Lovers always have the sense of something given. They cannot find in themselves an adequate explanation for all that they feel and understand. In the intimate giving and receiving of their love, they not only reveal and discover their own truest selves, but come face to face with the mystery of God. The very acceptance and enjoyment of the gift they have received brings them into the presence of the Giver.
The most wholesome beauty is virtue-beauty, the beauty of the soul-emergence into the whole of life, producing a whole person. Virtue-beauty is centered in mortal and immortal goodness shining forth upon the countenance, the movements of the body, and the expression of the individual. The deep, sweet memories of a beloved face, of a beloved deed, passed on from a pure soul, leave the underlying mark of good which all yearn and hope for.