Glamor or True Beauty? Insights into Temptation & Evangelization
By John Graveline, Director of Parish Life
February 22, 2026
“Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12
Evil is a Parasite
On this first weekend of Lent, we hear St. Matthew’s account of the Jesus’ temptation in the desert. What tempts us? I doubt that anyone gets up in the morning and says, “I love doing evil and hurting people. I’m going to make that my goal today!” Rather, we are tempted by something because we see something reasonable or attractive about a course of action. We see something good about what we are choosing to do. Evil is a parasite; it cannot live without leeching off some apparent good. It is human nature to pursue what is viewed as true, good, or beautiful.
True Beauty vs. Glamor & Ostentatiousness
What is true beauty? We recognize the glory of God’s creation, and it attracts us. True beauty beckons for our attention, but it also leads us beyond itself. As the Catholic writer Stratford Caldecott put it, “Beauty is the radiance of the true and the good, and it is what attracts us to both.” When we encounter beauty, we enter into a dialogue with it that leads us to gratitude, wonder, and sharing (“Hey, come look at this sunset, painting, etc. with me!”).
However, we can be easily tempted, not by true beauty, but by its counterfeit, glamor. I personally miss the English translation of the baptismal profession of faith that we used from 1970 through 2018. We were asked, “Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?” Glamor is a fairly recent word in human history. It was coined in 18th century Scotland and was introduced into English literature through Sir Walter Scott. Its original meaning was linked to the concepts of enchantment, magic spells, and illusion. Glamor immediately attracts us, but it does not draw us beyond this initial attraction to the good and true. It elicits in us the desires for possession and consumption, including self-centeredly using and consuming people. The dazzling façade of glamor can obscure the rot behind it, as we have recently seen in the news with the release of the Epstein files, wherein the glamor of private jets and islands concealed unimaginable moral depravity.
Another false face of beauty is ostentatiousness. The word ostentatious is rooted in the Latin words which connote “showing off.” Vulgar gaudiness is not true beauty because it once again does not lead us beyond itself but insists that our eyes remain fixed on it. True beauty is humble, slowly revealing its many facets to us. Ostentatiousness “attacks” our senses and seeks only to feed its own needy vanity. Far from attracting us, ostentatiousness tends to repel those who have deeply experienced real beauty.
“People of today and tomorrow need this enthusiasm [of wonder] if they are to meet and master the crucial challenges which stand before us. Thanks to this enthusiasm, humanity, every time it loses its way, will be able to lift itself up and set out again on the right path. In this sense it has been said with profound insight that “beauty will save the world.”
Pope St. John Paul II, Letter to Artists
Art & Music in Evangelization
I have been contemplating the role of beauty in evangelization over the past few days. I have often thought of our baptismal call to evangelization primarily in terms of preaching and teaching the Good News of Jesus. However, before our words have an opportunity to move hearts and minds, people need to be drawn by the beauty, integrity, dignity, and love with which we live as disciples of Jesus. I believe that the true beauty which does exist in our parish community, in our worship, our service, and our play, must be the first thing that people notice about us. In a society awash in glamor and ostentatiousness, the simple, elegant witness of true beauty becomes more vitally important.
That is why beautiful art and music are so important for evangelization. As I was listening to and profoundly moved by Sarah Hart’s concerts (and the music at the Assumption Celebrates Family dinner) last weekend, I have come to be more convinced that our evangelization ministries need to radiate beauty. That is why our musical ministry is so crucial to our mission. Whether the music is ancient chant, classical choral works, contemporary worship, spirituals, Christmas carols, polka music, songs by Elvis or pop singer/songwriters, or fun sing-along songs, each expression has its beauty that uplifts our spirits. As we build a renewed culture of evangelization at Assumption Parish, may we always keep beauty prominent in our ministry efforts.
“Shut up, Satan!”
Sarah Hart’s paraphrase of Matthew 4:10
Our One Task in Life
The glamor of evil and the shallowness of ostentatiousness surround us every day, seeking to take our eyes off our one task in this life: to live in communion with God and neighbor in love. Not the love that is vain or flashy, but the consistent free choice to put the good of others over our selfish desires. The love that receives all other people as precious gifts and seeks to make a compassionate gift of ourselves to them. The love opens us up to gratitude, dialogue, wonder, and sharing. The kind of love that Jesus’ demonstrated for us through this Passion and Crucifixion. The love that cherishes true beauty and gives life. May this Lent be a time to form our eyes, minds, and hearts to see and experience the beauty that surrounds us so that we can grow in love with God and neighbor.
John