We are blessed as humans to have an inherent desire for truth, goodness and beauty. Truth, goodness and beauty are called “transcendentals” (derived from a Latin word that means “to exceed”) because, as properties or characteristics of all beings and even of being itself, they transcend time and space. When we encounter these qualities, we desire to possess them.
The more “being” something has, the more truth, goodness and beauty it has. This means that God, because he is and has the fullness of being, is 100 percent truth, goodness and beauty. Human happiness is found in seeking out and living in truth, goodness and beauty. This month, we are focusing on the transcendental of goodness.
Because all things in nature, like beautiful sunrises, flowers, spring and mountains, exist, they all have a degree of goodness. God loved us so much that he created all the wonderful things in nature for us to use and delight in. The goodness in them should lead us to wonder and to appreciate the goodness of the Creator who, in his very nature, is pure goodness.
God’s goodness is so perfect that he willed that we might share in his goodness. More than any other created being or thing, he chose humans to share in his goodness by creating us in his own image and likeness. In the book of Genesis, we read: “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good” (Gn 1:31). To be made good in the image and likeness of God is an incredible gift. His goodness was first manifest in us at the moment of our conception. As we mature humanly and spiritually, we ought to grow more and more in goodness as we receive his grace and reject sin and evil. When God is fully alive in us is when we are most flourishing and fulfilled.
As we celebrate the Easter Season, may our minds be filled with wonder and gratitude in the goodness of God and his goodness in us. May we recall with delight that God made us in his image and likeness and it is good. May we also be filled with gratitude to those who brought us to receive the initial graces of the sacramental life in Baptism. It was at the moment of Baptism that we were filled with the goodness of God through his saving grace and became God’s beloved adopted sons or daughters.
As I write this Bulletin article, I thank God for the gift of my parents who loved me so much that they chose to baptize me soon after my birth. Their faith and goodness have been, and continue to be, a blessing in my life as I strive to receive God’s graces each day and reject sin and temptations.
In this Easter Season, may our hearts, minds, imagination and wills be filled with truth, goodness and beauty.
