We’re all feeling the direness of our instances, instances of loopy and merciless and immoral wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan. Occasions of a loopy and vile struggle in opposition to our widespread Mom Earth who’s reeling beneath the load of local weather change, whereas politicians promote their souls to fossil gasoline firms and deny matricide is occurring.
The struggle in opposition to democracy rages in lots of locations world wide together with the oldest democracy, America, the place darkish forces of lies, greed, hatred, resentment and vengeance are hell-bent on demolishing Medicaid, Medicare, Social Safety, and civil rights legal guidelines fought and died for sixty years in the past. Why? So as to make approach for $4.5 trillion tax cuts for the richest 1% and their favored companies.
The mystics name this a time of the “Darkish Night time of the Soul” which Rabbi Heschel modified to the “Darkish Night time of Society,” and I’ve additional up to date to the “Darkish Night time of our Species.”
It has been my privilege the final 4 weeks to share methods to navigate these instances, in a program envisioned by Rev. Cameron Trimble referred to as “From Darkness to Daybreak: Non secular Braveness and Political Motion within the Age of MAGA,” joined by Mirabai Star, Andrew Harvey, Bishop Yvette Flunder, and, come tomorrow, Father Adam Bucko.
Tomorrow Christians rejoice the Feast Day of the Annunciation. Artists via the centuries have thrown themselves into celebrating and remembering this Good Information of their particular work.
Whether or not you’re a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, humanist, or atheist, allow us to droop perception in regards to the literal message of the Annunciation and simply hear the story: Across the 12 months 5 CE, an angel got here to a easy younger Jewish girl whose folks have been beneath the strangling would possibly of the Roman Empire, and informed her that she was to bear a particular youngster who could be blessed and bless others.
Allow us to not argue about whether or not this information is actually true or not. Allow us to simply acknowledge that billions of human beings over 2000 years (round 1.5 billion alive in the present day), some good and a few very unhealthy, have been enticed by this story. The story amazes and has attraction to anybody who want to see evil be overcome, empires soften away, love displace hate, fact displace falsehood, hope overcome concern, and which means banish despair and tedium.
On this time of ethical and political and earth upheaval, allow us to rise up for what this story guarantees. That youth and womanhood and motherhood and generativity can take part within the miracle (what Einstein referred to as “wonders”) of turning round darkness and despair.
“Existence is a miracle” mentioned the poet Rilke. In fact it’s. 13.8 billion years of the universe is a miracle, a surprise attractive to pursue greater than ever in the present day, with the assistance of science and the Webb Telescope asserting day by day the excellent news of the attractive cosmos, through which we now have all been invited to take part.
Given in the present day’s science, the Annunciation story tells us that about 250,000 years in the past, the Maker of the universe birthed our species on Earth—after which had a loopy concept. To hitch us round 2000 years in the past and to bear what we bear, all of the love and fantastic thing about this world, but additionally all of the vicissitudes that result in struggling and damaged hearts. And all of the challenges in standing as much as powers of evil and selecting compassion and justice over injustice.
Why start us after which be part of us? To share the divine pleasure.
A son of God inviting all people to be little children of God. A wild story and nonetheless information, excellent news.
See Matthew Fox, Sheer Pleasure: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality.
And Fox, Unique Blessing: A Primer on Creation Spirituality.
See Fox, Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Remodeling Evil in Soul and Society.
And Fox, “Non secular Warriorhood,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Knowledge Springing from World Faiths, pp. 404-422.
See additionally: Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ.
And Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ.
To learn the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video meditation, click on HERE.
Banner Picture: The Annunciation by Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-69) within the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork, London UK. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
How does meditating on the wealthy story of the Annunciation spark some hope in your personal soul?
Advisable Studying
Sheer Pleasure: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox renders Thomas Aquinas accessible by interviewing him and thus descholasticizing him. He additionally translated lots of his works resembling Biblical commentaries by no means earlier than in English (or Italian or German of French). He offers Aquinas a discussion board in order that he might be heard in our personal time. He presents Thomas Aquinas completely in his personal phrases, however in a type designed to permit late Twentieth-century minds and hearts to listen to him in a contemporary approach.
“The educating of Aquinas comes via will a fullness and an perception that has by no means been current in English earlier than and [with] an important message for the world in the present day.” ~ Fr. Bede Griffiths (Afterword).
Foreword by Rupert Sheldrake
Unique Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a complete new course for Christianity—a course that’s in reality very historic and really grounded in Jewish pondering (the truth that Jesus was a Jew is commonly uncared for by Christian theology): the 4 Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an prolonged and deeply developed approach.
“Unique Blessing makes accessible to the Christian world and to the human group a radical treatment for all darkish and derogatory views of the pure world wherever these might have originated.” –Thomas Berry, writer, The Dream of the Earth; The Nice Work; co-author, The Universe Story
Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had all the time shied away from utilizing the time period “Anti-Christ” as a result of it was so typically used to unfold management and concern. Nonetheless, given in the present day’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables on this guide using the archetype for the reason for justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a second, for analyzing the archetype of the Antichrist, it’s now…Learn this guide with an open thoughts. Good and evil are actual forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, writer of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For speedy entry to Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE.
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white pictures, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To obtain a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for speedy obtain.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Remodeling Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling writer Matthew Fox gives a brand new theology of evil that essentially modifications the normal notion of fine and evil and factors the way in which to a extra enlightened remedy of ourselves, each other, and all of nature. In evaluating the Japanese custom of the 7 chakras to the Western custom of the 7 capital sins, Fox permits us to suppose creatively about our capability for private and institutional evil and what we will do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a greater imaginative and prescient and depth of notion far past the grasp of anybody single science. A breath-taking evaluation.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, writer of Quantum Theology: Non secular Implications of the New Physics
One River, Many Wells: Knowledge Springing from World Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all of the world traditions for his or her knowledge and their inspiration in a piece that’s excess of an inventory of theological place papers however a brand new strategy to pray—to meditate in a world religious context on the knowledge all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes which might be foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all of the world religious traditions provide knowledge about every.“Studying One River, Many Wells is like getting into the wealthy silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you learn this textual content, you replicate, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Really no phrases can totally categorical my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to modern spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, writer of Anatomy of the Spirit
In what could also be thought of probably the most complete define of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the way through which the spirit of Christ resurrects when it comes to the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the younger, the rebirth of efficient types of worship—all of those mirroring the continuing blessings of Mom Earth and the restoration of Eros, the female side of the Divine.
“The eighth surprise of the world…convincing proof that our Western spiritual custom does certainly have the depth of creativeness to reinvent its religion.” — Brian Swimme, writer of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
“This guide is a basic.” Thomas Berry, writer of The Nice Work and The Dream of the Earth.
Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus.
It is a guide of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the photographs of 16 fantastic clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Collectively, these pictures and meditations go far past the normal Stations of the Cross to encourage a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the picture of God in all beings, so wanted in our instances.
“A divinely impressed guide that should be learn by each human being dedicated to religious and international survival. It’s cosmically sensible.” — Caroline Myss, writer of Anatomy of the Spirit
