Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: The Spirituality of Beauty

How do you define beauty? Do notions of beauty inspire your spiritual life?

Vastly different cultural definitions of beauty may lead us to question what true beauty is and how those worldly definitions compare to God's definition. However, the real question is, do you let beauty define your spiritual life? Ideas of beauty and spirituality have always been intertwined. In Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: The Spirituality of Beauty, Sr. Mary Beth Ingham, C. S. J. , will help you explore the connections between beauty and spirituality by presenting various views of beauty from the Bible and great Medieval Christian thinkers.

This 12-lecture program develops the theme of beauty and its important role in any authentic spiritual journey. Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: The Spirituality of Beauty is based in part upon the monograph by Sr. Ingham entitled, Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2009).

After an introduction that points to the variety of spiritual approaches that relate to beauty, the focus of Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: The Spirituality of Beauty turns more specifically to medieval voices. Sr. Ingham will guide you through the Western philosophical and spiritual tradition of interpreting beauty using as examples the views of Plato, Plotinus, and Ambrose of Milan.

More than a superficial opinion on physical beauty, Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: The Spirituality of Beauty will inspire you to open your eyes to the many visions of beauty and, most importantly, to open your heart to the spirituality of beauty.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection.