The "Aesthetics" of Sin

The "Aesthetics" of Sin

From Catholic Stuff You Should Know by J. 10 Initiative

March 6, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

Frs. Sean and John explore the relationship between sin and beauty through the lens of theological thought.

In this week's episode, Frs. Sean and John take a deep dive into two theological topics often untreated (and rarely ever in common) - sin and beauty. The reality of sin, itself a privation, offers a kind of "photographic negative" of the meaning of the beautiful. In a condensed form, Fr. John presents his research on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and Hans Urs von Balthasar, as well as arguing for the complementarity of their theological visions.

People in this episode

Host: Fr. Sean

Guest: Fr. John

Topics covered

  • sin
  • beauty
  • theology
  • St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Hans Urs von Balthasar
  • complementarity

Keywords

  • sin
  • beauty
  • theology
  • Aquinas
  • Balthasar
  • complementarity
  • privations

More episodes of Catholic Stuff You Should Know

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Catholic Stuff You Should Know podcast page.