Creator Mundi features blog posts with inspirational ideas and religious information.
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The imagination works through suggestion, not description.
Description is always direct and frequently closes off what it names.
Suggestion respects the mystery and richness of a thing.
All it offers are clues to its nature.
Suggestion keeps the mystery open and extends us the courtesy
of inviting us to see the thing for ourselves.
It offers us the hospitality and freedom
to trust the integrity of our own encounter with a thing.
This is how a work of art can allow itself to be seen
in so many different and often conflicting ways.
It does not foreclose on the adventure of revelation.
~~John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (HarperCollins: 2004)
| Date | Event | Who/Where | Website |
| until 7-22-2018 | Drawn to Glamour | Denver Art Museum | https://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/drawn-glamour |
| until 9-3-2018 | Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit | Denver Museum of Nature and Science | http://www.dmns.org/dead-sea-scrolls/ |
| July | |||
| 7-5 to 7-12-2018 | General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Austin, TX | Episcopal Church | https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/17152 |
| 7-13-2018 | First Annual Priest Softball Game (Archdiocese Denver vs. Archdiocese CO Springs) | Security Service Field, CO Springs, 6:30 pm, organized by Catholic Radio Network, | https://priestsoftballgame.ticketspice.com/priest-softball-game |
| 7-13-2018 | Screening of “Outcasts” | Light of the World Catholic Church, Littleton | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-of-outcasts-movie-tickets-45208101649 |
| 7-14-2018 | The Way of Surrender Presentation | One Simple Voice; St. John Paul II Center, Denver | https://www.onesimplevoice.org/retreats |
| August | |||
| 8-31 to 9-2-2018 | Conspire 2018 Conference | Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque | https://cac.org/conspire2018/ |
| September | |||
| 9-15-2018 | The Way with God Presentation | One Simple Voice, Regis University, St. John Francis Regis Chapel | https://www.onesimplevoice.org/retreats |
| 9-21 to 9-23-2018 | Spirit Fest | Ridgway Spirit Fest in Ridgway, CO | https://www.ridgwayspiritfest.com/schedule/ |
| January 2019 | |||
| 1-21 to 1-28 | World Youth Day, Krakow, Poland | Pilgrimage through the Archdiocese of Denver with Faith Journeys | https://archden.org/event/world-youth-day-panama-city-panama/#.Wt4h2ojwaM8 |
How is your summer going?
Our Summer plaque is a beautiful gift and expresses in bronze the warmth and vibrancy of summer. Bathed in the warming rays of the sun’s radiance, this plaque brings to mind warm summer evenings and the buzzing, chirping, exultant song of creation. This is life! Seize it now! This solid bronze plaque—like the hum and heat of long, hot summer days—invites us to celebrate and savor moments of rest and relaxation.
“If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world.”
A quote from Jack Gilbert’s poem “A Brief for the Defense”
We remember and deeply appreciate the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen friends.
- “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, but we can honor their sacrifice.” –Barack Obama
The three months of Spring are the season for renewal. With everything flourishing, the world is full of life. To accord with the season, go to bed a little later, and get up a little earlier. Be patient and let things grow. Go for a stroll in the courtyard, loosen your hair, relax your body and freshen your mind. Enjoy the season and do not do anything harmful to your health. This is the way to cultivate the Qi of Life in Spring.
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic on Internal Medicine
Don’t miss the movie on Pope Francis! It opens on Thursday evening, May 17, at Chez Artiste, 2800 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver.
Here is the trailer.
Below is a letter by German filmmaker Wim Wenders:
Pope Francis – A Man of His Word
by director Wim Wenders
March 13, 2013, was an exciting day. Not only that we had a new pope and that the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church. But he was the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern hemisphere, the first Jesuit as bishop of Rome, and most of all, the first pope to have chosen the name of Francesco! Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was one of the most revered Christian saints and reformers who had dedicated his life to poverty, and his deep love of nature and for all living beings on Earth is still exemplary. Many people on our planet, not just me, had the highest hopes for the pope who had chosen a name that in itself was a promise.
From the beginning, Pope Francis – A Man of His Word was supposed to be a personal journey with Pope Francis rather than a traditional biographical film about him. I wanted the pope’s ideas and his message to be the centre of this documentary, his work of reform and his answers to today’s global questions.
I imagined the visual and narrative concept to engage the audience face-to-face with the pope, creating a dialogue between him and, literally, the world. Taking questions from people from all walks of life, Pope Francis responds to farmers and workers, refugees, children and the elderly, prison inmates and those who live in shantytowns. All of these voices and faces are a cross-section of humanity joining in a conversation with Pope Francis.
The Vatican made it very clear to me that I’d have carte blanche and very privileged access to the archives, in addition to final cut. They let us shoot without interfering. We had four long interview sessions with Pope Francis, on four afternoons spread over two years. We shot three of them indoors in various places in the Vatican and one outside in a garden, but still inside the walls of the Vatican. You don’t just go out to a park somewhere to shoot with the pope.
