The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
From Bickering & War
to Common Work & Common Survival 11/14/2023 |
Yesterday I shared with you what I felt was an important observation about humans getting over our action-reaction, reptilian response to one another, moving beyond dualisms and therefore beyond war. How do we do that?
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I shared the story from my brother and sister-in-law in Iceland where, as they put it, the current volcanic crisis was ending “the normal bickering of all about anything…and all are pulling for all.” Normal bickering. Stopped. All are pulling for all. |
Refugee neighbors come together to “look each other in the eyes, hug each other, and cry…that has been precious.” CBC News: The National |
Is this what Jesus meant when he said, “love your neighbor as yourself”? And “forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us”? And “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God”? Is this the path to peace? What gets humans to put aside our agendas for a bit and the bickering that goes with them and to work together on a common project? That is the etymological meaning of “community” after all—to work on a common project. Cum-munio in Latin. Can humanity become a single community? |
Neighbors rescue animals, neighbors, strangers – and help first responders – in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Florida. TODAY | Is Climate Change calling us beyond wars to saving the planet as we know it and putting all our warrior energy and resources into that project? I am reminded of a lesson I learned during my first semester of college. At 17, |
I was attending Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, which sits on the Mississippi River. That Fall, 1958, there was a huge storm, the river rose several feet, and an emergency ensued. All were called to stop everything and go to the river to fill and lay sandbags. Students from a nearby Presbyterian seminary, Lutheran seminary, Catholic seminaries, and people of all ages were working shoulder to shoulder on one project: Resisting the floods for the sake of saving the city. Community, Cum-munio, a common task indeed. Enough to stop the bickering. Survival trumps bickering. It trumps
war. |
See Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
And Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion.
Banner Image: Community members prepare sandbags against an impending flood in Quincy, IL, 2008. Photo by WBEZ-91.5 on Flickr
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Queries for Contemplation What are some of your experiences of cum-munio, community building based on sharing a common task? What lessons reside there for moving beyond war and bickering? |
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. |
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than
a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully
express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit |
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Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation
Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
"A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes." -- Frederic
and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice. |
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A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox
delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our
deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register |
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
November 17, 2023 (Fri) Virtual Event Global Ministries University 7:30am PT – Lecture, Q&A – Creation Spirituality and Religion and
Science The presentation is free and open to the public but you need to register to receive instructions for joining Zoom. To register, click HERE. |
January 18, 2024 (Thu) Virtual Event Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat 4:00pm-6:00pm PT – Discussion, Q&A – Confessions To register, click 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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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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