by Joshua Fouch
This was written in 2022 as my 11th grade Thesis paper, based off of the scholastic way of writing in the Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Please don’t just my 11th grade mind, hah…
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Objections
- On the Contrary
- I Answer That
- Definitions
- Argument
- Replies to Objections
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
- Bibliography
Introduction
Some art and architecture are dull and hideous. Many office buildings around our own town of Anchorage look the same and do not attract the eye whatsoever. In many advertisements and commercials, the art is just boring to look at and does not convince you to buy that specific product. However, other art and architecture is incredible. You are able to tell that thought and work were put into them. A beautiful example of this is St. Peter’s Basilica. The design and external beauty put into it gives you a feeling of amazement. Many Catholic churches have this same stupendousness. The architects embellish the walls with holy images and extravagant stained glass windows to give you an experience that feels out of this world. Although this is true, some Catholic churches are different and not so beautiful. Why is this? Why aren’t all Catholic churches incredible? This leads to the next question of what is the point of all this external beauty in church and Liturgy? Is it essential for worship? I say that external beauty in Church and liturgy is essential for the Worship of God. However, there are some objections to my position.
Objections
Objection 1: It would seem that external beauty is not necessary because what is internal does not require the external. But worship takes place in the soul because you are giving glory to God who is beyond our physical world and for this reason is internal. Therefore, worship does not require the external.
Objection 2: Further, something that is intrinsically beautiful needs no external beauty because it is already inherently beautiful. God is all beautiful, as well as the Holy Mass because it is Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. Therefore, the Holy Mass needs no external beauty and it is not necessary for worship.
Objection 3: Additionally, something that might be seen as ugly or unpleasing to the senses cannot direct one’s mind to God because God is all beautiful. Some Sacred Art might be unpleasing to a person’s senses. Therefore some external beauty cannot direct one’s mind to God, and for that reason external beauty cannot be necessary.
On the Contrary
Pope Benedict XVI states in his exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, “Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation.”
I Answer That
I say that external beauty in church and liturgy is essential for the highest form of worship in the sense that it cannot be disregarded. The incorporation of the senses is essential for the highest form of worship. Only Sacred Art is that which properly incorporates the senses. Therefore, Sacred Art is essential for the highest form of worship. The senses are the means by which we attain knowledge. Proper worship is accomplished through attaining knowledge. Therefore, the incorporation of the senses is essential for proper worship.
Definitions
External beauty is the physical manifestation of goodness experienced through the senses. This physical beauty can be described through the arts, the body, nature, and other things that correlate with goodness. This is distinct from internal beauty, which is truth and goodness itself. Thus, internal beauty is the beauty of God. Sacred Art is the sensory external beauty representing the Divine directed to displaying the beauty of God, leading one to prayer and a love for Him. It also seeks to lead one’s mind devoutly to God. This art depicts Christ, the angels, and the saints. The senses are the faculties of the body through which we are able to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. For the purposes of this thesis, I will only be referring to the senses that are satiated by Sacred Art, namely, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. The worship of God is the act of paying respect to God through acknowledging His existence, praising Him, and humbling one’s self to Him. We worship God “not indeed for His sake, but for our own sake” (Aquinas, ST.II-II.Q91.A1).
Argument
External beauty, namely, Sacred Art is essential for the highest form of worship in the sense that it cannot be disregarded and is important for this worship. Despite this, you are still able to worship without Sacred Art, because it is not necessary to its validity. To achieve the highest form of worship we are able to on earth is through the use of Sacred Art, whether in the Holy Mass or in church buildings. Churches are made to elevate one’s mind to God. Further, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that churches are built to “signify and make visible the [Catholic] Church living in this place, the dwelling with men… united in Christ” (CCC, 1180). Sacred Art accomplishes this by reflecting the beauty of God and externally making known the mystery of Christ. Through Sacred Art, we understand the Divine more completely. Although we are unable to fully understand God on earth, we strive to know and love Him to the highest capacity. All Sacred Art reveals different aspects of the truth and beauty of God. Therefore through this art we are able to understand the Divine even more.
As stated previously, we increase knowledge through our senses. They are the means by which we know and understand the world around us. Without the senses, we will not be able to perceive the world correctly, and therefore will not form a proper understanding of it. Furthermore, to worship God, we must know Him. You cannot form relationships with people around you without knowing who the person is first. This means that we cannot worship God without understanding Him and knowing Him. Now, bringing in the previous statement, the senses, consequently, which are the means by which knowledge is attained, are necessary for worshiping God. Aquinas, in support of this, states, “God provides for all things according to the nature of each thing. Now the nature of man requires that he be led to the invisible by visible things” (Aquinas, ST.I.Q43.A7).
There are three types of worship according to Aquinas. Latria worship is only directed to God and only addressed to Him, for if it is addressed to someone or something else, it is idolatry. Dulia worship indirectly glorifies God through the veneration of the saints and angels. We do not worship the saints and angels the same way we worship God. Catholics only venerate and honor saints for their holy life they lived and their good deeds they did, which primarily glorifies God, for it honors and praises His infinite grace and mercy he bestowed on His holy people. Hyperdulia worship is a form of dulia worship addressed to Mary, the Mother of God. Using Sacred Art as means for worship is not idolatrous because it is inferior and dependent on the other three types. Now, the highest form of worship is determined by the reverence, place (as in the location), knowledge of the Divine, and the three types of worship.
