The Beauty of a Church

The Beauty of a Church

There’s something about a church. There’s something about feeling the presence of God as soon as you walk through the doors. There’s something about the flood of comfort I get while making the sign of the cross with holy water while staring right at the crucifix. I never experience anything more beautiful than I do while at mass. The murals, the stained glass, the sculptures, sometimes I find myself paying more attention to what’s depicted in pictures around the church than I do to what’s really taking place.

Although the beauty of the church to the eye is big, the beauty of the church to the soul is huge. The fact that we have the chance every week (everyday even) to receive the body of Christ, and I can’t emphasize that enough because they don’t have enough text styles to make that stand out anymore, we are receiving THE BODY OF CHRIST. Jesus is entering into us. There is SO much beauty found in that. (I do realize that not every church offers communion, which I am not discriminating against at all by saying all of this, every church I’ve been to beholds it’s own beauty in it’s own ways.)

I love all of the small things about the church and what we participate in. The pipe organ, the bells, the decorations for Christmas and Easter, the frankincense, the palms we get on Palm Sunday, the ashes we get on Ash Wednesday. There are so many times during the short hour of mass we have that I get the feeling my whole body is smiling. Whenever we play a certain song during procession I look at my mom knowing she’s thinking the same thing. We have played the hymn “Go Be Justice” so many times that it’s basically the theme song for St. Mary’s, and you accept the fact you will be singing it in your head for the rest of the day. Whenever Father holds up the body and blood and says, “Do this in memory of me.” and the bells are rung. Whenever I see someone reach to the pew in front or behind them so they can hold someone’s hand during the Our Father. Whenever I go to mass with my sister and she hugs people for the sign of peace instead of a handshake. They all hold their own value to me, and each is as special as the other with a special place in my heart.

The opportunities offered by the church to get closer to God and pave your way to eternity with him is unbelievable, and yes, beautiful. Mission trips, confession, the Holy Eucharist, retreats, all of the chances we get to volunteer and offer ourselves to others. It all feeds into the realization that we weren’t given this life to live it for only ourselves.

I am blessed to be a part of the church community that I am, and I am blessed to get to experience all of the churches I have around the country. The consistency they all have of a welcoming spirit and of beauty everywhere I look is such a comfort to me. Although not every church engages in the same beliefs or traditions of the others, we are all linked in the acceptance that Christ is our savior, and that he died for our sins, and there’s nothing more beautiful than that.