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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Problem of Beauty

Fr. David Friel · March 8, 2015

AST WEEK, I wrote about beauty and its contemplation in the scene of the Transfiguration. Richard Clark wrote yesterday about Pope Francis, who recently remarked about the path to “recovering the allure of beauty” in the sacred liturgy. I would like to return again today to the topic of beauty, which I have considered often on these pages.

We are all familiar in some fashion with the “problem of evil.” This problem is frequently formulated as a question: why do bad things happen to good people? Why is evil permitted by a God Who is supposedly omnipotent & benevolent? These are questions that people of faith struggle to answer. They are questions that are addressed over and over again in the Sacred Scriptures, but never does the Bible offer a clear cut answer to the problem that is completely satisfying. Hence why it is called a “problem.”

Only recently did I encounter the concept of “the problem of beauty.” This problem could also be formulated as a question: if God does not exist, why is there so much joy & beauty in the world? This question is not a struggle for believers to answer; it is, rather, a problem for non-believers. What explanation can we give for the joys & beauties of life that have no demonstrable evolutionary benefit to man?

Is life really beautiful? Absolutely. The goodness of life can be confirmed by the natural human desire to prolong it. If life were not essentially good & beautiful, we would not experience death as such a tragedy nor speak of it as a “loss.” The beauty of life, moreover, is so incredibly gratuitous; we have no claim over any of the beautiful things we experience.

These thoughts were prompted by my reading of an excellent article by Joe Heschmeyer, a DC lawyer turned Kansas City seminarian. If the concept of beauty is an interest for you as it is for me, then I highly recommend that you give this piece a look.

In the article, Heschmeyer proposes that these two “problems” (evil & beauty) are not equal. He concludes that the problem of beauty is a much stronger argument in favor of God’s existence than the problem of evil is an argument against His existence. To understand why he makes this claim, check out his article.

Centuries ago, St. Augustine also saw the argument from beauty as a viable proof for God’s existence. In the inimitable Book X of his Confessions, he writes:

I asked the Earth, and it said, “I am not He!” I asked the sea and the deeps, and among living animals the things that creep, and they answered, “We are not your God! Seek higher than us!” . . . I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars: “We are not the God Whom you seek,” they said. To all the things that stand around the doors of my flesh I said, “Tell me of my God!” . . . With a mighty voice, they cried out, “He made us!” My question was the gaze that I turned on them; their answer was their beauty. (The Confessions of St. Augustine, Book X, Chapter VI)

Beauty is, indeed, evidence of a loving, generous, and joyful God.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

It should be borne in mind that there is no preference expressed in the liturgical legislation for either “versus populum” or “ad orientem.” Since both positions enjoy the favor of law, the legislation may not be invoked to say that one position or the other accords more closely with the mind of the Church.

— ‘Congregation for Divine Worship (Vatican City), 10 April 2000’

Recent Posts

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  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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