Beauty Will Save the World (Especially if Beauty is Well-Funded)
August 12th, 2007 by 
ruah
One of my favorite men asked two graces for his religious order. What do you think they were? Abundance of vocations to the order? Perhaps holy connections in high places? Nope. He asked the Holy Spirit for two perpetual gifts: Poverty & Persecution. And he has them. Through worship & suffering, the Lord is blessing their faithfulness.
He is such an example for me, and as I write a post to ask for help to do the Lord’s work in faith & culture, I wonder: shall I be so bold as Fr. Buela? Perhaps not. But I keep it strongly in my mind as I meditate on Ruah Arts Group’s mission and apostolate. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “Beauty will save the world,” but Beauty needs help. We’re called to renew the face of culture from within by fellowship, formation and fraternal service. We’re called to inspire and instill transcendant values shine the light of faith in a world grown relative and dim. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “Beauty will save the world,” but Beauty needs help. Can we do it with very little? Yes! We’re already doing it. However, we need some very basic things in order to move forward. Here is a short prayer (not wish) list of desired things to help us answer God’s call, ranging from grand gifts to small but important ones. Would you dare answer our prayer?
- Prayers & Sacrifices–the fuel for all we do! (Your time & love)
- Costs to apply for non-profit status: (approx. $500-$600)
- Tuition to take “Way of Beauty Course,” & re-present the ressourcement ethos next year in Madison in a series of courses; (approx. $1200 US)
- Subscription to Arts Journals to build Ruah Library–St. Austin Review (StAR), Image Journal, Second Spring Journal, etc. ($25-50 per annum)
- Library Sponsorship–Amazon wish list in progress: (nameyourgift)
- Conference & Retreat Fund. First event: December 2nd Artists’ Day of Recollection. We have a need to pay for gas and food for the priests coming to preach the retreat, as well as publicity materials and retreat materials. ($50-200)
- Name your inspiration or idea!
This is start, but as Plato said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work. We are perhaps beyond poor, but with your financial help, we could soon be just plain poor!
Posted in Artists Need Patrons | 
August 12th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Asking for persecution I’ve heard, probably done, but asking for poverty is a bit befuddling. Doesn’t scripture suggest our desire should be for some middle ground: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God. (Prov 30)
August 14th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I love Proverbs! However, we can’t read the OT in isolation. The OT/ NT are a unity, not two separate wholes. The NT is concealed in the OT; the OT is revealed in the NT. Therefore we read Proverbs 30 in light of such NT passages: 2 Cor 8:9, Lk 2:6-7, Jn 4:6-7 & 19:28, Lk 9:58, Mk 21:18, etc. “The Middle Way” sounds intuitive, but I don’t see Jesus as a middle way kind of God. In anything.
August 14th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
(Cntd…) Temperence is one thing–the right ordering of temporal goods–but poverty is another. And we can’t just say that Jesus *only* means spiritual poverty or detachment. If he meant that, why was he born in a stable and raised as a carpenter? Why did he have to live poverty to the extreme on the Cross, when he could’ve chosen a “middle way death” that was less Passover-Lamb like? Now don’t get me wrong–temperence must be practiced. Lay people in the world live out poverty much differently than missionaries, consecrated brothers and sisters and priests. I, myself, need certain things that are not vital for people in other states of life. What do you think?