The Sign of Peace
I previously mentioned my experiences of the Sign on Peace at youth Masses back in the early/mid-80s. Although the days of raucously singing "Let there be peace shared among us" have long-since (mercifully) gone, it is still a part of the Mass that I don't feel we quite get right. Too often it becomes little more than a "good morning" - a chance for limited social interaction. Indeed, the sound of brief conversation can sometimes be caught. What is it that we should be doing here? The General Instruction tells us that in the Rite of Peace "...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." (GIRM 82) So, in the Sign of Peace we are recognising the union, fellowship, love and dignity that we share as members of the Church. Our faith is not a 'private love affair' between ourselves a...