Week of 12/1-6/2025: The Media, Gaza/Israel, & Gratitude

This is a weekly summary of the previous week’s Daily Meditations. Some are written by Matthew Fox (MF), and some by Gianluigi Gugliermetto (GG). You can click on the title of a DM in order to view the original piece in its entirety. Also, please note, we will continue to offer a video teaching by Matthew each Monday.

December 1, 2025: Trump vs. The Media: A Guardian Victory & Lessons For Media Who Grovel (MF)
Recently, a judge threw out a $250 million case against The Guardian-–one of many lawsuits filed by Trump in order to intimidate media corporations who dare to speak out against him. The primary issue at stake was Trump Media, owners of “Truth Social” and the $8 million of loans it received from suspected Russian ties. Those loans “helped keep the company afloat long enough for Trump to take it public last year, when he netted an additional paper fortune of about $4.6 billion.” The suit accused The Guardian of “harboring a bias” against Trump Media and “frequently publish(ing) articles critical of Donald Trump.” Kudos to The Guardian for not groveling at the feet of intimidating politicians. Other noteworthy authors and podcasters include: Timothy Snyder, who wrote On Tyranny; Mary L. Trump who has a Substack and reports on the news daily; and Thom Hartmann whose new book is The Last American President: A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink.

December 2, 2025: Hope: What Good Journalism & Citizens Rising Up Can Accomplish (MF)
Thom Hartmann, in Common Dreams, informs us of something in history that many of us probably do not know about. When Adams was president and Jefferson VP (and of a different party!), Adams became increasingly “authoritarian to the point of jailing numerous newspaper editors who disagreed with him.” Part of his strategy was to vilify “Jefferson and his Party as anti-American….” Sound familiar? People responded with protests in the streets. Adams employed the army to threaten protestors, but the states fought back. Jefferson ended up winning the next election and Adams’ party, the Federalists, faded into obscurity. Then, in his recent book The Last American President, Hartmann tells the story of how “America’s Voting Rights were stolen in 2024.” Thom says: This isn’t speculative: it’s the cold, hard math based on documented evidence from our own federal government.

December 3, 2025: Victims/Colonizers (GG)
Sadly, infuriatingly, bombing and killings in Gaza have not stopped, despite the ceasefire agreement. There continue to be about 100 violent deaths per week. A video of two Palestinian men being executed minutes after having raised their hands has drawn a formal condemnation from several European governments. In addition, images of dead Palestinian men returned to their families from Israeli prisons show clear signs of torture on their bodies. One Israeli recently said: “Historically, we are the only colonizers with the identity of victims.” Perhaps the unflinching engagement of Rabbis for Human Rights, Breaking the Silence, and many other organizations from within Israeli and Palestine have prepared the ground for a radical change. We must hope that the cracking point will soon be reached and that the difficult work of justice can soon begin.

December 4, 2025: Hypocrisy and Colonialism (GG)
The European Union once valued such qualities as  democracy, respect for individual liberties and rights, the welcoming of diversity, and solidarity as a general policy. It was especially inspiring that the EU was born of ex-enemies who pledged to end wars amongst themselves and with the rest of the world forever. Now, the EU is not only a humungous bureaucratic apparatus, but is perpetuating the worst colonial policies, creating havoc and misery around the world, while hypocritically talking about “Western values.” Meanwhile, the crisis in Ukraine is taken as a pretext for the sudden rearmament of all of Europe. But it’s possible that nobody really cares about the people of Ukraine, they just want their minerals and resources. So, Europeans live a life of hypocrisy, while America must endure the daily show of greed and cruelty. 

December 5, 2025: The Soul of Europe (MF)
Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur of the UN for the occupied Palestinian territories, has clearly shown with facts and numbers in her last report that not only the U.S. but the EU nations in particular have such deep ties with the economy of Israel that they could have stopped the killings many months ago simply by interrupting all trade with it. Spain and Ireland have taken the right steps on their own, while the governments of France and the UK have tried to appease their populations with the formal approval of a Palestinian state, but without adopting economic sanctions. Marches and protests, including the stopping of weapons cargo in seaports, are continuing all over Europe. GG has recently observed Palestinian flags popping up everywhere in his own region in Northern Italy, even in remote Alpine villages. Clearly, the soul of Europe now lives in Palestine.

December 6, 2025: Gratitude & The Via Positiva in the Midst of Dark Times (MF)
Matthew considers Thom Hartmann one of the most courageous and lucid prophetic writers of our time. In addition to a powerful book, The Last American President, Thom wrote an article called “The Radical Power of Gratitude to Rewire Your Brain and Life.” He begins by giving thanks to his “spiritual mentor, Gottfried Muller,” who taught him the practice of daily gratitude. Thom’s path is one of practicing the Via Positiva. In nature and toward nature and for nature. All the creation mystics celebrate the powers of gratitude. Julian of Norwich: “This is the holiest prayer—the loving prayer of thanksgiving.” Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.” Practicing Gratitude might be a wonderful practice in this time of the dark night of self, society, and the Earth. 

Banner image: A protest for Palestinians in Gaza. The rally began at Penn Station where Pro-Israel protestors were present and ended with a march. Photo by Bruce Emmerling. Wikimedia Commons.

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society

Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ

Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice

Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision For a New Generation, by Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox

Prayer: A Radical Response to Life