Sign of peace removed at Mass

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LovelyLadybug

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My Parish has removed the Sign of Peace due to the recent outbreak in Corona Virus. Has anyone else had the Sign of Peace removed at Mass too?
 
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From what I have read in all of the corona virus threads, lots of places stopped it a long time ago when flu season began.
 
I’d personally like to see a formal nod of the head/head bow mandated as the sign of peace, AND have it moved to the very beginning of the Mass, right before the Penitential Rite, where it would have greater meaning. It’s not that the sign itself or the OPTION (which it is) is intrinsically wrong; it’s what it turns into, in a rite where there are no solid rubrics or guidelines. If your former priest or parish was full of happy 1970s extroverts and your parish had 40 something years of everybody high fiving, hugging, kissing, going all around the church pews, including the priest and the altar server, with people flashing peace signs and yodeling ‘peace be with you’ for 10 minutes until the guitars started with ‘Lamb of God’, this would seem perfectly normal and natural to you now, whereas your friend who came to Mass with you might have had 40 some years of a parish where people nodded their head to the person next to them and said quietly, ‘peace be with you’, the priest stayed up by the altar, and perhaps 90 seconds of a very quiet and minimal movement went on until the priest intoned, “Lamb of God’. For that person, your ‘normal’ sign of peace would look and sound like a circus. For you coming to HIS Mass, the sign of peace would seem like a joke, it would look like everybody ‘hated’ each other.

So a solid rubric and a change in where this happened at Mass would, I think ultimately be more satisifying to all.
 
No sign of peace by shaking hands and the chalice is not offered either.
 
Where have you been? That is the least (and only good) thing that has been removed from Mass. There have been like 100 threads already about the current restrictions regarding Mass on CAF now.
 
The Sign of Peace has ALWAYS been merely an OPTION. Any priest celebrating Mass at any time may include it or omit it as he sees fit.
 
It should be permanently removed, it serves no purpose and is stressful for introverts. Then during flu season germs are spread from one hand to another and straight into the mouth for those who recieve the Holy Eucharist via the hand. If you are not at peace with a fellow parishioner, the time to make peace is BEFORE Mass, not at the last possible moment before recieving the precious Body & Blood of Christ.

The hand holding during the Our Father should be dealt with too. It is a terrible distraction and also a germ spreading practice. We are one in Christ by recieving the Holy Eucharist, NOT by holding hands with those around us.

I just hope the Bishops who have suspended these practices make it permanent. It is the perfect opportunity to do so without “rocking the boat” and causing division. It’s pretty sad that my wife and i once stopped attending a parish because the hand holding and hugging was so out of control.
 
DeSales111 said:
It should be permanently removed, it serves no purpose
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Besides the fact that it actually has deep roots in liturgical history, Benedict XVI described it as having “great value”, saying: " By its nature the Eucharist is the sacrament of peace. At Mass this dimension of the Eucharistic mystery finds specific expression in the sign of peace."

The challenge though is to make it both genuine and reverent, rather than being a mere greeting. Done properly, it enriches the rite reminding us that our sharing in what follows (and indeed our participation at mass itself) is not something which we do as individuals but as part of a community and members of the body of Christ.
 
There is certainly nothing wrong with saying “Peace be with you.” It’s the physical contact that is not needed. And the roots of it was not to shake hands with everyone, it is right there in Scripture, to make peace with the individuals that had differences with one another.
 
I’m sitting here waiting for Mass to come on EWTN. I’d love to be physically attending a Mass right now and receiving Our Lord with or without the Sign of Peace but all public Masses have been cancelled. Brought me some perspective as I don’t really care all that much for the sign of peace. Non issue at this point imo.
 
Today is the last Mass in my Diocese. Everything is being suspended until March 30. 😭
 
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LovelyLadybug said:
My Parish has removed the Sign of Peace due to the recent outbreak in Corona Virus. Has anyone else had the Sign of Peace removed at Mass too?
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No. We’ve removed physical touching during the sign of peace, but the peace itself (with gestures, etc) remains. Is that not what’s happening at your parish?
 
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