NOTE: This weekend we at DM are altering our meditations slightly. Instead of the seven days a week of meditations in print with pictures and video, we are going to try a new format on weekends: A short, one paragraph meditation in print with a banner image; and a longer than usual meditation/commentary by video (roughly 5-7 minutes). It seems that YouTube has now made it possible for this to happen even on email messages, so we thought we would give it a try.
And this for two reasons. One is just to offer an alternative manner of communicating; and the second, to offer Matt an opportunity for more spoken-word creativity.
We hope you like this refreshed version of the daily meditations—it is just for weekends—the other five days a week will be as before.
And, thanks to our community member, Enrique, we learned how to provide closed-captioning. We hope you enjoy, please share!
One reliable and solid contemporary source for the theme of the “royal person” is the lead article in my book, Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes. Written by Biblical scholar Helen Kenik, who did her doctorate under Walter Brueggemann, it is rich with teachings on royal personhood as found in the Hebrew Bible. Titled, “Toward a Biblical Basis for Creation Theology,” she reminds us, among other things, that the J writer of the Hebrew Bible—the very first writer from the tenth century B.C.—is creation centered. Her study on the royal personhood includes: 1. Yahweh as creator/king and judge of justice in society and toward creation 2. Kingship as the role through which the created order in the world is preserved. 3. Royal personhood as demonstrated in the creation story (Gen 2: 4b-3:24); the ancestral history; the Joseph story.
What this adds up to is that climate change and its offspring like coronavirus are failures at our royal personhood because they are failures at preserving creation. And I would add, they and January 6 are failures at authentic manhood because they are failures at justice-making and preserving of a society based on justice as well. Yet hunting and gathering for solutions to coronavirus and to an endangered democracy would be healthy nobility and healthy masculinity, as would efforts to interfere with the extinction of species and the planet as we know it.
See Helen Kenik in Matthew Fox, ed., Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes, pp. 27-75.
Banner Image: “Man Climbing Brown Rocky Mountain.” Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels.
Queries for Contemplation
How do you see the theme of our common nobility applying to the pressing justice issues of our time? Either because it is lacking? Or because it can assist in healing?
Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes
In this book, Fox gathers scholars from various cultures and traditions such as Helen Kenik, Jon Sobrino, Nicolas Berdyaev, Rosemary Ruether, M. D. Chenu, Mary Jose Hobday, Ronald Miller, Monika Hellwig, James Kenney, Justin O’Brien and others to approach creation spirituality from many traditions and many angles.
“An exciting and important book…a pleasant alternative to the oppressive burden of the fall/redemption tradition.” ~ New Review of Books and Religion
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God
Upcoming Events
Join us for a Virtual Teach-in with Isa Gucciardi and Matthew Fox, hosted by Rev. Cameron Trimble.
August 13-14, 2021 (Fri-Sat)
Shamanism in Buddhism and Christianity
Session 1: Friday, August 13 at 4pm-6pm PT
Session 2: Saturday, August 14 at 9am-12pm PT
Session 3: Saturday, August 14 at 12:30pm-2:30pm PT
9 thoughts on “Biblical Source for Recovering our Nobility & Royal Personhood”
Thank you again Matthew. Your readings from Meister Eckhart today caused me to search online for biblical references to ‘sowing seeds’ and I found a full cornucopia in the Gospels as well as from the Hebrew bible. Clearly Jesus was bringing forth the message he had learned from the tradition into which he was born.
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sowing-Seeds
Diseases are likely in general when the seed of God within us is continually obstructed.
What a beautiful image you describe of the seed of divinity in us! Just imagine if we taught this to young children in a concrete way. I still remember Sister Irene teaching us to leave a little room in our seats for our guardian angel – that we each had our own, just to protect us.
Yes , its true Candace! “the seed of a pear tree grows into a pear tree; and a hazel seed grows in to a hazel tree; a seed of God grows into a seed of God”–and the seed of God is in us !!!
Such an interesting talk! I love the longer video! Thank you
Thank you for the input Uma !!!
I really love the new format.
Thanks so much for continuing to lift our spirits and for spreading joy and hope in these difficult times.
Joan Doyle
Upon much reflection as of late, with regards to all that has been shared during this week’s DMs, I have come to realize the importance of justice being united with love. Justice, in order to be what God intended it to be, must be in union with the nobility of love, truth, forgiveness and mercy. Justice, when in union with the royalty of our true nature, then leads to reconciliation, restoration, renewal, rebirth and resurrection. If justice is not in union with these things, then it leads to rejection, retribution, retaliation and revenge.
I think of the sculptures humanity has made to represent its own intention of justice. In these, I see why the eyes of justice are covered and veiled, and why the scales of justice are imbalanced.
Why is it that humanity has become so blind to the Godly intentions of justice and the nobility and healing power of love, truth, forgiveness and mercy, and what these royal things together can lead us to.
Could it be due to the oppression and suppression of the the sacred feminine and the wisdom of her healing ways, by the many man made rules and laws of the imbalanced masculine? Do we not see this also unconsciously represented in the sculptures humanity has made, to represent its own intention of justice?
Do we not see the contradiction of the words often engraved with these unconscious images, poised within the institutions of justice mankind has made… those being, “In God We Trust”? In reality, are we really trusting in the healing ways God intends justice to be… nobly clothed in the royal mantle of our true nature of love, truth, forgiveness and mercy, with the tip of her sword grounded in the healing wisdom of reconciliation, restoration, renewal, rebirth and resurrection?
Jeanette, These words say it all: “I have come to realize the importance of justice being united with love. Justice, in order to be what God intended it to be, must be in union with the nobility of love, truth, forgiveness and mercy.” Amen, Amen…