Beauty - A Night at Christendom

One of the many reasons I love Christendom is the beauty, present in so many ways on this campus.  There’s the immediate beauty, of course – a campus in a valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in a bend of the Shenandoah River, with majestic views on one side and tangled, fantastic woodland on the other.  We’re far enough away from light pollution that the stars are vibrantly clear.  I could even see the Milky Way a few days ago!  This Wednesday, the first quarter moon was stunning in the clear sky of early evening.  I took a few minutes away from my responsibilities and grabbed my camera.  Unfortunately, only one picture turned out with any clarity.  While it fails to do the brilliancy of the moon any justice, I rather liked the composition.  The statue is an image of Our Lady that stands tall on a pillar outside of the college library.

There is more beauty, also, to be found at Christendom, including the beauty of dance.  I snapped a few pictures of Contra practice after I went out moon-viewing.  I like the order and the community that form an integral part of each Contra dance.  The following pictures are of the Trench Warfare dance.  There is a sublimity to the interaction of persons that takes place in dance, as well as the communal relaxation and fun.  There’s also the challenge of working together to create what really can be a work of art.  Granted, we’re not quite there yet – the lines are straggly and half the group forgets half of the routine at different points of the dance!  Practice makes perfect!

There is a higher beauty still – the beauty of prayer, the adoration of God by his creature.  Prayer is, after all, the highest occupation in which man can partake.  The Divine Office, the prayer of the whole Church, is recited three times a day in our beautiful Christ the King Chapel.  At 10 pm is Compline, Night Prayer, which culminates in a hymn to Our Lady.  On this evening, there were perhaps twenty or more people for Compline – the picture cuts off some of the back of the church.