Our Creative God: St Joseph’s Staircase
What if beauty is not merely something we enjoy, but one of the ways God speaks to us?
In this episode of Creative Catholics, Alex Cahill continues the mini-series on Our Creative God by taking us to a quiet chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the mysterious staircase of the Loretto Chapel.
The staircase becomes a doorway into a deeper reflection on beauty, wonder, mystery, and the creative work of God. Why do certain things—sacred music, mountains, cathedrals, a child's laughter, or a simple piece of craftsmanship—move us so deeply? Why does beauty awaken a longing for something we can't quite name?
Drawing on Scripture, St. Augustine, C. S. Lewis, and St. Bonaventure, Alex explores the idea that creation is not the destination. Every beautiful thing points beyond itself toward its Creator.
And perhaps the most beautiful thing God is creating isn't something we can see at all. Perhaps He is patiently shaping the human soul.
In this episode
The mysterious story of the Loretto Chapel staircase
Why beauty can awaken us before we understand it
Beauty as a language through which creation points to God
St. Augustine's encounter with God as Beauty
Why children have something to teach us about wonder
The connection between beauty, Eden, and our longing for home
St. Bonaventure's image of creation as a ladder to God
The idea of God as the Master Carpenter still shaping our souls
How we can learn to slow down and truly behold the beautiful things around us
Perhaps the next time you encounter something beautiful, don't rush past it. Stay. Look a little longer. Let it point you toward the One whose beauty lies behind it all.
“Every beautiful thing carries not a piece of God, but the imprint of his generosity.”
Mentioned
Loretto Chapel — Santa Fe, New Mexico
The mysterious staircase that serves as the starting point for this reflection.
St. Augustine
“Late have I loved you, beauty ever ancient, ever new…”
C. S. Lewis
His reflection on beautiful moments as echoes of a home we have not yet fully found.
St. Bonaventure
His image of the created world as “a ladder by which we may ascend to God.”
Connect with The Creative Catholics
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Website: thecreativecatholics.com
Sponsors/Links
Intro/outro music by Marie Miller
This episode is sponsored by Riverside