We shot with several cameras, the main one with an “Interrotron” in front of it, a sort of “reversed teleprompter,” which allowed Pope Francis to see me on a screen and look me in the eyes while we spoke, but at the same time look straight into the lens and thereby into the eyes of everybody watching the film. In these four long talks, Pope Francis was utterly spontaneous, direct and open in all his answers.
In an era of deep distrust of politicians and people in power, when lies, corruption and fake news are the order of the day, our film shows us a man who lives what he preaches and who has gained the trust of people across the world, from all religious, cultural and social backgrounds. That’s why I think this is not just a film for Catholics or Christians. Pope Francis – A Man of His Word helps to do away with certain prejudices and misunderstandings. The pope, literally, has his arms wide open for everyone.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of the world! We wish you love, health and happiness!
Be silent in your mind, silent in your senses,
and also silent in your body.
Then, when all these are silent, don’t do anything.
In that state truth will reveal itself to you.
It will appear in front of you and ask,
“What do you want?”
Kabir
We must be aware of the problems of the world.
Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.
If we maintain awareness of our breathing and continue to practice smiling,
even in difficult situations,
many people, animals and plants will benefit from our way of doing things.
Are you massaging our Mother Earth every time your foot touches her?
Are you planting seeds of joy and peace?
I try to do exactly that with every step,
and I know that our Mother Earth is most appreciative.
Peace is every step.
Shall we continue the journey?
Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace in Every Step, 1991
It is a startling truth that how you see and what you see
determines how and who you will be.
Explore your particular style of seeing.
Ask yourself: what way do I behold the world?
To the fearful eye, all is threatening.
To the judgmental eye, everything is closed in definitive frames.
To the resentful eye, everything is begrudged.
To the indifferent eye, nothing calls or awakens.
To the inferior eye, everyone else is greater, more beautiful, brilliant and gifted than you.
To the loving eye, everything is real.
Love is the light in which we see light.
If we could look at the world in a loving way,
then the world would rise up before us
full of invitation, possibility and depth.
To recognize how you see things
can bring you self-knowledge and enable you
to glimpse the treasures your life secretly holds.
— John O’Donohue, Anam Cara, excerpt
“Saint Michael is always portrayed as slightly intimidating, but I wanted him to be portrayed as friendly and peaceful,” says Tom Sarmo, who created this unusual painting of Archangel St. Michael, the patron saint of police and law enforcement.
The medium is acrylic on wood. Done in Grisaille technique (gray underpainting with colored glazes on top).
Come see the original painting at our gallery!
One more fabulous new piece by Tom Sarmo! A joyful St. Francis!
Come see the original and celebrate our 30th Anniversary with us:
Open House on
Saturday, April 7, Noon – 4:00 PM
901 Englewood Pkwy, Suite 112, Englewood, CO 80110
Open House guests receive a 30% in-gallery discount on April 7 on every purchase over $30 which enters them in a drawing on Thanksgiving Day for an exquisite bronze wall plaque, “Angel of Contemplation,” a $350 value.
Until Thanksgiving 2018, customers placing online orders over $30 with the code 30YEARS also enter the drawing and receive free shipping for orders over $50.The more orders you place, the better your chances of winning!
Contact: sales@creatormundi.com
Thursday Night by Ronald Rolheiser
IT WAS A COLD, DARK THURSDAY NIGHT.
A man was discouraged,
discouraged as only one could be,
who looks on much hard work,
on much sincerity,
and sees only failure,
and a sinking sun.
ON THAT DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
A man feels alone,
and lonely,
and frightened.
He sweats blood, in darkness,
the blood of loneliness,
the loneliness of all people.
ON THAT DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
A man looked on loneliness, and
He yearned to heal.
He yearned to lead all into unity,
into Community, and
out of the damned aloneness
which keeps people from warmth and life.
ON THAT DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
A man sweats blood,
in body and spirit.
He sweats in darkness,
He sweats in loneliness,
And
It is then …
ON THAT DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
A man takes bread and wine, and says:
“This is my body, this is my blood.
Meet often,
eat this bread, drink this wine.
And when you do,
I’ll be there, and …
AS ON THIS DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
I’ll be leading you out of fear and loneliness,
out of isolation and darkness,
into Communion,
into a community of warmth and life,
with God, and
with each other.”
ON THAT DARK THURSDAY NIGHT,
When the sun had long gone down,
and hope and warmth had said good-bye,
when the darkness of loneliness had seemed to win the earth,
we were given,
as a gift from God,
the possibility of Community.
Creator Mundi celebrates its 30th Anniversary!
Here is a whimsical, joyful and playful St. Francis, painted by Denver artist Tom Sarmo for our 30th Anniversary! Does this Francis make you smile, too? Come see the original (and others by Tom Sarmo) at our gallery!
May this delightful image of St. Francis remind you and us in the years to come of all that St. Francis stood for! In the words of John Dear: “St. Francis embodies the Gospel journey from violence to non-violence, wealth to poverty, power to powerlessness, selfishness to selfless service, pride to humility, indifference to love, cruelty to compassion, vengeance to forgiveness, revenge to reconciliation, war to peace, killing enemies to loving enemies. More than any other Christian, he epitomizes discipleship to Jesus. . . .
