That's the timely question posed on the front page of one local newspaper. It asks whether the fear of H1N1 will result in the end of shaking hands, a loss of manners, a decline in civility, and the death of Western Civilization as we know it. (Astute readers might point out that happened when "same-sex marriage" was legalized, but we digress...)
Certainly H1N1 has taken its toll on the Sign of Peace, which has been reduced to the Nod of Peace during flu season, but the pertinent question is, for how long?
What do you think? Will we be shaking hands at Mass and in offices again before long, or is this the death knell for a custom that dates back before the time of Christ? A free copy of the B.C. Catholic 2010 Directory, due out this month, will go to the best response.
But we didn't shake hands. Considering the priest has the option to omit, "let us offer the sign of peace," maybe it should be removed as it seems to be a great source of distraction. As to your question, yes, inevitably we will go back to our habits of shaking hands. It is too strongly ingrained in our social customs.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a little while before we're shaking hands again, but this little gizmo could keep the holy water flowing in the meantime...http://www.theprovince.com/life/Italian+invents+anti+swine+holy+water+dispenser/2213438/story.html
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