The Sign of Peace at Mass: Its Historical Development and Theological Significance

The Sign of Peace is a liturgical expression of reconciliation and mutual charity among Christians in Christ. It also signifies the true peace bestowed by the Risen Lord upon His disciples. Deeply rooted in the ancient liturgical traditions of the Latin Church, this rite occupies a distinctive place in the celebration of Holy Mass, particularly in its relationship to the preparation for Holy Communion. Nevertheless, in the Traditional Roman Rite, the Sign of Peace is far less conspicuous to the lay faithful than it is in the modern form of the Roman Rite.

Throughout the history of the Church, the position, manner of celebration, and recipients of the Sign of Peace have undergone various changes, prompting considerable discussion among liturgical scholars. Following the Second Vatican Council, the promulgation and implementation of the new Roman Missal brought renewed attention to the liturgical arrangement of the rite. In more recent years, guidance issued by the Holy See’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments concerning the proper celebration of the Sign of Peace has further stimulated discussion within the Church.

This article therefore begins with the practices of the early Church, tracing the historical development of the Sign of Peace in the Latin Church and examining the theological significance underlying its various liturgical forms. Through this historical and theological inquiry, we may better understand how this seemingly simple rite points towards the true peace bestowed upon the Church by the Risen Christ.

In the Traditional Roman Rite, the Sign of Peace is not necessarily visible to the lay faithful. When, then, does this rite take place during Mass, and how is it performed?

Following the Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster) and the prayers that immediately follow it, the celebrant takes the paten, makes the Sign of the Cross upon himself with it, and kisses it while saying, Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum—“May the peace of the Lord be always with you.” The celebrant then takes a small particle of the consecrated Host, makes the Sign of the Cross with it over the chalice, and places it into the chalice while reciting the prayer accompanying the commingling of the Body and Blood of Christ, beginning with the words Haec commixtio. The liturgy then proceeds to the Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”).

Thus, the theme of peace has already entered the liturgical celebration, although the Sign of Peace itself has not yet been expressed in the manner more familiar to many Catholics today. The formal exchange of peace among the celebrant and other sacred ministers generally takes place after the Agnus Dei.

During a Solemn High Mass (Missa Solemnis), the celebrant first kisses the altar and then exchanges the Sign of Peace with the deacon. This exchange traditionally takes the form of a ceremonial embrace or kiss, expressing reconciliation and mutual charity among Christians and their participation in the peace bestowed by Christ.

The deacon subsequently communicates the peace to the subdeacon, who passes it to other sacred ministers and, according to the applicable ceremonial arrangements, to members of the choir and other ministers within the sanctuary.

It is therefore incorrect to suppose that the Sign of Peace is absent from the Traditional Roman Rite. Rather, its ceremonial exchange is ordinarily concentrated among the sacred ministers within the sanctuary. Consequently, the lay faithful participating in Mass may scarcely notice that the rite has taken place.

To understand the significance of the Sign of Peace, we must first consider the liturgical practices of the early Church. From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the exchange of a kiss among the faithful formed part of Christian prayer and liturgical life.

St. Justin Martyr, in his First Apology, describes the gathering of the early Christians and records the exchange of a kiss of peace following their common prayers. This testimony demonstrates that the kiss of peace was not merely a social courtesy but an important expression of ecclesial communion and the life of the Christian community.

The New Testament also repeatedly refers to the “holy kiss” (see Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14). These passages demonstrate that the exchange of a kiss was an established means by which the earliest Christians expressed fraternal charity and their communion in Christ.

Nevertheless, the various local Churches did not necessarily celebrate the Sign of Peace at the same point in the liturgy. In certain Western traditions, including the Gallican Rites, the kiss of peace was placed before the Offertory. Ancient liturgical writings, including works traditionally attributed to Pseudo-Germanus, likewise reflect the close relationship between the exchange of peace and the fraternal charity expected of Christians.

The early Church's understanding of the Sign of Peace was therefore inseparable from reconciliation, mutual love, and the building up of communion in Christ. The rite expressed more than outward friendliness: it signified an interior communion among the faithful, who were called to live in charity because they shared in the grace of Christ.

Although the early Churches differed in their placement of the Sign of Peace, the African and Roman liturgical traditions came to associate it with the period following the Lord’s Prayer and preceding Holy Communion.

Pope St. Innocent I, in his correspondence concerning Roman liturgical practice, offered an explanation for the placement of the Sign of Peace within the Roman Rite. This arrangement possesses both liturgical significance and profound theological meaning.

First, the Sign of Peace was understood as a kind of signaculum, or seal, confirming and completing the prayers that had preceded it. Just as the Amen at the conclusion of the Roman Canon expresses the faithful's assent to the Eucharistic Prayer, the Sign of Peace may likewise be understood as a confirmation of the preceding liturgical action.

Second, its placement after the Lord’s Prayer is closely connected with the content of that prayer. When we ask our heavenly Father to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, we do more than petition God for mercy. We also acknowledge our responsibility to seek reconciliation with our neighbours.

