A Measure of Beauty

A Reflection on the Gospel for November 13th, 2022:
​Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Luke
21. 5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

And Jesus said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.

“This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

“You will be betrayed even by parents, by brothers and sisters, and by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

Beauty has its place. 

Beauty is from God and it is good. It is meant to point us to Him, not draw us away from Him, as may have been the case with the folks in Luke’s Gospel. There is nothing wrong with admiring beautiful things, and those who looked upon the ornate temple seemed to have been doing so innocently enough. But Jesus sees our hearts in all their wayward vulnerability, and in seeing our adoration of earthly clamour, He refocuses us with Truth.

He does this because the flashes of things we call beautiful, that promise of love, hope, satisfaction, or even holiness, are not always good. Do not be fooled. As it is with all temptations, beautiful things have the potential to divert our attention from God, like a flashing neon sign that we can’t help but gape at. 

I personally find myself wanting to control beauty. I want to capture it, freeze it in time, keep it to myself.

But what is this construct of control I’ve assembled?

If there is a God, and I know Him, and He cares for me and sees all things, why do I also need to see them? To know them? So that I can fool myself into thinking I can control the outcome?

Jesus leads His disciples into a messy storyline, complete with apocalyptic imagery and tremendous suffering. I would be glad to rewrite the plot for Him (and my version would have flowers and rainbows). But then, He speaks of the other side — a side I am not privy to.

True Beauty is on the other side of eternity. She waits for us alongside Wisdom, Joy, and Love. And Jesus promises to lead us there. In a well-ordered heart, Beauty can, like a funnel, scoop up my attention and siphon it into a steady stream that lands in His waters of baptism.

This side of eternity can be ugly and hard. We don’t have to look far to find a suffering soul. But the glimpses of Beauty He provides us in this place will soften the blows. And His wisdom will lead us to Beauty.

His wisdom that speaks: “Don’t let the hardships dissuade or distract you: these are just a means to the End. I will give what you need when you need it.”

Rather than trying to contain the beauty, or use the beauty — I want to let it be the vessel through which I can see the heart of God: the portal through which earthly beauty becomes heavenly Beauty.




​Lori MacDonald

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