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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Hildegard on Our Work as Cosmic and Sacramental Work 03/13/2024 |
Recently, a successful businesswoman in Oakland who runs a car repair shop, told me that my book The Reinvention or Work “is even more needed today than 30 years ago when you wrote it.” She told me she gives the book out to all her employees when she hires them, as it lays out the
values for her workplace. |
The Conclusion chapter of the book, entitled, “Work as Sacrament, Sacrament as Work” treats—as does the whole book—the sacredness of our work. The first section of that chapter cites Thomas Aquinas and Bhagavad Gita teachings that we shared in yesterday’s DM. Hildegard too is
cited: |
Matthew Fox reflects on the relationship and need for alignment between our individual sacred work and the Great Work of
Creation. |
Everything in nature,
the sum total of heaven and of earth,
becomes a temple and an altar
for the service of God. |
Medievalist/author Nathaniel Campbell reflects on Hildegard of Bingen and her teachings on the interconnectedness of creation. | I recognize this amazing sentence as a statement of what Teilhard de Chardin and Brian Swimme, among others, call Cosmogenesis. The whole cosmos, all of creation, is in a constant process of birthing. |
As Pére Chenu says, there is a continuous creation. And a continuous incarnation. And humans are integral to both: we are called to contribute to creation and to contribute to the divinizing of the universe. This is our work; this is, as Hildegard puts it, our “service of God.” When she talks about all of nature being a temple and an altar for the service of God—”the sum total of heaven and earth”—i.e. of the universe—she is celebrating our reason for being. |
We are here to contribute to the ongoing evolution of the universe and participate in the wonder of it all, which also means discovering more and more about creation, about the ongoing birthing or genesis around us, all 13.8 billion years of it and even all two trillion galaxies of space encircling it. In Hildegard’s vision, cosmogenesis becomes our common work, our common service to God and to the world. |
Hildegard of Bingen, “Cultivating the Cosmic Tree,” Scivias. |
And it is sacramental, thus the words “temple” and “altar” are spoken of. Our work is the sacrifice, the thing-made-sacred, that is an offering of praise and thanks we put on the altar. It is our thanks for being here, the gift we leave behind when we die. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Times, pp. 296ff.
See also Fox, Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times, pp. 33-44, 81-96.
Banner Image: A sacred deer among the stone lanterns leading to the Kasuga Shrine complex, Nara,
Nara Prefecture, Japan, established in 768 CE. Photo by Joey Huang on Unsplash
Corrections: Yesterday's DM referenced Harriet Tubman participating in a nighttime raid at Combahee Ferry in June, 1963. While she was very
probably a spiritual force in the civil rights actions of that year, the nighttime raid took place during her life, in 1863. We regret the error.
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Queries for Contemplation How do you see your work—both inner and outer—as a sacrifice on the temple and on the altar of cosmogenesis, the universe
coming to be? |
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. |
The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world
where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter |
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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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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, Mariko Middleton and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors, Tuesday, March 26, 4:00-5:00pm PT. Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
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. |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness and the Soul in Spirituality and Science in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, May 16, 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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