As mentioned in my main syllogism, Sacred Art is essential to worship. This is because it incorporates our human senses which were proven to be essential for worship. Aquinas says “In the Divine worship, it is necessary to make use of corporeal things, that man’s mind may be aroused thereby, as by signs, to the spiritual acts by means of which he is united to God” (Aquinas, ST.II-II.Q81.A7). The external beauty in churches and the liturgy elevates our senses and lifts our mind to the Divine. As Aquinas said, it arouses our senses, which will raise our mind to the beauty of God. Since our senses are an essential element of worship, Sacred Art, which elevates our senses to the Divine, is therefore essential for the highest form of worship. Churches and the liturgy are filled with Sacred beauty because it gives us a feeling of awe and mystery which leads us to understand that a Being, all loving, and beautiful is present in the Church. The beauty of God cannot be fully comprehended by mere humans as stated before. But the external beauty must reflect God’s beauty the best it possibly can. Sacred art does this through the embellishments of Churches, alluring chants, fragrant incense, and holy images of the Divine. It satiates the senses that lifts us to God, which will therefore give us a better understanding of Him and thus achieving the highest possible form of worship on earth. As previously mentioned, we can still worship without sacred art and being in a church, for sacred art does not determine the validity of the worship. We can still say the Divine Office at our bedside or have a priest celebrate Mass in a parking lot and it would still be considered glorifying God and worshiping Him. God gave us the greatest gift of life, thus we ought to strive to worship Him the greatest we can, through loving Him, serving Him, and giving Him the greatest material beauty on earth.
Replies to Objections
Reply to Objection 1: Objection 1 stated that external beauty is not needed because worship takes place internally and does not need the external. Although worship takes place internally, it can take place externally as well through our words and actions. God also meets us in the physical world through blessings given to us, visions of the Divine, or miracles. Going back to what Aquinas says, God uses the means of human nature, namely the senses and the physical world so we can understand the invisible. Thus, worship also takes place externally because it uses our senses and the physical world.
Reply to Objection 2: Objection 2 states that external beauty in Liturgy is not needed because The Holy Mass is in itself beautiful. The Holy Mass is valid without Sacred Art, but when there is no Sacred Art, it is not giving justice to the mystery and beauty of God. For example, saying Mass with a plastic cup and a styrofoam plate will still be valid, and Christ will be present, but it is not reflecting the internal Beauty of Christ’s redemptive work and it is not giving the highest form of human worship to Him.
Reply to Objection 3: Objection 3 states that external beauty is subjective as it can be seen as unpleasing in one’s eyes and therefore not necessary. Some Sacred Art can be ugly to the eye of certain individuals because people’s opinions are subjective and various. Despite this, all goodness is objective and unchanging. Therefore all Sacred Art is good but not equally beautiful. Sacred Art and its beauty depends on the factor of how accurately it displays Truth, which is the Divine. A crucifix might depict the resurrected Christ with His robes and His arms raised out. Another crucifix might depict Christ dead with all his five wounds, and blood all over his body. Though, the former is objectively less beautiful than the latter because Christ did not resurrect on the Cross.
Conclusion
As humans, we ought to achieve the highest form of worship by means of Sacred Art, and external beauty is essential. Although God is omnipotent, He deserves to be worshiped and glorified by His creatures because He is all good and all loving. The Holy Bible, the Catholic Church, and Sacred Art tell us more about God and why He deserves to be worshiped. Christ’s redemptive work of conquering death is incredible and it displays His infinite love and beauty. This should be kept in mind when Churches are being constructed, designed, and when Sacred Art is being made or presented. St. Peter’s Basilica, Biebl’s Ave Maria, Cologne Cathedral, Chesnokov’s To Thee We Sing, and many more examples clearly represent God’s infinite beauty and His mystery through arousing the senses and leading the human mind and heart to God the best it can. For one day we may be in unity with God for eternity.
Works Cited
Aquinas, Thomas. “Summa Theologica.” Aquinas.cc, Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
Benedict XVI. “Sacramentum Caritatis- Apostolic Exhortation, Benedict XVI.” Vatican, 2007, www.vatican.va.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., First Image Books, 1995. Print.
Bibliography
“Code of Canon Law.” Vatican.
FGM Architects. “Catholic Liturgy 101: Introduction to Liturgical Catechesis.” FGM Architects, 15 Dec. 2015, www.fgmarchitects.com.
Francis, Mannion. “The Church and the City.” First Things, 2000, www.firstthings.com.
Benedict XVI and Romano Guardini. The Spirit of the Liturgy. 2000. San Francisco, Ca, Ignatius Press, 2008.
Paul VI. “Sacrosanctum Concilium.” Vatican, 4 Dec. 1963, www.vatican.va.
Aquinas, Thomas. “Summa Theologica”. Aquinas.cc, Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
“Beauty in Every Aspect of the Liturgical Rite.” Vatican.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed., First Image Books, 1995. Print.