The Roman liturgical tradition associated with the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great further illuminates the historical development of this arrangement. By placing the Sign of Peace after the Lord’s Prayer, the liturgy invites the faithful, having prayed together and acknowledged their obligation to forgive others, to prepare themselves for Holy Communion through the peace bestowed by Christ.

Although this arrangement differs from the Gallican practice of exchanging peace before the Offertory, both traditions express an important Christian principle: we cannot receive God's grace while deliberately refusing reconciliation with our brothers and sisters.

The relationship between the Sign of Peace and Holy Communion must therefore be understood not merely in terms of liturgical sequence, but also in light of the Christian vocation to reconciliation and the communion of the whole Church in Christ.

As liturgical life developed during the Middle Ages, the manner in which the Sign of Peace was celebrated gradually changed.

In earlier practice, the kiss of peace more closely resembled a communal exchange among the faithful. During the medieval period, however, a more hierarchical pattern of transmission gradually developed in the Western Church. The celebrant first received the peace and then communicated it to the other sacred ministers, from whom it could subsequently be passed to others participating in the liturgy.

This development carries considerable symbolic significance. Peace is not something that humanity can create by its own power, nor is it merely the product of harmonious relationships between individuals. True peace originates in Christ, is bestowed upon His Church, and is then communicated to His people through the Church's liturgical life.

St. Alphonsus Liguori's writings on the liturgy of the Mass also offer a useful perspective on the symbolic relationship between the kissing of the altar and the transmission of peace. The altar stands at the centre of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which Christ is truly present under the sacramental species of the Eucharist. The celebrant's kissing of the altar before communicating the peace to others may therefore be understood symbolically: the priest first receives peace from Christ and then transmits it to others.

The ceremonial actions of the celebrant during a Solemn High Mass in the Traditional Roman Rite illustrate this sequence. After kissing the altar, the celebrant exchanges the Sign of Peace with the deacon, who subsequently communicates it to the subdeacon and other sacred ministers.

The scholarship of Fr. Joseph Jungmann, S.J., particularly his studies on the history of the Roman Mass, further illuminates the historical development and symbolism of the rite. The order in which peace is transmitted reflects not merely a ceremonial arrangement but also the Church's understanding of its source: peace is not bestowed by the priest in his own personal capacity. Rather, he first receives it from Christ and then communicates it to the faithful as a minister of the Church.

It should be noted that the ceremonial kissing of the altar and the exchange of peace in the Traditional Roman Rite involve specific gestures and liturgical objects. Their precise execution may vary according to the type of Mass and the applicable rubrics. These actions must therefore be understood in their proper historical and liturgical contexts, with due attention both to their symbolism and to the particular traditions in which they developed.

In addition to exchanging peace through a kiss or ceremonial embrace, the Western Church also made extensive use of the paxbrede, or pax-brede, as a means of transmitting the Sign of Peace.

A pax-brede is a liturgical object presented to the faithful to be kissed. It is commonly made of metal, wood, or another suitable material and may be decorated with a cross, an image of Christ, or other religious imagery. By kissing the pax-brede, participants could express their peace and communion in Christ without necessarily exchanging direct kisses with one another.

The use of the pax-brede developed in certain ecclesiastical traditions in England and continental Europe, where different local practices emerged. More than a mere liturgical implement, it illustrates how the Church has given concrete expression to the theological significance of the Sign of Peace in response to the practical requirements of different historical periods.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, the use of the pax-brede gradually declined. One possible contributing factor was the increasing frequency of Holy Communion among the faithful, which could make the additional time required to pass the object from person to person less convenient in certain liturgical settings. Hygiene concerns may also have influenced its use. The liturgical scholarship of Polycarpus Radó provides a further point of reference for studying related developments in liturgical practice.

Nevertheless, the decline of the pax-brede does not mean that the Sign of Peace itself has lost its significance. Rather, its history reminds us that the outward forms of the liturgy may develop in response to changing circumstances and practical needs, while the truths of faith expressed through them remain unchanged.

Beyond the traditions of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches have preserved distinctive forms of the Sign of Peace. One noteworthy example is the Syro-Malabar Rite, which originates in the East Syriac Christian tradition of India and possesses its own distinctive prayers, liturgical structure, and symbolic language. Its celebration of the Sign of Peace reveals theological principles shared with the Roman Rite, while retaining its own particular characteristics.

During the Syro-Malabar Eucharistic celebration, known as the Qurbana, the celebrant kisses the altar and then crosses his hands over his chest while reciting a prayer of thanksgiving. He subsequently blesses the congregation with the words:

“Peace be with you.”

The congregation responds:

“And with your spirit.”

The peace is then communicated from the celebrant to the other liturgical ministers and the congregation. Deacons, servers, and other ministers receive the peace from the celebrant and pass it on to those around them. The deacon, or the person responsible for communicating the peace, may also address the congregation with an invitation such as:

“My brothers and sisters, let us give one another the greeting of peace in the love of Christ.”

