Sign of Peace at EWTN

[GloriousOrder]

Taken together , these two things add about 20 minutes to the length of the Mass. You’d think these activities would die out quickly just for this reason.

Dear friend, it seems to me that Mass should be as long as possible. The reason I am against the establishment of the E.M.H.C. ministry is because it’s meant to speed things along! I personally want to be in Mass as long as possible, and anything that draws out this holy experience is worth it. If the priest did everything again, like in the T.L.M., it would drag out and we’d be peering behind the veil of Heaven for even longer!

In my opinion the sign of peace in present form distracts the attention from the presence of Jesus Christ, who is ready to give himself to feed us, to the community. He brings the peace, but by Himself, not by our sharing.

This is one thing that bothers me too. Every time the Sign of Peace is approaching, I feel guilty because I know I’ll have to turn around to greet people behind me. This would be alright if Christ wasn’t really present up on the altar, but He is. Do you know how awkward and confusing it is to begin believing in the Real Presence, and then see every Catholic turning his back to the altar for several minutes to exchange this Sign? It just seems like we’re turning our back on the One who has just come down from Heaven once more to greet us. He’s God, and He’s right there!

 

[Georgia]

You really hit the nail on the head. Should we be turning our attention away from Our Lord? Shouldn’t our entire focus be on the One who bought us with His pain?

I sometimes think these activities are leftovers from the touchy-feely self-help movements. It’s like the we have introduced the outside world into the Mass because it makes us feel good. I am not at all sure we are intended to get those feelings from the Mass.

You see more and more of that in the Mass. I visited another parish for a recent Mass when the choir did a very impressive piece as the priest and the deacon were clearing the altar. At the conclusion of the beautiful song of praise, the congregation applauded. At that parish, the congregation always applauds the musicians at the end of every Mass I have attended there.

Hand-holding during the Our Father, applause, lay people assuming the Orans posture, loud conversations before the Mass, people blowing into the church after the homily has begun, immodest dress for Mass, the times they are a changing. Maybe it would be a good time to re-introduce the solemn into the Mass.

 

[rwoehmke]

In my opinion it is a serious mistake to see the Mass, the celebration of the Eucharist, a sign of unity, as being only either vertical or horizontal, when it should be both. My son attends a local Baptist Church where everyone takes pains to greet each other graciously. The Baptist liturgy itself sucks, but the joy and unity one feels there is extremely uplifting. If only we could add that on to what we in the Catholic Church have, people like my son and many others would not be leaving in droves for other faith communities where they feel welcome. Seems like Catholics are not only xenophobic, but they can’t abide each other either.

 

[JReducation]

We have to be very careful not to upset our own inner peace with scruples or with believes that are inconsistent with the beliefs of the Church.

The problem with the sign of peace is not the gesture itself. The problem is the inappropriate way in which it is done. The gesture itself prepares us to enter into communion with Christ as one people in communion with each other.

The choice of words in the GIRM is very interesting.

**82. The Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and
for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and
mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.

As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by Conferences of Bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each
person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner.**

It’s an expression of our communion and mutual charity, before receiving the sacrament. Therefore, the gesture is consistent with the teaching in scripture about leaving your offering at the altar and making peace with your brother, first. The Church uses this gesture to remind us and to encourage us to examine our consciences one last time, before receiving Christ. If there is something that has to be taken care of (some sin against neighbor), then one should do so first, then come back.

While it may feel that one is turning his back on Jesus who is present on the altar, the reality is that we’re not. We are complying with his words of admonition. We are using a gesture that reminds us that we must be at peace with our brothers and sisters, if we are to be worthy of him. The gesture becomes empty if two things happen: 1) There is something that you must resolve and you can resolve. If you can’t then you have no obligation to try to do so. 2) If the gesture becomes a greeting, which it is not meant to be. It is meant to be a sign of communion with each other. When the gesture becomes either a greeting or a gesture of “good wishes”, then it loses its meaning. This is the part that I see missing.

