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! |
|
Earth
Day & Passover 2024:
Heschel on Passover 04/20/2024 |
On Monday, we are celebrating both Earth Day and Passover, for they fall on the same day this year. That synchronicity is special. Maybe there is a deep meaning behind honoring Earth’s Liberation and the Israelites’ Liberation on the same Holy Day this
Spring. |
The Jews were enslaved and unfree at the time of the original Passover. Plagues were overwhelming Jews and Egyptians, their slave masters, alike. But a promise was offered, hope was in the air, liberation was nearby. A lamb was to be sacrificed with its blood smeared on the door so the angel of death would pass over the Jewish people. |
“The Destroying Angel Passing Through Egypt,” illustration for The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation Told in Simple Language for the Young, by Charles Foster, p. 111. The illustration is uncredited in the source but appears to be signed by C. Schönher. Previously published in the 1880
edition, but not in the first edition, 1873. Wikimedia Commons. |
And so it came to be. Not just a Passover, but an Exodus, an escape, awaited the Jews. St. Paul applied this story to Jesus as well when he said that “Christ is our Passover.” The Seder meal that commemorates the liberation and the Passover was then employed by Christians as a reminder
of the blood that Christ shed on the cross at the hands of the Empire. The last lamb slain offered another exodus and liberation and Passover meal moment (the Last supper). |
|
| Rabbi Heschel reminds us that “the ultimate concern of the Jew is not personal salvation but
universal redemption.” All are invited into that communal salvation by making their contribution—every person participates at all times in the act of either destroying or redeeming the world.... |
By whatever we do, by every act we carry out, we either advance or obstruct the drama of redemption.* Indeed, “God is waiting for us to redeem the world.” Redemption “is a process that goes on all the time….Every person is called up to be a redeemer,” and “redemption takes place every moment,
every day.” Indeed, “the Messiah is in us.”* |
Something else that is going on all the time is evil. Today, especially, the blasphemy toward Mother Earth and her sacredness is visible to all. Climate Change threatens the existence of all of humanity and millions of other species with whom we share our sacred planet. |
“Portuguese youth climate activists take on 32 European governments in court.” Global News |
Is
a liberation for Mother Earth and all her creatures possible? Can an Exodus from the slavery of anthropocentrism and human narcissism happen anew this Earth Day? If so, that would be a Passover par excellence.
~To be continued. |
*Heschel citations in John C. Merkle, The Genesis of Faith: The Depth Theology of Abraham Joshua
Heschel, pp. 214f. See Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, Jennifer Listug, Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action. And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. And Fox, “Creation—All Our Relations,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, pp.
26-49.
Banner image: “Planet Earth First.” Photo by Photo Boards on Unsplash |
|
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 |
What meaning do you see in Passover and Earth Day landing on the same day this year? |
Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action
By Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and Jen Listug
In
the midst of global fire, earthquake and flood – as species are going extinct every day and national and global economies totter – the planet doesn’t need another church or religion. What it needs is a new Order, grounded in the Wisdom traditions of both East and West, including science and indigenous. An Order of the Sacred Earth united in one sacred vow: “I promise to be the best lover and defender of the Earth that I can be.”
Co-authored by Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, and Jennifer Berit Listug, with a forward by David Korten, this collection of essays by 21 spiritual visionaries including Brian Swimme, Mirabai Starr, Theodore Richards, and Kristal Parks marks the founding of the diverse and inclusive Order of the Sacred Earth, a community now evolving around the world.
“The
Order of the Sacred Earth not only calls us home to our true nature as Earth, but also offers us invaluable guidance and company on the way.” ~~ Joanna Macy, environmental activist and author of Active Hope. |
|
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. |
|
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but
a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this
magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit |
|
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. |
|
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 offers the Morning Worship Inspirational Message, “How Christian Mystics & the Challenges of Our Time Build Bridges to Buddhist Wisdom and Deep Ecumenism” hosted by Brentwood Inspired Living Center. Sunday, April 28, 10:00am Learn more 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 |
|
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.
|
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. |
|
Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
|
|
|
