The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 12/31/2025 Dear Readers. If you feel inclined, we would gratefully accept year-end tax deductible charitable gifts in any amount to support The Daily Meditations. Thank you so much! You may donate here. |
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 |
The Holy Family in a stable, with visitors. From the book The Golden Staircase: Poems and Verses for Children (1907) Wikimedia Commons. |
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. |
“Pope Paul VI and His Quest for Peace: 1963-1978 by Rev John F Tuohey, PhD.” Xlibris Publishing | 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. |
“Pope Leo XIV: Stop the Tragedy of War.” EWTN |
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. |
Queries for Contemplation What power do you think the “Prince of Peace” archetype holds for you or
others around you? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialogue, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
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| Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist An Important Conversation with Matthew Fox and Gil Duran Did you miss this two-session series with its powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and |
authentic spirituality? This is your
chance to add it to your library of classics to be watched, re-watched, and contemplated. Fox explores the archetype of Christ and Antichrist as it plays out in our world today but also in artists of old. He draws from the teachings of Jesus and Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Carl Jung, and other mystics and visionaries, illuminating the stark contrast between life-giving and life-destroying spiritual energies. Purchase HERE. |
UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox in a free 4-session Online Lecture/Discussion/Q&A event, “Creation Spirituality and the Celebrating & Healing of Mother Earth & Ourselves,” co-presented by the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin and Matthew Fox Legacy Project. Wednesdays, January 14, 21,28, February 4, 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm
PT January 14 - Creation as an Original Blessing and the Springboard of Awe and Wonder January 21 - Sacred Mother Earth: The Holiness of Creation and Recovering the Cosmic Christ January 28 - The Cosmic Mass, and the Stations of the Cosmic Christ: Reinvigorating Liturgy and Rituals February 4 - Jesus as a Teacher of Democracy and the Renewal of Education and Values through the “10 Cs” Register HERE |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting HERE, Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Awakening the Divine Human: An Immersion in the Living Wisdom of Creation Spirituality …a week-long retreat in Sardinia, Italy, May 25-30, 2026 Join us on the sacred
island of Sardinia for a deeply immersive 6-day retreat rooted in the teachings of Matthew Fox, C.G. Jung, and the ancient wisdom of the land. Set along the turquoise shores and among the Neolithic sites of this timeless Mediterranean island, this retreat invites you into a transformative journey of reconnection—with Earth, Self, Gender, and the Divine. Learn more HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Join Matthew Fox in a 6-Class Course: The Great Christian Mystics, exploring some of the richest and most inspiring mystic-prophets in the Christian lineage, including Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Thomas Aquinas,
and Meister Eckhart. Course includes six modules of pre-recorded lessons. Sign up HERE. |
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