The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Father Louis Vitale:
Spiritual Warrior for Peace
& Son of St. Francis 10/07/2023 |
Today in San Francisco there is a memorial Mass for Father Louis Vitale, a Franciscan brother to St. Francis. He died at 91 in Oakland about a month ago and was a peace activist dedicated to non-violence as a means to stand up to war and
injustice. |
He said he was inspired by Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. He co-founded Pace e Bene, “Peace and Good,” in 1989, a non-profit which developed training programs for nonviolent living and practice for both personal and social change. |
"Louis Vitale, Megan Rice, Jim Haber at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, 2008" protesting the use of torture. Wikimedia
Commons. |
He went to jail over 400 times protesting against war and injustice. In 2005, for standing with the Navajo Nation banning uranium mining; in 2006, protesting the torture of Abu Gharib at a US military facility that trained in interrogation methods; in 2009, protesting UAV Drone attacks in Pakistan, etc., etc. I admired him from afar, living in the Chicago area and observing his leadership role as a Franciscan provincial standing up for justice even when some of his brothers were less than supportive. |
Truthout: Interview with Father Louis Vitale.
COA News | Moving to Oakland, I was blessed to meet him on several occasions,
and what I most remember about him was his joy. Joy and justice-making need not be separated. Photos show him smiling deeply when being handcuffed, as he was so often. |
He was an exemplar of the spirit of his brother Francis who, in his poem to Brother Sun and Sister Moon translates the beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers” this way:
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial.
Happy are those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned. Louis was a contemporary model of courage, spiritual warriorhood and authentic manhood in the way of his mentor, St. Francis. We thank him for his witness and his inner strength. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, p. 115. And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten
Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine. Banner image: “Vitale demonstrating against weaponized drones just before being arrested at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada c. 2010 to 2012.” The sign he is holding says: “Jesus says Love Your Enemies. What does your church say?” Wikimedia Commons |
Queries for Contemplation How does the story of Father Louis Vitale inspire you to be strong in your commitment to peace-making and joy and the power of non-violence to build both? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down
to the Comments field. |
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. |
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The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE Join Matthew Fox online as he lectures and responds to questions on his book on Meister Eckhart, A Spirituality Named Compassion. The event is hosted by the Weber Retreat and Conference Center. Thursday, October 12, 2023 ,
4:00pm-5:30pm PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox and other speakers in the 27th Howard Thurman Convocation and Reception, recognizing the recent designation of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples as an
historical San Francisco landmark, founded by Dr. Howard Thurman and Dr. Alfred Fisk as the nation’s first interracial, interfaith congregation. Sunday, October 15, 2023, 3:00pm PT. Learn more HERE. Matthew Fox will be featured as the guest speaker at the Creation Spirituality Communities online course, Introduction to Creation Spirituality 6-Week Course, led by Instructor Rev. Mary Reaman. Tuesday, October 17, 4:00 PM PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, October 19, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. To register, click HERE. Join Matthew Fox for two days of learning and practice as he speaks at the online Stanford Medicine Contemplation by Design Summit, Wednesday and Thursday, November 1-2, 2023. Wed 4:00pm-5:30pm PT – Lecture, Q&A – Grounding & Expanding, Psyche & Cosmos, Friendship with Self, Others, the Universe: Toward a “Cosmic Religion” (Einstein) and Human/Planetary Survival Thu
7:30am-8:15am – Guided Practice – Finding the Divine (the “I am”, the Christ, the Buddha Nature, the Tselem or Image of God) Within Thu 12:00pm-1:30pm – Workshop – Recovering the Sacred Masculine and the Divine Feminine Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Aaron Perry hosts Matthew Fox on the Y On Earth podcast, on “Hildegard von Bingen & Her “Viriditas,” sharing
profound wisdom and deep insights about the essential importance of our relationship with Mother Earth, our celebration of the Divine Feminine, and our connection with Creation Spirituality, drawing upon centuries of knowledge and wisdom from indigenous and mystical traditions world-wide… particularly from the Rhineland Mystic Movement of the medieval European Renaissance, and a most extraordinary woman at its helm: Hildegard von Bingen. |
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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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