Here is the strength of your reform: to leave Him alone in order to turn towards man, for man and to bow to man. It has never been the Will of Christ that at the time of His death, man would leave Him alone in order to look for approbation and acceptance of men. I am talking about your embraces and handshakes. When your eyes should be directed towards God, then they have been turned away from Him, precisely then. The old liturgy did not provide for the transmission of the ”sign of peace.” And what is this sign? A sign for whom? It is Christ, dying on the cross, who is leaving us His peace. By joining with Christ, we gain peace. At that moment, we can not have any hatred in ourselves, because precisely due to this hatred Christ is dying. We should forgive all offenses and become a vessel of the peace of Christ, receive Christ with His peace into our hearts, because in a moment it will become reality. Thus, the peace in us should be absolute forgiveness and willingness to be Christ, replacing Him among people. When He has already died on the cross, we ought to continue His work when he is leaving this world; but it has nothing to do with the squeezing of hands of all those for whom we feel sympathy. This habit became a nod towards the side of man and an attempt to divert, actually a diversion of the attention from Jesus. The peace should be in the heart and in the will, in reconciliation and in forgiveness. This sign, which was introduced by the reform, has no theological basis and is a yet another attempt to turn man away from God and turn his actions towards man, and not towards God.

 

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Translated from : Tajemnica Mszy świętej według św. Ojca Pio na podstawie Orędzi na Czasy Ostateczne które własnie nadeszły, Grzechynia 2013, p. 43-45 –

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