I see more good wishes than an gesture that says, “We’ve been called by Christ to live in peace, just as he wished peace upon the Apostles after the Resurrection. Therefore, let’s prepare to receive the Lord as one people.”

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[JReducation]

In my opinion it is a serious mistake to see the Mass, the celebration of the Eucharist, a sign of unity, as being only either vertical or horizontal, when it should be both. My son attends a local Baptist Church where everyone takes pains to greet each other graciously. The Baptist liturgy itself sucks, but the joy and unity one feels there is extremely uplifting. If only we could add that on to what we in the Catholic Church have, people like my son and many others would not be leaving in droves for other faith communities where they feel welcome. Seems like Catholics are not only xenophobic, but they can’t abide each other either.

I would not go as far as saying that Catholics cannot abide each other. But I do have to admit that too many Catholics feel no shame in tearing apart another Catholic. If we did feel shame,

1. 
   *]we would try to avoid it
   
   *]we would repare the damage as quickly as possible
   
   *]like any other family, we would keep it as quiet as possibe.
   
   We tear each other apart and we don’t care who is watching or what impression it gives to a non-Catholic about the Catholic Church. The sad part is that most Catholics are not aggressive and not xenophobic. Most Catholics are very generous. You find them involved in community service, parish ministries, the missions, and other programs and organizations that improve the community.
   
   But the homewreckers, my term for the Catholics who tear each other apart, are loud and are not ashamed of being seen and heard. That’s unfortunate. People like your son will often run in the opposite direction. The reason they run is because the secular world in which most people work has enough of the back-biting, cat fights, and someone trying to get ahead of someone else, no matter who gets hurt. These folks are coming to a parish community looking for liturgy, we’ve already establsihed this . . . but they are also looking for a place where people treat each other differently from the corporate world.
   
   One of the most beautiful experiences that I have of this is in Respect Life Ministry. There are a few brothers, one priest, and about 200 lay people in our diocese. The walks of life are as different as fingerprints. However, when this crew runs into each other at church, there is a sense of joy in seeing each other, even if you saw each other at last Saturday’s prayer vigil outside an abortuary. There is the horizontal dimension.
   
   Fraternally,
   
   Br. JR, OSF

 

[retrovert]

Pretty interesting to see all your responses. I guess I’m in Grumpy’s camp. I especially can’t stand shaking hands and gabbing before mass. I guess it’s meant to be welcoming, but I had enough of that when I was a protestant. It’s very distracting to me now.
Re: the sign of peace being optional, I notice they do it in the masses at the Vatican, but a lot of those old priests don’t look too comfortable with it either.

 

[barb_finnegan]

I watched a rebroadcast of the ‘Family Celebration’ in Canton, Ohio, which was held in October.

In one of the question-and-answer sessions that was done, someone asked one of the friars about the absence of the Sign of Peace on the televised Masses at EWTN.

He said that it was optional…and that they choose to omit it. Good for them! I myself would like to see the Sign of Peace vanish altogether. It can be a free-for-all sometimes.

Although I was watching the Mass today with Father Ken Brighenti, and he shared the ‘Pax’ with his good buddy and concelebrant Fr. John Trigilio [boy, did he look chunky ]. They did it the way it’s done in Rome. The cameras focussed on them, so I didn’t see what the congregation did.

And sometimes when visiting priests-and oftentimes visiting Bishops-come to say the Mass there, they will sneak in the Sign of Peace. But that doesn’t happen very often. Maybe first-time visiting clergy get a ‘primer’ on the Mass rubrics at EWTN.

 

[jofie]

That’ very interesting I did not know it was not required. Hopefully perhaps one day it will be omitted from an Mass or at least done prior to mass.

This is the reason that I am writing~~ in every parish I’ve ever attended, the sign of peace is used. This troubles me very much, I find the practice of shaking of hands disgusting, germ sharing~~ all this prior to receiving the Eurcharist ~expecially receiving in the hand. I hear people blowing their nose, coughing, etc. then they expect me to shake their hands. I do not know how to react. I can clean my hands with hand sanitizer, etc. I fear insulting the persons that extended their hand to me.

