Monte Perdido or bust!
Have you woken up recently with nightmares about not being able to squeeze all your Lions’ gear into RyanAir luggage regulations without a mega-penalty? Are you tempted to pull out of the Pyrenees and just join Tim in the next London triathlon? If so, read on: this is just the extra encouragement you need.
What’s the point of going to Torreciudad and Barbastro, to Alquézar, Posets, Ordesa, or Benasque – to name but a few of the Lions’ favourite haunts? Beauty! Natural beauty! – that’s the answer. And beauty inspires; it opens new horizons. It can help us grow.
One of the features of our 21st century western culture is that we are constantly enticed by the media and advertising to think no further than our feelings. “What do you fancy? – Well, we can offer you exactly that!” Following fancy – feelings and instinct – is all very well for wild lions: keeps the antelope population from getting out of control… But unless the human person looks outside himself, then his behaviour too becomes rather animal-like. This is one of the constant themes in the teaching of Pope Benedict, and in Pope John Paul before him. If we lapse into relativism, not seeking the truth – ultimately an absolute, Truth – and if we do not allow ourselves to be guided by that truth, then we’re up a gum-tree! (Antonio: I notice gum-tree climbing is not yet on the schedule…) Without the absolute, democracy descends into totalitarian dictatorship.
Now in spite of efforts by some artists to convince us otherwise, beauty is in fact a quality which is real and out there. It is not simply a passing fashion or merely invented by us humans. Beauty is a transcendent quality, and is in some way related to truth. (Footnote: As an example, when a mathematician discovers an elegant proof, he is more likely to be satisfied that the reasoning is true.) In fact beauty, like truth, is part of the image of God that rational beings are able to grasp.
Some years ago I came across a book by the German philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand. In it he poses the question of whether it’s possible to develop a Christian ethics without mentioning God, the supreme Being. In other words, could atheistic principles by themselves lead to Christian standards of behaviour (forgetfulness of self, generosity, etc) or are they ultimately limited to begetting utilitarian schemes (what’s good for me)? He concludes that beauty is the quality that most effectively helps towards rescuing the atheist from being trapped in himself.
So when Lions look beyond swimming in the Thames (although I suppose even that could have it’s own sort of attraction…) to admire the canyons of Guara, it is coherent with their aspiration of reaching higher as persons. For all Lions, Christian or not, believers or not, a few days immersed in natural beauty is an opportunity become better persons.
However, this improvement is not automatic. Human freedom needs to be enlisted too. Beauty in itself may be real and uplifting, but you and I will only grow in practice if we seek to make use of the occasion and help one another in this endeavour. Thus our efforts to have a true spirit of service, to put the others first, to overcome the temptation to make a negative comment when something is not quite how we like it… – all these are indispensable.
And the spiritual dimension? We humans left to ourselves have but feeble resources. But what strength is available when we remember that God is close to us and loves each one of us madly, and when we invoke his help!
All in all, the Lions’ trip is a great opportunity to make effective resolutions of acquiring virtues (good habits) – inspired by beauty, helped by good companions and aspiring to Truth.
Fr Bernard, Religion Correspondent.