Grounded in Church Teaching
The Catholic Church has so many rich teachings and traditions on the subject of beauty. Two documents were particularly inspiring and instrumental to the formation of Stirred to Wonder and to Scatter and Sow in general: Saint Pope John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists,” and the Via Pulchritudinis.
We encourage you to read through them both to better understand and appreciate the quotes we’ve chosen to include over the next eight weeks. It’s certainly not necessary for enjoying STW, but we think it will deepen your understanding and enhance your experience. (“Letter to Artists” is especially beautiful, if you only have time for one!) Read them on the Vatican website: here, and here.
Letter to Artists
JPII’s “Letter to Artists” was published on April 4, 1999, also an Easter Sunday, 22 years ago to-the-date this Easter. Addressed to “all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new ‘epiphanies’ of beauty,” the letter serves to:
shed light on the special call of the artistic vocation;
describe the relationship between beauty, artistry, and the church;
encourage all people to make their life a “work of art, a masterpiece”;
and to compel us to offer the fruits of our artistic endeavors for the flourishing of the Church and the greater good of humanity.
In his “Letter to Artists,” John Paul II beautifully describes the unique insight artists have to share:
“None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colors and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.”
Letter to Artists, 1
He then reminds us that this “glimmer” of mystery is available to all people, not just artists:
“Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.”
Letter to Artists, 2
He appeals to all the artists of the world saying:
“With this Letter, I turn to you, the artists of the world, to assure you of my esteem and to help consolidate a more constructive partnership between art and the Church. Mine is an invitation to rediscover the depth of the spiritual and religious dimension which has been typical of art in its noblest forms in every age. It is with this in mind that I appeal to you, artists of the written and spoken word, of the theatre and music, of the plastic arts and the most recent technologies in the field of communication. I appeal especially to you, Christian artists: I wish to remind each of you that, beyond functional considerations, the close alliance that has always existed between the Gospel and art means that you are invited to use your creative intuition to enter into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnate God and at the same time into the mystery of man.”
Letter to Artists, 14
Finally, Saint Pope John Paul II shares his hope for you:
“May your art help to affirm that true beauty which, as a glimmer of the Spirit of God, will transfigure matter, opening the human soul to the sense of the eternal. With my heartfelt good wishes!”
Letter to Artists, 16
The Via Pulchritudinis, Privileged Pathway for Evangelization and Dialogue
The concluding document of the Plenary Assembly in 2006 asserts that the Via Pulchritudinis, or the Way of Beauty, can be a powerful evangelization tool for the Church, as it desires to reach and engage a culture that faces “great difficulties in receiving the Church’s teachings.”
The Via Pulchritudinis serves as a pastoral guide and offers insight into how the Church can more fully embrace the beauty of creation, the beauty of the arts, and the beauty of Christ as ways to draw people closer to God himself. The document gives a little more context to some of the themes mentioned in JPII’s “Letter to Artists.”
One particular theme from the document—that Christ is “the bridge” between “phenomenon and foundation”— is central to our purpose in Stirred to Wonder. By reflecting on Jesus’ life in the Gospels, and by participating in daily spiritual and creative exercises, we hope to convince women that their daily earthly work has meaning and purpose when it’s oriented toward the divine.
Shaped by Our Own Experiences
Our own life experiences are inevitably woven into the reflections and prayers you’ll read each week. God loves each of us through beauty differently.
Erin has had beautiful experiences of warm light radiating through her in prayer and Adoration, and finds beauty in everything that looks like a Thomas Kinkade painting. She relishes the use of light in Sacred Art and the soft, yet bold figures depicted in the story of Christ. She also finds God in the beautiful mountain views of Colorado and the smell of fresh, crisp air. Tara experiences God’s love for her in the intricate details of flowers, in the laughter of her wild little boys, and her husband’s promptings to loosen up from time to time. She’s also experienced God’s love for her in the form of providence—He has always provided for her when she’s taken leaps of faith in service of her vocation as wife and mother.
Our creativity comes in different forms, too. Erin loves floral design, texture, and color. She enjoys transforming spaces. She expresses her thoughts and ideas with her whole body. Her stories are punctuated by joyful belly-laughs, flourishing hands, playful winks, and a fluid movement or twirl here and there. God has gifted Tara with many artistic talents. Her paintbrush moves fluidly through subdued hues and delicate details to bold radiant colors and defined shapes. Her singing voice is like balm for the soul and she shows fullness of emotion through her singing.
The creative spark God gives to you, and the fruits that come from it, are unique to you. Everyone’s life-masterpiece is going to look different. Each one will reveal to others something unique and wonderful about God, because He is the source of all our stories. Trust His calling for you and lean into it over these next eight weeks.
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