The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Week of
11/20-25:
On Gratitude, Praise, and Joy 11/26/2023 |
November 20, 2023: On Thanksgiving and Finding Joy in Spite of Bad
News
Even in the midst of a warring planet, it is always appropriate to give thanks. There is a reason why Meister Eckhart tells us, “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.” And, as Julian of Norwich tells us, “This is the holiest prayer—the loving prayer of thanksgiving.” There is plenty to give thanks for on this precious earth this Thanksgiving. It's
important to reach down into the deep reservoir of our souls to find Joy. With that in mind, Matthew has teamed up with Barbara LeVan Fisher, a designer, art curator and publisher, to produce a new version of his children’s book, In the Beginning There Was Joy. Hopefully, parents who read it to their kids will take in its deeper message. |
A life of joy now marked by grief: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter kiss at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Their 77-year marriage transitioned on November 20, 2023 with Rosalyn's death at 96.
Wikimedia Commons |
November 21, 2023: The Mystics on Joy and Thanks (Whatever the News)
Thomas Aquinas tells us that “Sheer Joy is God’s and this demands companionship.” In other words, the
universe exists for the sake of sharing divine joy. Julian of Norwich taught that we are all born into “a birthright of never-ending joy” and that “to behold God in all things is to live in complete joy.” Also from Aquinas: “Joy is the human’s noblest act.” Are we able to be noble in spite of grief and despair? Our joy can be deeper than our sorrows. November 22, 2023: Heschel & Hildegard on Thanksgiving, Praise & What It Means to be
Human
Rabbi Abraham Heschel says that it is humanity’s role to articulate the “silent worship” of all beings. The cosmos is a congregation in need of a Cantor…It is humanity who is the Cantor of the universe.... Meanwhile, Hildegard of Bingen calls the human soul “a symphony,” as well as creation itself. “All of creation is a symphony of the Holy Spirit which is joy and
jubilation.” For Hildegard, music is creation “rebounding to the celestial Creator with a single voice of exultation and joy and the giving of thanks.” |
The Webb Telescope captures a Wolf-Rayet star just before it goes supernova. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production
Team |
November 23, 2023: Thanks, Praise, Grace on Thanksgiving Day
A deep Thanksgiving to all on this Day of Praise in this time of concern and sorrow. One way to connect with praise is to
revel in the images brought to us by the Webb Telescope, feeding us images of unfathomable majesty and beauty. Meanwhile, on the human scale, we thank Rafael Jesús González for his wise and compassionate poem called "Grace." Thanks & blessing be/ to the Sun & the Earth/ for this bread & this wine/ this fruit, this meat, this salt, this food/ thanks be & blessing to them/ who prepare it, who serve it/ thanks & blessing to them
who share it/ (& also the absent & the dead.)/ Thanks & blessing to them who bring it/ (may they not want)/ to them who plant & tend it/ harvest & gather it/ (may they not want)/ thanks & blessing to them who work/ & blessing to them who cannot/ may they not want — for their hunger sours the wine/ & robs the salt of its taste./ Thanks be for the sustenance & strength/ for our dance & the
work of justice, of peace.* |
November 24, 2023: Where Does Joy Come From?
According to Aquinas, Joy is born of Love: “The only person who truly has joy is one who lives in love.” That is why joy is an anchor when struggle,
strife and suffering swirl all around us. The Dark Night of the Soul is very real. It can be experienced on a personal, societal, or global level. But it's important to look for joy even in the midst of darkness. Terry Tempest Williams teaches us this story: Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be
celebrated. |
November 25, 2023: Hildegard & Einstein Giving Thanks for Intellect & Intuition
Einstein observes that there is a mystical drive in man to learn about his own
existence…. I believe that the dignity of man depends not on his membership in a church, but on his scrutinizing mind, his confidence in his intellect, his figuring things out for himself, and, above all, his respect for the laws of creation. Hildegard, meanwhile, calls for "wisdom born of creative works" but also praises our intellects as our “greatest gift” saying that our rationality allows us to understand “all things”—the Scriptures and Nature. She teaches
that Christ is “holy rationality” and “God is rationality,” and therefore our employment of rationality is something “holy.” |
*© Rafael Jesús
González 2023. The Montserrat Review, Issue 6, Spring 2003; nominated for the Hobblestock Peace Poetry Award; author’s copyright. Printed with permission. Please note: In the DM of 11/23, accents were omitted from Rafael Jesús González' name. We regret the error.
Banner image:
Season of Joy and Thanks. Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash |
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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. |
Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century
Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this
amazing woman and what we can learn from her.
In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice.
"This book gives strong, sterling, and unvarnished evidence that everything - everything -
we ourselves become will affect what women after us may also become....This is a truly marvelous, useful, profound, and creative book.” ~~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism. |
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Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas
Aquinas on Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox renders Thomas Aquinas accessible by interviewing him and thus descholasticizing him. He also translated many of his works such as Biblical commentaries never before in English (or Italian or German of French). He gives Aquinas a forum so that he can be heard in our own time. He presents Thomas Aquinas entirely in his own words, but in a
form designed to allow late 20th-century minds and hearts to hear him in a fresh way.
"The teaching of Aquinas comes through will a fullness and an insight that has never been present in English before and [with] a vital message for the world today." ~ Fr. Bede Griffiths (Afterword).
Foreword by Rupert
Sheldrake |
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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! In this full-color, beautifully illustrated book, world- renowned theologian Matthew Fox weaves together modern science and classic spirituality in a whimsical, entertaining format to illustrate important truths to readers aged 4 and up. 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.
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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