12/17/2023 0 Comments Peace be with you explained![]() ![]() Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a strong warning about that particular moment of worship: ![]() ![]() The exchange of peace takes place in the context of preparation for approaching the altar to offer ourselves to God and to receive Holy Communion. This element of the Mass is better understood when we consider its context. I think you may be running into a snag with the term “the passing of the peace.” The phrase seems to imply that I pass peace to the person next to me the way I would pass the salt to someone next to me at the table. It’s understandable to think of it that way, because of the words we use. But something else is actually going on.Īt the passing of the peace, we are not actually attempting to directly give divine peace to those around us. Rather, we are expressing our sincere desire that God will give them that gift. By saying, “peace be with you,” we are, in essence, offering a prayer on behalf of the people around us. It is very similar to saying something like, “May God bless you.” Obviously, when we say that, we are not pretending that we ourselves possess the capacity to impart divine blessings by our own strength. We are simply wishing, prayerfully, that God’s blessing will come to that person. Some of our readers may want to comment on the different liturgical usages. Certainly, the more we learn about the theological meaning of each aspect of the ritual, the better chance we will have of participating more consciously. Yet, it is also possible to have vast knowledge and weak faith, in which case active participation will be tough. So let’s just address your question. In the end, the richness of the liturgy surpasses any individual’s ability to keep it all in mind during the celebration of the Mass. What matters is that we learn to live each moment of the Mass consciously, finding ways to unite ourselves to the meaning of liturgy through prayerful, attentive participation. Good theological reasons abound for the various traditions. I don’t think that is the core of your question, however, and I would hate to get sidetracked with liturgical debates. So we will simply accept the reality of our Ordinary Roman Rite and reflect on the spiritual conundrum that you have laid out for us. We could answer this question from two angles. The first would be a strictly liturgical angle. In rites that differ from the Ordinary Roman Rite of the Mass, the passing of the peace can happen at other moments. Thank you for being so sincere in asking this question. Too many times we allow ourselves to ignore questions like these. Loving God with all our minds involves seeking each day a greater communion with him, and that includes a greater understanding of his inexhaustible mysteries. So you have given good example to all of us by posing the question, by seeking to clarify a point that causes you a bit of confusion. I suppose my cheeky question is: why do we pass the peace of Christ, then turn around and ask Him for it? Not only did I not have it earlier, I now plead with God to grant me some share. Then, a few moments later, we ask the Lamb of God to grant us His peace. And I wonder how I possibly could be passing on to someone something which I do not have. It may not have settled completely when I pass the peace of Christ to the parishioners on either side of me. Unfortunately, I too often come to Mass with the worries of the day swirling about me, and that little dust storm takes a while to settle down. Is it not for greeting one another in Christ–‘May the peace of Christ be with you?’ And that is how I pass the peace of Christ. Dear Father John: after the Our Father, we pass the peace of Christ, and I ponder that moment and its purpose in worship. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |