Thursday 24 September 2009

The Peace- Touching banned in the Chruch of England

I historically disliked intensely 'the peace' (shaking of hands with others and wishing them the 'peace of the Lord' until very recently.At the Cathedrals' Holy Communion service I attend each week a few weeks ago the Holy Communion wine was withdrawn from the congregation and we were told not to touch hands during 'The Peace' (Swine flu doncha know)...but instead nod and smile at each other.

Suddenly the Peace took on a totally new and different importance. It had stopped being an embarassing un-English awkward false social nonsense and was now a banned need to make a connection with one's fellow worshippers.

So the first time it happened and we were told to just nod I just put my hands out and said "Anyone?" My hands were literally grabbed and everyone shook each other's hands with a real and sincere warmth and grateful connection that I'd never witnessed before.

Perhaps we don't really appreciate what we have until it is taken from us.
And when things are wrongly taken from us we must simply take them back- whatever the cost.

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