God Is Beauty: A Retreat on the Gospel and Art

by Karol Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II, Christopher West

Originally delivered in 1962 for artists — and made available now for the first time in English — St. John Paul II's (Karol Wojtyla's) penetrating spiritual exercises on divine beauty and its reflection in our humanity — and the art it produces — remain as timely as ever. The retreat itself, of course, forms the heart of this attractive volume. To aid you in mining its many riches, it’s followed by an extensive commentary by Dr. Christopher West and various shorter, personal reflections from authors who are distinguished in the fields of theology and the arts and whose hearts and works have been transformed by the themes in this Bill Donaghy , Mike Mangione , Fr. Thomas Loya , Jennifer Settle and Dr. Sarah Maple . The book also features an inspiring conversation with Irish sculptor Dony MacManus . This book shows

Genres: Catholic, Theology, Art, Nonfiction, Faith, Spirituality, Christianity

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2022

Reviews

[Mary Helen Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever there was a book that must be read by every human person, it is this one. And if ever there was a time to read this book, it is now.

[Sophie Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTY WILL SAVE THE WORLD 👏🏽 I think everyone should read this book!! I would not call myself an artist in any sense of the word but I found myself pierced by these reflections as they demonstrate the reality of the incarnation! “A stream of beauty flows through you but you yourself are not beauty”

TOB Retreat + this book stirred up a wonder in me that has gotten lost along the way since my reversion. The days of finding our Lord sprinkled throughout created goods have now only just begun!

John Paul II tells this story of him walking around the Baths of Diocletian in Rome and says this: (I think this is my favorite story from the whole retreat) “I took great pains and noticed with what immense effort all those people, those great masters of sculpture, had sought to demonstrate perfect, absolute beauty in the human body, and in doing so they had been seeking the Incarnation. After this walk of many hours— it took such a great effort to spend time with that ancient pagan art— I understood the Gospel anew. And I understood it better.” 🥹🥹 Christ pursues us in everything, people!

[Marshall Fike · Rating 5 out of 5]

everyone should read this thing

[Maggie Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. Amazing. Fantastic. Never been done before.
Also, it’s a great book club book.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. That is all.

[Carly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to go back and read again but every time do it with another artist! So much amazing fruit.

[Natasha Skrovanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the cry of my heart. thank you jpii for understanding me and beauty.

[Annaliese Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

FELLAS. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK

[Jenna McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What must we do to be saved by beauty? We must allow ourselves to be overcome by it, pierced through by it, transformed by it. We must allow beauty to show us the infinite depth of our ache, and trust, like Mary, that we, too- through an utterly gratuitous gift from heaven- are destined to be filled with the fullness of God.”

[Mattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve never read Theology of the Body before, this is a great introduction and makes you want to dive deeper!

There were a few chapters reflecting on what I’d just read that felt redundant, but I really appreciated the testimonies and stories. JPII’s writings are buried treasure for the world and i’m grateful to have had the opportunity to dive into this retreat.

There was way more theology of the body and appeals to repentance of sins than I was expecting for a book for artists, but by the end, I understood completely. We are all called to “make a work of art of our lives” as JPII says and the person behind the art is infinitely more important than the art itself - so as artists we must always live out of this reality that “Beauty flows through me but I am not Beauty”. I must be aware of the temptation to make my works (or any works that capture my heart) an idol for my own praise instead of constantly seeking to offer my gifts to “decrease” myself and “increase” Him.

I also found a lot of peace and joy in the mission of artists to bring beauty and an ordered eros into an increasingly pornified world. True beauty allows us to see without using (figure drawing classes with nude models can become classrooms of “sacramental seeing”) Good eros lies in the gap between suspicion of our bodies in a prudish fear and indulging in the use of the other for self gratification.

This felt like an extension of TOB specifically for artists and hugely important for anyone who wants to embrace the talents God gave them and the mission they are meant for.

[Molly Rembold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read and prayed with in a really long time. It was gifted to me years ago and has sat on my bookshelf untouched until now. I’m so glad I waited to read this book until I finished getting my art degree. There is so much more I could learn from this book now that I’m out of the studio. If I ever become an art teacher you better believe I will have my students read this book.

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't just for artists. It's a series of devotions given by Karol Wojtyla to a group of artists in Holy Week of 1962, followed by thoughts on each of the devotions by Christopher West and others. They help us to see that our passions are drawing us to the beauty behind them, Beauty himself - God.

[micah ellalasingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one has ever told me about God by this way of beauty… not just written in the great sculptures or the stars, but on the very unique language of the heart of man. Wojtyla introduced a concept that brings man to freedom: Individuality to be redirected, explored, and captured in the image of God.

[Rainee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A stream of Beauty flows through you, but you yourself are not Beauty.”

Thankful for JP II’s writings and the work of Christopher West (and friends) to pull this together. I really liked the reflections by different artists - praise the Lord for the ways He works through His people!

[Matthew Crews · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…the greatest talent of all that we possess is the talent of our own humanity. Why is it the greatest talent? Because God himself paid for our humanity.” -Karol W.

[Maura Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is required reading for Catholic artists - and, as Karol Wojtyla says, we are all artists of our own lives and called to be saints! Such a beautiful retreat from my favorite saint accompanied by beautiful reflections that help unpack the wisdom and apply it to our lives. I’ll be revisiting this over and over I’m sure!

[Peter Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very grateful to have been able to read this retreat Cardinal Wojtyla gave in 1962 and which is just now being published in English for the first time. It contains many beautiful reflections and thoughts on beauty and creativity in Wojtyla's personalistic approach of understanding the theology of the body. The commentaries and reflections by different authors are all interesting and worth reading as they give perspective for how these different authors understand and apply Cardinal Wojtyla's thoughts into their lives. I would highly recommend it to all artists and performers and anyone wanting to understand more deeply the how all created beauty reflects He who is Beauty.

[Roseyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly wished I could have taken in some of the ideas in this book when I was much younger and especially as a college student taking painting and writing courses! A quote from this book:
"Beauty delights and attracts. And because it attracts, this indicates that there is something else beyond it, which is hidden......(the) beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator."
"Everything found in the concept of beauty is found in God."

[Christopher Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good pathway into the thought of Saint John Paul II. His reflections on beauty and art have relevance and application for all of us.

[Caroline Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some really great nuggets in here! However, there was a bit too much commentary for me that seemed to get repetitive, too.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. I need to reread and absorb more.

[Rebekah Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amen amen amen!