St. Ignatius Discerning the Beautiful as Demonic

In his autobiography, St. Ignatius of Loyola relates a most curious experience: "While in this hospice it often happened that in broad daylight he saw something in the air near him. It gave him great consolation because it was very beautiful--remarkably so...He found great pleasure and consolation in seeing this thing and the oftener he saw it the more his consolation grew. When it disappeared, he was displeased." Ignatius thought at first that this was a consolation from God, but later he discerned differently: "There, the vision that had appeared to him many times but which he had never understood, that is, the thing mentioned above which seemed very beautiful to him, with many eyes, now appeared to him But while before the cross, he saw clearly that the object did not have its usual beautiful color, and he knew very clearly with a strong agreement of his will that it was the devil. Later it would often appear to him for a long time; and by way of contempt he dispelled it with a staff he used to carry in his hand." Ignatius of Loyola: The Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works (NY: Paulist Press 1991) pp. 76, 81). As described, there is nothing obviously evil about this apparition: it seems to be neutral. Clearly, it is beautiful, fascinating, pleasing and mesmerizing. It consoles him but then leaves him sad when it departs. Only before the cross, Jesus crucified, does it become clear that this beauty comes from Satan. And Ignatius is very certain and decisive about this. How interesting! Perhaps Satan realized that he could not get to this holy man by the allurements of lust, avarice, or covetousness and so needed to be ever so much more subtle and disguised. So he presents him an object that seems to be neutral morally but dazzlingly lovely. My thought is that the thing of Beauty, unconnected to God, the Good or the True, is itself so fascinating, distracting, consuming and consoling that it can, eventually, lead away from God. Only before the crucified Jesus was its final purpose and nature unveiled. This is a sobering thought: that Beauty is supernaturally powerful. It seems that Beauty, with its immense power to move the human heart, soul, intellect and will...cannot be neutral with regard to its origin and goal...it must be iconic, pointing beyond itself to Absolute Beauty; or idolatrous, drawing us to the counterfeit, away from Real Beauty. How crucial it is that we cultivate our sense of beauty; that we be vigilant about what attracts, pleases and fascinates us!