Francis’ logic points the way toward personal, social, and global justice, and peace. If each one of us practiced Gospel simplicity, voluntary poverty, and downward mobility, like Francis, we would share the world’s resources with one another, have nothing to fear from others, and live in peace with everyone.”[1]
[1] John Dear, You Will Be My Witnesses: Saints, Prophets and Martyrs (Orbis Books, 2006).
All our valued customers, friends and artists are invited to an
Open House on
Saturday, April 7, Noon – 4:00 PM
901 Englewood Pkwy, Suite 112, Englewood, CO 80110
Open House guests receive a 30% in-gallery discount on April 7 on every purchase over $30 which enters them in a drawing on Thanksgiving Day for an exquisite bronze wall plaque, “Angel of Contemplation,” a $350 value.
Until Thanksgiving 2018, customers placing online orders over $30 with the code 30YEARS also enter the drawing and receive free shipping for orders over $50.The more orders you place, the better your chances of winning!
Contact: sales@creatormundi.com
When we think of mercy, we should be thinking first and foremost of a bond, an infallible link of love that holds the created and uncreated realms together. The mercy of God does not come and go, granted to some and refused to others. Why? Because it is unconditional—always there, underlying everything. It is literally the force that holds everything in existence, the gravitational field in which “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Just like that little fish swimming desperately in search of water, we, too “swim in mercy as in an endless sea.” Mercy is God’s innermost being turned outward to sustain the visible and created world in unbreakable love.
~~ Cynthia Bourgeault, Mystical God: Trusting in the Mercy of God
Can you see Lent as an “interim time?” See how John O’Donohue speaks to you …
Interim Time
When near the end of day, life has drained
Out of light, and it is too soon
For the mind of night to have darkened things,
No place looks like itself, loss of outline
Makes everything look strangely in-between,
Unsure of what has been, or what might come.
In this wan light, even trees seem groundless.
In a while it will be night, but nothing
Here seems to believe the relief of dark.
You are in this time of the interim
Where everything seems withheld.
The path you took to get here has washed out;
The way forward is still concealed from you.
“The old is not old enough to have died away;
The new is still too young to be born.”
You cannot lay claim to anything;
In this place of dusk,
Your eyes are blurred;
And there is no mirror.
Everyone else has lost sight of your heart
And you can see nowhere to put your trust;
You know you have to make your own way through.
As far as you can, hold your confidence.
Do not allow confusion to squander
This call which is loosening
Your roots in false ground,
That you might come free
From all you have outgrown.
What is being transfigured here is your mind,
And it is difficult and slow to become new.
The more faithfully you can endure here,
The more refined your heart will become
For your arrival in the new dawn.
by John O’Donohue, To Bless The Space Between Us
Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.
Wendell Berry
The great challenge is
living your wounds through
instead of thinking them through.
It is better to cry
than to worry,
better to feel your wounds deeply
than to understand them,
better to let them enter into your silence
than talk about them.
The choice you face constantly
is whether you are taking your wounds to your head
or to your heart.
In your head you can analyze them,
find their causes and consequences,
and coin words to speak and write about them.
But no final healing is likely to come from that source.
You need to let your wounds go down to your heart.
Then you can live through them
and discover that
they will not destroy you.
Your heart is greater than your wounds.
Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love
I Am the Resurrection Crucifix
Let Creator Mundi help you prepare for the Lent and Easter season. You may ask, how should we as Christians prepare our hearts for this holy season when there may not be strong family or church traditions to guide us? Here we present a few Easter ideas you can use this year and in the future.
Little Ways You To Prepare
There are many little things you can do to prepare yourself for the religious gatherings of the Easter season.
- Lenten Meditation & Texts
- Practice Centering Prayer
- Have Family Discussions About Easter
- Remember Holy Week Events & Services
You could read works of theology that might be on a Reading List or even practice listening to silence as a way to center oneself. Practicing centering prayer or mediation is a wonderful way to get in touch with your faith and the spirit of Easter.
Mark Your Calendar For Holy Week
A good way to prepare for Easter is to plan for attending your church’s Holy Week services. This isn’t just Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, it also includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It’s a good idea to mark those days on your calendar so you can schedule around them. Marking these days with worship alongside your church family will help make your Easter celebration all the more joyful.
Larger Commitments
Many Christians give up something for Lent and may fast in the days before Easter. Others add volunteering activities or service-oriented tasks that help others during Lent. Either way, Lent is an opportunity to focus on prayer, mindfulness, reflection, and service to others.
Last Supper Cross
Families can spend devotional time together to help each other prepare for Easter. If you have young children, consider reading one part of the Holy Week story together each day. If you have older children, you can read through the Gospels during Lent. It’d be a fun challenge to see how much each person read by Easter.
How Creator Mundi Can Help
At Creator Mundi, we offer a wide selection of distinctive religious art and gifts. Incorporating our unique pieces into your Easter decorations and activities will inspire and encourage you. Browse our collection online or stop by our store in Denver today and see how Creator Mundi can help make Easter memorable. While you’re here, sign up for email updates and stay up to date on sales and new arrivals.
