The Paschal Mystery and the Mystery of the Cosmos

Yesterday we heard Paul say that to resurrect with Christ is to connect to “those things that are above” and the psalmist urges us to “seek the Face of God.”

To me this is an invitation to stretch out to the universe and to dive deep within our own universes, into our understanding of the world, of the cosmos, of our own lives and consciousness.  To go deep and find Divinity there.  Deep into the Joy and Beauty of the world and into the pain and suffering of the world.

Thomas Aquinas and Meister Eckhart, as we saw, say that this seeking and resurrecting is about developing virtues, good habits of bringing joy and justice to ourselves and others. 

One virtue that we see in nature is generosity.  Consider what Sufi mystic Hafiz says about the sun:

Even after all this time

the sun never says to the earth,

‘You owe me.’

Look what happens with a love like that,

It lights up the whole sky.

It is true, isn’t it, that the sun is constantly gifting us with its light and warmth—which is why we are scrambling now as a species to find how to convert that unending gift to clean and renewable energy and thus preserve the earth as we know it for the sake of future generations of humans and other species. 

Appropriately, Thomas Aquinas defined salvation this way: “The first and primary meaning of salvation is this:  To preserve things in the good.”  I can’t imagine a more appropriate understanding of redemption than that for a time of eco-extinction like ours.

The traditional Paschal mystery is about the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.  But what we have learned since Jesus walked the earth is that this process of Life, Death and Resurrection applies not only to humans but to all beings.  We know that supernovas live, die and resurrect, i.e. spread their elements to seed new beings; so do galaxies; so did the original fireball.  It is as if the Paschal mystery is a cosmic habit—all beings are engaged in this very mystery.

A three-fold dimension attaches itself to this journey for humans: Immensity; Intensity; and Intimacy.  Though life, death and resurrection are immense like the universe is immense, it is also intimate.  Like eating a meal is intimate, food is intimate (as in the Last Supper memorial).  And we know it is intense because our experience of these events are memorable.  They are hard to forget.

It is as if we humans are hard wired for immensity, intensity and intimacy.  When we reach out to the universe, its awe and its beauty and its generosity, it in turn reaches back to touch us with such memorable or mystical experiences which we call “Oneing” or “Ecstasy” or “Breakthrough” or “Resurrection.”

Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faith Traditions, p. 417;

Matthew Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 45-52;

Matthew Fox, Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet, pp. 64,186.  

And Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth, pp. 44-46, 51f.

To read a transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.

Banner Image: Rays of light shining on Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash.

Queries for Contemplation

Be still with Aquinas’s definition of Salvation.  Be still with Hafiz’s poem to the sun.  What does the Paschal Mystery mean to you?  And to our times? 

Recommended Reading

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

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

Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet

Because creativity is the key to both our genius and beauty as a species but also to our capacity for evil, we need to teach creativity and to teach ways of steering this God-like power in directions that promote love of life (biophilia) and not love of death (necrophilia). Pushing well beyond the bounds of conventional Christian doctrine, Fox’s focus on creativity attempts nothing less than to shape a new ethic.
“Matt Fox is a pilgrim who seeks a path into the church of tomorrow.  Countless numbers will be happy to follow his lead.” –Bishop John Shelby Spong, author, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in Sin

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.