Fair notice: I’ve never liked the sign of peace and have had a variety of opinions on and of it throughout my life. A variety of harsh, uncharitable, mean spirited, and judgmental (as our progressive friends would label it) opinions come to mind when some fake saccharin call from a busybody tells me to turn to “my neighbor” and greet them.
I’m citing an article below, and adding commentary along the way.
Nine Years
After nine years of study and consultation, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has told Latin-rite bishops around the world that the sign of peace will stay where it is in the Mass.
Nine years? Really? The so-called Sign of Peace is only 40 years old. So 25% of the time it has been there, it has been studied for removal? What took so long? And after taking so long, they had to see what I’ve seen on a regular basis: free for all, people walking all around the church as if it was a raffle swap. I’ve never seen a useful relevant “symbol” of any kind related to the purpose of the Mass in the sign of peace. I like to shake hands in the parish hall, not while Jesus is in Person on the altar waiting for me to approach for Holy Communion.
Am I supposed to be impressed that somebody stared at their navel over this practice for nearly a decade? Somehow, I don’t believe it was really studied.
“may be omitted”
However, the congregation said, “if it is foreseen that it will not take place properly,” it can be omitted.
I got news for them — I’ve been omitting it for decades.
But when it is used, it must be done with dignity and awareness that it is not a liturgical form of “good morning,” but a witness to the Christian belief that true peace is a gift of Christ’s death and resurrection.
But what of those parishes that tell you to “Greet each other” before the “celebration”? Then, they tell you to do it again when Jesus is waiting on the altar… But they don’t do it in the parking lot. They run you over as they speed away.
People who should know better
Why do older people who grew up with nuns teaching them to fold their hands, and respect for Our Lord go along with this mess, though? It blows my mind that the biggest proponents of messes like the sign of peace and abusive practices of so-called extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist (a practice that the Vatican said should stop on the feast of the Dormition (Assumption) in 1997) are people who were taught to know better.
It’s not young people clamoring for it (unless they are brainwashed into pentecostal charismania, that is), but it is the old people!
“After further reflection,” the letter said, “it was considered appropriate to retain the rite of peace in its traditional place in the Roman liturgy and not to introduce structural changes in the Roman Missal.”
blockquotes above come via The Catholic Review > Home > Sign of peace at Mass: Vatican says it stays put, but urges education.
I don’t understand it.
Do you like the sign of peace? Should it be a protected part of Mass?
I don’t think so. Get rid of it, pronto.
This article, Since When is The Sign of Peace Protected? is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/since-when-is-the-sign-of-peace-protected/
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