Saint Mary Magdalen led me to this most wonderful and insightful post from Dr Phillip Blosser at A Crisis of Meaning in the Sign of Peace (note the permalinks don't go to the exact article. Scroll down to the March 5th Entry) .
Not only does this explain the history of this important ritual in the Mass but also confirms the nagging feeling in my stomach something was off.
I think this part is beautiful:
Moreover, the Tridentine pax preserved an already centuries-old tradition of ordered administration. In the 1962 Missal the priest kisses the altar near the Host (earlier rubrics have him kissing the Host itself) and then "kisses" the deacon who in turn "kisses" the subdeacon and so on. No one can give the peace who has not received it from someone else, including the priest, who has received it from Christ Himself.
The symbolism is both beautiful and clear. All true peace comes from Christ through the ministration of His Church. Grace cascades from the Eucharist through Christ's ministers to His people, forming what one author has called a "chain of love" that both binds and elevates. This is further echoed in the etiquette governing the ritual. While it is common in the Tridentine rite to bow to one's ecclesiastical superior at incensations, one does not acknowledge the rank of the peace-giver before it is administered, for, as the rubrics put it, "there is consideration not for the minister bringing it but for the Peace
He goes on how the older can perhaps affect the newer. A great article.
No comments:
Post a Comment