Catching The Wave

Although “hero,” “ancestor,” and “saint” do not mean exactly the same thing, I have suggested that they are functionally equivalent for us at the present time. All of them, in fact, are models of courage for us as well as strategic resources. 

Nonetheless, the archetype of the hero includes the notion that the fight against evil can be won. The dualisms of light and darkness, good and evil, virtue and sin are the necessary backdrop of heroism, and while occasionally a hero may succumb to overwhelming forces, it is understood that in the long run his war against evil will be won.

This is, however, quite problematic from a spiritual point of view. From a wisdom perspective, evil will never be eliminated. It will accompany the human journey until its very end. This is at least one way to understand Jesus when he says: “The poor, you will always have them with you” (Matthew 26:11). 

This verse has been wrongly used as a justification for the systems of oppression that cause poverty. On the contrary, it takes for granted that poverty is caused by oppression, while it includes the acknowledgment that a complete liberation from it is not something that anybody in flesh and blood will ever witness. The end of evil is reserved for the end-times.

In one of his earlier books, now titled Prayer, Matthew Fox expounds the simple yet very significant distinction between “problem” (i.e. that which can be solved) and “mystery” (i.e. that which must be contemplated, confronted, journeyed through). And in the list of major mysteries, he includes evil — together with life, death, nature, the otherness of people, love and sexuality, and the personal call to become oneself. Evil, so far as it is a mystery, refuses to be manipulated or dealt with by pressure.

So why fighting?

In my view, truly spiritual people understand that their call to transform themselves and the social structures around them is native to their soul. Not engaging such a call means for them to wither away. Fighting against evil is not connected to the certainty, and not even to the probability, that evil will disappear. Also, it does not mean to identify oneself or one’s side with the good, as it implies instead the ability to take a sharp look at one’s shadow. It simply means that resisting evil gives meaning to life.

Besides, many good things can happen in the process. Through social upheavals and reforms, for example, democratic systems may be established in some lands for long stretches of time. While they should not purport to bring about absolute justice, they are far better than tyranny and oligarchy. As we are painfully learning these days, democratic systems are not perennial. At their best, they are incomplete in their search to obtain “justice for all.” But this is not a good reason to stop building them, and the rebuilding them ever better after they collapse. 

If we truly are “saints in progress” and if holiness means “cosmic hospitality,” we will never be out of a job. In each and any system we are part of — be it a political body, a church/synagogue/- mosque, an educational institution, our relationship/family, our own soul — we will always look for its homeostasis, for balancing its energies, for making things a little more just, balanced, and flowing.

The point is not winning the war. The point is to win battles, for sure, but that isn’t the same. Perhaps we should be wary of bringing too much “hero-energy” to the fight, while more “saint-energy” is needed. Less dualism, which usually carries with it more ability to withstand opposition for longer stretches of time. 

I am confident that the present trying circumstances in our social and political life will help train and sharpen many souls. Especially young souls. Does this justify the injustice that is being perpetrated? Obviously not. But a cosmic voyage, like that of the whole of creation, goes in ebbs and flows. Our job is to catch the wave and have a great ride.

---

Quotation from Matthew Fox’s Prayer: A Radical Response to Life, p. 41.

See also Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.

And Fox, Trump and the MAGA Movement as Antichrist.

And Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice.

And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times.

Banner Image: Catching the wave — “Neptune’s Horses” by Walter Crane (1845-1915). Wikimedia Commons. 

---

Queries for Contemplation

How do I overcome my inner optimist and my inner pessimist, in order to become a true fighter for justice?

---

Recommended Reading

Prayer: A Radical Response to Life

How do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? Fox defines prayer as a radical response to life that includes our “Yes” to life (mysticism) and our “No” to forces that combat life (prophecy). How do we define adult prayer? And how—if at all—do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? One of Matthew Fox’s earliest books, originally published under the title On Becoming a Musical, Mystical Bear: Spirituality American Style, Prayer introduces a mystical/prophetic spirituality and a mature conception of how to pray. Called a “classic” when it first appeared, it lays out the difference between the creation spirituality tradition and the fall/redemption tradition that has so dominated Western theology since Augustine. A practical and theoretical book, it lays the groundwork for Fox’s later works. “One of the finest books I have read on contemporary spirituality.” – Rabbi Sholom A. Singer

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

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.

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice

In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register

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

---