Finding beauty in every moment
Luke 21:29-33
Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree
and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and
know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things
happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away.”
Have you ever wondered what truly
lasts, what is timeless and eternal? If
you’re living in a retirement center or in assisted living, you’ll probably
answer, “Not much!” John Keats, the
British poet, tackled that question in his famous “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” He analyzes these exquisite, gorgeous figures
on an ancient urn: a man and woman in love, trees and flowers in spring, a
group of people following a priest to a religious sacrifice. The underlying question throughout the poem
is: does any of this last? The poem
concludes with these remarkable lines: “Beauty is truth and truth beauty – that
is all ye know on earth and that is all ye need to know.” In other words, what lasts is what is
beautiful, everything else fades and is soon forgotten. I’m sure companies like Botox and Neutrogena
and Oil of Olay would say, “Amen! Preach it, brother!” Isn’t this why we keep photographs from our
20’s and 30’s on our night-stand? We
want to be remembered for when we were good-looking and gorgeous like the figures
on the Grecian Urn.
In the
gospel today, Jesus also addresses the question of what lasts. Listen to our Lord’s answer. He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.” Botox
and Neutrogena would say, “Booo! Me no
like!” But Jesus is not really denying
Keats’ claim that “Beauty is truth.”
Rather, he’s saying look for true, eternal beauty not in smooth skin and
thin thighs but in his words: in Sacred Scripture, in the lives of the saints
(which is really the Bible written throughout human history). When St. Augustine first read the Bible, he
turned up his nose at it, considering it very poor grammar and very mediocre
rhetoric. After his conversion, however,
he would say, “Late have I loved thee, Beauty ever ancient, ever new.” St. Augustine learned that Jesus was right:
his words are eternal, and his words are eternally beautiful.
My
friends, are you looking for what lasts, what is changeless, timeless and
eternal? Well, let me suggest to you
that BOTH John Keats and Jesus are right: “Beauty is truth and truth beauty.” But that doesn’t mean you should get a nose
job and a tummy tuck and buy all your clothes at the store, “Forever 21”! The beauty of youth is not eternal, because
that too, is part of the “heaven and earth that will pass away.” Instead, be grounded in God’s word, and open
your heart to his grace – his beauty! – in every season of your life. Andrew Weil, in his book, “Healthy Aging,”
describes the beauty of old trees, whose knots and lines and weather-worn look have
an exquisite beauty that a young sapling sadly lacks. That is also true with human beings: our
age-lines and “crow’s feet” also indicate a sacred wisdom and a breath-taking
beauty. There is a beauty in every age;
there is a grace in every moment. Let us
not repeat with St. Augustine, “Late have I loved thee, Beauty ever ancient,
ever new.” Let us love him now.
Praised be
Jesus
Christ!
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