Week of 7/13-18/2026: Beauty, Extinction, the Pope, Migrant Crisis

This is a summary of the previous week’s daily meditations. Some are written by Matthew Fox (MF) and some are written by his colleague, Gianluigi Gugliermetto. (GG) You can click on any title to view the DM in its entirety. Also, remember that each Monday DM continues to include a video teaching by Matthew Fox. Thank you for your loyal readership.

July 13, 2026: Beauty & Grace, Aquinas & Eckhart: Medicine in a Time of Despair (MF)
n a time so fraught with evil and despair, the need to remember everyday beauty becomes important for our very survival. Aquinas declared: The beautiful, which is God, is the end of all like the final cause of all things. For all things have been made in order that they imitate the divine beauty in whatever way possible. Eckhart talks about beauty and grace: “Grace does no work—rather it infuses all beauty into the soul.” Eckhart teaches that the ultimate in beauty is compassion.  “Compassion divinely adorns the soul.” Eckhart calls the human soul “exquisite” and praises how it resembles divinity and, like a “temple, gleams so beautifully and shines so purely and clearly.”

July 14, 2026: From the Good & the Beautiful to Species Extinction & the Ugly (MF)
It is so important that we remain connected to our experiences of beauty of all kinds during this time of upheaval and chaos. There is a reason why the mystics identify God as “Beauty itself.” Beauty is found not just in what we call “the arts” and in nature, but many astronauts and cosmonauts have had their lives changed forever by their experience of seeing our beautiful planet from space. They report a kind of reverence and gratitude that wells up inside them. Meanwhile, some humans live an existence utterly devoid of gratitude and grace. Does humanity, for instance, kill beauty when we kill other species? The main reason species are on the brink of extinction is that “there is almost no place left for them to live.” Habitats have been paved over, burned, or otherwise destroyed.

July 15, 2026: The Ugly & Mortal Sin of Killing Off Other Species by Legal Fiat (MF)
Today, most of humanity is waking up to the reality of what Pope Francis called our “species narcissism.” A landmark environmental law in place for the last 50 years to safeguard more than 1700 species and their habitats was just gutted by Trump. The Center for Biological diversity deputy director called the new plan “a death sentence for wolverines, monarch butterflies, Florida manatees and so many other animals and plants that desperately need our help.” Shouldn’t our “defense departments” the world over put their immense resources to defending these species instead of trying to eradicate our own? A 2023 poll found that 80% of registered voters favored full funding of the Endangered Species Act and 73% view biodiversity as important to their everyday lives. 

July 16, 2026: The American Pope (GG)
Pope Leo XIV has been pope for a little over one year. Let’s look at how he’s done. In a remarkably symbolic act, on July 4th, he went to the island of Lampedusa, a place where many refugees have sought shelter after a periolous journey on the sea. While there, Pope Leo gave a speech reminding America that welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants has been part of our history from the very beginning. On another note, he has stated that the Catholic moral position on sex remains the same, but he immediately added that it is time to stop considering sexual morality as the most important topic. Upon recently receiving the Liberty Medal, Pope Leo stated that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are completely compatible with the Christian message.

July 17, 2026: Lampedusa (GG)
Lampedusa, though part of Italy, is closer to the shores of northern Africa. Thus it is easier for refugees to reach, though a great many die at sea. Those who make it are often employed, in both Italy and Europe, to do the heavy jobs in construction, road maintenance, and agriculture. But that doesn’t mean their immigration is in any way facilitated. There is a desire (perhaps subconscious) to make them suffer. Meanwhile, the 6000 people who inhabit Lampedusa have been faced with countless dehydrated, sick and hungry people arriving on their shores on a regular basis. The Lampedusans have responded by organizing shelter and food. But now the current right-wing government of Italy has taken over, intercepting the refugee boats and taking the migrants to very distant “safe ports” far from the Sicilian coast. There is a movement to expel from the country those  “whose culture does not align with ours.” Sadly, fascism and racism is alive and well.

July 18, 2026: The Cardinal from Naples (GG)
One prophetic voice of our times is that of Cardinal Domenico Battaglia. He was once called a “street priest” because he devoted his early years as a priest to drug-addicted people and their recovery. In March 2026, he penned a letter to the Merchants of Death, i.e., weapons manufacturers and tradesmen. Here are some excerpts: To you who trade with the blood of men, to you who count profits while mothers count their children….I do not speak to you as a judge. I have no courts to open. I speak to you as a man and a pastor. As a believer wounded by the ferocity of the times.…Let the tears you’ve kept out of your rooms reach you. Let the names of the dead enter your boardrooms. Let a mother come and disturb your accounts. Let the Gospel ruin your peace….You must become human again. 

Sign the petition to save the Endangered Species Act, HERE.

Banner image: “Migrants on an inflatable boat in the Mediterranean approach the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney in 2016. The migrants were given food and water. A nearby merchant vessel was recruited to take them to safety.”Photo by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet on Wikimedia Commons

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. 

The Beloved Will Guide You: St. John of the Cross and the Triple Dark Night of Our Times

Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation

Prayer: A Radical Response to Life

Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations.

A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness With Social Justice.

Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ.

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

Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings in Creation Spirituality.

The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance.