8 hours ago4 min read

Let there be LIGHT...Let us SPRAY...

Updated: 6 hours ago

Finding rays of hope in the pages of a new book and on the murals of city walls...

NEW BOOK

“The Tears of Things” - Richard Rohr

How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world?

Click here to listen to Richard talk about the work at a 2024 summer festival in the UK.

Friday Jan. 10 6 PM ET

The staff of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) introduces Richard's new work. YouTube link

Fri. evening after-video update: The 2-minute video trailer was visually stunning as it showcased artist Noé Barnett's transformative creativity as Richard spoke. You can explore both artists further in this post.

More than any other person, Richard has helped me SEE more completely...

CITY WALLS

Noé Barnett, Albuquerque muralist and painter, infuses the streets with life through his vibrant creations.

Artist's gallerywebsite

"The words of the prophets are written on subway walls and tenement halls..."

ARTISTIC POETIC RAGE... (WARM UP/PREP)

"Do not go gentle into that good night",

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light".

--Dylan Thomas

Interstellar - Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Scene (01:12)

“Let Us SPRAY!” 🎨

This week’s CAC’s email announcement also introduced us to a young Albuquerque artist: Noé Barnett. WOW!!!

If you’re like me and find visual art helps open pathways to seeing in new ways,

click here to explore his website.

It includes examples of his street mural work as well as text ("Readings") outlining what’s helping his journey of understanding.

Once on his site/studio, as you explore these links, watch this visionary artist at work:

—Studio

—Streets

—Reading

To get the full sensory impact…Do this on a laptop or computer…

The Southwest's "painter of light"...

The artist making new wine from grapes of wrath...

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Wayne Gretzky

I found this quote as I checked out the artist's "Reading" page. In this next image, in the upper left, the quote is providing visible motivation...

...to boldly go where no one has gone before..."

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!

Take a side trip here to explore the origins of these words that launched each episode of Star Trek.

Artist's Bio

Noé Barnett, a muralist and painter, infuses the streets with life through his vibrant creations. A native of Albuquerque, NM, Barnett's roots have shaped his approach to art. With a burgeoning reputation as a key player in the mural scene, Barnett has transformed public spaces into canvases in multiple states, bringing art directly to the people. His murals are more than mere decoration; they are dialogues in color and form, engaging communities and using light to invigorate public spaces with new narratives.

As Barnett transitions into the fine art arena, he carries with him the same ethos that has defined his street work: art as a catalyst for reflection and discourse. His fine art pieces delve into the light, using it as both a subject and a medium to harness it, synthesize it, and turn it into paintings that influence. All while maintaining the accessibility and boldness that characterize his larger outdoor works.

Currently, Barnett is expanding his portfolio and actively contributing to exhibitions. His work not only adorns the walls of city streets but is also beginning to claim its space in galleries and private collections. Through his art, Barnett invites onlookers to pause, ponder, and perceive the world through a lens that is at once critical and hopeful.

Richard's New Work

[from the CAC website] In his first major work since The Universal Christ, Richard Rohr offers a wholehearted and hope-filled model for the world today, grounded in the timeless wisdom of the Hebrew prophets.

"The Tears of Things" will be released on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world? In his most personal book yet, Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, revealing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a crucial path forward today.

The prophets’ writings reflect the full spectrum of human maturity. In almost every case, their initial rage and their accusatory words evolve into a profound pathos and lamentation about our shared human condition and the world’s suffering. Through astute critiques of culture and institutions, and their journey from anger to sadness, and ultimately compassion, the prophets exemplify what Rohr calls “sacred criticism”—a distinct approach to confronting evil and injustice that acknowledges the wholeness of history, the interconnectedness of every living being, and the reality of a divine and universal love. In this, they set the stage for Jesus, who follows this identical pattern.

Drawing on a century of biblical scholarship and written in the warm, pastoral voice that has endeared Rohr to millions, The Tears of Things breathes new life into ancient wisdom. It paves a path of enlightenment for anyone seeking a compassionate way of living in a hurting world.

This link on the book website will also take you to the YouTube event.

Tears of Things Website

GALLery (gallery)

"They gave him wine mixed with gall to drink...but, after tasting it, he refused"

--Matthew 27:34

Wine mixed with bitter herbs or myrrh created a potion that dulled the sense of pain. The mixture of sour wine and gall was often given to the suffering to ease their pain in death.

Jesus refused to numb his experience of the suffering of our world.