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Lenten
Meditations? Try These Teachings from Sr. Dorothy 02/16/2024 |
Sister Dorothy Stang taught us a lot by her decisions and her actions—even the short reference from her brother about her washing her clothes in the sink while at a hotel bespeaks a teaching: That of a simple lifestyle. At least one commentator on yesterday’s DM shared the impact that story
had on her. |
By the way, my friend and faculty member Sister Jose Hobday, who was both a Franciscan and a Seneca woman, would travel with just two outfits and would clean one in the hotel sink like Dorothy did while she wore the other. Dorothy’s decision to stay and work with the peasants and others trying to
save the Amazon forest was her ultimate teaching. |
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Sister Dot’s religious community, the sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, have gathered some of her written teachings, much of it from letters to her sisters and her family, in a collection called My Faith Sustains Me: Words and reflections of Sister Dorothy Stand, SNDdeN martyr for Justice.* I draw from them below. |
My Faith Sustains Me, the recorded words and reflections of Sister Dorothy Stang in a flipbook on Issuu. Click the photo to open. | In the Introduction we are told that the night before her death she brought food and clothing to a family whose home had been burned to the ground. She worked for 31 years among the poor in the Amazon and “her |
great desire was to live out the Gospel message beside her people." On February 12, 2005, she was assassinated on a lonely country road in the small village of Boa Esparanca in Para, Brazil. From Dorothy: I have to fill myself up with Scripture and the spiritual life so I have the
grace to continue in the struggle. |
I have learned that Faith sustains me. I have also learned that three things are difficult: As a woman to be taken seriously in the struggle for land reform; to stay faithful to believing that these small groups of poor farmers will prevail in organizing and carrying their |
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur honor Sister Dorothy Stang’s martyrdom by calling on viewers to take action for justice and for the earth in her memory. |
own agenda forwards; and to have the courage to give your life in the struggle for change. Together we can make a difference bringing peace, joy, caring, love to our world that is losing sight of our guiding star—the goodness of the real God. To be continued. |
*See www.sndohio.org, website of the Sisters of Notre Dame de
Namur, Cincinnati OH, 45215, 513-761-7636. These sisters have graciously granted me permission to publish these words from Dorothy. I am deeply grateful that they are keeping her work and person and teachings alive.
See Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the
Earth.
And Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest.
Banner Image: “The seed planted sprouted/ We are Sister Dorothy.” Banner and cross beside Sister Dorothy’s tomb at the São Rafael Training Center. Photo by Amazônia Real on
Flickr. |
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Queries for Contemplation What do you find most striking and meaningful in these reflections from Sister Dorothy? Do you agree that humankind is “losing sight of our
guiding star—the goodness of the real God?” Is the “real God” for you all about goodness? |
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. |
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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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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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. "This delicious book for children of all ages
celebrates joy as the essential truth of reality." - Andrew Harvey, Author of The Hope and Radical Regeneration "I absolutely LOVED reading this beautiful, creative, stirring story—a
charming, whimsical, powerful, parable." - Robert Holden, Author of Happiness NOW! and Higher Purpose 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 |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, March 21, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, April 18, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying" at the 2024 Symposium on Death and Bereavement Studies. To listen, click the video thumbnail at right. |
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