Q: Several churches in our area are withholding the Cup and advising the assembly to gesture during the sign of peace instead of shaking hands, as well as other measures designed to limit human contact during the flu season. Any thoughts?
Thank you and thank you for the work you do!
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A: I’m the last one to ask about this because I think such people are being irrational. But I know plenty of folks in the medical field who say that they are not.
Still, I wonder – what about doorknobs? What about holy water fonts? What about touching pews that other people have touched? What about communion in the mouth? What about shaking hands on your way in and out of church?
The measures you describe sound like punitive efforts picking on the sign of peace and communion under both forms. It doesn’t make much sense to me.
People should take care of their health. Go regularly for checkups. Exercise. Eat right. And foster their spiritual health. At mass, give people their own choice about the cup, and give them their own choice about the sign of peace.