The One, the Good, the True and the Beautiful

In the educational field, we hear a lot about the Intelligence Quotient but we know it doesn't mean a high IQ will necessarily return good results. Complementing the IQ with the Emotional Quotient EQ: an attitude that doesn't get frustrated even when stressed, and ability to empathize is an important measure of academic success. A writer and composer in a diocesan bulletin writes about the ultimate quotient the Transcendental Quotient.

Scholars of different schools have devised many other indexes. Book titles are followed with the Q letter, giving us all kinds of indexes. Determining how wise parents are we have the parent index, the success index, charisma index and so forth.
 
Are we not also able to have a belief (faith) index? God is not interested in numbers, measurement  rulers, and the like, although we humans have no difficulty evaluating the faith of others with our earthly measurements. We know what is first, in God's reckoning may be last and the last first.
 
Faith, without doubt has stages and depth. However, no matter how we go about trying to discern a person's faith index—it's no easy task. How can we give a numerical figure to pure love, a sincere heart,  obedience, sacrifice, there is no way we can objectively quantify these attributes. When it's a question of a human quality, it's possible but when we are dealing with the presence of grace everything changes and becomes pointless. No matter how developed our human technology in certain areas humans are incompetent.

The universe continues to expand. Our knowledge,  great as it may be is a grain of sand on the seashore. No matter what we think we have done, and merit, for a Christian it's all the movement of grace, following the lights we have received. We come to a moment when all our human efforts give way to the transcendent being which carries us beyond our human quotients to the Transcendental Quotient—TQ.

The writer has long ago given up trying to figure out  the meaning of space and time. However, she has entered the world of faith where she meets the Alpha and Omega, the being of unending love that words can't describe. She has entered the narrow gate where everything opens up to her in the mystery of faith. She has received this invitation and the response on her part is only joy and gratitude.

As an epilogue, in our Scholastic Philosophy, the Transcendentals are not just the true, good and beautiful but 'oneness' is added. They are the attributes of God and we search for them in life  knowingly and unknowingly leading us to God.

Search for truth, goodness and the beautiful in science, religion and art can depend on our personal efforts but unity requires the assistance of others which makes our striving difficult if not impossible. However it should be our goal, although it will be only in the afterlife that we will achieve what we should desire in this life—the one, true, good and beautiful.