The Sign of Peace

At the Last Supper in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his Apostles, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  We hear similar words at Mass before the invitation to “share with one another a sign of Christ’s peace.”

The word peace is from the Latin pacem, and originally meant “tranquility” or “absence of war.”  Breaking down the parts of the word, it is literally translated as “covenant or agree.”  Going back to Biblical times, it is a translation of shalom, which means peace in the sense of “right relationship” with God and one another.

From the beginning of the Church, the sign of peace was exchanged at Mass among all the faithful.  The Council of Trent in the mid-1500s limited the sign of peace to only the clergy, but when the liturgy was reformed after Vatican II, everyone was once again included.

This single gesture sums up much of what the liturgical reform of the 1960s was about.  In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Second Vatican Council stated that the Church did not want believers to attend the Eucharist “as if they were outsiders or silent onlookers,” but as an assembly of people gathered as a sign of faith.  The exchange of peace makes this teaching real.

This sign of peace is important because as we offer peace to those around us, it is not simply offering a friendly “hello,” nor does it require that we shake hands with every worshipper present.  As we share Christ’s peace, it is with the understanding that the intention is different from the welcoming we did before Mass.  As we anticipate sharing in Eucharist, we are showing our desire to be reconciled with our neighbor as we say “Peace be with you.”  This holy, symbolic gesture is done thoughtfully and reverently.  It should include eye contact with the person whose hand we grasp and a heartfelt prayer that their soul finds peace.

This is important because a few minutes later, we will be approaching the altar of God with our brothers and sisters around us.  We will become what we eat, the Body of Christ, and this rite – the Sign of Peace – helps us to realize what that means.

The peace we offer is a God-given peace, built on justice, where everything and everyone is in right relationship with each other before God.  As we take each other’s hand, we are praying for true peace and unity throughout the world.