Editorial

Finding beauty, goodness and truth through the Church

The synodal journey that we are on as God’s holy people takes us through many different pathways. Some are difficult to navigate. Others lead us astray. Still others are dead ends that force us to start over again. Jesus has told us that he (and he alone) is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6), but we often have trouble finding the path that allows us, first of all, to connect with him, and then to follow him.

There are three signposts that confirm we have chosen the right path, the Way that is Jesus. These signs are beauty, goodness and truth. If we find any or all of these, they can lead us to Christ. If we reject or ignore any or all of these signposts, we can find ourselves wandering—lost, confused and very much alone.

Beauty points us to God because it reflects and reveals the glory of the Trinity. Whether we are looking at an amazing sunset, the majesty of the Grand Canyon or a beautiful newborn baby, if we can see with the eyes of faith, hope and love, we will be shown the way to heaven. Anyone who truly contemplates God’s creation with eyes wide open or who gazes at a magnificent work of art without prejudging its meaning is given a window into the mystery at the heart of everything. Beauty shows us the face of God and invites us to become one with him.

Goodness points us to God because we recognize in our heart of hearts that the way to God cannot be arbitrary, cruel or vindictive. Where goodness is, where we find honesty, integrity and justice, we find pathways to God.

The Old Testament tells the stories of women and men who were righteous—often in spite of their all-too-human weaknesses and sins.

The New Testament introduces us to a man, Jesus, and his mother Mary who were without sin and who, therefore, only did what was right and good. By gazing at them, and by imitating them, we can find our way. By becoming “everyday saints” (people who are not perfect but who strive to always do “the next right thing”), we can find paths that will lead us to perfection even if we never fully realize it in this life.

Truth points us to God by cutting out all that is false, self-serving and destructive in our daily lives. Genuine truth is not relative (“your truth or my truth”). It is grounded in reality (the way things are) and it reflects what things actually mean.

It takes wisdom to perceive truth, and the only way to be really wise is to be born again in the Holy Spirit. Because we have been given the gift of intelligence, we can reason our way to the truth. But like the disciples of Jesus immediately after his resurrection, we desperately need the gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and allow us to discover the richness and power of the mysterious truth that is God himself.

Beauty, goodness and truth lead us to God. If we fail to heed these signposts on our synodal journey, we risk losing our way. Fortunately, Christ gave us the Church, his own body, to guide and direct us on our pilgrim journey. The Scriptures (God’s word), the sacraments (signs that cause what they signify), the liturgy (expressions of thanks and praise to God), and the pastoral life of the Church (ministries of comfort, communion and social justice) are all meant to help us find our way to God.

We have a choice. We can participate fully in our Catholic way of life, allowing the tradition and teaching of the Church to support us in the search for beauty, goodness and truth. Or we can go our separate ways.

The witness of Mary and all the saints urges us to take the high road, the synodal road of communion participation and mission. If we choose another way, we may get there eventually (by the grace of God), but we will miss out on the expressions of beauty, goodness and truth that are so essential to our Catholic way of life.

This is what synodality is all about. It is about journeying together, rather than wandering in the dark alone. It is about sharing with our sisters and brothers the beauty, goodness and truth that we discover as we walk together following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

—Daniel Conway