The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers |
Week of 4/3--4/8, 2023:
Fallibility, Irony, Right Speech, Easter 04/09/2023 |
April 3, 2023. Ending the Doctrine of Discovery, continued
Matthew speaks about how the bubonic plague caused Christians to doubt the innate goodness of creation. As a result, a theology based on redemption displaced a creation-centered spirituality, which along with imperial ambitions of
Christian empires prompted the Vatican’s infamous Doctrine of Discovery and the resulting genocide of indigenous people and their way of life. Contrast this travesty with the wisdom of the mystics: “Blessedness is grounded on nature.” (Aquinas) And “The first good thing is the goodness of nature” and “God is the very essence of nature.” (Julian of Norwich) How different our world and history would be if those tenets were known and
practiced! |
April 4, 2023. The Doctrine of Discovery & Papal Fallibility
It’s rare for
the Vatican to admit to a mistake, so Pope Francis’s repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery is very big news. Matthew has frequently called for the document to be publicly burned in St. Peter’s Square, but barring that, a papal condemnation of it adjacent to the Doctrine of Discovery in the Vatican museum would be a nice touch. What else might the Vatican confess to? The canonization of Junipero Serra? And Pope John Paul II and Jose Maria Escriva, fascist founder of Opus Dei? How about the
treatment of homosexuals which completely ignores science as was done 500 years ago in the condemnation of Galileo? As Matthew says, No wonder 75% of 18 to 30 year olds identify as “spiritual but not religious.” |
April 5, 2023. MLK’s Martyrdom & Presidential Criminality: A Day of Irony
April 5th is the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was martyred 55 years ago for his good and godly work in our world. MLK stood up for Truth and Justice and paid an
ultimate price. Sadly, this witness against racism is needed today as much as ever. One particularly powerful man with a global microphone for four years, who consistently lies and utters hateful remarks was indicted today. The timing is ironic. May Truth and Justice prevail. |
MLK says, Let us fight for Justice and Freedom. “Let us never fight with falsehood and violence and hate and malice.” From the “Birth of a New Nation” speech, April 7, 1957, at the Dexter Avenue
Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Brett Bymaster on YouTube. |
April 6, 2023. Right Livelihood and Good Work vs. Fox News
In the continuing wake of the Dominion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, we explore the Buddhist Teachings of Right Speech and Right Livelihood. As Thich Nhat Hanh said: To practice Right Livelihood, you have to find a way to earn your
living without transgressing your ideals of love and compassion. The way you support yourself can be an expression of your deepest self, or it can be a source of suffering for you and others. Meanwhile, Aquinas tells us to “always rejoice in the good work that you do.” Perhaps everyone who works at Fox should consider Thich Nhat Hanh’s admonition that we “should be awake to the consequences, far and near, of the way we earn our living.” We should question whether or not our work is good
work. |
April 7, 2023. Passover, Holy Thursday, Good Friday 2023.
This week we experience the convergence of several holy days in the Jewish and Christian faiths. Regarding Passover, Rabbi Greene asks the very important question: “What is it that enslaves us, and why do we fear to break the chains?” Children have
a special place at the seder table where they are told the story of their people’s exodus from Egypt. Do children have a special place at our national table? On Wednesday, children around the nation protested the guns responsible for killing their friends and which continue to endanger them all. And they weren’t listened to. In fact, the head of the Tennessee legislature lied to them, telling them that banning assault weapons would have no effect on diminishing the number of deaths in school
shootings. This is a blatant form of adultism, in which children are not being respected. When will we stand up for the children? |
Rachel Maddow reports on massive protests by Nashville, TN students demanding legislators act to improve gun safety following the Christian school shooting that left three children among the dead. MSNBC on YouTube |
April 8, 2023. Easter 2023
Matthew tells us that Easter is a story of liberation; that "resurrection is a story of deliverance from the fear of death" and "therefore an invitation to live life fully." The great psychologist Otto Rank, though Jewish, believes that Paul and Jesus espoused the “most revolutionary idea” that
humanity has ever come up with, namely, that resurrection applies to all. Considering the rampant fear of death in our culture, democratizing resurrection is one that brings hope. And, speaking of Paul, he was the first to write about a firsthand encounter with the risen Christ. And it turned his life inside out. He tells us there were 500 others who had such encounters of their own including the apostles at the Pentecost event.
A Blessed Easter and Passover Season to all!
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Banner image: Spring. When the Earth herself resurrects. Image by Hans on Pixabay. |
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The Coming of the Cosmic
Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows
the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of
imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe. | |
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that
fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of
perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics | |
The Reinvention of Work: A New
Vision of Livelihood For Our Time Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world where our personal and
professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
Join Matthew Fox online as he offers a Worship Service Inspirational Message - “Otto Rank, and Pere Chenu: Two 'Real, Raw and Radiant' Guides calling us to Deep Freedom” for
Brentwood Inspired Living Center, Sunday, April 16, 10:00 am PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “Creativity – Where the Divine and the Human Meet” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, April 20, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and Charles Burack in an online conversation on “The Essential Writings On Creation Spirituality” hosted by The Aquarian Minyan. Thursday, April 27, 6:00 pm PT. Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Karen Tate interviews Matthew on his latest book Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality to discuss religious vs. spiritual, the nature of evil and angels, compassion vs pity, and wisdom vs knowledge. On Voices of the Sacred Feminine with Karen Tate. Listen HERE. | |
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