St. Augustine's words urge us to re-imagine our understanding of the mystery of God, the 'Beautiful' (for me, the most precious name for God!) Whenever we try to create something beautiful, we honor this mystery. We are invited 'to dwell in the Beautiful.'
This wonderful photo from my friend Gwen of Louisiana has given me this inspiration. Anything beautiful demands work, time and pain. To create a garden like this, Gwen and her husband Greg had to endure much to create this oasis in their backyard. To maintain this beauty, they need patience and endurance. I love their integrity and ability to work together. Though like all of us, we need to spend more leisure moments enjoying beauty. To develop our appreciation of God and each other demand that we deepen our appreciation for what is beautiful. I often quote Rollo May, a psychotherapist, who described beauty as 'eternity born into human existence.' St. Thomas defines beauty as 'that which delights when seen.' And so, here I am inspired by the beauty of this garden.
Renoir, the 19th century French Impressionist artist, was asked by his beloved and talented student, Matisse: 'Master, why do you continue to paint when your arthritis pains you so much?' Renoir's immortal words are etched in my heart: 'the pain passes but the beauty remains.' I can well imagine my friend Greg who, after a serious illness, worked tirelessly in this garden with his wife, Gwen. I can see the sweat on his brow as he struggles to ignore his own pains in order to please his Gwen. Renoir had a tremendous love of life and was particularly entranced by people, often painting friends and former loves of his life. His work has a quivering brightness that is so satisfying. We immediately respond to his work when we see the effects of light on his paintings. What I learnt from Renoir and admiring his work was the way he enjoyed simple pleasures. Looking at this photograph reminded me of the sheer pleasure of gardening. Whatever the artist did; he met his work with good humored attention. He refused to give in to his pain(s) as he got older. In his paintings, he deliberately set out to give impressions, sensations of something worth recalling, endless glances of life and love.
I ask myself: do I allow my pain(s) to determine the beauty I wish to paint on the canvas of life? Am I going to allow bitterness, frustrations or anger to take a stronghold? Pains eventually subside and pass away. The beauty we show others will live on. Thanks to Renoir, Greg and Gwen, I choose 'to dwell in the Beauty, so ancient and still so new! Don Ronaldo (Summer 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment