Beauty

A quote that comes to mind immediately is that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  And when you think about it, each of us envision beauty in many ways.  Sure, there are the obvious ones – beauty in the simplicity of a flower, the majestic mountains, the unpredictable oceans and, of course, the never tiring of gazing on the perfect sunset.  But what about beauty from the perspective of a worldwide admired and holy woman that sacrificed everything so that the forgotten were NOT  forgotten.  Do you know to whom I am referring?  Yes – a true Saint, Mother Theresa! 

If you’ve ever taken the opportunity to read about her life, you know what a true gift of beauty she not only brought to our world, but to the thousands of people that she served, and in the worst of conditions.  No matter the person, whether poor, diseased, hungry, dying or rejected by society, Saint Mother Theresa showed them God’s love and her vision of true beauty in humanity.   It was never about her, to the point that even when she felt devoid of God during her prayer life, she continued to live out her calling, giving up everything to follow her Savior.

In a time when we look for simple beauty all around us, Mother Theresa found it in ways that would cause you and me to cringe and very likely walk away.  Most of us are not called to make the sacrifices she did, but maybe we could look a little deeper for what Jesus’ meaning of beauty should be in our own lives.  It may be in the beauty of showing compassion when we feel we are not able.  Maybe it’s having the beauty of showing patience towards another.  Or maybe, even though it’s not all about us, recognizing the beauty of God’s love within us. 

So, let’s allow God’s beauty to shine out towards others, both in our thoughts, words and actions this week.  Together we can make this a world of true beauty!

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”  Psalm 27:4