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Pray for the beauty of the world�An ecumenical, evidence-based approach rooted in Catholic theology

Samantha Mattheiss

Associate Professor of Psychology

Felician University

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Let there be peace on earth

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Prayers for peace

Pope Pius XII

U.N.

Pope John Paul II

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Shalom

Salaam

Shanti Mantras

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

metta

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Pray for beauty

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Outline

Theological aesthetics

Beauty in world religions

Psychological perspective

Why beauty?

Why prayer?

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Pray for beauty?

“source of all beauty, truth, and good” (Pontifical Council for Culture, 2006, II.2)

Beauty captures us “with a ray capable of igniting marvel” (Pontifical Council for Culture, 2006, II.2)

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Beauty demands that man pursue the good by compelling him to be true to the living content whose external forms he represents.

von Balthasar, The Glory of the Lord, Theological Aesthetics, Vol. 1

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truth

goodness

beauty

goodness

truth

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Beauty in the Bible?

Glory, “transcendental beauty”
Jesus is the “refulgence of his glory” Hebrews 1:3
Proclamation of Jesus was also beautiful

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Jesus, Beauty

Jesus is “the source and summit of beauty” (Pontificial Council for Culture, 2006)
Species (form) and lumen (splendour) – von Balthasar

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Outline

Theological aesthetics

Beauty in world religions

Psychological perspective

Why beauty?

Why prayer?

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Judaism

Gaze upon the no’am or beauty of the Lord every morning (Psalm 27:4, see Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, n.d.)

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Islam

Beauty is an attribute of Allah
Qur’an describes the beauty of nature as a sign of Allah’s existence (Qur'an 16:11-12)

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Buddhism

Awareness and appreciation of beauty in natural life
Meditation (Cooper, 2017)
Zen Buddhism – rock gardens, calligraphy

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Hinduism

Physical and spiritual beauty
Harmony, order, and bliss
sundarī (सुन्दरी) from Sanskrit means “beautiful”

Human and divine
Linked to physical and moral qualities
Inner and outward grace

mantra satyam–śivam–sundaram ("Truth – Auspiciousness – Beauty")

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Bahá’í Faith

“The revelations” of God’s “matchless Beauty have at all times been imprinted upon the realities of all beings, visible and invisible (Bahá’u’lláh, 1976, p. 63)
Seek the beauty of God inside every human being: “In every face, he seeketh the beauty of the Friend” (Bahá'u'llah, 2018, p. 17)

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Outline

Theological aesthetics

Beauty in world religions

Psychological perspective

Why beauty?

Why prayer?

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Four forms of beauty

Diessner, R., Pohling, R., Stacy, S., & Güsewell, A. (2018). Trait appreciation of beauty: A story of love, transcendence, and inquiry. Review of General Psychology, 22(4), 377-397.

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The effects of beauty

Hope
Compassion
Forgiveness
Elevation
Well-being

Brielmann & Pelli, 2019; Pohling & Diessner, 2016; Diessner et al., 2006; Mattheiss et al., in review

Psychological studies have shown that beauty elicits lots of positive outcomes. It elicits hope, compassion, forgiveness , and elevation – positive, self-transcendent emotion in which one feels uplifted and inspired to become a better person, or to act in a more prosocial and altruistic way

Self-transcendent emotions, like elevation, take us out of ourselves and orient us towards others

This is much like what Jesus asks of us—to seek not our own lives, but to lose our lives for the sake of Jesus (Matthew 16:25). This is hard to do, but it seems, based on empirical studies, that beauty might help move us in this direction.

Self-transcendent emotions are linked to spirituality and to religion, but can be experienced without religious belief, pointing to their potential role in evangeliztion.

Cause prosocial behavior and thus are linked to both individual and collective well-being

Such studies, thereby, reflect the theology of beauty, where beauty leads to goodness. In both psychology and theology, beauty evokes love.

