The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
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Sister
Dorothy's Teachings, cont'd 02/17/2024 |
We are meditating on Sister Dorothy Stang’s writings taken from letters to her sisters and her family. |
We concluded yesterday’s meditation with her teaching about a “real God”—one whose essence is goodness. The goodness of creation and of the Amazon forest and of people trying to live a good life stand as evidence of that. |
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Thomas Aquinas talks about “original goodness” and how God is “sheer goodness.” In our classes at ICCS which Dorothy attended during a sabbatical, we spoke, of course, about “original blessing.” We continue her writings here: We can’t talk about the poor. We must be poor with the poor and then there is no doubt how to act.
There are so many challenges for us as we try to discover what it means to live the Gospel in the midst of the people in our
world.
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A rural farmer in Brazil. Photo by Kate Evans/CIFOR on Flickr. | My heart screams joy, but I’m needing patience as reform can’t
happen overnight. How to keep hope alive has been our challenge.
Thank you, my good God, for life filled with friends and wonderful adventure
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—sharing, caring, laughing and crying.
God’s gift to us is to live more fully as part of our cosmic creation. I work with people who are
living on the margin. They help me in renewing the earth in the way we take care of it. All of us are part of a great Oneness.
We are only here on the land for a few decades. Use every day to bring joy and not greed to our tired land so full of anguish.
We must help the people recapture a relationship with Mother earth that is tender and kind.
Pray for all of us and for a world where all can live—plants, animals and human life—in peace and harmony.
I’m trying daily to fill my lungs with the beauty of our cosmos—her energy—so all that is to be woman can be felt in me.
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The beauty of the cosmos and her energy and plants, animals and human life living in peace and harmony and displacing greed with joy and trying to live Gospel values–this is creation spirituality in a nutshell. My student becomes my teacher. |
The beauty of the animals and plants. “Violet-capped Woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis) on Leonotis nepetifolia (L.)” in Bahia, Brazil. Photo by Alex Popovkin. Wikimedia Commons. |
See Matthew Fox, Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality, pp. 95-103, 107, 122-126, 116f., 202-205. And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 33-52. And Fox, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic—and Beyond, pp. 20-33.
Banner image: Aerial view of the Amazon River entering the Atlantic, Brazilian coast. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Queries for Contemplation Are you busy filling your lungs with the beauty of our cosmos and her energy? Do you feel part of a “great Oneness”? |
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. |
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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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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Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond
Julian of Norwich lived through the dreadful bubonic plague that killed close to 50% of Europeans. Being an anchoress, she ‘sheltered in place’ and developed a deep wisdom that she
shared in her book, Showings, which was the first book in English by a woman. A theologian way ahead of her time, Julian develops a feminist understanding of God as mother at the heart of nature’s goodness. Fox shares her teachings in this powerful and timely and inspiring book.
“What an utterly magnificent book. The work of Julian of Norwich, lovingly supported by the genius of
Matthew Fox, is a roadmap into the heart of the eco-spiritual truth that all life breathes together.” –Caroline Myss
Now also available as an audiobook HERE. |
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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 |
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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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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