Ciao amici,
I am on my travels again, in Italy, having similar hot weather to the UK, but with the advantage of gelato. I am so thankful for the experiences we have had, and for encountering so much beauty.
There has been beauty in nature. “For the beauty of the earth” is one of my favourite hymns and one I had at my wedding – natural beauty is where I see God most. Over the past week we’ve seen dolphins playing in blue sea, smelled jasmine everywhere, heard the dawn chorus when I can’t sleep because of the heat. All “God’s handiwork” as American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it.
I’ve seen beauty in art. Exquisite sparse canvasses by Korean/Japanese painter Lee Ufan; beautiful needlework by Palestinian women that made me weep; a herd of 110 ceramic horses, along with the sound of galloping, that made me smile; and some art that, to be honest, I’ve no idea what’s going on. Maybe not to my taste but beautiful to some.
I’ve visited a lot of churches. We attended a service at St Marks in Venice and the singing there, as it echoed around the dome covered in golden mosaics, was truly beautiful. One church, Our Lady of the Roses, was particularly ornate, with gilding and chandeliers and above the statue of Our Lady was the Latin inscription “”, which Google translates as “You are all beautiful”. Yes, the beauty of people. Not physical beauty, but the beauty we possess by being loved by God. St Augustine said, “Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul”. I have encountered kindness, fun and inspiration from lots of beautiful people on my travels. It has been so uplifting.
I pray God shows you beauty this week, maybe in an unexpected place. Let’s also try to reflect the beauty of God’s love to all we meet.
Arrivederci, beautiful people of St Nicolas,
Wendy
Wendy Neale