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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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Dorothee Soelle on Christ’s Need for Us 01/11/2023 |
Yesterday we saw how Dorothee Soelle believed that love is revolutionary; and love is what Jesus and the “kingdom of God” that he preached is all about; and love is often missing in our institutions including our religious
ones. |
She sees a cure for this—and it is us responding to our authentic vocations and work and choices. Consider her poem called “When he came.” He needs you
That’s all
there is to it
Without you he’s left hanging | |
Goes up in dachau’s smoke
Is sugar and
spice in the baker’s hands
gets revalued in the next stock market crash
he’s consumed and blown away
used up
without you |
“God and Suffering: Dorothee Soelle” Professor Wendy Crosby of Siena Heights University reflects on Soelle’s reframing of Christ’s suffering and the work of his
followers. Theology with Dr. Crosby | Help him
that’s what faith is
he can’t bring it about
his kingdom
couldn’t then couldn’t later can’t now
not at any rate without you
and that is his irresistible appeal. |
Soelle returns to her belief in Jesus: He is needy. He needs us to accomplish the work of compassion. “That’s all there is to it.” Otherwise the death camps return; he goes up “in dachau’s smoke” and all the evil of humanity to others that that symbolizes and reminds us of. He is part of what blows up when stock markets crash — unless we participate in redefining finance and economics. “Help him / that’s what faith is.” |
Faith is action, a participatory action. Jesus dead or alive cannot do it without us. No kingdom without our work — never was, never will be. And that, for Soelle, is what constitutes Jesus’ “irresistible appeal.” He did not do it all for us, rather we are invited to do, live, resist, gather, love, act like he did. | “Homeless Christ” Icon by Kelly Latimore, commissioned by Alex Spenik. Used with permission. |
Do you find this belief irresistible also? Do you believe that Jesus needs you, or that you need Jesus? What requires more “faith”–believing in his message or that his message can’t live “without you”? That our work and citizenship and choices truly matter. That saving the Earth as we know it is worthy of our work and commitment? That choosing truth rather than lies in politics matters? That living lives of
gratitude and care rather than exploitation matters? |
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Adapted from Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics: 365 Readings and Meditations, p. 273.
Banner Image: The Good Samaritan: kind hands and a drink of water for the thirsty. Photo by Sarwer e Kainat Welfare from
Pexels |
Queries for Contemplation Do you find people whether identifying as Christian or not who find an “irresistible appeal” in the person and story of Jesus? Why do you think this is so? Do you agree that “he needs us.” How does that influence your life and
work? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
As
Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings in Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry. “Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us I wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion and justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this
book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless youth | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox at the virtual Our Lady of the Prairie retreat, offering a discussion and Q&A on “Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable
God.” Thursday, January 19, 4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he speaks on “The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times” in a virtual event hosted by the Weber Retreat and Conference Center Thursday, January 26, 4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Register HERE. 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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