We Catholics are fond of saying something to the effect that “beauty will save the world.” The quote is often attributed to Prince Myshkin, the title character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel, “The Idiot.” Myshkin does not actually utter the words, however. Rather, they are attributed to him in a disparaging speech by another character, Ippolit. “The prince asserts that beauty will save the world,” exclaims Ippolit, in a dismissive tone. “But I assert that the reason he has such playful ideas is that he is in love.” Observations of beauty, the cynical Ippolit implies, are nothing more than expressions of the sentiment of a particular person; “beauty” does not correspond to anything outside the preference of an individual.
Of course, this is not Dostoyevsky’s view. The point of “The Idiot” is to show that Prince Myshkin is the embodiment of beauty through his selflessness and charity toward those around him. Put another way, where authentic beauty obtains, so does truth and goodness. This is an expression of what we call the “three transcendentals.” Beauty, truth and goodness are various aspects of the transcendence of God himself. They are not bound by time or space, nor constrained by human imagination. But in God’s goodness, he allows his human creatures — unique among all created beings — to share in the three transcendentals, all of which converge in God. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of creatures — their truth, their goodness, their beauty — all reflect the infinite perfection of God” (No. 41).
These theological principles are at the heart of the mission of the small Houston publisher Every Sacred Sunday, especially as expressed in an extraordinary new edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The mission of Every Sacred Sunday is to communicate the truth of the Gospel by producing beautiful resources focused on Scripture, prayer and the liturgical year. Its founders believe that beauty will save the world. With its edition of the catechism, this niche publisher has advanced its mission in a lovely volume, combining images and text in a triumph of book publishing.
A true work of art
The Every Sacred Sunday edition of the catechism contains the entire text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, including citation and topic indices, as well as a theological glossary. But what stands out about this volume is the beauty of its production. Its heavy-duty paper is held together by heirloom-quality binding between sturdy cloth-covered hardback covers. It comes in a heavy cardboard box, meant to be kept for safe storage of the volume. Most important, however, are the 100 or so original, professional photographic images that accompany the text of the catechism. These lovely photos make this edition a true work of art. The images are used in various creative ways. Sometimes they are side by side with the text of the catechism; sometimes they stand alone on their own pages; sometimes the text is superimposed over the photos. In each instance, the goodness of the catechism is fully represented through the beauty of the image combined with the truth of the text.
A lovely Catechism Companion Journal is also available from Every Sacred Sunday. Like the catechism, the journal is bound in high-quality covers enclosing heavy-duty paper. It contains a brief overview and description of the catechism, as well as a suggested reading schedule corresponding to the four parts of the text. And, of course, it contains blank lined pages for journal keeping.
Along with truth and goodness, beauty will save the world. We human creatures, made in the image and likeness of God, have the privilege of sharing in God’s transcendent being. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the articulation of that liberating truth. The Every Sacred Sunday edition of the catechism combines the words of truth with the beauty of art to create a very good companion to our journey of faith. Every Catholic home library will be richer with a copy of this publishing achievement.
