The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Watch for Matthew Fox's video meditation -- now appearing every Monday! See news of tomorrow's Order of the Sacred Earth meeting in Upcoming Events. |
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Revised “Hail Mary” & New Cosmology Banish Despair 01/30/2024 |
We have proposed a new Hail Mary prayer that is also a more ancient one: |
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you, untroubled maiden.
You are blessed among women,
you who brought forth peace to people
and glory to the angels.
Blessed too is the fruit of your womb,
who by grace made it possible for us to be his heirs.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us heirs and co-workers of
God at the hour of our creativity.
Amen. Also in yesterday’s DM, I alluded to
the important study by Jean Delumeau on |
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the
emergence of a Guilt Culture in the West that culminated in the 16th century. He believes Protestantism upped the ante on despair: In its sixteenth-century form, the doctrine of justification by faith thus represents the logical (although extreme) end of the long and desolate road through
pessimism. Incessantly repeated for more than a thousand years, the affirmation of the world’s fragility, of its vice and its vanity, reached a vast audience. Man was but ‘dung’ and ‘filth’—no wonder the result was despair. |
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| John Calvin says, Life in this world is…. totally wretched. Nowhere is happiness to be found. An “infinite misery”
abounds. Instead of blessing in the cosmos, Calvin sees only curse. |
No matter where we look, high or low, we can see only a curse that, spreading over all creatures and embracing the earth and the sky, ought to burden our souls with horrible despair. Creation Spirituality resists that despair and cautions against
it. |
A new cosmology can liberate us from this guilt culture—even John Calvin confessed to that: if God had formed us of the stuff of the sun or the stars…then we might have said that our beginning was honorable. Yes, today’s science with its new cosmology can lift our souls, open our hearts,
return us to the |
“The energy coursing through our bodies right now is literally the energy of the universe.” Brian Swimme clip uploaded by Kern
Beare |
primal message homo sapiens needs to learn before it is too late: The goodness of creation. (See Gen 1.) |
See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, pp. 163-173.
And Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, p.
206.
Banner Image: “Queen of the May.” Photo of Our Lady of Cana in the Rosary Garden at the Rosary Shrine in London. Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, on Flickr. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you see the new cosmology and the wonder and awe it evokes, including the Webb Telescope, banishing despair and awakening humanity like the revised “Hail Mary”
prayer can do? |
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. |
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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Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil
that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly
masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics |
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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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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 |
SPECIAL EVENT: 5-DAY WORKSHOP IN AQUINAS’ HOMETOWN OF ORVIETO, ITALY
WITH MATTHEW FOX, MESHI CHAVEZ, AND CLAUDIA PICARDI
JUNE 9-14, 2024
LEARN MORE HERE. Join Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, Mariko Middleton and others from the global Order of the Sacred Earth movement as we come together for an hour-long monthly council meeting to listen, share, and to support one another within this growing
movement, Tuesday, January 30th, at 4pm Pacific/7pm Eastern.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478
One tap mobile: +13017158592,,88665302478 |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “The Lotus & The Rose” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, February 15, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. Register HERE. |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox’s episode on the Take Back Your Mind with Michael B. Beckwith Podcast, Mysticism & The Modern Age, is available on the Take Back Your Mind YouTube channel. To listen, play 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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