The Most Beautiful Place

Last Thursday at work, I spent the day with some of my coworkers and staff from other area agencies helping sort and divide somewhere around 100,000 hygiene products that were donated throughout Brown County as part of the Help for the Homeless Hygiene Drive.  This took place at Green Bay Community Church.  I walked into the doors and into the main worship space where they had all of the boxes and bags of donated products.  The space was a big, square, auditorium-like space with cement walls, a large stage, and basketball hoops up above.  In that moment, I was reminded of how grateful I am to be Catholic and for the beauty of the Catholic faith.

God can be worshiped and praised anywhere.  But churches are the house of God and He deserves our best.  He deserves places that are set apart and different from other spaces.  We are all drawn towards beauty, and it is one of the three transcendentals.  I think many people on the outside looking in may not recognize the goodness and truth of the Catholic Church, but they often cannot argue with the beauty found.  It may be the beauty that leads them to see the truth and goodness.

Walking into a Catholic church, our minds are raised to God.  There are stained glass windows, murals, and other artwork depicting different religious events and scenes.  Statues of saints that remind us of the holy men and women who are interceding for us in heaven and who serve as examples and inspiration for each of us still walking the journey of faith.  Even the candles that are lit make the space beautiful.  From large and intricate cathedrals adorned with marble, to small, humble country churches with wood paneling, and everything in between, the beauty that is found in Catholic churches points us to God, who is beauty.

The crucifix is one of the central things we see as we look above the altar.  The ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is something that strikes us in a powerful way.  The crucifix reminds us of the painful, bloody, and brutal death that Jesus endured for us on the cross, defeating death.  And that is beautiful.  To be loved so much that this sacrifice would be made for us reveals a God who loves us so deeply.
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The Catholic Church is not only beautiful because of the way the churches are built and what is in the spaces, but also because of Who is in the churches.  We have the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, in the gift of the eucharist.  To receive Jesus in the eucharist is truly the most beautiful encounter we can have with Him. 
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The Catholic Church truly is the most beautiful faith, as it is from Jesus Christ Himself.  Our hearts and minds are drawn closer to God and we experience beauty that cannot be found anywhere else.  Next time you walk into your church, or any Catholic church, thank God for this beautiful faith.  May we never take it for granted.