Biblical Reason & Revelation

The Ancient Gesture of the Holy Kiss Hidden in Today’s Mass Long time ago at church, at the time the priest said, “Offer one another the sign of peace,” I actually saw some man kiss another man on the cheek, a child on the forehead, and a lady on the hand. I’m assuming they were not related. Recently, I read how this trend continues, as a blogger wrote about a similar situation. That memory stayed with me, not because it was unusual, but because it felt ancient — like I had accidentally witnessed something older than the parish itself. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what I was seeing. It looked like a simple gesture of goodwill, maybe even a cultural flourish. Only later did I realize I had seen a living remnant of a tradition that reaches back to the world of Jesus and even before. In the ancient Mediterranean world, a kiss was not romantic but relational. It was a sign of respect, kinship, and peace. Men greeted men with a kiss on the cheek. Children were kissed on the forehe...