Guest Columnists

Beauty, the Beast and Theological Symbols

September 27, 2017

By David H. Powell

THIS​ ​PAST​ ​SUMMER​, ​my​ ​wife​ ​Carol​ ​and​ ​I​ ​were fortunate​ ​to​ ​discover, in​ ​the​ ​“Around​ ​the​ ​Diocese”​ ​section​ ​of​ ​The​ ​Tablet​, ​some​ ​marvelous​ ​dramatic musicals​, ​specifically​, ​”Joseph​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Amazing​ ​Technicolor​ ​Dreamcoat​” ​at​ ​St.​ ​Margaret’s, Middle​ ​Village​ ​and​ ​”Beauty​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Beast”​ ​at​ ​Holy​ ​Child​ ​Jesus​, Richmond​ ​Hill.​ ​Both​ performances​ ​turned​ ​out​ ​to​ ​become​ ​genuine​ ​answers​ ​​ ​to​ ​the​ ​pope’s​ ​prayer​ ​intention​ ​for​ ​the month​ ​of​ ​August​, ​“that​ ​artists​ ​of​ ​our​ ​time​ ​through​ ​their​ ​ingenuity​ ​may​ ​help​ ​everyone​ ​discover​ ​the beauty​ ​of​ ​creation.”​

​In​ ​fact​, ​the​ ​weekend​ ​before​ “Beauty​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Beast​,” Holy​ ​Child’s pastor​, ​Bishop​ ​Octavio Cisneros​, ​commented​ ​in​ ​his​ ​homily​ ​on​ ​the​ ​richness​ ​of​ ​the​ ​symbolism​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play: the​ ​beauty​ ​of​ ​“Beauty”​ ​was​ ​that​ ​she​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​recognize​ ​beauty​ ​in​ ​the​ ​beast​ ​and​ ​thus​ ​free​ ​him to​ ​recognize​ ​it​ ​deep​ ​in​ ​himself​ ​long​ ​after​ ​he​ ​had​ ​almost​ ​forgotten​ ​it​ ​was​ ​there.​ ​So​ ​too,​ ​the​ ​bishop added,​ ​we​ ​​ ​are​ ​called​ ​to​ ​recognize​ ​the​ ​truth​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Beauty​ ​inside​ ​ourselves,​ ​that​ ​is,​ ​the​ ​presence of​ ​God’s​ ​love​ ​deep​ ​inside​ ​us.​ ​Those​ ​of​ ​us​ ​who​ ​saw​ ​that​ ​musical​ ​certainly​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to experience​ ​the​ ​mystery​ ​of​ ​God’s​ ​love​ ​​ ​in​ ​the​ ​symbolism​ ​of​ ​the​ ​play. ​​​

​Many​ ​years​ ​ago​​,​ ​I​ ​remember​ ​a​ ​lecture​ ​by​ ​Innsbruck​ ​University​ Professor​ ​Piet​ ​Franssens about​ ​symbolism​ ​and​ ​Divine​ ​Grace in​ ​connection​ ​with​ ​​ ​the​ ​beauty​ ​of​ ​the​ ​opening​ ​ceremonies​ ​of the​​ Olympics​ ​in​ ​Innsbruck​ ​the​ ​previous​ ​winter.​ ​He​ ​spoke​ ​eloquently​ ​about​ ​how​ ​one​ ​could​ ​really experience​ ​the​ ​unity​ ​of​ ​all​ ​humankind​ ​at​ ​those​ ​ceremonies​ ​involving ​athletes​ ​from​ ​all over​ ​the​ ​world.​ ​But​ ​at​ ​that​ ​time​, ​someone​ ​said​ ​to​ ​him​ ​​ ​snippily, ​“Oh​ ​but​ ​that​ ​was​ ​only​ ​a​ ​symbol.”

“Only a symbol?” the​ ​professor​ ​exclaimed​ ​angrily….. “then​ ​I​ ​suppose​ ​the​ ​Eucharist​ ​is​ ​only a symbol….I​ ​suppose​ ​that​ ​grace​ ​itself​ ​is​ ​only a symbol.”

Father​ ​Anthony​ ​Spadaro (one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​pope’s​ ​spokespersons)​ ​recently​ ​tweeted​ ​“theology​ ​is not​ ​mathematics.​ ​2+​​2​ ​in​ ​Theology​ ​can​ ​make​ ​5.​ ​Because​ ​it​ ​has​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​God​ ​and​ ​the​ ​real​ ​life of​ ​people.”​

When​ ​we​ ​use​ ​the​ ​word ”truth”​ ​about​ ​God,​ ​we​ ​must​ ​realize​ ​that​ ​this​ ​word​ ​too​ ​is quite​ ​limited.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​always​ ​remember​ ​the​ ​first​ ​time​ ​I​ ​heard​ ​St.​ ​Thomas​ ​Aquinas’​ ​approach​ ​to human​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​God​ ​explained​ ​in​ ​our​ ​diocesan​ ​seminary:​ ​Everything​ ​we​ ​say​ ​about​ ​God​ ​we have​ ​to​ ​deny​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time​ ​because​ ​it​ ​is​ ​only​ ​human​ ​language​ ​and​ ​God​ ​is​ ​beyond​ ​human language.​ ​Thus​​,​ ​we​ ​speak​ ​of​ ​God​

