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Aquinas on Love in the Universe,
the World as Love 04/17/2024 |
Love has brought us here. Evolution has brought us here. The Universe has brought us here. |
And where is here? The universe, our home. The universe is a demanding place. This is not a cheap date, our existence. It costs us to be here. There is suffering, there is war, there is loss, there is regret, there is death. |
The paradox of Julian’s assurance: “All Shall Be Well” by Ordinary Time |
But above
all, there is love. There is goodness and joy and forgiveness and starting over and redemption. And surely there is beauty. Aquinas says, All things are connected in a common bond of friendship with all nature, and all things share a common “friendship” with God. We are, like other beings in the universe, merely one part of the entire integrity of the universe arising from a kinship of all beings that make up one beautiful whole which we call the cosmos. |
Big Cat Support Dogs: While Labrador retrievers support captive cheetahs in zoos, Anatolian Shepherd dogs save cheetahs from being shot or trapped in the wild. CBS News. | Aquinas elaborates on how omnipresent goodness and therefore love (for love is a response to goodness) is found in the universe. Divine good exists in every particular creature, but never totally perfect. This means every galaxy and every planet, every star and every animal, bird,
fish and forest and every human holds the divine good within |
them. No wonder Teilhard can say, “The world is Love”! Love is triggered by goodness after all. Aquinas says that one indissoluble connection consists in all things….All are joined together in a common bond of friendship with all nature.. In no way is it possible for something to exist by itself, for then it would
have altogether fallen out of the universe [of the whole]. |
Furthermore, nothing among creatures is so weak that it does not share in some divine gifts. From the sharing it…has a friendship of shared nature with the other creatures. It appears that the universe is divinized insofar as all beings in the entire cosmos "share |
“Why beavers matter as the planet heats up.” Vox
explores how beavers create ecosystem resilience against climate change, combating drought and protecting forests from wildfire. |
in some divine
gifts.” The universe is “a single order” wherein God causes “a kind of harmony in the universe that is a proportioned concord. “Harmony is nothing other than a concordant consonance” and this harmonious combination or concordant consonance possesses power and strength. “Confusion destroys order.” God contains all things and hugs them in an embrace insofar as all things are under the divine providence…The Godhead is both a place and foundation and chain connecting all things. |
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality, pp. 90-93, 381.
And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times, pp. 8-15. See also Fox, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Banner Image: The pair of galaxies known as Arp-Madore 608-333 subtly reshape one another through a mutual gravitational interaction. Photo by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. |
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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. |
Queries for Contemplation |
Does recognizing the harmonious and concordant consonance of the entire universe give you power and strength? Do you recognize providence in the bigger picture of the universe at work “containing and hugging all things in an embrace”? |
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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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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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 does it again, here for our young ones, who so need a positive, cosmic vision
to thrive, or even survive, in a sad time." - Father Richard Rohr, Author of The Universal Christ "Matthew Fox offers a resounding affirmation of what our souls have always suspected: we are made for joy." - Mirabai Starr, Author of God of Love and Wild Mercy 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
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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 in a free online event hosted by the Shift Network: “Explore Compassion in Spirituality With Meister Eckhart’s Wisdom: Mystical Teachings for Renewal, Love & Forgiveness in Times of Turmoil.” Thursday, April 18, 5:30pm PT Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he speaks at a worship service and conducts a workshop to mark Earth Day 2024, hosted by Unity of Walnut Creek, CA, Sunday, April 21: 9:30am & 11:30am – Worship Service – Sermon. Earth Day, 2024: Preserving Things in the Good 1:30-3:00pm – Workshop – How the Earth Crisis of Our Time Can Move Humanity to Its Next Stage of Evolution 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, April 30, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book with scientist Rupert Sheldrake, 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.
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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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