Theological Virtues Trilogy – serie

When a poor devout widow begs for a scrap of bread from a rich faithless baker, she promises to participate in the king’s wedding mass as payment for the baker’s generosity. The baker writes “One Mass” on a scrap of paper and places it on his scale to determine how much bread it is worth. To his and the entire town’s surprise, nothing in the shop, not even the gigantic wedding cakes made for the king, outweighs the simple piece of paper representing the true worth of a mass. Luminous old-world watercolor paintings grace the interior of the book and gold foil artwork lends an air of solemnity and sacred beauty to the story. This has been a best-selling children's book since it was first published. It us often made into plays for catechises, or used in homilies, and read on YouTube, and on private sites and channels.

Here is a Christian allegorical story that treats of superlatives. The richest man in the world, with the most varied and treasured art collection in existence, begets the most wonderful son who, like himself, loves and appreciates every creation they possess. They relish entering the very worlds of their seascapes, landscapes, cityscapes and even abstract forms, but, most of al, they cherish their portraits, sharing in the very lives of their subjects. Under the father’s solicitous eye, and with their motherly estate keeper’s assistance, the exceptional son grows in wisdom and stature, extending his wealth to whomever wants it. What becomes of this son? And what later becomes of the treasures when the father decides to offer his immensely vast collection at auction? What superlative will be the most superlative of all? The man who wins the auction for the Portrait of the Son is in for the surprise of his life, and the would-be bidders witness a miracle of conversion. This is the long-awaited third volume in a trilogy of The Theological Virtues--faith, hope, and love--which began with THE WEIGHT OF A MASS, A Tale of Faith, and TAKE IT TO THE QUEEN, A Tale of Hope. Printed on the front and back underflaps are theological insights into the text and art of this story for all ages, for the true protagonists are the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the seen and unseen world of Creation, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.