We travel south and attend church there~~ same practice. I’d attend daily mass if this practice were not used. During the week daily mass is said in a private chapel, same practice.

What do you suggest I do? Thank you!

 

[OraLabora]

It isn’t exactly a new, post-Vatican II tradition though. Chapter 58 of the Rule of St. Benedict states:

Let all keep their places in the monastery
established by the time of their entrance,
the merit of their lives and the decision of the Abbot.
Yet the Abbot must not disturb the flock committed to him,
nor by an arbitrary use of his power ordain anything unjustly;
but let him always think
of the account he will have to render to God
for all his decisions and his deeds.

Therefore in that order which he has established
or which they already had,
let the brethren approach to receive the kiss of peace and Communion,
intone the Psalms and stand in choir.
And in no place whatever should age decide the order
or be prejudicial to it;
for Samuel and Daniel as mere boys judged priests.

The Rule of St. Benedict was written in the 6th century. The monks at our abbey still do the “kiss of peace” at the sign of the peace: a bow with hands in the prayer position (together), an embrace on each other’s cheek, then another bow. The joy they take in that act is a sight to behold. I don’t often get to see it as I get distracted by the sign of the peace in the pews, but last Sunday, I was in the first pew and nobody was in the pew behind, so since I don’t believe in moving away from my place to pass the sign of peace, I instead watched the monks give each other the kiss of peace which they do very reverently. For the monks this is part of life as a community, which is a word that has common roots with communion, and probably explains why St. Benedict placed it in juxtaposition with communion.

I therefore think it’s wrong to say that this is a shallow gesture or one that has no grounding in tradition. Of course as Br. JR. says, it’s the manner in which it is done that is the issue.

 

[Georgia]

The manner does make quite a difference. I have often noticed the rote way many do the sign of peace, shaking hands, saying the phrase, and not even looking in my direction. That, my friends, is an empty gesture.

If it is to be done, we owe it to one another to follow the example of the monks and show we really mean it; that it is a connection to the other person.

 

[barb_finnegan]

This is the reason that I am writing~~ in every parish I’ve ever attended, the sign of peace is used. This troubles me very much, I find the practice of shaking of hands disgusting, germ sharing~~ all this prior to receiving the Eurcharist ~expecially receiving in the hand. I hear people blowing their nose, coughing, etc. then they expect me to shake their hands. I do not know how to react. I can clean my hands with hand sanitizer, etc. I fear insulting the persons that extended their hand to me.

We travel south and attend church there~~ same practice. I’d attend daily mass if this practice were not used. During the week daily mass is said in a private chapel, same practice.

What do you suggest I do? Thank you!

This is what I would do: fold the hands in front of the face Japanese-style, bow the head slightly, and do a little nod. That way you won’t have to touch hands, especially during the flu season.

I’ve also seen this at the Eastern Rite [Maronite] parish I sometimes go to: after the priest gives the peace to the altar servers [all boys, YAY!], they go down the aisles and touch the tips of their folded hands to the person sitting at the end of each pew. Then that person does the same to everyone else in their row.

 

[retrovert]

How can we be afraid to shake hands when we drink out of the same cup?

 

[ConstantineTG]

This is what I would do: fold the hands in front of the face Japanese-style, bow the head slightly, and do a little nod. That way you won’t have to touch hands, especially during the flu season.

I’ve also seen this at the Eastern Rite [Maronite] parish I sometimes go to: after the priest gives the peace to the altar servers [all boys, YAY!], they go down the aisles and touch the tips of their folded hands to the person sitting at the end of each pew. Then that person does the same to everyone else in their row.

