The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Matthew Fox's video reflection is
below the essay -- a day early, for Easter! |
Easter
& Resurrection: Hope and Promise in Dark Times 03/31/2024 |
Resurrection is an archetype filled with meaning and promise that can move us beyond fear and doubt, to joyful action and building a “new creation” and a renewed humanity.
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Thomas Aquinas speaks of the “first and second resurrection,” and says this about the first: ‘Arise from the dead’ means from dead or destructive actions. Christ ‘will cleanse our conscience from dead works’ (Heb. 9:14). ‘Your dead men and women shall live, the slain shall rise again.’ (Isa. 26:19). Rise therefore ‘and Christ will enlighten you.’ Does this address the many “destructive actions” humanity is engaged in today—from climate change to wars to resuscitating fascism? |
A tree stump resurrecting with new growth emerging from it. Image by 19856477 from Pixabay |
Being enlightened, Aquinas is saying, is a kind of resurrection from such death before we die. I think our Buddhist brothers and sisters would agree with that. “The life of the risen Christ is spread to all humanity in common resurrection.” |
Hope and Joy abound (along with the Via Creativa in the form of hats), at New York City’s annual Easter Parade. Video by Petite New
York. | Aquinas says the meaning of the news that “on the third day Christ rose from the dead,” is this:
Let us try to rise spiritually from the soul’s death, to that life of justice. ‘Rise, you who sleep, and rise from the dead; and Christ shall enlighten you’ (Eph. 5:14). ‘Blessed and holy is one who has part in the first resurrection’ (Jn. 20:6). |
Don’t put it off. Let us not put off rising until our death, but do so now, since Christ arose on the third day: ‘Delay not to be converted to the Lord; and defer it not from day to day’ (Eccles. 5:8). ” |
Christ’s resurrection “was the first in the order of all resurrection” and is meant to be “the cause of ours,” as Paul says: “Christ is risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep.” Resurrection is rising from sleep. Now we can “walk in the newness of life” and act “no longer out of fear of death...but out of the
love of charity." The resurrection overcame “the fear of dying, which is the reason human beings for the most part are subject to the slavery of sin.” |
Butterflies have long been symbolic of the Resurrected Christ. The Comma, Mourning Cloak, and Orangetip butterflies are among the first to be seen in Spring in the United States. Images by Erik Karitz on Pix a bay. |
Resurrection brings about a kind of new creation....As the psalmist says (104.30): ‘Send forth your spirit, and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth.’ Christ’s resurrection “raises our hope.” The world is hungry for hope these days. Resurrection brings hope, vision and the
courage that goes with it.
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Adapted from Matthew Fox, Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality, pp. 359-364. See also Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 167-172. And Fox, Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint For Our Times, pp. xxiii, 14, 103-105. Banner image: “He is not here, he is risen.” The Three Marys at the Sepulchre by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, circa 1685. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you agree with Aquinas that fear of dying binds many to “the slavery of sin”? What is your understanding of the
meaning of resurrection? How does Aquinas in these passages encourage your insights? |
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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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. "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 speaks on “The Deep Feminine and the Deep Masculine and their importance in elevating consciousness and healing our world” at the The Heart of Nature 7-Day Summit with Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, Paul Hawken, Nina Simons and over 30 leading experts, Tuesday-Monday, April 16-22. 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. |
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 |
Ilia Delio and theologian Matthew Fox pick up on their conversation about the viability of contemporary religious institutions in an evolutionary world. They discuss death and resurrection—the enduring challenge of modern approaches to the subject and what we can learn from mystics, past generations and ancient peoples alike. To listen, click HERE. |
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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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