Holding hands during the Lord's Prayer: just say 'no'.

If the coronavirus has done one thing for which decorum-minded Catholics have been praying or at least have been eager to welcome for some time, it has been to inhibit congregants from holding hands during the Lord's Prayer, or shaking hands during the The Peace. Typically, such liturgical awkwardness is restricted to the Ordinary Form of the Mass, along with the more serious blunder of allowing non-instituted lay people to distribute Holy Communion as if the consecrated hosts are mere airplane snacks.

Traditionally (to use the word loosely...) Catholics embrace or shake hands during the so-called “exchange of peace” while repeating the greeting “peace be with you.”

But the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta is one of many that have told parishes to discourage physical contact during the ritual, which is designed to remind worshippers they are members of a community. Some dioceses want the “peace” ceremony eliminated all together until the coronavirus outbreak abates.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-churches/no-hugs-handshakes-as-u-s-churches-take-new-precautions-against-coronavirus-idUSKBN20V0Z8

 

NYMag

Eliminate the "peace ceremony" as is commonly practiced in the Ordinary Form (OF) altogether? Not such a bad idea.

Perhaps this is a teachable moment. That is, someone should remind OF Catholics that the peace that should be acknowledged and extended at The Peace does not originate in or from the congregation. The impression one gets when accosted by a particularly aggressive form of "active participation" in most Ordinary Form parishes is of a peace manufactured in or by the congregation. The peace that is or should be acknowledged is the peace of God flowing from the altar upon which rests the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is difficult to sustain a correct understanding when a congregation erupts into an habitual chaos that drags one into a free-for-all that also has the Holy Eucharist ignored on the altar. An awkward veneer of "play nice" soon evaporates when the awkwardness (e.g., 'I'm just pretending' or 'I don't know where your hands have been') on people's faces reveals just how badly most of the congregation would be at playing poker.

As an alternative to touching, the Archdiocese of New York is encouraging worshippers to wave at fellow parishioners during the greeting, said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese.

Nothing says trivial like hailing a cab in church. Why not encourage everyone to do the wave as a communal act? Imagine 'the wave' as practiced at sporting events spreading through a congregation. Ugh. Not.

On a serious note, if the Sign of Peace must be offered between members of the congregation, our deaf brothers and sisters can teach us the signs for 'Peace be with you', which would be a beautiful way - far more than a generic wave - to share the peace only God can give. The gesture does not require touching anyone else's hands, is brief, serene and respectful.

That said - no glad-handing and no bear hugs at Mass? A new norm for which all Catholics should give thanks.

On masks and security.

A medical professional's assessment captures and affirms a host of similarly well-informed opinions:

Wear a face mask if you are sick. Face masks are designed to protect the public from you, not the other way around. If you have facial hair, or if you haven't been fit-tested to ensure a perfect seal, then a mask might be worse than useless. It could give you a false sense of invulnerability. Some practitioners warn that you are actually more likely to touch your face (e.g., to adjust your mask) if you wear one. Panic-buying creates a shortage for healthcare practitioners, who really do need those N95 respirators to keep people safe from pathogens during all kinds of medical intervention. Surgical masks are a problematic precautionary measure for the current crisis, at least right now. 

Judy Melinek, MD, a forensic pathologist and CEO of PathologyExpert Inc., and author of the comment above, assigns the wearing of face masks a grade of 'C' for effectiveness.

Take note, glad-handers and hug-a-billies*: the same author acknowledges with a grade of 'A+' the viability of not shaking hands as a more effective way to inhibit the spread of any virus.

As for not touching your face, Dr. Melinek comments:

Don't touch your face. While you're at it, don't think about pink elephants. This is stupid advice and all but impossible. Every time I see a public health notice warning me not to touch my face, my eyebrows start itching and I feel phantom hairs tickling my nostrils. Unless I'm at work in the morgue and wearing all my personal protective equipment (bouffant cap, face mask, face shield, triple gloves, and plastic sleeves), I'm going to touch my face. Walking around town with my PPEs on would scare people unnecessarily and create a shortage for when we need them at work. 'D'

We assign Dr. Melnik a grade of A+ for commonsense and the courage to tell it like it is.

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* Hug-a-billy, or hugabilly or huggabilly; plural = huggabillies. My term for aggressive or frequent huggers. Often the huggabilly invests little or no genuine emotional warmth in a gesture that should normally convey authentic solidarity, compassion and human warmth. The turning away of the head, usually accompanied by a forced or goofy smile or grin, as a hug is applied, is almost certainly a confirmation that the person is a huggabilly. Avoid huggabillies like the plague - because they probably are carriers. And, if not carriers of some antigen, they certainly merit avoidance because of the risk of being infected by their shallow and annoying behaviour. Real hugs, need it be said, are expressed: first, to close family members and longtime friends; secondly, between well acquainted teammates celebrating an achievement in, for example, a sporting event, or in acknowledgement of or as congratulations to a friend who has just won a job interview, or in sincere appreciation of another's support; and, lastly, with permission, to calm or reassure someone in distress. Just sayin'.