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THE RITE OF PEACE
Peace, expressed by the Hebrew word shalom, has a biblical meaning, an immense richness. It symbolizes the collection of all good. Sin separates man from God, divides humanity against itself, as well as introducing an unending list of contradictions and anxieties in man’s heart.
That is why peace was one of the awaited fruits and signs of the coming of the Messiah who would defeat sin and restore order as God willed. The Messiah is announced by Isaiah as “Prince of Peace: His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne, and over his kingdom.” (Is 9:5-6) He will be the only one able to bring the peace humanity had lost through sin. (Ez 34:25; Joel 4:17; Amos 9:9-21)
We acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah who had been announced. At His birth, the angels proclaim that the Child brings “peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2:14) Through the paschal mystery, the Lord Jesus has reconciled man with the “God of peace” (Rom 15:33), “And through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His cross, whether those on earth or those in heaven”. (Col 1:20)
The existence of the rite of peace during the Eucharistic celebration is known of since the first centuries both in the East and the West. During the fourth and fifth centuries in Rome, the gesture took place immediately after the Eucharistic prayer and was related to it. Later on, it was linked with the petition of forgiveness in the Our Father, becoming a preparatory rite for Communion.
With the sign of peace, “the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.” (GIRM 82)
In today’s celebration, the sign of peace has three parts:
The prayer for peace: we turn to Christ asking on behalf of the assembly that He grant to the Church the peace and unity that He gave to the apostles.
The announcement of peace: “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” The announcement of peace implies its communication. The faithful respond: “And also with you.” Peace is accepted and returned.
The sign of peace: primitively the interchange of peace was made among the faithful. Later on, it started at the altar and was made in a hierarchical order. Christ communicated peace to the priest (through the gesture of kissing the altar), the priest communicated it to the deacon, the deacon to the subdeacon. In today’s liturgy, the sign of peace is given among the faithful. It should be a religious gesture, penetrated with sacredness. It is appropriate “that each one give the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner”. (Redemptionis sacramentum, 72)
Peace is a gift, the fruit of the Passover of Christ. It is significant that after the renovation of the memorial of the paschal mystery of Christ on the altar, the Lord Himself, in the person of the priest, offers us His peace. We know that the Risen Christ, when He appeared to the Apostles, greeted them with a sign of peace: “Peace be with you.”(Jn 20:19) In reality, the inheritance that the Lord left to His disciples during the Last Supper is precisely peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” (Jn. 14:27)
Peace is not something merely exterior. It is mainly found in the heart of those who are open to God’s forgiveness. Peace is reconciliation with God, in the blood of Christ. In this way, the asidual participation of the Eucharist makes Christians become men of peace, because during the Mass they receive time and again the peace of Christ, and for that reason they are more able to communicate to their brethren the peace that they have received from God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mt 5:9)
