"The King Will Desire Your Beauty!" -from St. John of Avila

St. John of Avila writes: "You should be aware that four things are required to make a thing completely beautiful. The first is the fullness of all that pertains to it. If something is lacking, it cannot be called beautiful, for example, the body lacks a hand or foot or something similar. The second requirement is proportion of one member with another,  and, if it is an image of another thing, it has to be drawn out very much according to the model. The third is that it must have purity of color. The fourth is that it must be of sufficient grandeur. Littleness, even if well proportioned, is not an attribute of what is completely beautiful."

"... If we consider the sinful soul, we will not find in it even one of these qualities. There is not fullness because one cannot be called beautiful when faith, charity and the gifts of the Holy spirit (things one ought to have) are lacking. The sinful soul does not have proportion within itself because it sense do not obey reason and its reason does not obey God. Even more, since the soul was created in God's image it was right that, to preserve its beauty, it would be like its model in virtues as it is in its natural being. Well, then, since God is good and the soul evil, since God is pure and it is impure, since God is meek and it is angry, and the same in other things, how can there be beauty in an image so out of conformity with its model? Then the third things, a spiritual light of grace and knowledge enlivening the beauty of the soul as colors do to the body, is also lacking, for the sinful soul is walking in darkness and is 'made blacker than coal,' as Jeremiah says weeping (Lam 4:8). Even less does the sinful soul have the fourth quality, grandeur, since there is nothing smaller or meaner than being a sinner, who is nothing, and less than nothing. Therefore, since it lacks all the qualities to make it beautiful, without doubt, it will be ugly. Since all souls created in bodies that come from Adam are ordinarily sinners, it follows that all are ugly."

On the contrary, how beautiful is our Savior, even when abased by crucifixion. St. John of Avila writes:

"The clothing that the High Priest wore had to be twice-dyed scarlet cloth because the holy humanity of Christ, which is his vestment, had to be dyed in blood, shed for love of God and neighbor. His flesh placed on the cross is the veil that God commanded Moses to make of 'violet and purple and scarlet twice dyed' and of closely woven white linen, embroidered by the needle and wrought with beautiful variety..."

"...How great, Lord Jesus, is the cost by which you pay what we have done against your love, by reposing in creatures, loving them and wanting to be loved by them, making a bed of repose in what we should have passed by along the way toward rest in you!... 

"...Jesus was cruelly beaten, clothed in a purple garment, with a crown that was an object of ridicule by those who saw him and of searing pain in the one who wore it. His hands were tied with a reed in them; his eyes were full of tears and of blood that flowed from his head. His cheeks were pallid, discolored, and covered with blood, defiled by the spittle aimed at his face. In this sorrow and dishonor he was brought forth to be seen by all the people, with the words 'Behold the Man' (John 19:5). This was done so that his shame might be increased at being seen by them, and that they might have compassion on him when they saw him thus and might cease tormenting one that they saw suffering so greatly. But, oh, with what evil eyes they looked upon the pains of the one who was suffering more for the perdition of these sorrows!... They did not listen to the word Pilate spoke to them: 'Behold the Man.' They did not want to look upon him there, but they said that they wanted to see him on the cross.

              "Listen, soul redeemed by the sufferings of Christ, and let us all listen to this word ''Look at this man' or 'behold the Man' -so that we may not be far from the redemption of Jesus Christ, not knowing how to look upon his sufferings and be grateful for them. 

               "Isaiah said, 'He has no lowliness or beauty. We looked at him and his appearance did not attract us...' (Is 53:2) If you consider these words of Isaiah one by one, you will see how hidden was Christ's beauty on the day when suffered to make us beautiful. Speaking to Christ, the bride in the Canticle says, 'Behold, you are beautiful and fair, my Beloved (Song 1:15)..."

Love made Christ beautiful...

"Christ is called light because, by his admirable words and deeds, he cheered the world and drew it out of darkness..."

Christ fits the four attributes of beauty above because of His holiness. The same is true for us -no matter the circumstance -the more we love and are full of this Love of our Savior Jesus, the more beautiful we become as well...

(Excerpts are from 'Audi, filia -Listen -O Daughter' by St. John of Avila)