Catechetical Newsletter

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Knowing the God that Inspires Such Beauty
By Daniel S. Mulhall

On the 300th anniversary of Johannes Sebastian Bach’s birth, a renowned magazine celebrated the German composer’s birth by featuring an interview with a Japanese man whose life was radically changed by Bach’s music. The man confessed that he converted to Christianity because of Bach’s music. When asked how Bach’s music had inspired him to become a Christian, the man responded, “I had to know the God who inspired such beauty.”

As catechists, we are called to help others know and love God who is the source of all beauty. This means that we must first know God ourselves. One way to do this is to immerse ourselves in Beauty.

To help you take that step, during the coming week, take at least 5 minutes each day to find something that is beautiful as a focal point. It might be a work of art or a picture of a loved one. Classical music or perhaps the Grateful Dead might be your window into the sacred. Or you might be inspired by a great novel or fantastic movie. Use this time to allow “the beautiful” to lead you to reflect on God, who loves us all dearly and calls us each by name.

Dr. Tim Hogan, a psychologist who serves as a consultant for the RCL Benziger Family Life program, speaks of an important psychological principle. “What we experience, we think about,” he says. “And what we think about, leads us to action.” This principle can be applied to either experiences of the sacred or the profane.

If commercials influence us to over-consume, we then selfishly think only about our own desires. But what happens when we experience something beautiful? The more we think about the beautiful, the more we think about God, the One who inspires such beauty. And the more we think about God, the more likely we will act for God.

One of our RCL Benziger sales representative lives by this slogan, “Live so that those who don’t know God come to know him through you.” May you always be a beautiful sign of God to all you meet.