''The Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament."

"As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by Conferences of Bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner."

In two sentences, the GIRM #82 explains the Rite of Peace; while in The Roman Missal, more precise directions are given at #127-128.

For about the first thousand years of the Church's life, this sign was an important one. Interestingly, it seems to have moved around in the Mass.

It was usually placed either before or after the General Intercessions. This meant that only those who were already initiated into the Church were present for it. Those still preparing for entrance by baptism, confirmation, and first Eucharist were not included. They had been dismissed at the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, something we do now for those preparing for those sacraments.

The present Roman Missal has the sign of peace following the Our Father and before the Communion Rite.

At the initial stages and discussions about the renewal of the liturgy, there were proposals regarding its placement. Some suggested following the penitential act at the very beginning of the Mass; others restoring it to before or after the General Intercessions. Some even proposed it as part of the dismissal rite.

The late Pope Benedict XVI suggested the possibility of a move to another part of the Mass, the above mentioned being the ones suggested and then studied. Ultimately, because there was too much diversity in proposals, the decision was made to leave it as is.

Some of the impetus for the move was the change in the way this "sign" has been implemented. In some places, this is almost a "meet and greet" with the priest, deacon, other ministers and the rest of the assembly, moving well beyond "those nearest" them. "Meet and greets" are important for the parish and for the liturgy, but it is best done prior to the beginning of Mass or following the dismissal.

The priest is instructed, "The Priest gives the sign of peace to a Deacon or minister." And GIRM #154 says, "The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to disturb the celebration." Additional directives are permitted according to each conference of bishops and with the approval of the Holy See.

The sign is the greeting "Peace be with you." Anything additional is, as mentioned, at the discretion of the local bishops' conferences. So, keep in mind that what happens in the United States may not be what happens elsewhere in the world, and obviously vice versa.

Catholics tend not to sit "too close" to each other. Staking out claims on "my seat." Often, the farther from those next to, in front of, or behind, the better. So, in some cases, we see a polite smile and the "liturgical wave" across the pews.

This is also a place where sensitivity to others must be borne in mind. As mentioned last week regarding the Our Father, it is important not to impose my actions, postures, or gestures on others who may have reasons, whether cultural, medical, or personal, to avoid physical contact.

Another overlooked aspect of this rite is that it is "optional." A community will probably not readily opt out, but an individual celebrant may do so in a particular circumstance. As we saw a few years ago, general health concerns, e.g., flu season, might be a reason.

There are three qualities of the Roman Rite that are well preserved in our current Roman Missal: brevity, noble simplicity, and sobriety.

The prayers, certainly in their original Latin, are concise and to the point. Some of this gets "lost in translation." But even there, we can see and hear this. Noble simplicity means performing an action in a measured, easy manner. Sobriety permits the meaning of our action to be easily seen, not too much "unwrapping" or peeling off needs to be done. This applies to the sign of peace as well.

Peace, that most elusive desire of our human hearts, needs to be planted and nourished, little by little, person to person. At Mass, at home, in the office, and in that most difficult of all -- on the road during heavy traffic!