Shaking hands in church

Canada
April 13, 2009 11:57pm CST
During mass we give each other the sign of peace by shaking each others hands. I hate this part of mass and remember a time before when we didn't do this at all. At first we used to look around and say to the people around us "peace be with you". Then they started with the hand shakes. Both my husband and I, have a germ phobia - we would shake each others hands but don't like touching anyone else. I caution this is a bit gross but once in church, there was a guy behind us that was coughing and sneezing all over his hands. At one point he made nose blowing sounds - my husband turned and looked at him, just as he was wiping his snotty hands on his jacket. Ewwwww !!! My husband turned to me and said "whatever you do, DO NOT shake that mans hand" and briefly explained why. It was long before that day, that both my husband and I stopped shaking hands but on that day, we felt even more justified. I wish they would get rid of the handshake during mass.
2 people like this
3 responses
@coolcoder (2018)
• United States
1 May 09
I agree...I hate this part of Mass. It truly makes me uncomfortable and awkward. Here's hoping that more parishes will adopt the Tridentine Mass so that we'll be rid of the whole handshake thing.
1 person likes this
• Canada
7 May 09
From your mouth to G*ds ear. I really hope they get rid of it too.
@murderistic (2278)
• United States
14 Apr 09
I guess the Catholic church is a bad place for germophobes.... first drinking out of the same glass and dipping hands into communal holy water... now shaking hands? Geez what's next? LOL
1 person likes this
• Canada
7 May 09
I don't participate in any of it. Basically, I sit there like a bump on a log and don't do anything
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
14 Apr 09
I am also not in favour of this shaking hands during the mass service. It wasn't practiced before and the church should revert to the old ways where people come to church to pray and not going round to the left and right shaking hands. Shaking hands if that is so necessary for peace sake in the catholic community can be done after the mass outside the church.
• Canada
7 May 09
Somebody should start a petition or something to get rid of it