This invitation expresses the heart of the Sign of Peace. The faithful are not merely exchanging greetings; they are called to reconciliation and mutual charity in the love of Christ, sharing the peace that comes from the Lord.

It is noteworthy that the Syro-Malabar Rite, like the Traditional Roman Rite, presents an ordered transmission of peace from the celebrant to the other liturgical ministers and the congregation. In symbolic terms, this bears a resemblance to the Roman ceremonial practice in which the celebrant first kisses the altar and then communicates the peace to the deacon and other sacred ministers.

Nevertheless, the precise gestures, order of transmission, and liturgical placement differ among these traditions. They should not therefore be regarded as identical rites. What matters most is that both remind the faithful that true peace does not originate merely in human goodwill, but comes from Christ and is shared within the ecclesial community He has gathered.

In the Syro-Malabar Rite, the blessing of the celebrant, the transmission of peace by the liturgical ministers, and the mutual exchange among the congregation visibly express the communion of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. Each member of the faithful receives the peace bestowed by Christ and is, in turn, called to become a bearer of that peace to others.

Thus, whether peace is communicated in the Western Latin tradition through a kiss, ceremonial embrace, or pax-brede, or in the Eastern Syro-Malabar Rite through a blessing and an ordered exchange, these different liturgical forms point towards the same truth of faith: peace is first a gift bestowed upon the Church by Christ, and it then becomes the vocation of every Christian to live in mutual charity and reconciliation in Him.

A survey of the history of the Sign of Peace reveals that the Church, across different periods and regions, has expressed the same fundamental truth of faith through various liturgical forms: true peace comes from Christ and is shared within His Church.

Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself declares:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27)

The peace bestowed by Christ is not equivalent to harmony in the merely worldly sense, nor is it simply a symbol of cordial relationships among members of a community. Above all, it is the gift of reconciliation between God and humanity, the fruit of salvation accomplished by Christ through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

This truth becomes particularly evident in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Through His self-offering upon the Cross, He reconciles humanity to the Father and, through His Resurrection, bestows true peace upon His disciples.

The Sign of Peace is therefore not an isolated element unrelated to the rest of the Mass. It is profoundly connected with the forgiveness expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, with the proclamation of Christ in the Agnus Dei, and with the sacramental communion realised through the reception of the Most Holy Eucharist.

When the priest communicates the peace to other sacred ministers or to the faithful, he does not transmit a peace that belongs to him personally. Rather, he communicates the gift that he himself has first received from Christ. This liturgical sequence reminds us that all ecclesial communion must ultimately be centred upon Christ and draw its life from the saving work He has accomplished.

At the same time, the Sign of Peace makes a practical demand upon every member of the faithful. If we exchange the greeting of peace during Mass but refuse to forgive others, harbour hatred, or remain unwilling to seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in daily life, we have not yet fully embodied the spirit expressed by this rite.

The Sign of Peace is therefore more than a ceremonial gesture within the Mass. It is a call to Christian living. Having received the peace of Christ, we are called to become instruments of peace in the world, bringing His peace to others through forgiveness, charity, and sincere communion.

The Sign of Peace has never remained entirely unchanged throughout the history of the Church. From the kiss of peace exchanged among the faithful in the early Church, to its placement after the Lord’s Prayer and before Holy Communion in the Roman Rite; from the medieval development of an ordered transmission of peace from the altar, to the use of liturgical objects such as the pax-brede, the outward forms of this rite have passed through different stages of development.

These historical changes, however, have not altered its fundamental meaning. Whether the Sign of Peace is exchanged before the Offertory or after the Lord’s Prayer and before Holy Communion; whether it is communicated through a kiss, a ceremonial embrace, or a pax-brede, its essential purpose remains the same: to express the true peace bestowed upon the Church by Christ.

This peace cannot be created by human effort alone, nor is it merely a symbol of harmonious relationships between individuals. It originates in Christ's self-offering upon the Cross and, through His glorious Resurrection, becomes an inexhaustible source of grace for the Church.

In the Eucharistic Sacrifice, Christ is both the Lamb of God who offers Himself for the salvation of the world and the Risen Lord who bestows peace upon His disciples. The priest communicates the gift he has first received from Christ, while the faithful share in the grace of communion with one another in the Lord who has gathered them together.

Therefore, when we exchange the Sign of Peace during Mass, we express far more than a greeting or a symbolic liturgical gesture. We profess our faith in the saving work of Christ and renew our commitment to reconciliation and mutual charity in Him.

May each celebration of Holy Mass, and each occasion on which we receive the peace bestowed by Christ, deepen our understanding of the sacred significance of this rite. May the peace that comes from the altar bear fruit in our lives through reconciliation, charity, and communion.

May the Risen Lord Jesus Christ continually bestow upon His Church and all who trust in Him that peace which surpasses all understanding.