Beautiful Inside And Out

Saint Rose of Lima by Claudio Coello (1642–1693), in the Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

Appearances rule in pop culture. The beautiful people occupy the covers of magazines and get all the buzz for their many sightings and multiple marriages. We are likewise bombarded with the externals of clothing and housing and vehicles, as if looking good will somehow increase our internal value. Saint Rose of Lima, born Isabel Flores de Oliva (1586-1617), a lay member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, was by all accounts an exceedingly beautiful woman, and because she was alarmed by the attention her good looks brought her, she chose to disappear from the world altogether, and lived in a hut as a recluse. Decrease the amount of time you spend on clothes and hair, and add those minutes to your daily prayer routine.