On Tuesday I had the privilege to
visit the Hartford Correctional
Center with Sr. Jerilyn. Sister
visits the prison three days a week
to meet with the inmates, lead them
in prayer and Scripture study, and
to help them find the Lord in their
lives. The stark, sterile – even
bland environment of the facility –
reaffirmed a belief I deeply
maintain: we have a need for beauty
in our lives. In one scene of the
film, The Shawshank Redemption,
the main character, Andy (a prisoner
in jail), gets access to the public
announcement system and plays a
recording of Mozart’s The
Marriage of Figaro in which two
female singers have a banal, but
striking duet (“Sull’aria” for all
you opera enthusiasts). He is
punished for his act of
insubordination, but later explains
to his friends the importance of
music and beauty, especially in a
jail cell. It serves as a reminder
“that there are things in this world
not carved out of gray stone. That
there's a small place inside of us
they can never lock away, and that
place is called hope.”
We always choose something because
it appears as good. The ice cream
sundae after a complete meal, even
though we are entirely full and
recognize that it is not the best
decision in the situation, is
appealing because of the good
taste
So why do we choose something
because it is good? The answer is
that the good is something beautiful
and attractive, and God as the
supreme Good is Beauty Himself.
Beauty can lead us to God. This is
especially significant on a bad day,
for it is then that beauty can serve
as the most immediate experience and
reminder of God’s love. The great
theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar,
wrote extensively on the nature and
role of beauty and once said, “Every
experience of beauty points to
infinity.” Every beautiful
experience draws us out of our
individual selves and points us to
God, even if we fail to realize it.
I have a great passion for the arts;
in particular, classical music.
During a trying moment in my day or
life, I will listen to the final
movement of Gustav Mahler’s Second
Symphony, the “Resurrection”
symphony, which unites captivating
lyrical melodies with expressions of
hope. In it I find great peace.
This is the power of beauty, the
awesome gift that God has given us.
May the symphony’s final words be as
consoling for you as they are for
me: “Rise again, yes rise again,
will you, my heart, in an instant!
That for which you suffered, to God
will it lead you.” Praised be
Jesus Christ, now and forever!
- Seminarian
Michael Novajosky