Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto on the Importance of Contemplating Beauty

"Some time ago, I was walking with some students on a trail through a place where nature was particularly beautiful. Suddenly, a child next to us exclaimed, 'That's so ugly!' Obviously, he got everyone's attention. He went on to say, 'Look how much trash they left on the trail.'

"The remark earned a lot of praise for the boy's education, his attention to the environment, and the proper disposal of trash. However, there was also a problem there: Surrounded by the beauty of Creation, what captured everyone's attention was the ugliness of human errors."

In a recent commentary, writer Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto reflected on how, when we stop contemplating beauty (the fruit and manifestation of God's love), ugliness and evil ferment and grow in our hearts, occupying them and overflowing into our words.

To access Mr. Neto's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto: The problem with seeing too much wrong with the world (11 JUN 23)