A Piece of Art That Will Change Your Day

Last week, we explored beauty and art, how it shapes and molds the world around us. This weekend, I experienced the spiritual and emotional alchemical power of art firsthand. At a church in Rogers, Arkansas, Amber and I stumbled across a sculpture.*

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(Scroll Through all photos first.) In the sanctuary of St. Vincent De Paul #Catholic church, a #sculpture found me. An oversized bust of Christ pulled back the hems of his cloak to reveal his living heart. In that heart were the people. Among those people, a young, straight-faced woman stood with her hand over a swollen belly. There was a baby just under that swell, and from all appearances, it was a baby of sorrow. Was she unwed? A teenager? Was her mother over her right shoulder, steeling her best she could? I followed the faces around the living heart, locked eyes with member, each cell. Were they immigrants? Orphans? The poor? Were they me? Were they my children, or @amberchaines, or all of us? I wasn’t sure, but the kneeler just in front of the statue assured me: This was a place where the people brought their sorrows to the man of all sorrows. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The heart of Christ holds us all. I think that’s what the art says. It holds men and women and pregnant girls. It holds children. It’s held Amber and my family over the last year, a dark year in so many ways. In it, though, we’ve been held in the direction of coming joy.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Last Saturday we visited St. Vincent de Paul for the Rite of Election. There, the Man of Sorrows and the young Eve in the center of his heart met me. It was a reminder that darker days often culminate in joy.⁣ (Easter’s joy needs the foil of #Lent.)⁣ ⁣⁣ Maybe you’re in your own dark days: unwed and pregnant; the mother of the teenage daughter; a woman who’s suffered institutional loss, discrimination, or abuse; a regular fella working your 8 to 6 of meaningless despair. Maybe we’re all just a collection of gold and shadow, joy and sorrow. Whatever, though, we’re invited into the heart of the Man of Sorrows. That’s where Amber and I are headed.⁣ There’s room for you if you need it. ⁣ ⁣ #religiousart #artistsoninstagram #catholicart #christ #sacredheart #sorrow #joy #easter

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If Beauty Can Save the World

If beauty can save the world, where are you finding beauty? Are you even looking?

Grab a Copy and Wake Up

THE BOOK OF WAKING UP —a book on addiction, attachment, and the Divine Love—launched TUESDAY so order a copy or ten at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookish (my favorite indie bookseller). Then, forward this post to a friend and ask them to read along.