Shaking again
In the matter of handshaking for peace at mass, no further adventures but these further thoughts:
* It cheapens the handshake, reducing it to a sacred symbol when it's one of mankind's most telling natural symbols. Natural in the sense that in our society -- the one which uses it sacrally -- it's a way to express friendship and camaraderie and dealmaking and many other good things. But the church hijacks it for its own purposes when it uses it at mass to signify and instill Christian charity.
* It often translates to nothing outside of mass. People pass you on the street who are big on the mass-time shake but have little to demonstrate by smile or word of greeting. One fellow walks along looking mad who at mass puts arm around (opposite-sex) parishioner whom he knows and wants to console. Church is the place to feel good about each other, but what about outside it?
posted by Jim Bowman @ 4/23/2006 01:10:00 PM
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