The Prince of Peace

One of the wonderful archetypes of Christmas is that of “Prince of Peace.” All over the world, in many cultures, one can find the story of a wondrous male child born in difficult or miraculous circumstances, belonging to a royal household or on his way to found one, who must live for a time in disguise but ultimately is going to save his people from catastrophe.

Such a myth provided plenty of material for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke who applied it to Jesus of Nazareth, a real flesh-and-blood individual who lived a few decades before and needed a pedigree — or so these two Gospels independently believed. The reworking of the old myth containing the eternal archetype of the “Prince of Peace” together with a purposeful re-reading of some ancient messianic texts —especially from Isaiah — issued in the fabulous Infancy Gospels of Matthew and Luke, so full of dreams, angels, stars, and all kinds of wonder, together with homelessness while pregnant and flights from the danger of slaughter.

Myths and archetypes are not the same as historical truth, neither are they untrue. Also, they do not necessarily exist only in the mind. On the contrary, they can be very active in concrete reality, for good for ill. Such is the case with our “Prince of Peace” ideal which has inspired many religious figures to counteract the ill-conceived separation between values and politics.

In 1967, Pope Paul VI instituted “World Peace Day” to be celebrated on January 1 of each year. In his homily for that day, the pope said that peace brings with itself order, serenity, happiness, fraternity, freedom, hope, the energy for good work and the security that comes from it, the intention to restart and to progress, the healthy common good, and that mysterious human capacity to enjoy life while discovering its rapport with its inner principle and its supreme end: the God of Peace.

Pope Leo XIV will focus tomorrow, World Peace Day 2026, on that unarmed and disarming peace that has become his slogan since the day of his election. In the already published Message, the pope acknowledges that although many people today have hearts ready for peace, they are often overcome by a great sense of powerlessness. He then proceeds to notice the current high level of aggression in public and private life, due to the idealization of peace — we would say “sentimentalization” — which makes of it something to praise rather than something to live day by day.

Most importantly, Leo decries the current arms race and the calls for a rapid increase of public expenditures for weapons, which are dominating the scene in Europe right now. He does not accept the confrontational logic which now dominates global politics, deepening instability and unpredictability day by day. He is very lucid and explicit when he says that the idea of the deterrent power of military might, especially nuclear deterrence, is based on the irrationality of relations between nations. He openly criticizes communication campaigns and educational programs – at schools, universities and in the media – that spread a perception of threats and promote only an armed notion of defense and security.

One does not need to be a Roman Catholic to recognize that Paul VI had a brilliant idea and that his successor Leo, fifty years later, is a worthy interpreter of it. In a world ruled by confused and narcissistic politicians, a public figure who keeps the bar steady, fighting against the perception of the inevitability of more war, is a treasure.

The reworking of the original message of nonviolence of Jesus of Nazareth through the archetype of the “Prince of Peace” and then down through 2000 years of religious history has not always been felicitous, of course. The compromise of the Church with the Empire has distorted much of it, for a long time. But witnessing its return, in a contemporary, clear, and unyielding form, is a cause for rejoicing and hope.

Banner image: “Madonna and Child” painted by Fra Angelico and situated in the south corridor of the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence. Photo by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. on Flickr. Creative Commons

Queries for Contemplation

What power do you think the “Prince of Peace” archetype holds for you or others around you? 

Related Readings by Matthew Fox

Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life

Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable God

Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth

LETTERS TO POPE FRANCIS: Building a Church with Justice & Compassion

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

Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality

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

The Return of Father Sky: A Cosmic Mystery for Kids of All Ages