(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Matthew Fox is a spiritual theologian who was an ordained priest since 1967
in the Catholic Church. He now holds Masters degrees in philosophy and
theology from Aquinas Institute and a Doctorate in Spirituality, summa
cum laude, from the Institut Catholiques de Paris. A liberation theologian
and progressive visionary, he was silenced by the Vatican and later dismissed
from the Dominican order. After dismissal he was received as an Episcopal
priest by Bishop William Swing of the Diocese of California.
Steve Turner interviewed Matthew Fox for Third Way in June of 1995 and also
printed the article in the (UK) Times 8/25/95. He explains the tradition
of original blessing, rather than original sin. He goes on to explain in
the interview that the idea of “Original Sin” was not used until the fourth
century, by Augustine. It is the tradition of the great mystics of the West:
Hildergard, Francis, Aquinas, Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, it is the tradition
of the anawim itself. It does not fit into the empire building ambitions
of Christianity.
Matthew Fox goes on to say that the experience of the divine all around us
and through us is “what it’s all about. Existence is Holy and it’s about
beginning our spiritual journey with awe and wonder instead of guilt. It’s
about discovering the deep down goodness in things. Christ is alive in all
things and all things have a being, and as a result are bearers of the Holy.”
He tells Mr. Turner that when the human being gets out of balance, “cancer
can set in, even Aids. We don’t know enough about the biological tales of
our universe to pass judgement.”
Matthew Fox is asked by Steve Turner if beauty and terror go together. He
replied, “Absolutely: that’s the meaning of the crucifixion. That’s the beauty
of Christianity and of the Cosmic Christ. Christ is in the wounds as well
as the light.” Continuing, Fox makes an analogy using physics, explaining
that the proton is found in every atom of the universe. John 1 states the
same, that Christ is alive in all things. He shares with us the German mystic
Hildergard’s quote that “every creature is a glittering mirror of divinity.”
Fox states emphatically, “That’s the Cosmic Christ.”
He recounts the terror of human history, empires that have come and gone,
and yes, our religious folly. Our great leaders like Ghandi, Martin Luther
King, and many others standing for human compassion, have been assassinated.
Fox says, “If you cannot acknowledge the Holy in things, the holy in all things,
the sacred in all things, and the right for all things to be here far beyond
the human agenda, then we are involved in a self-destructive path.” He bemoans
the fact that we are the first civilization to set up a desacrilation world
society. He tells us to look at the psychology industry and pharmaceutical
companies, “trying to pump a little life into these depressed souls.” He
looks at entertainment in America and the fact that we are living vicariously,
slipping into couch potato lifestyles. He fears the desire to live will evaporate
if we do not change. The consequences of this desacrilation of life are ultimately
dragging all species down with us on Earth today. It is imperative that we
recover a sense of the sacred or he warns, “we’ll never know what life is
about and we’ll have nothing to teach our young people.”
Matthew Fox says in this online interview, “I would like to see Christianity
move from being a religion, to being a way of life and spirituality again.
It doesn’t have to be a religion anymore. The empires are over.” An awakening
of the human species is called for, he feels, and the Gospels, along with
the Christian mystical tradition, can help us. “We need to become aware of
the Cosmic Christ, which means recognizing that every being has within it
the light of Christ. This is a source of both revelation and reverence. If
we have that awareness we can no longer take things for granted. The grace
of gratitude is what will save us from an ecological crisis and the malaise
that is upon us now.” The theologian makes the point that people live their
whole lives externally and this in turn allows for addictions. The economic
system itself is based upon feeding these addictions, he surmises. He warns
that the species has to do better.
He also touches on the good works that Christianity accomplishes, like charities,
prison programs, shelters, food banks, these are all charitable works that
other religions could emulate. Christian charities set the standard, and
metaphysicians would do well to follow this example.