It is beauty that lured me at last into the Catholic Church. I am artistic by nature (poet, writer, musician), so I am particularly susceptible to beauty. Often this has been to my detriment. I have sought beauty in many of its natural forms -- in the drama and variety of earthen landscapes, in art and architecture, in music, in the bond of friendship, in the love of a woman and the loveliness of her form, even (I am amused to say) in some brilliant corner of myself. In myself I could not find it; in romantic love, it is pressed; in friendship, it is by necessity limited and often ends up fading; in music, at least in popular music, it disorients; in art, it is a rabbit hole; in landscapes, it is tantalizingly inaccessible. In Catholicism, too, I would see beauty. And this was cause for both enchantment and anxiety. Would I find behind her doors the answer to all my longings, or would the Church end up merely another of beauty's tricks?
.... From all that I had read, discussed, and intuited about Catholicism, I perceived something truly beautiful, something far beyond myself, some deep, majestic, elevated realm. There are actually many elements of the Church that fulfill these descriptors, but perhaps the easiest for new Catholics to grasp, and certainly the most important, is the Eucharist. If we are to be made perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, we must be visited regularly by His Son, who is of the same essence. This happens in the Catholic Mass. Share
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In RCIA journeys with others, there was always so much we couldn't speak of during the Easter vigil.. ah, now it happens. Now, at long last! And our throats closed up in awe and thanksgiving. Some were baptized first, and we held our breath until that one came up from the water, but it was knowing how long they had waited to receive Him bodily that made us cry. All the thirsts, sated. And His, too.
Gypsy
Beautiful post, I was thinking of the beauty of the Mass this morning.
This expresses my same views toward the Church. I too am a convert and never experienced the awe and majesty of our Christian religion until I experienced it through the Catholic church.
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