Beauty
In Catholic tradition, beauty is not decoration. It is proclamation. Beauty serves as catechesis in the language of glory. In other words, it teaches us about the Glory of God. Sacred beauty is not about personal taste or Church fashion; it is about reflecting heavenly reality on earth.
God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle with gold, fine linen, acacia wood, precious stones, and priestly vestments “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). That is Scripture. It was not “excess.” It was divine instruction.
St. Peter’s Basilica is covered in marble, gold, mosaics, and precious art. It is truly an awe-inspiring work of beauty. It is decorated this way because Catholics believe God truly dwells in this place. The Church has always understood that what we build for God should reflect His majesty. This is why medieval peasants built towering cathedrals while living in tiny homes.
Beautiful vestments, golden chalices, golden ciborium, incense, sacred chant, and ornate altars are not about showing off or wasting money. They are about glorifying God in the liturgy. They are meant to disappear into the symbolism of Jesus Christ the High Priest. The vestments hide the human nature of man so that the priest can act in persona Christi without distraction.
When we bow before the altar, we are not bowing to stone; we are bowing to the place where Jesus becomes present, the “Altar of Sacrifice”. We use physical signs because Jesus used physical signs.
A golden ciborium honors the Real Presence of Jesus; A golden chalice honors the Precious Blood of Jesus. A beautiful altar proclaims the Real Presence of Jesus that is the center, the source and summit, of our Catholic Worship. Beauty in the liturgy teaches us to look upward, to desire heaven, to remember that the Mass is not a gathering or a performance; it is the unbloody re-presentation of Calvary.
The Mass is for God.
The beauty is for God.
And both are for the glory of Jesus.
We should always strive to give God the absolute best we can offer, not because He needs it, but because we do.
May God richly bless you in this new year.
Deacon Michael Braun