​“analogously.”​ If​ ​God​ ​is​ ​Love​ ​then​ ​we​ ​have​ ​to​ ​stress​ ​that​ ​He or​ ​she (human​ ​pronouns​ ​here)​ ​is​ ​so​ ​far​ ​beyond​ ​human​ ​love​ ​that​ ​our​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​love​ ​is​ ​woefully inadequate.​ ​But​ ​then,​​ ​in​ ​a​ ​spirit​ ​of​ ​reverence​ ​and​ ​awe​ ​for​ ​God​ ​​​we​ ​plunge​ ​​ ​more​ ​deeply​ ​into​ ​the mystery​ ​even​ ​as​ ​we​ ​struggle​ ​with​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​express​ ​it​ ​better.​ ​

When​ ​we​ ​recognize​ ​that doctrines​ ​and​ ​dogmas​ ​​ ​are​ ​“signs​ ​pointing​ ​to​ ​a​ ​reality​ ​deeper​ ​than​ ​themselves” (=symbol”)​ ​​ ​then we​ ​are​ ​certainly​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​truth​ ​but​ ​not​ ​in​ ​a​ ​way​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​summarized​ ​on​ ​a​ ​standardized test.​ ​We​ ​all​ ​know​ ​that​ ​the​ ​most​ ​powerful​ ​sermons​ ​or​ ​religion​ ​classes​ ​we​ ​ever​ ​had​ ​were​ ​when​ ​we were​ ​moved​ ​in​ ​the​ ​depths​ ​of​ ​our​ ​minds​ ​and​ ​souls​ ​​​to​ ​the​ ​depths​ ​of​ ​the​ ​mystery​ ​being symbolized.​ ​

Is​ ​this​ ​not​ ​what​ ​happened​ ​to​ ​the​ ​disciples​ ​on​ ​the​ ​road​ ​to​ ​Emmaus​ ​when​ ​their​ ​hearts were​ ​burning​ ​as​ ​the​ ​risen​ ​Christ​ ​explained​ ​the​ Scriptures​ ​to​ ​them​ ​and​ ​they recognized​ ​Him​ ​in​ ​the​ ​breaking​ ​of​ ​the​ ​bread (Luke​ ​24:32​ ​and​ ​36)? But​ ​just​ ​as​ ​with​ ​the​ ​two ​preoccupied​​,​ ​​distracted​ ​and​ ​depressed​ ​disciples​ ​(All​ ​they​ ​needed were​ ​cellphones​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​the​ ​picture! Right​, ​catechists?),​ ​the​ ​risen​ ​Christ​ ​took​ ​his​ ​time.

First, He​ ​pretended​ ​that​ ​He​ ​had​ ​no​ ​idea​ ​what​ ​they​ ​were​ ​talking​ ​about.​ ​Then,​ He​ ​asked​ ​some​ ​leading questions​ ​and​ ​​ ​when​ ​the​ ​time​ ​was​ ​right,​ ​explained​ ​the​ ​Scriptures​ ​to​ ​them​ ​in​ ​language​ ​they​ ​could understand (Luke​ ​24:13-27).​ ​Talk​ ​about​ ​a​ ​Master​ ​Teacher. Where​ ​did​ ​He​ ​get​ ​his​ ​training​ ​from? Ah​ ​yes, from​ ​the​ ​Holy​ ​Spirit​ ​facilitating​ ​His​ ​natural​ ​gifts.​ ​Didn’t​ ​He​ ​promise​ ​the​ ​same​ ​Spirit​ ​to​ ​be with​ ​us​ ​today?​ ​Ok,​ ​so​ ​we​ ​need​ ​​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​solid​ ​educational​ ​training​ ​as​ ​well,​ ​but​ ​hey​, ​let’s​ ​not​ ​forget the​ ​Source​ ​of​ ​it​ ​all​ ​in​ ​our​ ​lesson​ ​preparations.

Or,​ ​as​ ​a​ ​parent​ ​once wrote​ ​to​ ​me, “The​ ​mysteries​ ​of​ ​God​ ​are​ ​so​ ​great​ ​and​ ​so​ ​complex​ ​that​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​more helpful​ ​to​ ​use​ ​symbols​ ​to​ ​try​ ​to​ ​explain​ ​them.​ ​Even​ ​Jesus’​ ​disciples​ ​needed​ ​Him​ ​to​ ​explain​ ​things metaphorically.​ ​So​ ​let​ ​children​ also​ ​embrace​ ​age​-​appropriate​ ​symbols​ ​as they​ ​begin​ ​to​ ​enter​ ​into​ ​the mysteries​ ​of​ ​our​ ​faith.”

Yes​, ​appreciation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​symbolic​ ​language​ ​can​ ​be​ ​a​ ​shining​ ​light​ ​to​ ​all​ ​ engaged​ ​in​ ​the​ ​transmission​ ​of​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​Christian​ ​faith.

Powell and his wife direct the faith formation program at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Forest Hills.