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! |
Dorothy Stang & Père Chenu: Teachers of Courage, Firmness, Resistance 02/12/2024 |
Our Saturday DM was dedicated to two great souls who were each committed, in their own way and on their own continents, to love, justice, and the sacredness of creation. |
Their feast days are back-to-back: Père Chenu, father of the Creation Spirituality movement as well as Liberation Theology, died on February 11. And Sister Dorothy Stang, whose work was to support peasant farmers and the survival of the Amazon rainforest, was martyred on February 12. |
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Dorothy refused to back down to the powerful forces that were trying (and still are) to tear down the forest, in order to raise cattle and gain fast profits by serving the beef addiction of so many rich peoples’ diets. Many smart and caring people who know her story have proposed that she be recognized as the patron saint of the ecological movement. (In the |
The Amazon basin covers 7 million square kilometers (2.7 million square miles, or about 35.5% of South America. Mostly located in Brazil, seven other countries, plus French Guiana territory, are partially included in its area. Photo by NASA. Wikimedia Commons. | Roman Catholic tradition and beyond, a martyr is automatically a saint even before any formal canonization process.) Of course, she is only one of thousands of persons committed to the saving of the Amazon
forest, who have laid down their lives for that end. What do Sister Dot (as her friends called her) and Père Chenu share in common? In Saturday’s DM, I cited an eminent (and atheist) French historian |
who
said in his public eulogy to Père Chenu at Notre Dame, that he was a light with the “vivacity of thunderstorms” who, while not ignoring the darkness, “followed the light, always present, ever flashing.” That he cared deeply about others and was thoroughly present to them. And that he taught courage, firmness, fearlessness, and resistance—but out of humility. |
Sister Dot was also, in her way, a light in the darkness and a teacher of courage, firmness, fearlessness and resistance. She knew her life was in danger as a leader in standing up for the rights of the poor and Mother Earth’s forests. Many urged her to return to the safety of her homeland, but she chose to stay and in doing so paid an ultimate price. |
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How richly a peasant farmer summarized her life and death and resurrection when, at her funeral, he stood up and declared, “Sister Dorothy, we are not burying you, we are planting you.” |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, pp. 40, 73, 79-82, 90, 97, 21, 239, 2251, 76, 281, 285, 311, 341-343, 440, 443, 448, 451. And Matthew Fox, Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality, pp. 36-65. And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. Banner image: Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest, near
Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Photo by Neil Palmer/CIAT. Wikimedia Commons. |
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image. You will be taken to today's post on the Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox website, where you can see the meditation in a larger version and also view and post your Comments. In the sharing that follows, a kind of community is developing around the DM.
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Queries for Contemplation What does the declaration, “Sister Dorothy, we are not burying you, we are planting you” mean to you? And to the struggles of our time?
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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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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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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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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 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 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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