11/03/2025
- Did you know that peace and pact are related?
Yep! Both come from the Latin pacem, the plural of which is pax...say that out loud, and you'll probably go, "Oh, of course!" Because, naturally, a pact is "an accord, an agreement," and the root definition of peace is "freedom from civil disorder."
I've examined peace before at the start of Advent, during the week that specifically celebrates peace, and you can view that here.
Today, I was struck by that relationship between peace and agreements between people. It makes perfect sense in a national or international context, right? We have to agree to peace, agree to put down our weapons and live in unity.
So what about internal peace?
The word peace has been used for internal peace since the 1200s as well, and it meant primarily "freedom from the passions." In other words, we don't let ourselves be swayed by what might be a tempest of feeling. In a way, it's a pact, a treaty that we make within our own spirit. A Stoic might say, "I will not be moved by you, emotions." As Christians, we choose instead to say, "No matter what I feel, I have a King who rules all, and this too is in His hands."
Come back on Thursday for a deeper dive into what peace should mean for us, as we use a famous (GORGEOUS!) prayer as our template!
Discover more words on the blog. https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2025/11/word-of-the-week-peace-2.html
