Some parishioners have asked why the sign of peace disappeared this Lent. I thought it might be helpful to offer an explanation and a bit of background to this ancient liturgical action, so that the meaning and symbolism of the sign of peace can be properly understood.

The sign of peace up until the Novus Ordo Mass of Paul VI was called the ‘Pax’ (= peace). It appears to be of very ancient origin, albeit in a quite different form to how it is currently practiced. In the Latin Rite the Pax was reserved only for the most Solemn form of the Mass, the Solemn High Mass, which requires the priest to be assisted by a deacon and a subdeacon. The other forms of the Mass, the ‘Low Mass’ and even the ‘Missa Cantata’ (Sung Mass) never had the sign of peace. Given that most parishes for most of the latter part of the Church’s history (certainly since the promulgation of the Missal of Pius V in 1571) would ordinarily have celebrated Low Mass it is a fact of history the Pax was rarely ever practiced.   

The precise moment of the Pax is inserted between the prayers said silently by the priest as he prepares to receive Holy Communion, immediately following the prayer for Christ’s peace. The Novus Ordo has retained the same prayer, almost unchanged: “Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will…” The priest then turns to the congregation and says: “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” In the Novus Ordo this is expressed in the plural (vobiscum = with you (plural)) whereas in the Old Mass it was addressed in the singular: “Pax tecum = Peace [be] with you (singular). Here we see a tiny shift that has the effect of changing the symbolism rather radically. The core symbolism of the Pax being the peace given to us by Christ, is made present by our celebration of the Eucharist. As the aforementioned prayer states it is Christ’s peace that is given to the Church, and that is passed through the Church sacramentally. Hence the priest kisses the altar beside the host (originally the priest in fact kissed the host itself) and then having received this ‘sign of peace’ from Christ bestows it upon the deacon by offering him the kiss of peace. The kiss of peace (more of a light embrace than an actual ‘kiss’) was the sign of peace. The deacon then in turn imparted the kiss of peace to the subdeacon. Believe it or not, up until 1970 that was the sign of peace in its entirety in the Roman Rite. There was no exchange of peace within the congregation at all.  

With the liturgical revisions of Paul VI the kiss of peace was replaced with a more post-industrial, pragmatic ‘handshake’ – a completely new liturgical gesture. While considerably more practical than the original ‘kiss of peace’ the novelty of this gesture created an inevitable shift in the understanding of the symbolism. Most people assume today the sign of peace is about being reconciled with your brother before going to the altar to make your offering, and will point to Matt 5:23-24 as the scriptural basis for it. This is not an unreasonable assumption and it is symbolically fitting, but in fact this was not the original symbolism of the Pax. Thus we have two distinct conceptions of the sign of peace: One vertical (Jesus imparting His Divine gift of peace to us) and one horizontal (us imparting a sign of reconciliation to each other). Needless to say these two notions are not opposed to each other, but it is merely an observation of reality to say that in the Novus Ordo the latter horizontal sense has come to replace the former vertical sense – of us being reconciled to Christ. If the horizontal meaning (us exchanging peace with each other) has become the primary meaning of the sign of peace, then following the directive of Matt 5:23-24 the most fitting time liturgically would be before the offertory (ie. before the gifts are actually offered on the altar) rather than immediately before Communion. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI actually raised this very point, proposing that the Pax before the offertory would make more sense symbolically and practically. As we all know, in many places the sign of peace can become very boisterous and disruptive, being treated as an opportunity to have a quick chat to people around you, rather than being the ritual sign of Christ’s peace that it was intended to signify. Given the very presence of Christ in the Eucharist as the point of focus in the moments leading up to Communion it is important to remember when we come to the sign of peace to retain a sense of the sacred.

Some people are very attached to the sign of peace; on the other hand, others seem to find it distracting, and would sooner see it abolished. In the final analysis the sign of peace is presented by the current Missal as an option for the priest: “Then, if appropriate, the deacon, or the priest, adds: ‘Let us offer each other the sign of peace.’” There is no suggestion in the Missal of when might be more or less appropriate, but given that the Pax belonged historically in the most solemn form of the Mass one might surmise that it was intended as something extra, more suited to solemn occasions, rather than as a routine daily practice. Given that we are in Lent, a season that is typically stripped back of liturgical excesses (no flowers, no gloria, no alleluia, etc) I thought we could refrain from the sign of peace until Easter, and thereafter retain it for Sunday and Solemnities.