The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Speaking of Grace,
So Many Gifts, So Many Graces 12/23/2023 |
I am writing this DM on the winter solstice, 2023, which is also my 83rd birthday. Yesterday we introduced the topic of “grace” responding to a request by a reader. |
I feel deeply, as an elder, human being, and a priest for 56 years, that life is a grace. A gift. Gratuitous. Glorious, that is filled with glory or doxa which is also a sign of the Cosmic Christ in our midst and in our minds, hearts, actions and in the universe at large. All two trillion galaxies of it, each with hundreds of billions of stars. The Earth is a grace. And all its wonders and beauties, from coral reefs to wondrous fishes, from stunning mountains pointing to the stars, to bees and dragonflies, |
The glory and gift of everyday beauty: golden sunsets and a happy dog. Photo by Cynthia Greb, used with permission. |
soaring eagles and flying hawks, multiple colors and shapes, sunlight and shade, dogs and bears, horses, giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, whales and rainforests. So many gifts, so many graces. “Nature is grace” said Meister Eckhart and he is right. To be, and to be alive, and to join
this 13.8-billion-year caravan of history is a grace. “It has been a privilege,” Rabbi Zalman Schachter said shortly before he died just short of his 90th birthday. |
Koh Lipe in Thailand is full of brilliantly colored corals like this, reports the photographer. Photo by Milos Prelevic on Unsplash | And the people—so many gifts and so many graces. My teachers from grade school to graduate school, with a special shout-out to Père Chenu,
who named the creation spirituality tradition for me in Spring 1968, and about whom I am finishing a book. Family, friends, fellow teachers--including indigenous teachers and leaders of ceremonies--and those I have worked with to make liturgy happen with Cosmic Masses in new, fresh, bodily, ancient and
post-modern ways. Students and co-workers who rendered programs, schools, workshops to happen. |
The wondrous exchange between teachers and students. A grace. And between mystic-prophets of old and seekers today. So many gifts, so many graces. |
See Matthew Fox, Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
And Fox, Original Blessing.And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
Banner image: Matthew Fox joins ministers across traditions to celebrate the Eucharist
at a Cosmic Mass. Photo by Katy Gaughan, National Cathedral. Published with permission. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you feel, with all its pain and sufferings, life is a grace and a privilege? How do you share that conviction with others? How do
you see that mirrored in others’ lives? |
Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, 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 in 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.
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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 |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical,
cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet. "Matthew Fox has created a narrative, for every parent and grandparent, both spiritual
and scientific, that is a gift for all elders who recognize their responsibility in initiating the young ones into the grandeur of existence." Cosmologist Brian Swimme, Author of Cosmogenesis and The Universe Story "Matthew Fox has given all of us, children included, a wondrous and enchanting view of creation and
all that humanity should aspire to." - Caroline Myss, Author of Anatomy of the Spirit and A Time for Grace Receive a 20% discount when you buy this and one other book from Matthew Fox’s store! Use Promo Code 20% at checkout. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
SPECIAL EVENT: 5-DAY WORKSHOP IN AQUINAS’ HOMETOWN OF ORVIETO, ITALY
WITH MATTHEW FOX, MESHI CHAVEZ, AND CLAUDIA PICARDI
JUNE 9-14, 2024
LEARN MORE HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest ” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat.Thursday, January 18, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he lectures on “What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying “ at the Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, “Emerging Spiritualities: Death and Bereavement Across the Spiritual Spectrum,” Saturday, January 20, 9:00am – 5:00pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “The Lotus & The Rose” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, February 15, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Hunger for Wholeness:
What is Wholeness in the Midst of Crisis with Matthew Fox (Part 1) In the midst of increased violence between Israel and Palestine, Ilia Delio and theologian Matthew Fox discuss the state of the world today and how to have courage in Part 1 of their conversation. Ilia and Matt discuss his mentor, Marie Dominique Chenu, the influence of liberation theology
on social justice in the church today, and what can still be learned.
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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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