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Week
of 2/12-17/2024:
The Courage, Wisdom & Faith of
Sr. Dorothy Stang 02/18/2024 |
February 12, 2024: Dorothy Stang & Père Chenu: Teachers of Courage, Firmness, Resistance
We continue to celebrate the feast days of Père Chenu and Sister Dorothy Stang. Sister Dot (as her friends called her) worked to support peasant farmers and refused to back down to the powerful forces trying to tear down the Amazon rainforest. Both Père Chenu and Sister Dorothy were deeply caring and compassionate, and both taught and exemplified courage, firmness, fearlessness and resistance. Sister Dorothy knew her life
was in danger but nevertheless chose to stay in Brazil with the people and forest she so loved. At her funeral, one peasant farmer spoke up. “Sister Dorothy, we are not burying you, we are planting you.” |
February 13, 2024: Sister Dorothy Stang’s Story, continued
A recent article named “The Amazing Grace of Sr. Dorothy Stang,” tells us that she “chose to live in extreme poverty in order to help others living in poverty.” Those who knew Sister Dorothy said that she had a passion for people of all cultures, for social justice, peacemaking, fairness, and respect for the environment. She carried her Bible everywhere
and sometimes called it her ‘weapon.’ One day when she was walking on a rural dirt road, gunmen blocked her way. She brought out her Bible and began reading the Beatitudes to them. They gunned her down at point-blank range. About the epic battle raging around the peasant farmers, Sr. Barbara English, a companion working with Sr. Dot, said this: They were David facing Goliath, and Goliath came in the form of multinationals, big business, ranching and lumber companies…[who] began to
devour the Amazon forest. Apparently Dot’s murder was financed by a wealthy local rancher. February 14, 2024: Ash Wednesday Meets
Valentine’s Day: Lessons from Kabir & Sr. Dot
Both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on February 14th this year. Quite an interesting combo—one day reminds us of our mortality; the other of love. Kabir, the 15th century Indian mystic wrote a poem that speaks of love and death, eros and thanatos. It begins: Friend, hope for the guest while you are alive./ Jump into experience while you
are alive!/ Think… and think… while you are alive./ What you call ‘salvation’ belongs to the time before death./ If you don’t break your ropes while you are alive,/ Do you think ghosts will do it after? Sister Dorothy was a person who broke the ropes and “jumped into life while she was alive,” following a path of compassion and justice for the poor. |
A BBC News crew investigates what lay behind the murder of Sister Dorothy Stang. MDMarshall |
February 15, 2024: David Stang’s Letter about His Sister
In a letter from Sister Dorothy's brother, he wrote about when Dot was to receive a Human Rights Award from the National Organization of Brazilian
Lawyers, The plush auditorium was filled with peasants, politicians, lawyers, professors and other government agents. As she received her award, she invited David and his wife to on the stage with her. They all embraced. When David looked out over the audience, he saw many tears. Many people came onstage to hug her. They all knew she had a price on her head....So many were saying goodbye....Less than two months later, Dot was murdered. Matthew shares that he went to a mass in the
Amazon after which people were asked to light a candle and name three people they knew personally who had been killed trying to defend the forest. One person told Matthew, “The hard part was limiting it to three. I know at least ten off the top of my head.” February 16, 2024: Lenten Meditations? Try These Teachings from Sr. Dorothy
Sister Dorothy worked with and lived among the poor people of the Amazon for 31 years. How did she sustain herself in the face of the
violence continually perpetrated by the multinational corporations trying to destroy the Amazon? She writes: 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. She says: 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. |
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. |
February 17, 2024: Sister Dorothy’s Teachings, continued
Sister Dorothy spoke about a “real God”—one whose essence is goodness. This was also a theme of Thomas Aquinas who spoke of “original goodness” and
how God is “sheer goodness.” Here are some other pearls of wisdom from Sr. Dorothy: We can’t talk about the poor. We must be poor with the poor and then there is no doubt how to act. And: 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. And: We must help the people recapture a relationship with Mother earth that is tender and kind. And: 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. This is Creation Spirituality in a nutshell, is it not? |
Banner image: Altar honoring Sister Dorothy Stang, at a Cosmic Mass.
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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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Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
Selected with an Introduction by Charles Burack
To encapsulate the life and work
of Matthew Fox would be a daunting task for any save his colleague Dr. Charles Burack, who had the full cooperation of his subject. Fox has devoted 50 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented forms of education and worship. His more than 40 books, translated into 78 languages, are inclusive of today’s science and world spiritual traditions and have awakened millions to the much neglected earth-based mystical tradition of the West. Essential Writings begins by exploring the influences on Fox’s life and spirituality, then presents selections from all Fox’s major works in 10 sections.
“The critical insights, the creative connections, the centrality of Matthew Fox’s writings and teaching are second to none for the radical renewal of Christianity.” ~~ Richard Rohr, OFM. |
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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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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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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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