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From
Orvieto: Aquinas and Teilhard 06/10/2024 |
I
am now in Orvieto, Italy, where I am on pilgrimage, one might say, to a place that was dear to Thomas Aquinas. I am leading a week-long workshop on him, along with three Art As Meditation instructors. I felt this 800th anniversary of his birth (and 750th anniversary of his death) deserved special attention. |
As in our workshop on Meister Eckhart several years ago in Erfurt, Germany, where Eckhart was a novice and later a Prior for eight years, we are trying to enter into a deeper connection to our ancestors and mentors. Last week, we meditated on Teilhard de Chardin, inspired by
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movie about him. Here, I can connect his work to that of Thomas Aquinas. Both were obviously lovers of the God of Creation, and therefore of scientists who reveal more about Nature. As Aquinas put it, “Revelation comes in two volumes: Nature and the Bible.” |
The beauty of the night sky, as viewed through the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile. Video by SpaceRip. | And if we fail to listen to science? “A mistake about
Creation results in a mistake about God.” Thus theology needs science. I have been blessed to work with many scientists in my life, including Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Rupert Sheldrake, Joel Primak, Nancy Abrams, Ralph Abrams, Ilia Delio, Fritjof Capra and more. |
I
ask myself: How would Thomas Aquinas respond to today's science?How ecstatic, intoxicated, drunk, over the top, beside himself, thrilled, excited, committed, unstoppable, delirious, joyful, turned on would Aquinas be with today’s scientific news about evolution, the noosphere, Webb Telescope and all? |
He would be like Teilhard—“evolution—that magic word” living in a world of magic. He could not help himself. He would be head over heels in love—like Teilhard was—with the world and the cosmos as we are getting to know it. He would announce anew the holiness the sacredness of Creation. Thus, the joy of being here in Orvieto, where Aquinas wrote and |
The Mystic Wheel of Ezekiel’s vision, painted by Fra Angelico (1395-1455), circa 1452. WikiArt. |
taught and even wrote poetry. The Dominicans were very strong here in the past. Even Fra Angelico has some paintings in the churches here. A fine place — filled with morphic resonance and deep memories of precious generations who are eager to connect the mystical and the
scientific. People after the soul of Teilhard and Aquinas. |
See Matthew Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 9-16, 33-40. And Fox, Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality, pp. 57-188.
Banner image: Leaping for joy in the sunrise. Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash.
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Queries for Contemplation |
Do you experience what Aquinas calls “drunkenness” and “intoxication” and “ecstasy” at creation? What difference does that make at this time in history? Regarding ecology for example? |
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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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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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 |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
Join Matthew Fox in a new, live, 7-week video course hosted by the Shift Network, Cultivating Compassion in Spirituality: What Meister Eckhart & Other World Mystics Can Teach Us About Navigating Collective Turmoil. Tuesdays, May 7 – June 25, 5:00pm - 6:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and 11 other speakers for a 6-week course on Cosmic Water: The Radical Roots of Mystical Christianity hosted by Advaya.Life (Matthew speaks on June 18). Tuesdays, May 28 - Thursday, July 4, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT Register HERE (for 10% discount use code
FOX-WOW) |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Matthew Fox speaks on "Preserving Things in the Good" at the Unity of Walnut Creek Earth Day worship service held on April 21, 2024. |
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