Beauty and Art

Plato spoke frequently and with great conviction about the place of beauty and art in culture.  We can sum up his thoughts thus:  "If you wish to asses a culture, listen to its music."  If we look at our contemporary culture, what is it that is passed off as music?  Ear drum shattering noise, a beat that resounds deeply in the nervous system provoking all sorts of bodily gyrations, some of which border on disrespect for the dignity of God's masterpiece, or banal mediocrity that would not inspire a spider?  It seems we have settled for less, and then wonder why this growing violence in society. or why this lack of participation or even attendence at Mass?  "Where have all the flowers gone?"--a constant refrain in the '60's and '70's.  We could paraphrase it by asking "Where has all the beauty gone?"  Since God is Beauty itself, it's no wonder we have lost contact with God through the beauty of music and art than can so easily lead us to him. Very little of today's music is truly beautiful, and much of our visual "modernistic" art is tortured or devoted to exalting the most common of our functional "stuff." No wonder we can't find our way to God.
Eric Genuis, a gifted composer and deeply religious man, has returned the beauty inherent in music and allows it to touch the dry places of our hearts left barren by today's sacriligious substitutes.  It is as if the Holy Spirit has taken possesion of his soul by giving him the gift of being able to create melody after melody, arrangement after arrangement that profoundly affect the listener's soul so that God becomes tangible and audible in his music.  Eric and three other extremely talented musicians, a vocalist, a cellist and a violinist are making the rounds locally, giving free-will offering concerts in churches, and in prisons for the purpose of giving back something which is sorely lacking today:  HOPE.  For being touched again by Beauty, God, one's hope is restored.  A prisoner of 15 years stood up and shouted after hearing just one of Eric's compostions, "I had forgotten what it feels like to have hope."  You may learn more about Eric at www.catholicquest.com.
Bro. Rene