Looks and Love

 

Learning to shine with the beauty of Jesus

05-17-2026

Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said  to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Last week I had a discussion with a young man who mentioned the male subculture called “looksmaxxing.” It was new to me, but have you heard of it? This young Catholic explained that looksmaxxing is a modern mania urging men to improve their looks using such means as dieting, exercise, or buying expensive clothes. But sometimes maxxing can go to extremes and consist of reconstructive surgery and anabolic steroids, and even bone-smashing to create a chiseled jawline (just like mine).

How different this shallow world of looksmaxxers is from the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., when he famously said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” In other words, true beauty is on the inside, the content of one’s character – which we might call lovemaxxing – rather than simply on the outside which obsesses over looksmaxxing.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Our Lord takes his place at the Father’s right hand as the king and ruler of all creation. We might say the Ascension is the moment when Jesus’ human body has reached the pinnacle of male attractiveness, maybe Jesus was even sporting a chiseled chin.

But Jesus’ internal beauty would shine even far brighter than his external appearance. Why? Well, because his Sacred Heart beats with ineffable love demonstrated in his suffering and death on the cross. The Ascended Jesus is Martin Luther King’s dreaming walking. In other words, the epitome of true male or female attractiveness is when inner beauty of love shines through the body.

Let me give you two examples of true, interior beauty. This weekend we will celebrate the First Holy Communion of 69 young people, and these precious children will be both looksmaxxing and lovemaxxing. How so? Well, before they receive Jesus into their bodies and souls, they all went to confession. Nothing causes greater ugliness and disfigurement than sin.

On the other hand, there is nothing more beautiful than holiness because it is the beauty of the heart shining through the body glowing with the grace of Christ. And after their interior mansion is made pure and perfect, they enthrone Jesus the King of kings to rule in their hearts as he reigns in heaven today. If we look at these children with the eyes of faith we see a mini-Ascension: Jesus reigns in their hearts for the whole world to see.

The second example of true beauty is my parents, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Saturday. They were married on May 16, 1966, and my mom remembered: “It was 116 degrees in New Delhi, India that day and no air-conditioning!” But it wasn’t just hot outside, it there was a hot-looking couple getting married inside. My mom was a 25-year-old breath-taking beauty and my dad was a 32-year-old stud with a chiseled chin.

Even more amazing is they’ve only gotten better looking over the last 60 years. How’s that possible? Because they have been lovemaxxing on the inside with God’s grace. Married in the church, raising 3 kids, moving to a foreign country with pennies in their pockets, but with a dream bigger than Martin Luther King’s: to give their children more opportunities and a better life than they had.

On their 60th wedding anniversary, I hope they can see that dream has come true. And if my parents have taught us 3 kids one overarching lesson in life, it’s that true beauty is on the inside, the beauty of love. Just like Jesus ascended and glorified body still bears the scars caused by the nails, and the lance, and the crown, but still shines in splendor and glory, so my parents’ older bodies are not less beautiful but immeasurably more gorgeous, because they shine with the beauty of love.

I can’t image a more perfect day to get married than the Solemnity of the Ascension, even if it was 116 degrees outside with no air-conditioning inside. Why not? Because true beauty is not skin-deep but rather radiates from the heart. In other words, real and lasting beauty is not a matter of looks but of a matter of love.

Praised be Jesus Christ!