Monday, June 25, 2012

THE PERENNIAL TRADITION

Franciscan John Duns Scotus says that when the one, and the true, and the good are operating in unity, whatever is happening will always also be beautiful! This is his de facto definition of beauty: the harmony between unity, truth, and goodness. When you can see all three, or even one, you will always be delighted. Whenever naked being (always united, somehow true, and somehow good) shows itself, I will have the ability to see there’s something beautiful about it, too, even though it might be broken, or poor, or sad, or suffering. Scotus was merely making a grounding philosophy out of Francis' own love of lepers, the marginalized, and the poor—whom he found "beautiful"!

 Beauty is experienced precisely in our ability to hold together the oneness, the truthfulness, and the goodness of things—despite all the seeming contrary evidence (which is always there!).

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