Ars Vivendi Christiani . . . Rule number one
As I wrote yesterday. When the Artist creates, there are rules that have developed over time by Masters to help the students achieve their goal- whihc is to transmit truth and beauty. For the Christian believer, the first rule in our method of living is faith. We recognize that our work is going to be fundamentally fllawed and incomplete if it is not done with the aid of faith.
Faith by definition is the awareness, recognition and acceptance of the reality of God as a positive and sure guide throughout life. The brush strokes, the words and the musical notes of our faith must flow out from the artist if the he/she really wants to express himself/herself as a trustworthy guide to the truth of reality which is the activity and dynamic presence and love of God. Reality is what God places before the artist and he/she must make the choice to live in it if show reality as truth, as well as the emptiness of untruth in which some desire to dwell. This faith has developed through history as God working with, in and through the world in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, as it has been interpreted by the Church. As one’s core relationship in the world, faith serves to connect the artist to the beauty of God as well the absence of beauty in a world slowly consumed by sin. Faith also connects the artist to others by attempting to express the mystery of life in a language that at its core is both immament and transcendent. The artist attempts to incarnate his/her faith by images, words or melodies that flow from the depths of his/her heart, inspired by God himself.
As the artist grows in faith, he/she grows in the understanding of reality and then is better able to express that reality, although it may be difficult for the viewer or listener to grasp it immediately. Sometimes it is enough for invite the viewer or listener into the artist’s struggle with Mystery rather than provide clear answers. Rule number two on Saturday.
Tomorrow we talk about the greatest work of art ever undertaken between God and man, the Incarnation.
