Praying with the Arts

Beginning with the Annunciation, to the celebration of Christ the King, Praying with the Arts celebrates the Church Year in Scripture and sacred art. Thirty-one full color masterpieces of art illustrate the major events in the life of Jesus Christ. Suggestions for meditation on each painting and relevant Scripture texts invite a prayerful engagement and response, encouraging fresh encounters with God, while aiding the reader "to descend with the mind into the heart." The book is a compilation of retreat material developed by Louise for "Praying with the Arts" retreats over the past fourteen years and can be used as a prayer companion by individuals or groups. Offering Scripture and art together, "art for faith's sake," the purpose is an integration of mind and heart for a holistic receptivity to God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the words of T. S. Eliot, "We must be still and still moving into another intensity for a further union, a deeper communion."