“Peace be with you.” “And with your spirit.” It is a new response to a familiar dialogue between priest and people gathered at Mass. Notice the uncapitalized “s” in the word spirit. It is with that in mind that I offer the following article from St. Stanislaus Parish in Lansdale, PA. The article appeared in their bulletin dated October 9, 2011.
“And with your spirit.” The Big Difference in a Little Phrase…
These are very ancient liturgical greetings used by Christians. When the Roman Liturgy was translated from Latin into modern European languages in the 1960’s, Italian, French, Spanish, German and Slavonic languages all retained the literal translation; only the English translation abandoned this ancient form of Christian greeting. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is known as “Sacred Liturgy,” “Sacred Mystery.”
This exchange of greetings between priest and people during the Sacred Liturgy establishes us as the praying Church united in the love of Christ. So, to which spirit are we referring -- the Holy Spirit or the human spirit? Responding to the priest by saying, “and with your spirit,” acknowledges that the priest exercises the Sacred Ministry by virtue of a Divine Spiritual Gift, given to him at his ordination.
As Saint John Chrysostom states: “The right offering of the gift is not a work of human nature, but the Mystic Sacrifice is brought about by the Grace of the Holy Spirit.” We are referring to the special grace gift of the Spirit by which men are made priests, praying that grace will continue to enable them to perform all their duties in holiness.
By the laying on of the hands at his ordination, the priest receives the power of the Holy Spirit, so that he may be able to perform the Divine Mysteries. In essence, the people’s response to the priest can be interpreted as, “to you, also, be peace with the Spirit of the priesthood which you have received” … “And with your spirit.” The big difference in a little phrase… (by LaVerne Scheetz — Reprinted with permission.)
