Faith, Hope and Charity

I recently completed a new painting that I've been working on since December.  Titled "Faith, Hope and Charity," it is a representation of these principles of action.

The figure of Faith planted the seed and is seen watering and caring for the plant.  Hope waits patiently for the fruit the tree will bring while Charity, the greatest of all, provides the light.

As I see it, faith is a belief in something so strong that it causes you to act.  For example, you believe that flipping your light switch will provide light, so you actually walk over to the wall and flip the switch.  Your hope is that the light in the room will turn on - therefore, hope is the focus on the result.  Charity is more than alms, it is another word for love.  I believe love undergirds all good.  In this example, charity would probably be akin to the live electrical grid.

I'm currently reading former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's wonderful (but unfortunately premature) book, "The Age of Turbulence".  One of his points is that a free market economy functions on the basis of trust.  Without it, commerce would dwindle and the free market would die.  Just think what would happen if every contract were litigated (assuming you could trust the lawyers and the law enforcement).

Just as trust is necessary for transactual obligations to be assumed and fulfilled, love (or charity) undergirds a civilized society - as civility is simply charity at a really low intensity.  As charity increases, so does the power, richness, and productivity of our relationships.  As Christ teaches in the Bible - the law, and the teachings of the prophets, hang on love.  Matthew 22: 36-40.  Without this love, there would be bareness.

"Faith, Hope and Charity" currently hangs in a show at the Springville Museum of Art.

Prints and Posters of "Faith, Hope and Charity" are available on the WebShop.