The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Today's the day: Matthew Fox's
video reflection is below the essay! |
The
Holiness and Greatness of Frederick Douglass 02/26/2024 |
We have been meditating lately on the marks of holiness such as Joy, Courage, Justice, and Generosity that underscored the life, work and martyrdoms of Sister Dorothy Stang and Alexei Navalny. |
This is Black History Month. When one thinks of the holiness of great heroes and sheroes of black America, one thinks of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Howard Thurman, Sojourner Truth, and many other musicians, writers, poets, actors, and athletes. Let us also hold up the amazing story and stature
of Frederick Douglass (c. 1817-1895), who has been called “the most influential black man in 19th-century America” who underwent “untold acts of brutality” as a teenaged slave, but then “audaciously willed his own freedom and escaped from slavery.” |
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An exquisite orator and writer, he is said to have “mastered the master’s language” and “saw to the core of the meaning of slavery, both for individuals and for the nation.”* He has been called a social reformer, abolitionist, writer, orator and statesman. |
James Earl Jones reads Frederick Douglass’s historic speech from 1852, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Video by Democracy Now! | His three autobiographies—1200 pages of reflections on his storied life—include Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (published in 1845); My Bondage and My Freedom (1855); The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881, revised in 1892). |
Douglass published an abolitionist newspaper for 16 years, supported the Underground Railroad by which fellow slaves escaped to the northern states; became the first African-American to receive a vote for President of the United States; journeyed to Ireland and England where he was bought out of slavery, because his success in lecturing and publishing |
in the US rendered him so visible, he could be yanked back into slavery; and both counseled and criticized Abraham Lincoln, who welcomed him to the White House on three occasions. He also strongly supported the women’s rights movement, and attended their first conference held in Seneca
Falls, NY, in 1848, which declared that “all men and women are created equal.” However, he failed to convince the two founders, Elizabeth Cody Stanton and Lucretia Mott, to include black women in their movement for justice for women. |
A poster announcing a lecture by Frederick Douglass, 1863. Image in public domain. Wikimedia Commons. |
Among his teachings that seem especially pertinent today, 129 years after his death, is this: The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous. To be continued. |
See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest, pp. 300-326. And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. And Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality. Banner image: Freeing of the Slaves, a mural in the Law Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Art by John Steuart Curry, 1942. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Queries for Contemplation How does Douglass’s call for honesty, truthfulness and virtue strike you as being pertinent to today’s politics and media in
America? |
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. |
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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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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Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew
is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author,
The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story |
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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 |
February 27, 2024 (Tue) Virtual Event Order of the Sacred Earth 4:00-5:00pm PT – Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton and Skylar Wilson in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
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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