Patrick just wrote a post about the “Sign of Peace” at the National Catholic Register. Go check it out and then come back.
It just reminded me of the worst sign of peace moment I’ve had. I was at Mass with my family and my mother was there but in between us was like 4 or 5 children. (I can’t remember if the two year old was born then or not)
So I lean over a few children to kiss my mother for the sign of peace but she doesn’t see me and she’s shaking my children’s hands who at that age saw the sign of peace as something akin to the 7th Inning Stretch. (Dude, they were two or three years old!)
But the point is that I had kiss on my mind when my Mom dissed me. Then, I turned my head and there was a woman in the pew in front of me leaning over to shake my hand. And I…kissed her.
Well, her eyes bugged. I realized what I’d done as I was pulling away and just stared at her. My mom looked at me rather oddly.
The rest of the Mass was kind of awkward as you might imagine.
I still see that woman at Mass quite often. She doesn’t sit anywhere near us.
So go check out Pat’s piece at the Register. Share your own sign of peace horror stories in the combox over there.
February 17, 2010 at 4:15 pm
that is fantastic!
February 17, 2010 at 4:58 pm
This entire 1968-ish touchy-feeling thing needs to go away, along with felt banners and bongos and poor English translations.
— Mack
February 17, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I agree with Mack
February 17, 2010 at 6:24 pm
hahahaha! I love it.
February 17, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Your observation about the children and the seventh inning stretch is sufficient evidence for why this option should be dispensed with, not to mention many adults behave the same way.
February 17, 2010 at 7:09 pm
And ditto everything Pat says in his NCR post for holding hands at the Our Father!
February 17, 2010 at 8:20 pm
That's for the belly chuckle (I rarely get that good of a workout)!!!!
February 17, 2010 at 9:55 pm
If we did it as the Maronites do, and moved it forward in the mass as BXVI has been suggested, disasters would probably be averted. I don't vote for its elimination.
February 17, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I've been kissed. At the time I thought the guy was an old goat. Maybe he was reaching for someone else.
February 17, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Coulda been worse, could have been a guy. One who liked it.
February 18, 2010 at 12:06 am
I took my Lutheran grandmother to a Mass about 20 years ago, and at the sign of peace she didn't understand what people were saying to her, but with hands extended, she assumed it was "Pleased to meet you!" And so she offered the same sentiments back to them.
Yeah. Not the best place in the Mass for that kind of happy happy joy joy stuff, IMHO.
February 18, 2010 at 1:09 am
That is absolutely hysterical. I'm sure she's still telling her own version of that story!
February 18, 2010 at 2:08 am
That's so funny! Oh, my goodness!
February 19, 2010 at 12:05 am
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February 19, 2010 at 12:08 am
I took advantage of the pN1H1 restrictions as licence to continue not doing the shaky shaky thing even though the pointless ban has now been lifted. Some folks think I'm a snob I suppose. I suppose I don't care.
February 19, 2010 at 12:34 pm
This is too funny.
February 19, 2010 at 8:58 pm
You can only imagine how ridiculous the whole affair becomes in a city like Miami where the population is predominately Hispanic and a kiss is a fairly common way for people to greet one another.