Order includes:

• high-res image file formatted for print

• high-res image file formatted for web/projection

• A PDF of the Artist's statements & scripture reference for the visual

• A visio divina Bible Study Guide for you to use this image in a group study session that incorporates the ancient Benedictine spiritual practice of "divine seeing."

Credit Info:

When printing and sharing online, please always include the following credits:
Artist's name | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

FROM THE ARTIST:

The hope that Mary was pondering inspired the concept and flow in this water colored paper lace work. Are you, as I am, most taken by the sense that Mary has given birth to the hopes and dreams of a people who are hurting?

During the pandemic, as I watched the news, I saw so much creativity bubbling up. I saw people imagining a world that could be, a world that should be. The hope that was emerging was palpable. Then, as a teacher, I went back to the classroom this year. Hope seemed absent among my students, among the faculty, among the parents. I began to research the science of hope. Perhaps itʼs teachable, I wondered. It turns out, there is a whole department at the University of Oklahoma dedicated to the study of hope. I watched a TED talk by their lead professor, Chan Hellman, entitled, “The Science And Power Of Hope." The next TED talk I watched was, “Hope is the Most Powerful Force in the World,” by Somnieng Houern, who runs a school for girls, putting concepts of the science of hope into action. He says that he focuses on one person. There is no other way. One person focusing on one person at a time, creating space for hope. One person in a family was given a scholarship to a girlʼs school. She reached back and pulled her siblings forward into higher education as well. The ripple effect of hope was the power of which he spoke.

I was already putting this one-person-at-a-time focus into action before I saw these TED talks, however, understanding more about the science of hope has helped me realize that my work is making a difference. I am beginning to believe that the one-on-one moments I am making time for every few minutes all day long are having a ripple effect on my students. Relationships are improving, students are reconnecting with their studies, students are speaking up about their needs. It is hard to see the benefits of this last one because there is so much need, so much pain among them now. It feels like constant failure, but there is hope in hope. I want to be able to teach hope. The students need to know how to generate it, how to create it, how to expand hope into their daily lives—one person at a time.

In the midst of a difficult life, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). One of these treasures was the hope that her womb had brought forth for the world to return to again and again—and to pass on, like a ripple, one person at a time.

—Hannah Garrity

1 Hellman, Chan. “The Science And Power Of Hope.” TEDxOklahomaCity. May 2021. ted.com/talks/chan_hellman_the_science_and_power_of_hope.
2 Houern, Somnieng. “Hope is the Most Powerful Force in the World.” TEDxStMarksSchool. November 11, 2015. youtu.be/i63givEPq7E.