The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Glory, Doxa, Christmas and
Continuous Incarnation By Matthew Fox 12/25/2025 Catch Matthew Fox on "What is the Real Meaning of Christmas" --Holistic Edge Radio host and producer Enoe Aracely Brown interviews Matthew Fox, live, today, 12/25, 11am ET / 8am PT here: https://prn.live |
A Blessed Christmas to all. Theologian Dorothy Soelle talks in one of her poems about the “irresistible appeal” of Jesus. One does not have to be Christian to feel that appeal—Thich Nhat Hanh felt it as a child and wrote two significant books about Christ as an adult. He understood the message of
Christ as well or better than most Christians. And he was a Buddhist monk. |
A 42-year-old friend of mine from Thailand is a practicing Buddhist, and he, too, felt close to Jesus from childhood on. Indeed, he has made frequent pilgrimages on the Camino in France and Spain and has even chosen to live along that Camino in Portugal. |
“Doxa” (Glory). Painting by M.C. Richards, from Matthew Fox’s personal collection. Published with permission. |
Artists often intuit the core message of Jesus and the Christ more fully than theologians. Potter, painter, poet and a beloved teacher at our ICCS and University of Creation Spirituality program, M.C. Richards, is one such artist who understood Christmas as truly as anyone I know. In her painting reproduced as the
banner picture above, she paints in simple form and memorable color, the Christmas story as she and the author of John’s Gospel see it. It is my privilege to wake up to this Christmas message every morning, as her painting hangs on a wall next to my bed. It is also the last thing I see before I go to sleep at night. (My dog sleeps on her bed right under the painting and adjacent to my bed so the four-legged ones, just as at the first Christmas, are represented there too as witness.) Witness to what? To the glory, the doxa–as the Jewish Scriptures say, “the whole earth is filled with God’s glory.” That is what MC is painting in this Christmas meditation—the birth of Glory, the presence of glory, the story of Christmas, therefore. Even when my bedroom is quite dark, the gold color of this painting
exhibits a subtle glory. |
“Adoration of the Shepherds,” Painting by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622. Wikimedia Commons. | Glory can be subtle, and glory can be loud. But it is always with us—if we have eyes and heart to see. John’s Gospel, which is the last of the gospels and the author therefore had the longest time to meditate on the meaning of Jesus’ birth and the Christ story, talks frankly of the role of
glory. |
And also the role of light. The word was made flesh
he lived among us,
(pitched his tent among
us),
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth. (Jn 1.14) Angels appear to the shepherds to announce the good news. Shepherds are among the poorest and most despised members of society (who live with the sheep and smell like them). We are told that “the glory of the Lord shone round” the shepherds when the great throng of angels appeared and sang, Glory to God in the highest heaven,
And peace to people who enjoy his favor. (Lk 2.9, 14) Thus, “Glory” is the first word out of the mouth of the
angels. |
About
light, John’s gospel says: All that came to be has life in him
And that life was the light of humans,
A light that shines in the dark,
A light that darkness could not overpower (or grasp)….
The Word was the true light
That enlightens all people… |
|
To all who did accept him
He gave power to become children of God. (Jn 1.4,5, 9,12) The glory of the occasion is something we experience every day. Life and existence are filled with doxa and
glory. There is a spark in all creatures, including the human soul, that too is a point of glory and the presence of the divine, the ancilla animae or spark of the soul. The divine is very near and born among and within us. We are all participants daily in such an incarnation. It is
continuous. |
Banner Image: “Mother and Child.” Painting by M.C. Richards, from Matthew Fox’s collection. Published with permission. |
Queries for Contemplation What do you see in M.C. Richards’ painting of the nativity scene? Do you
experience the birth of doxa and glory and the Christ on a daily basis? An ongoing incarnation and an ongoing Christmas? Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialogue, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
|
| Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist An Important Conversation with Matthew Fox and Gil Duran Did you miss this two-session series with its powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and |
authentic spirituality? This is your
chance to add it to your library of classics to be watched, re-watched, and contemplated. Fox explores the archetype of Christ and Antichrist as it plays out in our world today but also in artists of old. He draws from the teachings of Jesus and Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Carl Jung, and other mystics and visionaries, illuminating the stark contrast between life-giving and life-destroying spiritual energies. Purchase HERE. |
UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox in a free 4-session Online Lecture/Discussion/Q&A event, “Creation Spirituality and the Celebrating & Healing of Mother Earth & Ourselves,” co-presented by the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin and Matthew Fox Legacy Project. Wednesdays, January 14, 21,28, February 4, 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm
PT January 14 - Creation as an Original Blessing and the Springboard of Awe and Wonder January 21 - Sacred Mother Earth: The Holiness of Creation and Recovering the Cosmic Christ January 28 - The Cosmic Mass, and the Stations of the Cosmic Christ: Reinvigorating Liturgy and Rituals February 4 - Jesus as a Teacher of Democracy and the Renewal of Education and Values through the “10 Cs” Register HERE |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting HERE, Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Awakening the Divine Human: An Immersion in the Living Wisdom of Creation Spirituality …a week-long retreat in Sardinia, Italy, May 25-30, 2026 Join us on the sacred
island of Sardinia for a deeply immersive 6-day retreat rooted in the teachings of Matthew Fox, C.G. Jung, and the ancient wisdom of the land. Set along the turquoise shores and among the Neolithic sites of this timeless Mediterranean island, this retreat invites you into a transformative journey of reconnection—with Earth, Self, Gender, and the Divine. Learn more HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Join Matthew Fox in a 6-Class Course: The Great Christian Mystics, exploring some of the richest and most inspiring mystic-prophets in the Christian lineage, including Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Thomas Aquinas,
and Meister Eckhart. Course includes six modules of pre-recorded lessons. Sign up HERE. |
|
|
Inspired by this post? Share your insights on BlueSky, Instagram, Universeodon, or Facebook using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
|
|
|
