Praying Together 31st May 2026

Greetings and farewells
‘Greet each other with a Holy Kiss’, (in some translations, ‘Greet on another with the Kiss of Peace’), suggests St Paul. Jesus demonstrates His forgiveness and love to Judas, calling him ‘friend’, even as He is betrayed with a kiss. You may remember Pope John Paul II kneeling to kiss the airport tarmac as he visited each new country on his many travels. We term a resuscitation technique as the ‘Kiss of life’. An example of the traditional ‘blessings’ a kiss can convey is the belief that kissing a piece of Carboniferous Limestone while lying inverted over an 85ft. drop can bring the gift of eloquence (but perhaps not the gift of wisdom?). Kissing is universal, and not unique to humans – as Dolphins, Polar bears and many others demonstrate!

This has been a week of many kisses, greetings and farewells. It was lovely to see members of the defence forces returning from their peacekeeping tour in Lebanon, being hugged and kissed by their young families. As we speak, hopeful footballers from 48 countries are in the process of leaving for potential glory at the World Cup in America, with their supporters wishing them a farewell with the same displays of affection.

At moments of high emotion, humans across the globe demonstrate physical contact as a reassurance of their united love and support, bringing a sense of togetherness and commitment, recognising the presence of each other. In our worship services, especially in the Eucharist, the Holy Kiss of peace is a consecrated act that symbolises that bond.

According to Bishop Theodore, of Mopsuestia in 428 AD: Each of us gives the Kiss of Peace to the person next to us, and so in effect gives it to the whole assembly, because this act is an acknowledgement that we have all become a single body of Christ our Lord, and so must preserve with one another that harmony that exists among the limbs of a body, loving one another equally, supporting and helping one another, regarding the individual needs as concerns of the community, sympathizing with one another’s sorrows and sharing in one another’s joys.

Throughout the world, greeting one another with a kiss is a standard way of greeting – once, twice or more (four times in some regions of of France.) In our less demonstrative culture, we perhaps tend to ‘Share the peace’ by means of a nod, wave, handshake a hug or sometimes even a kiss itself in order to respect what we understand as the boundaries of a person’s ‘personal space’. It doesn’t really matter how we do it, so long as we understand the importance of what we share – acknowledge and remind ourselves that we are one in the Body – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and we go out as that Body to make disciples of all nations. And as you do, may the Peace of the Lord be always with you.