Question the beauty of the earth,
The beauty of the sea,
The beauty of the wide air around you,
The beauty of the sky;
Question the order of the stars,
The sun whose brightness lights the day,
The moon whose splendor softens the gloom of night;
Question the living creatures that move in the waters,
That roam upon the earth,
That fly through the air;
The spirit that lies hidden,
The matter that is manifest;
The visible things that are ruled,
The invisible that rule them;
Question all these.
They will answer you:
“Behold and see, we are beautiful.”
Their beauty is their confession of God
Who made these beautiful changing things,
If not one who is beautiful and changeth not?
Question the beauty of the earth,
The beauty of the sea,
The beauty of the wide air around you,
The beauty of the sky;
Question the order of the stars,
The sun whose brightness lights the day,
The moon whose splendor softens the gloom of night;
Question the living creatures that move in the waters,
That roam upon the earth,
That fly through the air;
The spirit that lies hidden,
The matter that is manifest;
The visible things that are ruled,
The invisible that rule them;
Question all these.
They will answer you:
“Behold and see, we are beautiful.”
Their beauty is their confession of God
Who made these beautiful changing things,
If not one who is beautiful and changeth not?
(Augustine, Sermon 241, Easter 411 AD)
