Spurned During the Sign of Peace

[Avila123]

It happens and I suspect that I have missed someone by accident (I stop as soon as the organ starts). I just figure that I have been asked to offer the sign of the peace - not necessarily to receive it.

 

[Kay_Cee]

OP, this is what everyone meant earlier when they said it’s not about you, but you are making it about you. Don’t take it personally. There are lots of reasons someone doesn’t want to shake hands **that have nothing to do with you. **

I honestly didn’t think I was making it about me. Some comments were making it about me. My intent was to ask if something similar had happened to other people and how they handled it.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I mentioned arthritic hands in one of my posts above. As a personal note, my Mom has had painful arthritis in her hands for years. She has always offered and accepted the sign of peace, but she suffered greatly for it sometimes because some people grasped her hand hard enough to cause her much pain. As a result, her expression was obviously pained sometimes even before, during and after the sign of peace. Just something to consider.

 

[1ke]

I honestly didn’t think I was making it about me. Some comments were making it about me. My intent was to ask if something similar had happened to other people and how they handled it.

Not about you:
Hey, I had something happen at Mass that I’ve never encountered before-- at the sign of the peace a person near me avoided physical contact, made faces and gestures, and appeared disturbed by the idea of touching. Have you ever encountered difficulty during the sign of the peace, and how did you handle it?

About you:
I was shunned at the sign of peace by a person who was disgusted with me, snubbed me, and looked at me like I was garbage. Has anyone ever had that happen and how did you handle it?

 

[MaryT777]

I can’t belive nobody is getting the point of this thread. It isn’t about me. My first question was an inquiry asking if this had happened to anybody else.

That is what the thread is about, not so much my own personal experience. I was asking if anybody else had experienced this and what they did about it.

Could we please lay off the comments about how you think I should have reacted?

Yes it happened to me while I was out of town in my same state. The woman looked at my hand with the look you described with this "What the He** are you doing " look on her face.
I just nodded and thought nothing more of it.

My two daughters asked my later (They were 7 and 6) Why didn’t that lady shake hands at “Peace time.” I said I don’t know but that’s ok to too.
No problem from them or me.

Mary.