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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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The Tao of Fierce Wisdom
by Thomas Aquinas, Part II 01/31/2023 |
In the season of Aquinas’s feast day, I am sharing a poem I gathered from Aquinas’s sentences that form the chapter titles of my recent book for The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times. The poem makes up
the Conclusion to the book. Following is the second half of that poem. Every truth without exception—
–and whoever may utter it—
is from the Holy Spirit. |
Revelation
has been made
to many
pagans. The old pagan virtues
were from God. Every being
is a name for God;
and no being
is a name for God. | |
We are united
to God
as to One
Unknown. The greatest accomplishment
of the human mind
is to know
that it does not know
who God is.
|
| The first requirement, then,
for the contemplation of wisdom,
is that we should take complete possession
of our minds
before anything else does. It is a great thing
to do miracles.
But it is a greater thing
to live virtuously. The proper objects
of the heart
are truth
and
justice. |
The vision of God
is arrived at
through Justice. Compassion is the fire
that Jesus came
to set on the earth. |
Conscience is
more to be obeyed
than authority imposed from
the outside. The prophet’s mind is moved
not only to apprehend something,
but also
to
speak
or to do something. A trustworthy person is angry
at the right people,
for the right reasons,
expresses it in the appropriate | “No one should comply with an immoral law.” Mural of Monseñor Oscar Romero. Photo by Franco Folini is licensed under CC BY-SA
2.0. |
manner
and for an appropriate
length of time. Playfulness
or Fun
is a Virtue. It pertains to Magnanimity
to have
a great soul. |
“Cosmic Christ” by Keith English. Published with permission of Jodianne English and the artist’s estate. | Angels carry thoughts
from prophet
to prophet. There is
a double
Resurrection. God is
a fountain
of total Beauty,
the most beautiful
and the superbeautiful. Christ is
a dew for cooling;
rain for making fruitful;
a seed
for bringing forth the fruit of justice. |
It is impossible
that anyone
hide the words of God,
when their heart
is inflamed by love. Amen. |
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Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 192-196. Also see Fox, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God …Including the Unnameable God Banner Image: “Saint Thomas Aquinas, Protector of the University of Cusco.” Artist unknown. Wikimedia Commons. |
Queries for Contemplation What moves you or challenges you or touches you deeply from this second half of Aquinas’ poem? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard
Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is
a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit | |
Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and
Useful Names for God …Including the Unnameable God Too often, notions of God have been used as a means to control and to promote a narrow worldview. In Naming the Unnameable, renowned
theologian and author Matthew Fox ignites our imaginations by offering a colorful range of Divine Names gathered from scientists and poets and mystics past and present, inviting us to always begin where true spirituality begins: from experience. “This book is timely, important and admirably brief; it is also open ended—there are always
more names to come, and none can exhaust God’s nature.” -Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, author of Science Set Free and The Presence of the Past | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox for a Lecture and Q&A on “Original Blessing and a Preferential Option for the Young” hosted
by the Unity Columbine Spiritual Center. Wednesday, February 1, 4:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox at an online Creation Spirituality Communities event: Global Kinship: Exploring the Emerging Noosphere, as he offers a lecture and Q&A on “Jung, Teilhard and
Creation Spirituality.” Thursday, Feb 2, 1:00pm PT. Join us HERE. Join Matthew Fox and special guest Caroline Myss for a 6-part course, “The Fire Inside: How John of the Cross’s Creation Spirituality and Mystical Activism Inspires Our Own”
hosted by the Caroline Myss Educational Institute. Tuesdays & Thursdays, February 7-23, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. Please join Matthew Fox, Tom Stang, and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur for a Commemoration and Rededication to the Legacy of Sister Dorothy Stang, livestreamed from the SNDdeN Cunningham Chapel, Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont CA. Saturday, February 11 2:00-4:00 pm PT. For More Information & Livestream Link, email: Bvaughn@ndnu.edu Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox at the Center for Contemporary Mysticism discusses “Birthing a New World: Can Creation-Centered Spirituality Help Reclaim the Sacredness of the Earth?" | |
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