February 10: T.S. Eliot on the Mystics as Medicine for Despair
“The mystics — or else despair,” said T.S. Eliot. The writings and actions of the mystics (and the mystic inside all of us) bring hope and medicine to combat the despair that tempts us to just give up when faced with oppression too great to bear. The mystic ignites “the fire, the fire inside,” as St. John of the Cross wrote in his poem about the Dark Night. That fire, as Meister Ekhart wrote, is also the spiritual warrior in us, who fights for justice and love. For Rumi, that fire is “the ruler of all hearts.”
February 11: Mystics, Lovers, Warriors, Community, Work as Love
Another theme from the poems of John of the Cross, is “toda sciencia tracendiendo,” “burst the mind’s barrier.” Meaning, mystical love breaks through the rational brain to the intuitive or mystical brain which ignites the fire of love and justice that refuses to yield to despair. Note how the Spanish word “tracendiendo” is similar to the Via Transformativa. Eco-philosopher David Orr describes hope as “a verb with the sleeves rolled up.” The Via Transformativa gathers allies, speaks the truth and does the truth, in the name of compassion and justice. Even Julian of Norwich, in the midst of the bubonic plague, could write, “God will refill what is lacking and restore us with the action of mercy and grace.”
February 12: Today: The 20th Anniversary of Spiritual Warrior Sr. Dot’s Martyrdom
Matthew honors Sister Dorothy Stang’s 40 years of working with the peasants in the Amazon region, helping them build schools and defend the rainforest from greedy landowners who wanted to cut it down for lumber or cattle ranches. She lobbied lawmakers, and helped build sustainable businesses like growing cacao and other forest-friendly crops. Her devotion to the works of Hildegard of Bingen helped strengthen her resistance to powerful forces. For this she was gunned down. February 12, 2025 is the 20th anniversary of her martyrdom. Her life and sacrifice is still honored in Latin America and around the world.
the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur interview Cirlene, one of her students.
February 13: On Praying the News in Times of Danger and Darkness
Matthew shares a prayer from Rabbi Irwin Keller as a way of protecting oneself from too much doomscrolling: My God, the soul you have placed in my is pure and vulnerable. I am afraid that looking at today’s news will be painful. Encircle me in a robe of light, so that I can witness the wounds of the world without being wounded myself. Let me learn what I need to know in order to be of my greatest use, without being overwhelmed by despair. I feel your protective light now as I open myself to the world’s suffering and the world’s joys. Amen. This prayer acknowledges both the Via Negativa (awareness of the world’s suffering) and the Via Positiva (joy in seeing good people doing good things).
February 14: Love & Justice, J.D. Vance and Pope Francis
Matthew makes the case for continuing to use the term “spiritual warrior” even though it contains the word “war:” There is a big difference between a soldier and a warrior. Rather, a greater danger lurks in the splitting of “love” from “justice.” We have seen the danger of this in J.D. Vance’s recent dispute with Pope Francis, in which Vance misquoted Thomas Aquinas to claim that the people who are in one’s inner circle are more deserving of love than suffering peoples in far-distant poor nations. Such an attitude sacrifices justice, which should include love, and love should include justice, as Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan shows.
February 15: Honoring the Courage of Those Who Sacrifice & Follow Conscience
When the peasants of the rainforest buried martyred Sr. Dorothy Stang, they said, “We are not burying you. We are planting you.” Meaning, that the forest and justice would grow fruit elsewhere. Other modern-day prophets, such as Rabbi Heschel and Pema Chodrin, emulate the courageous way of Jesus,, who braved “great dangers for great things,” as Aquinas said. This week, we witnessed US Attorney Danielle Sasson and several other prosecutors refuse to comply with an order to drop her prosecution of corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, choosing instead to resign and walk away from their jobs. It is worth nothing that Ms. Sasson is herself Republican, but could not in good conscience comply with a directive from her Republican superiors.
Banner Image: The “Warrior 2” pose from yoga is one of the most powerful stances for stoking inner strength and courage. Photo by Charles Wills on Flickr.
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
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
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
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.
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement 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 images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.
2 thoughts on “Week of February 10-15, 2025: Fighting Back Despair, Honoring Courage”
LOVE WISDOM TRUTH PEACE JUSTICE HEALING TRANSFORMATION COMPASSION… for All within, through, among Us for All in the Sacred Process of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT with-in OUR SOURCE CO-CREATOR’S LOVING EVOLVING DIVERSE ONENESS….
Amen.