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Beauty and prosocial behavior

More positive emotions
More generous
More trusting
Created more paper cranes for earthquake victims
Zhang et al., 2014

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Dance

Improves self-competence

Decreases depressive symptoms

Enhances physical health

Boosts cognition

Art:

Overcome grief, cope with stressors, revise cognitive distortions

Increases positive emotions, well-being, and social connection

Merom et al., 2016; Tao et al., 2022; Slayton et al. 2010; Cotter & Pawelski, 2022

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Music

Increases perceived purpose and meaning in life
Promotes positive emotions
Improves relationships
Flow

Croom, 2015

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Creativity

Self-esteem
social connection
hope

Kennet, 2000

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Ideational beauty

Positive psychology practices are beautiful because they aim to improve the human condition (Ryff, 2016)
Human capacity for resilience
beauty in theories points to their validity
Scientists guided by beauty in search for truth

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Ideational beauty is less explored in psychological literature, but it is emphasized by scholars across disciplines. One psychologist described theories demonstrating the eudaimonic benefits of positive psychology practices as beautiful: “What makes all of these ideas beautiful is their commitment to distill the upside of the human condition” (Ryff, 2016 ). She continues, “New directions, wherein health is studied as health (rather than illness) and the human capacity for resilience is demonstrated, are beautiful as well” (Ryff, 2016). Similar assertions are found in other disciplines, as well. Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and theoretical physicist Paul Dirac suggests that the beauty of a theory predicts the likelihood of its truth. He suggests that beauty in theories points to their validity (Graham, 2009). Many other prominent scientists have also been guided by beauty in their search for truth (cf. Wilczek, 2015).

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Catholic theology

Natural: Creation heals, restores, and nourishes us (Pope Francis, 2015, para. 1)
Artistic: Expressions of art and music are fruitful and serve the good of humanity (John Paul II, 1999)
Moral: Goodness is beautiful (Kreeft, 2020; von Balthasar, 1982)
Ideational: Truth is beautiful (John Paul II, 1993)

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Why prayer?

Positive mood
Well-being
Optimism
Coping
Problem solving

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Embodied cognition

Body’s interaction with the environment
Sensory systems
Mirror neurons activate when we engage in an activity and when we observe others engaging in the activity

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The theory of embodied cognition suggests that cognition, or thought, is rooted in the body’s interaction with their environment (Mahon, 2015). Evidence comes from a seminal study by Hauk et al. (2004). In this study, when participants who heard action words, like “kick,” the brain region corresponding to kicking one’s leg activated; while another word corresponding to movement of the mouth, like “chew,” would activate the brain region corresponding to the mouth (Hauk et al, 2004). The same has been found for other sensory systems, such as taste. When one looks at a picture of ice cream, the brain regions involved in taste are activated (Simmons et al., 2013). Such findings are rooted in the identification of mirror neurons, which activate, for example, when we engage in a particular action and when we see someone else engaging in that action (Gallese et al., 1996; Iacoboni et al., 1999). The discovery of these mirror neurons points to the interconnectedness between the human person and their environment.

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Embodied cognition

Body’s interaction with the environment
“Human organisms inhabit their world most immediately through their perception of qualities, often at a level beneath conscious awareness” (Johnson, 2015).

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Focused attention on Love

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Embody beauty

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Outline

Theological aesthetics

Beauty in world religions

Psychological perspective

Why beauty?

Why prayer?

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Beauty within

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Beauty in communities

Families
Neighborhoods
In the world

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Beauty of the natural world

Reflects the creator (Aquinas, 1915; Pope Francis, 2015)
Preservation
Shared resources

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Music and art

Sharing of gifts
Expresses relationship with God (Catechism, para. 2501)
Mediate the divine (Nichols, 2006)

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Moral beauty

Acts of goodness, eliciting elevation

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Ideational beauty

Truth
Jesus Christ , “source of all beauty”

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Thank you for listening!

mattheisss@felician.edu