I recently learned this is called “passing the chalice”. Although there is not actual chalice, I was talking about this earlier when I experienced it in a Chaldean Holy Qurbana. I think they have the best sign of peace as there is physical, symbolic flow of the sign of peace from the altar where Christ is, through the priest, to the laity.

 

[Georgia]

I like that one. I like it a lot!

I don’t do the cup at Mass. In a job setting, we had fairly regular briefings on infection control. Sit through one of those and you will never eat at a buffet again, let alone drinking behind anyone.

That may be another reason I am not in love with the hand shaking. Far too many people sneeze or cough into the right hand and will later offer that hand to others in the sign of peace. Until I started carrying alcohol hand cleaners that I use after any and all hand shaking, I had far more colds than I now experience. I feel a little odd doing the hand cleaning, though I am very low-key, but that’s the price of keeping some illnesses away.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I like that one. I like it a lot!

I don’t do the cup at Mass. In a job setting, we had fairly regular briefings on infection control. Sit through one of those and you will never eat at a buffet again, let alone drinking behind anyone.

That may be another reason I am not in love with the hand shaking. Far too many people sneeze or cough into the right hand and will later offer that hand to others in the sign of peace. Until I started carrying alcohol hand cleaners that I use after any and all hand shaking, I had far more colds than I now experience. I feel a little odd doing the hand cleaning, though I am very low-key, but that’s the price of keeping some illnesses away.

Imagine in the Byzantine Rite where you can’t receive Communion at all without sharing the spoon with the entire congregation. Although most priests are skilled enough to be able to give the Eucharist without touching any part of your mouth with the spoon, there are those who are less skilled or just lack the steady hand. Also, since the hosts are intincted, you would have shared at least with the priest who would drink from the cup (the priests receive the Sacred Species separately as in the Roman Rite).

In the Philippines though hand shaking is not a norm for the sign of peace, and people usually just face each other and nod towards each other as a sign of peace. I do notice that the sign of peace correlates to the culture of those in the church. In Eastern parishes the sign of peace is dictated by what their culture is. In the Ukrainian parish I attend, some people would give the 3 kisses, even among males.

 

[jofie]

I like that one. I like it a lot!

I don’t do the cup at Mass. In a job setting, we had fairly regular briefings on infection control. Sit through one of those and you will never eat at a buffet again, let alone drinking behind anyone.

That may be another reason I am not in love with the hand shaking. Far too many people sneeze or cough into the right hand and will later offer that hand to others in the sign of peace. Until I started carrying alcohol hand cleaners that I use after any and all hand shaking, I had far more colds than I now experience. I feel a little odd doing the hand cleaning, though I am very low-key, but that’s the price of keeping some illnesses away.

 

[jofie]

How can we be afraid to shake hands when we drink out of the same cup?

I do not drink from the cup anymore, I see the chalice bearer turning the cloth each time and around and round he/she goes; I simply do not participate in that ritual although it is the blood of Christ.

 

[Tighty_Whitey]

Wow, I’m shocked by the disdain that has been shown toward a very beautiful and important part of the mass. I really don’t know where to begin. The very notion of the word peace is so central to the gift of Christ’s presence in our lives that the cavalier attitudes expressed in this thread are a clear repudiation of His presence.

Maybe I have a special gratitude toward the Sign of Peace. Having been divorced for 2.5 years my ex-wife and I have made it a point to attend mass together with our children. I find exchanging the Sign of Peace to be a special blessing for me and my family. I also believe that others in the congregation, knowing that we are divorced can understand that we endeavor to put aside our animosities. Peace be with you, g

 

[Tighty_Whitey]

Btw, Grumpy is not a Christ like characteristic!

 

[nice2000]

Heeeey. I like the “Sign of Peace”. The “Sign of Peace” is one of the many things that drew me to the Catholic faith. I think we should keep it in the mass. This is my personal opinion…“Keeping tradition is the key to keeping the faith”. For as long as I have remembered attended my first mass, I enjoyed saying to my neighbor (person standing next to me in mass) “Peace Be With You”. Please do not take this away.