In the West, we live in a predominantly ‘left-brain’ environment, so it is good to know that some people are making genuine efforts to re-balance our perspective. Michelle fcJ realised this when during a Religious Congress in Canada, she heard one of the presenters, Bishop Robert Barron, speaking about the blessed influence of beauty on our lives. “When we experience beauty,” he said, “new life opens in us, we’re more open to letting God in.”
He went on to tell the story of Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was Jewish, and who attributed his conversion to Christianity to his contemplation of the exquisite rose windows in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. During Vespers one evening, the light shining through the vivid colours of the glass and the sheer perfection of the shapes and symbols drew him into the embrace of beauty, into God’s presence. Lustiger later became Cardinal Archbishop of Paris.
