saints. So Angelina and I set off to go visit them, leaving Luciana to keep our booth company.

Have you seen these amazingly cute, tiny little saint charms? No? Well, here's a sneak peek:

They come on a lobster clip, so yo can attach them to almost anything! Car/house keys, backpack, jacket zipper - even your dog's collar! You can click on any of the pictures to see more Tiny Saints!

Here are two of my favorites (for now - they are all soooo cute)!

Needless to say, it was hard to decide which one to pick. We spent a good 20 minutes just looking, and reading each saint's story on the back of the package. Then, I convinced Angelina to go back to the booth and send Luciana over. Another 20 minutes spent admiring and picking out saint charms! The Tiny Saints gals were so kind and friendly - very easy to talk to.

Speaking of persecution and our Christian faith - what a great way to celebrate the saints (many of whom were persecuted!) and learn about them. They make great gifts for young and not so young alike! My kids each got one, and I'm planning on getting them some more for Christmas.

What about you? What do yo think about the Tiny Saints? Leave a comment below.

Pax Christi.

Going to the Well

This past weekend I was blessed to be a vendor at our regional conference in Des Moines, Christ Our Life. It's the third conference, and my second one as a vendor.

Going into the Conference, I must say I was a bit down on things in general. In July and August, our internet service was down intermittently for several weeks. Since my veil business is primarily online, internet service is key. I had spent several weeks trying to catch up, fielding calls and emails from upset customers whose veils were delayed. Quite frankly, I was exhausted.

So my plan for the weekend was to take some work with me, and take some time to relax. You know what they say about God and making plans, right?

The first couple I spoke to at length came into the Well (it's what we affectionately call the Wells Fargo Arena) on Friday evening, while I was setting up my booth. My husband and our 3 youngest kids had left about an hour before, because the kids were running around and I wasn't getting much done.

The wife was pleasantly surprised to see my mantilla booth. She shared with me that she has worn a veil ever since she was a small girl, and showed me the one that was given to her for Confirmation so many years ago. "I'm scared to wash it", she said, "because it might fall apart".  She was very glad to hear that veiling is making a comeback, as was her husband.

This couple had come from a small town in Iowa, and told me how they were so lucky to have gotten a room a the hotel across the street. When they called, they were first told all rooms were already sold out, but the person said they would check. As they were holding, a cancellation came through! We stood inside the Arena, looking down at all the seats. They both wondered if it was too large for a Catholic conference in Iowa.

The next morning, as I stood at the bottom of the stairs at 7:30 a.m., waiting for my two teen daughters to hurry up and get going, I wondered if all this effort would be worth it. We were already 30 minutes later than I wanted - vendor booths opened at 7 a.m. and here I was - herding teens out the door.

We made it to the Well at about 8:15 a.m. To my surprise, there were about 5 or 6 women waiting at my booth! In the midst of trying to open for business, somehow we managed to sell about a dozen veils before Mass with Cardinal Dolan began at 9:30.

The question posed by the couple the night before was answered pretty quickly that morning. Here is a picture of the Well on Saturday. It's estimated that 7,000 people were there for the Mass:

Photo Credit: Daniel Nielsen

To be continued....