While praying on the third-floor balcony of my new home when I first moved in, I witnessed the glorious sunrise over our pine forest that you see here. Quickly I snapped a shot of it with my cell phone. One of my artistic Sisters, Annemarie Kall, matted and framed the photo for me, and it now is displayed next to the door that leads to the balcony. It is an ideal Easter photo, reminding me every morning that the Son rose.
Human creations reflect the creator: the painter, the sculptor, the musician, the writer. Likewise, the marvels of our universe mirror the Creator God. Beholding splendid scenes like my sunrise, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and a starlit night, prompts us to think of the power, the wisdom, and, yes, the beauty of the One who made them. For good reason, St. Augustine exclaimed in his Confessions, “O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new!” We human beings have an insatiable thirst for the true, the good, and the beautiful. God is all three. If our world is so exquisitely lovely, imagine what heaven will be like!
We have an innate ability to be enchanted by beautiful things. We capture beautiful sights with a camera so that we can “keep” them and treasure them for years. We store pictures of them in photo albums and display them on walls and on Facebook or Instagram. We like to see, make, and purchase lovely things.
We also work hard to make ourselves as beautiful (or handsome) as we can! Women carefully put on make-up and men tend to their facial hair. We strive to dress in attractive, flattering clothing. Ugly things repel us. Interestingly, there is an expression “as ugly as sin.” Sin mars the beauty of our soul.
As we fast approach Easter, we might think of it as a celebration of the beautiful. The hideous sight of the crucifixion leads to the beauty of the empty garden tomb. A bloody corpse has been transformed into a glorious, glorified risen Christ. And we wretched sinners are restored to our pristine beauty.
During this Easter springtime, you might take some time to let your heart be touched by the beauty of blossoming flowers and budding trees, of azure skies and bright sunshine, of your church festooned with lilies and the like, and of the radiant faces of children opening Easter baskets or discovering hidden Easter eggs. Then praise the beautiful Maker of it all.
Remember that the Easter season lasts fifty days, plenty of time to relish and cherish our gorgeous Earth home. For your enjoyment, below are a few beauts that coincidentally came in an email as I’m writing this. Many are photos of ordinary things. The yellow and orange cones are spices in a market. The pencils are in a library. The diamond figure is a highway overpass. The purple geometric design is a cabbage no less!
What beautiful sights move you … maybe even to tears?
