Caravaggio’s “Seven Works of Mercy”

Caravaggio’s work is full of twisted bodies, and battered feet, and striking juxtapositions of light and dark. “Seven Works of Mercy,” painted in the early 1600s, is nearly 4 meters tall—so, yes, let’s just say the work is huge, a huge depiction of misericordia.

Caravaggio_-_Sette_opere_di_Misericordia

Why is this painting one of the stars of the Higher Love show? It’s not because it portrays mercy—at least, it’s not that per se; it’s that it portrays mercy being acted out in the streets. And that’s where we find our miracles, our redemption, our big tent.

Higher Love finds the holy in the most unlikely places—we’re not pew-sitters. If something holy is gonna happen, we don’t believe it will necessarily be in a church—it could just as well be in the streets, in the water, in the fire.

It All Comes Together

Higher Love launched on the first night of Kwanzaa, which is Umoja (Unity)—a perfect fit. Higher Love has been a barn-raising, for sure. I can say with sincerity that the podcast would never have become a reality without the generosity and dedication of early supporters—you better angels, bad-asses, and beta-listeners, we’re drunk on love for ya’ll.

A special shout-out to Kat Martineau, crack web designer, broadcaster and frontwoman; Will D, super-techie, mad chemist, and the world’s best teacher; Miles Orion Butler, renaissance man, singer-songwriter-musician, and audio engineer; and Todd Helsley, brilliant track master and audio engineer. And a colossal blank check to every one of our interviewees, all you saints and sinners, you’ve given us all the gammon and spinnage we could ever wish for.