“Our Lord explains in the Parable of the Sower that the seed of His love will only grow in a certain soil – and that is the soil of Christian Culture, which is the work of music in the wide sense, including as well as tunes that are sung, art, literature, games, architecture – all so many instruments in the orchestra which plays day and night the music of lovers; and if it is disordered, then the love of Christ will not grow.
“It is an obvious fact that here in the United States now, the devil has seized these instruments to play a danse macabre, a dance of death, especially through what we call the ‘media,’ the film, television, radio, record, book, magazine and newspaper industries. The restoration of culture, spiritually, morally, physically, demands the cultivation of the soil in which the love of Christ can grow, and that means we must, as they say, rethink priorities”[1]
We invite those interested in this topic to attend our conference,
“Fatima for the Next Generation.”
Dr. Andrew Childs will tackle the topic of how we can recover an authentic Catholic culture in a world so opposed to God. In a workshop, he’ll help us cultivate a love for good and truly beautiful music. David Rodríguez will address how nations have always enjoyed a cultural “golden age” when they were most Catholic. Despite a current socially acceptable Catholic prejudice, it is Catholicism that has formed the greatest cultures.
The Example of Our Lord: The Poor We Will Always Have
Why should the Church and even civil society invest in buildings and art when the money can just be given to the poor directly or to them via social programs? This common question is essentially the same as addressed to Our Lord Himself when St. Mary Magdalene poured precious ointment on Our Lord’s sacred body in the final days of His earthly life.
Why was that ointment not sold and the money given to the poor? That was what some of the Apostles thought. Our Lord responded to them in the same manner that can apply to those who question sacred art and architecture today: “For the poor you have always with you: but Me you have not always” (Matthew 26:11).
No amount of money will ever eradicate poverty. There will always be poor. But to give something to the honor and worship and glory of God which inspires our fellow men to raise up their hearts and minds to God is not wasted. It serves an even greater purpose. To claim that not creating sacred art would alleviate poverty is false. The greatest poverty of all is that of the soul which does not know God. Physical poverty will always exist, as affirmed by Christ Himself.
Some Practical Considerations
Poverty will not be eradicated by spending more money on the poor and neglecting sacred art. Poverty is effectively combatted by Christian charity. That means we – as a society, as a nation – must grow in virtue. Only if we are more virtuous, will poverty be reduced. And virtue is never bought with gold. Interestingly, though rarely mentioned, the proliferation of sacred art does increase the general level of virtue in a society, whereas banal and ugly art coincides with a loss of virtue.
Greed and sin are fundamental obstacles to eradicating poverty. Even in the Gospel, Judas was not concerned about the poor. Rather, he wanted money in the communal bag as he was its keeper and could easily steal from it. This still happens today. Many programs that claim to raise money for the poor skim off the top. How frequently have accounts been fattened by proceeds that should have gone to the poor? Again, lack of virtue is the real problem.
This is not pious dreaming either. England serves as a perfect case study. England has a glorious Catholic history. She was known as “Mary’s Dowry” on account of her Faith. She was called “Merry ol’ England” because poverty was virtually non-existent. There were many monasteries and the monks made sure that those in need were provided for from the excess produced by monastic lands.
This is not to say things were perfect, but beggars were unheard of. That is until Henry VIII embraced Protestantism, persecuted the Catholic Church, and destroyed all the monasteries. Henry murdered many religious and seized all monastic lands and wealth, which he re-distributed among the nobility in exchange for their political support. These ‘noble’ men embraced vice and heresy.
Within a few decades, many of the English people were destitute. Poverty was rampant. Despite developing new technologies, acquiring great wealth, establishing a global empire, and being the world’s most powerful nation for many years, England never again experienced levels of poverty as low as it had before the Protestant Revolt.
Three Reasons Why We Should Invest in Beautiful Churches
There are three primary reasons why we should continue to build beautiful and inspiring churches filled with sacred art.
First, because beauty is eternal, just like the Catholic Faith. God’s love is everlasting, and the Catholic Faith will endure until the end of time. Something that is beautiful improves with age, mirroring the Catholic Faith. Therefore, a beautiful Catholic church reflects the antiquity and permanence of the Faith it represents. It is a powerful connection with our forefathers who gladly invested their time and limited money to create beautiful art, inspiring churches, and elaborate vestments and sacred vessels all for the honor of God. They did what St. Mary Magdalene did – consecrate to God some of their limited resources for His public worship and honor.
Second, beauty is captivating. It draws people in and creates a profound experience. In a world dominated by brutal utilitarianism, beauty in a Catholic church may seem extravagant, but it speaks to the allure of God Himself and helps draw us into His presence. Sacred buildings have inspired countless souls to enter churches and worship God. The number of people who were not Christian at all who became so after a divine inspiration, made possible by entering truly beautiful churches while on trips, is a testament to the enduring power of sacred art to evangelize.
We do not keep our faith under a bushel basket. It needs to be public. And even in the very early Church when the Faith was illegal, the followers of Our Lord would decorate the catacombs with sacred art. Sacred art has been created since the time of the Apostles themselves. Even St. Luke, the author of the Gospel attributed to him, was a well-known artist!
Third, beauty and truth are inherently linked. We understand verbal expressions of truth with our minds, but we perceive beauty with our hearts. The heart has reasons that the mind cannot fathom, and beauty unlocks the hidden chambers of the heart. Beauty is the language of worship and the soul, and how can our religion reach the depths of our soul unless it is beautiful?
For instance, step into Paris’ Sacré-Cœur or Saint Chapelle and you cannot fail to be inspired by the beauty of Christian Faith. Saint Chapelle is the personal chapel St. Louis IX built to contain the relic of the actual Crown of Thorns. The holy saint spent 100,000 livres (the currency of France at the time) to purchase the relics and return it to the hands of a Christian nation. By contrast, the beautiful chapel cost 40,000 livres to build and glaze. This serves as a good reflection point – do we do all that we can to bring glory to God? Do we sacrifice enough?
For more information, see the book How Catholic Art Saved the Faith by Elizabeth Lev.
The Miracle of St. John Damascene: God Confirmed the Use of Sacred Art
God has also confirmed that sacred art is pleasing to Him many times through the miracles He has wrought through sacred images of Himself, His Blessed Mother, or the saints. One example worth repeating is the miracle bestowed on St. John Damascene.
St. John Damascene was born in 645 AD and lived until 749. When Emperor Leo the Isaurian (an iconoclastic heretic) launched a wicked attack against the use of sacred images, St. John, at the desire of Pope Gregory III, earnestly defended the use of sacred images in divine worship by his example and his writings.
In retaliation, the Emperor used forgery to accuse St. John of various false crimes. He then ordered St. John’s right hand to be cut off. St. John Damascene implored the help of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, and She manifested the innocence of Her servant by reuniting the hand and arm as though they had never been severed. This miracle confirmed that the use of holy images is pleasing to God.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that many people have converted to the Faith after seeing the beauty of sacred art and architecture. Sacred art and architecture have a power to evangelize in a way that other avenues do not. If someone is not Christian at all, why would they ever step into a church to hear a sermon? Why would they ever pick up the Scriptures? But, seeing the outside of a cathedral, basilica, or even a simple parish church in its beauty can inspire them to step inside and open themselves to God’s inspiration.
May we continue to help build, restore, and furnish for the worship of the Triune God fitting temples for His glory where He is worshipped in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
ENDNOTE:
[1] Excerpted from John Senior’s fantastic work, The Restoration of Christian Culture.