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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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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

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“Of course, the new [Easter Vigil] liturgy has greatly streamlined the symbology. But the exaggerated simplification has removed elements that used to have quite a hold on the mindset of the faithful. […] Is this Easter Vigil liturgy definitive?”

— Paul VI to Virgilio Noè (10 April 1971)

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