The Vision for You is a process by which we discovered our true calling in life—what we call our ‘personal vocation’; and through which we discovered the Great Fact—that we have a choice in life: WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY OR TO BE MISERABLE.
Whitewashing over wall paintings has always been a common measure taken by those who wish to remove images from churches. Applying a coat of paint is cheaper and quicker than replastering the surface! Islamic iconoclasts at Hagia Sophia, Protestant Reformers in 16th-century England, and, it seems, Catholic iconoclasts of the 1970s all resorted to this method of obliterating sacred art to hide the beauty of the Church.
The fruits of a traditional artistic training in the formation of the person are such, I would say, that it would be useful too (with minimal adaption) for anybody, regardless of his personal vocation. And so would be of interest not just to artists, but to all people; (and especially those who are interested in the formation of children). It is a training in the via pulchritudinis and is the formation of the New Evangelisation, I suggest.
The Scala Foundation's mission is to transform American and, hence, Western culture through beauty in education and worship so that we are formed by grace to change society, one personal relationship at a time. To the degree that each of us contributes to this ideal, we will help create a culture of beauty that speaks of the Christian Faith and Western values.
The image of Our Lady portrays her uniqueness in being the God Bearer, (‘Theotokos’ in Greek). On the other hand the unburning fire in Mary is the fire of Pentecost by which the Church was established and which is the divine life which is the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who are baptized into the Church.
Art is as good as it looks. If there is more and better art by this measure as a result of AI then that is a good thing and I would be happy to see it. It seems similar to me to the situation that arose when photography was invented, or when musicians could start to use computers to create music. Perhaps in this new situation, we will give the person who asks Chat GBT the right questions, or even the programmer who created it the right questions the credit for being the artist!
The wonderful thing about pilgrimage is that it requires all those present to make a sacrifice of time and give something of themselves. This inevitably opens the hearts of those present to the mysteries being contemplated in a way that attending a lecture could never do. The shared experience brought us together and established, one personal interraction at a time an authentic culture of faith that has the power to draw others in, because all are so obviously invited. It is easy to organise something like this and doesn't require a lot of effort, but it does require commitment a little bit of sacrifice.
This program designed by The Way of Beauty's David Clayton gives you a unique formation in beauty and a Catholic inculturation. For artists of any creative disciplines, catechists and all who love beauty. Learn more at www.Pontifex.University.
