The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers |
The Cosmos in Christian and
Jewish Liturgy |
The ancient Christian hymn from Philippians celebrates the rejoicing of the entire cosmos: “All beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,” reverence the
name of Jesus and “every tongue acclaims” him. (Phil. 2:10,11) |
In Paul’s letter to the Romans,
the cosmic meaning of Christ’s life and death are celebrated: From the beginning till now, the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but | “Choirs of angels,” from Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias |
all of us who possess the first fruits of the Spirit. (Rom. 9:22,23) Clearly, a cosmic spirituality and a cosmic awareness were not lacking in the earliest rituals of the Christians. The Hebrew scriptures celebrate the cosmos wherein the Creator “sees to the ends of the earth, and observes all that lies
under heaven.” (Job 28:24) The whole universe sings the Creator’s praises: |
“La Jérusalem céleste“, detail of the Tapestry of the Apocalypse of the Château d’Angers, France. Wikimedia Commons. | The Spirit of the Lord indeed fills the whole world, and that which holds all things together knows every sound that is uttered to be—for this God created all.
(Wisdom 1:7,
14) |
When the Jews worshiped in the temple of Jerusalem, they believed that the temple represented the center of the
universe. How important is that? How has that influenced great Jewish thinkers and scientists and musicians and philosophers through the centuries? Spinoza, for example, who was Einstein’s favorite philosopher, said that the universe is
God’s body. |
Is the universe itself a temple of God? In the New Testament and the earliest hymns of the Christian community the cosmos is present. But is it present today in Western religions and theologies and worship? In the dominant rituals of the Protestant or Catholic | |
churches? In our culture as a whole? One hopes so. For without it, worship is flat. And Earth will not be recognized as sacred. Ecocide and despair will prevail over love and action on behalf of Mother Earth. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality, pp. 73-75. See also Matthew Fox,The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance Banner Image: Dust clouds and newborn stars in the Lagoon nebula, between
4000-6000 light years toward the center of our galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius. Photo by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), NASA/JPL-Caltech. |
Queries for Contemplation What is it that “holds all things together?” How important is it that we celebrate that whether we come from East or West, from indigenous or goddess traditions, from Jewish or Christian traditions? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our
website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation
Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story | |
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. | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Virtual Retreat, Thursday, September 14,
4:00-6:00 pm PT. To register, click HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and a speakers' panel for brief Creation Spirituality presentations, music, songs, prayer, and refreshments in a free online and on-site Celebration of Matthew Fox's donation of papers
to the University of Colorado, Boulder. University of Colorado Boulder Libraries – Center for British & Irish Studies – 5th Floor Thursday, September 21, 4:00pm-6:00pm PT RSVP HERE for on-site attendance only. Virtual attendance link will be forthcoming. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Virtual Retreat, Thursday, October 19,
4:00-6:00 pm PT. To register, click HERE.
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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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Is the universe itself a temple of God? In the New Testament and the earliest hymns of the Christian community the cosmos is present. But is it present today in Western religions and theologies and
worship? In the dominant rituals of the Protestant or Catholic churches? In our culture as a whole? |
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