How we can receive more from the Mass – 27 (Sign of Peace)

“There follows the Rite of Peace, by which the Church entreats 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.” (CCC 82)

What do you make of the Sign of Peace?  What are your feelings when you exchange the Sign of Peace during mass?  What is going on in your heart and in your mind?  Is it just a little light relief from the drama of the Mass unfolding before you?  A chance to greet others or to catch the eye of someone that you haven’t seen for a while?

The early Christians exchanged peace during their celebration of the Eucharist, but the practice fell out of use until after the Second Vatican Council.

Let’s explore a little what is behind this ancient symbolic act in the holy Mass.

Christian peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but rather the unity of spirit and of and purpose under God.  A unity of love for God, a deep desire to see the Kingdom of God grow and thrive, and a recognition that we are all contributing to the growth of this Kingdom according to the gifts that we have been given by the Holy Spirit.

In this, I see a link between the Sign of Peace and the Confiteor (or “I confess”) in the Penitential Act near the beginning of Mass.  In that penitential prayer, we acknowledge both to God and to each other that we have sinned, that we have not always succeeded in building the Kingdom of God as we should.  Why do we acknowledge to each other?  Because the Church, ie each one of us as baptised members of the Church, is charged with the sacred duty of building up God’s Kingdom, and when we sin we fail not only God but each other.  In a sense, we are letting the team down.

But in the Sign of Peace, we recognise in each other the dignity of a Christ-bearer; one who is united with God and with ourselves, through the Church, in bringing Christ to the world, spreading the Gospel message and building up the Kingdom.

For this reason, I very much like the form that the Sign of Peace takes among Catholics in India; they use the ‘Namaste’ gesture.  We western Catholics need not be alarmed by the adoption of a Hindu greeting; there are a great many examples throughout history of the Church adopting symbols of other faiths and adapting them so as to articulate the Christian faith.  In the Namaste greeting, Hindus recognise the Divine dwelling in the person that they greet.  Understood in this way, it seems a most appropriate way by which to exchange the Sign of Peace.

As we exchange the Sign of Peace, we are invited to say, ‘The peace of the Lord be with you always,’ to which the reply is ‘Amen.’ (GIRM 154)  In practice, this is perhaps a little formal for many parishes, but it most certainly expresses what is in our hearts as we give the Sign of Peace.

Let’s give some consideration to our thoughts, words and actions as we give the Sign of Peace at holy Mass this week.