Mass Music--or Mass Hysteria?

As a brief segue towards the topic of Latin hymns in a later blog post, I thought I'd share a piece I wrote in Musica Sacra (see "Reflections on a Hymn" on page 53) concerning the importance of beautiful music and art in our worship. They set the tone of reverence and move our hearts a little closer to heaven.

I'm still mulling over a thought-provoking NCR blog by Simcha Fisher entitled "Why I Love My Ugly Little Liturgy." It makes an interesting point, but it fails to ring true for me. If we believe that beauty honors God and draws our hearts to the Lord, then it's only logical that ugliness accomplishes the reverse goal. I understand the caution against pride and pretentiousness, but her argument just doesn't quite work for me. Thoughts?