“The beauty of Christian witness expresses the beauty of Christianity and provides for its future. How can we be credible in announcing the ‘good news’ if our lives are unable to manifest the ‘beauty’ of this life? From the meeting of faith with Christ, springs forth, in an interior dynamic action supported by Grace, the holiness of the disciples and their capacity to make ‘beautiful and good’ their common life and that of their neighbors. It is not exterior beauty and superficiality, a facade, but an interior beauty that is painted under the action of the Holy Spirit. It shines before men: nothing can hide that which is an essential part of its being.”
Via Pulchritudinis, B
John 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Transformed by Beauty | Devotion
Reflection by Tara Wright
When we embrace Christ and the beauty He gives us in our daily lives by committing to tangible, loving actions for others, we may find that some aspects of our lives change. Over time, in little and big ways, our acts of love and service reshape the way we live. Love—especially Christ’s beautiful love—transforms us. When we are loved through beauty, we grow in friendship and devotion, and we are drawn to love others.
But sometimes we may get caught up in the effects of transformation; we might get excited about our newfound productivity or concentrate on making our morning routine perfect. We might let ourselves get busy for busy-ness’ sake and lose sight of what–or who–is at the core of that transformation.
This week, we will focus on making sure we are freely loving God and others. We’ll identify what habits, attitudes, and actions need to be purified to make sure our actions are not motivated by fear, envy, or perfectionism, but by loving devotion.
Transforming Love
“Remain in me,” we heard Jesus say last week. He says it again today, “Remain in my love.” And now He gives us another directive, “Love one another as I love you.”
How does the Lord love?
The Lord loves us freely. He’s not forced. He’s not coerced. He has no ulterior motives. He’s not chasing status or trying to boost his ego. Increasing his number of followers won’t unlock new features or superpowers. No. He’s a savior who’d leave the many to go after the one. He’s a man–and God–of pure motives. He’s a true friend. And that’s what He expects us to be, too.
There are a few things we can keep in mind to help us love well.
Transformation is a choice. While transformation begins with an encounter with Christ’s beauty, in His friendship He gives us the freedom to choose whether or not we want to commit to what He began. We must decide to change the way we live, because we want to be close to Him. Ask yourself, “What choices am I making? What do those choices reveal about my priorities?”
Transformation involves persistence. This is not a “one and done” change. We need to make the choice to change over and over again.
Transformation is visible. Over time, others will see the results of our devotion. You’ll be able to love them better, respond better, be more attentive. Do your actions bring joy to the people around us? Are you more patient, kind, compassionate?
Even people who don’t know you personally may see your life and know there’s just something different. Just like a beautiful sunset, the beauty of your life can communicate the deeper reality of the Lord’s goodness and truth!
One of my favorite transformation stories from Scripture is the story about the woman at the well (see the Gospel of John, ch. 4). I love it for so many reasons. I love how Jesus so boldly approaches her, and how she is so surprisingly receptive. They have this back and forth that’s candid and curiosity driven. We get to see how clever, gentle, and challenging the Lord can be, all at the same time! He meets her where she is and, precisely insofar as she is open to it, He reveals Truth to her — about her own heart, about what’s to come, and finally about who He is. It’s a stunning encounter, and she doesn’t let it go to waste. Overjoyed, and truly changed, she tells everyone about this amazing man.
Her enthusiasm for the Lord has a ripple effect. Her witness sparks curiosity in others. They want to know more. They invite Him in. And upon meeting the Lord for themselves, they experience their own transformations. “We no longer believe just because of what you said” they tell her; “now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world” (Jn 4:42).
One more beautiful thing about transformation is that though we are called to “bear fruit that will remain,” it’s not up to us to determine what the fruits will be (Jn 15:16). Again and again, the Lord reminds us that He’ll remain with us, and in the Holy Spirit we have an advocate Who will make our labors fruitful. The only thing we need to focus on is Jesus. When we keep our eyes on Him, we’re sure to be moving in the right direction.
Daily Living:
Turn away from the bad. When our hearts go through a transformation, we naturally desire to turn away from the parts of our lives that hinder us from loving God and others freely. What might the things in your life be that you need to turn away from or change in order to love God and others better?
Devoted Heart. When our hearts desire to turn toward God, we need to have complete devotion to Him. What does being devoted to God mean to you? How would beauty help you in your devotion to God?
Persistence. A conversion of heart needs to happen over and over again. We are constantly trying to refine and purify ourselves so we can be in alignment with God’s Will. When was a time in your life when you needed to be persistent in your relationship with God? What trials did you face, and how did you respond to them?
Love One Another as I love you. Jesus said to His disciples, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” Have you ever struggled to love another? Have you ever struggled to love God? How can you love those who are most challenging to love this week? Pray that your heart may be transformed into God’s heart, so you can love them as He does.
UP NEXT: Week 6: Daily Flow