The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
More from Chenu on Matter, Time, Space, the Cosmos11/03/2023 |
Living in a time of war and wars, it behooves us to get a bigger perspective. An awareness of history helps with that, as does an awareness of cosmology, the story of time and space and our place in the
universe. |
French Dominican Père Chenu, about whom I wrote yesterday, had a profound sense of history—he was an eminent historian of the Middle Ages—which is one reason a renowned French historian, Jacques Le Goff (who was also an atheist) offered a eulogy for him at his funeral at Notre Dame Cathedral. |
“The Science of Space & Time & Our Place in The Universe.” Physicist Brian Cox discusses our ever-changing cosmos, the impossibility of absolute space, and the principle of general relativity. Science Time |
Chenu also held a deep sense of the cosmos. Time and space and time and matter and presence and place, all very much came together for him, along with Spirit. Speaking of his brother Aquinas, Chenu says that for him |
"This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth." Letter to President Millard Fillmore, attributed to Chief Seattle, 1852. WapiskisiwMahihkan | …the human person is entirely one with the cosmos. Human nature lives in nature; it is a microcosm of nature. The material world is not just a backdrop against which the history of peoples in their cultures as well as in their salvation and domination is played out. The history of nature is not |
just a minor event in the theater of a spiritual history. The history of nature—evolution therefore—and the history of spirit go together. When I shared this statement recently with cosmologist Brian Swimme in a class we were teaching together, he went wild and couldn’t stop repeating it: the history of
nature is not just a minor event in the theater of a spiritual history. |
Yes, spirit has a history, as Chenu insists. Aquinas observed the inclusion of the history of nature in
the history of spirit. The history of spirit is the history of nature. The human |
Upper Paleolithic man buried with handcrafted mammoth ivory beads in Sunghir, Russia, 28,000 to 30,000 years ago, a very early instance of ritually burying the dead with offerings. Photo by José-Manuel Benito Álvarez on Wikimedia Commons. |
person is situated at the junction of these two worlds, which even with their essential distinctions realize in the human being a homogeneity of spirit and matter. |
See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, pp. 40, 72-82, 97, 221, 276, 281, 285, 251, 311, 440, 451.
And
Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas.
Banner Image: Native American sweat lodge. Archaeological evidence of sweat rituals exists around the world, in places dating back to Neolithic times. Photo by Hvoenok, Adobe Stock |
Queries for Contemplation What follows from an increased awareness that the history of spirit is the history of nature? And that the history of nature is not just a minor event in the theater of a spiritual history? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self
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The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a
sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox and seven other speakers at “Unleashing Otto Rank: The Creation of Modern Depth Therapy – An International Online Conference” hosted by the Existential-Humanistic Institute. Matthew Fox presents: “Otto Rank as a ‘New Personality Type’ Calling for the Unio Mystica: a Reunion of Psyche and Cosmos,” Saturday-Sunday, November 4-5, 9am – 1:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he delivers a Lecture and Q&A: “Towards a New Mythology: New & Ancient Names for God from Mystical Ancestors and Contemporary Science (& Fit for Some Atheists too)” as part of the Unitarian
Universalist of Berkeley Lawrence Lecture Series. Friday, November 10, 2023, 7:00pm-8:30pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox online as he offers a lecture and Q&A on “Peacemaking and Creation Spirituality Today” hosted by The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus. November 11, 11:00am PT. Register HERE. 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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