New Evangelization through Drama

The Quality of Mercy

In his Letter to Artists, Pope John Paul II spoke of fine art every bit a span to religious experience: “I appeal to you, artists of the written as well as spoken word, of the theatre as well as music... I wishing to remind each of you lot that you lot are invited to usage your creative intuition to locomote into into the view of the mystery of the Incarnate God as well as at the same fourth dimension into the mystery of man.” The belatedly Pope himself had been a playwright as well as non bad patron of drama, as well as worked amongst the “Rhapsodic Theatre” inwards Poland. Thus the beatification of John Paul II on Divine Mercy Lord's Day (1 May 2011) was both the occasion as well as the inspiration for Léonie Caldecott’s play, “The Quality of Mercy”, performed over iii nights preceding the beatification at Oxford’s Catholic Chaplaincy. Part Theatre of the Word as well as usage Ballet of the Word, it was a multi-levelled theo-drama near youth as well as age, despair as well as modernity, vocations to spousal human relationship as well as celibacy. The play was the instant from Divine Comedy Productions, gear upwardly at the Oxford Oratory concluding year. In London, Sarah de Nordwall’s "Bard School" is besides concentrating on verse as well as drama every bit a way of expressing as well as communicating faith. In the United States, Fr Peter John Cameron OP is besides an accomplished playwright as well as director. An article yesteryear him on this theme is available online here.

Philosophy is unavoidable, of course. As Chesterton long agone noted, everyone is a philosopher; whether you lot unconsciously absorb your philosophy from somewhere else (such every bit the newspapers) or retrieve it through for yourself. And how you lot retrieve near things shapes the way you lot human activeness as well as behave, as well as therefore aught is richer inwards practical implications (even for art). Do you lot believe inwards God? But what form of “God” is existence talked about? What does the discussion hateful to you? I bring tried to address that enquiry online here, as well as the master copy Second Spring web-site contains many useful articles on philosophical topics. Nevertheless, philosophy is never going to last a really effective agency of evangelization. People opened upwardly their minds, or modify them, for other reasons than a proficient argument. “Heart speaks unto heart”, non caput unto head, every bit Newman realized. The Christian faith places us nether an obligation to communicate it where possible. But effective communication involves the imagination as well as the spirit, non simply the argue or the intelligence.

Just every bit nosotros cannot dissever the virtues of faith, hope, as well as love, as well as therefore nosotros cannot dissever truth, goodness, as well as beauty. It is the view where they bring together together. The way nosotros alive as well as the beauty nosotros attain are the most eloquent facial expression of the truth nosotros believe. You cannot communicate a truth that has non changed you, as well as nosotros are changed entirely yesteryear a truth that nosotros recognize as in some way beautiful.

Bagikan Artikel ini