--- title: Essays – Church Life Journal | theological aesthetics description: theological aesthetics | --- Search [![churchlife](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hubfs/Churchlife_Aug2016_Theme/Images/church-life-journal-white-horizontal-1.png)](http://churchlife.nd.edu/) - [Essays](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays) - [Articles](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/articles) - [Blog](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/blog-post) - [Contributors](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contributors/) All posts filed under: ESSAYS [![](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Isenheim-1-crop.jpg)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/03/07/the-healing-power-of-beauty) ## [The Healing Power of Beauty](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/03/07/the-healing-power-of-beauty) Published by [Jennifer Newsome Martin](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/author/jennifer-newsome-martin) # A Triptych of Short Fiction, Sacred Art, and Modern Poetry This is an essay about vision and blindness, about seeing and the failure to see, about wholes and fragments, sickness and healing, light and darkness, about nativity and the rebirth to eternal youth, about a mode of beauty that does not and cannot exclude ugliness, the nocturnal, suffering, and death but rather fundamentally transfigures ... Share - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [March 07, 2016](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/03/07/the-healing-power-of-beauty) [Essays](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/essays) / [Culture](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/culture) / [Hans Urs von Balthasar](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/hans-urs-von-balthasar) / [jennifernewsomemartin](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/jennifernewsomemartin) / [Matthias Grünewald](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/matthias-grunewald) / [Raymond Carver](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/raymond-carver) / [T.S. Eliot](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/t-s-eliot) / [theological aesthetics](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/theological-aesthetics) ### Share [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Essays%20%E2%80%93%20Church%20Life%20Journal%20%7C%20theological%20aesthetics) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Ftheological-aesthetics%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Categories - [Essays (36)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/essays) - [Culture (17)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/culture) - [Theology (10)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/theology) - [Practice (9)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/practice) - [Archive (8)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/archive) - [Pope Francis (8)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/pope-francis) ![Institute for Church Life](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Churchlife_Aug2016_Theme/Images/icl-lockup-01.png?width=318&name=icl-lockup-01.png "Institute for Church Life") ### About the ICL The Institute for Church Life animates the University of Notre Dame’s direct service to the Church through outreach in theological education, research, faith formation, and leadership development. ### Church Life Journal - [About](http://churchlife.nd.edu/about/) - [Archives](http://churchlife.nd.edu/archives/) - [Contact](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contact/) - [Contributors](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contributors/) - [Journal Submission Guidelines](http://churchlife.nd.edu/journal-submission/) ### Follow Us - - - Copyright © 2016 University of Notre Dame | Institute for Church Life