Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - Sign of Peace
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Sign of Peace |
This article is one in a weekly series offering insight to the theology of the Mass and the new translation of the Roman Missal. The articles prepare us for the use of the new Roman Missal at Mass beginning Nov. 27, 2011, the first Sunday of Advent. The articles are provided by the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy and written by Father Daniel Schomaker, assistant director. (Note: Words in bold indicate the new translation.) Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And with your spirit. Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of peace. Sign of Peace The highly nuanced and simple beauty of the ritual in the Roman Catholic liturgy finds expression within the Sign of Peace. It is understood not only in the words that are said, but in the gesture, as well as in its location within the Sacred Liturgy. The English translation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal replaces the people's response of "And also with you" with "And with your spirit." "And with your spirit" is currently foreign to the ear, but to the mind of the Church, it is infused with an unseen truth. It expresses the reality of Jesus Christ really present in the very person of the priest, who by the unique character he has received in the Sacrament of Holy Orders acts as an ITALICS alter Christus (another Christ). In the restored response we as members of God's faithful people recognize that we are not responding to the greeting of the man offering us peace, but we are responding to the peace that is offered by God Himself. In contrast, the General Instruction for the Roman Missal (the laws governing how the liturgy is executed) reminds us that when the laity offer peace to one another with the words, "The peace of the Lord be with you always," the response is "Amen." (GIRM 154) In receiving the peace offered by God Himself and then turning to one's neighbor and offering the Lord's peace, the splendor of the Church as one Body united under Christ Her head is revealed. Within the expression of the gift of peace we also find the faithful fulfilling the Lord's command as seen in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Mt 5:23-24) The gifts of bread and wine are offered to the Father and in His paternal goodness He sends the Holy Spirit to transform them into the very body and blood of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. But before we receive the Sacred Body and Blood of the Lord, the liturgy has us offer peace to those around us, and thereby recall that we are to be at peace, we are to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters before we partake of the Eucharist. The manner in which the Sign of Peace is given varies from culture to culture, but no matter what its expression, it is the call to enter into a life of love — the life of God who is Love.