The Peace a Good Thing, Even When Overdone

The peace, bane of introverts even when celebrated reverently, and bane of introverts and many others when celebrated badly, is still a good thing. So I argue in Keeping the Unpeaceful Peace, published in Catholic World Report. It begins:

The sign of peace “breaks up the Mass and, when conveyed with zealotry, transforms it into something it’s really not supposed to be: part hippie love fest, part election campaign (there’s always one fellow who dashes through the pews, clasping hands like he’s chasing votes).” He really doesn’t like the peace, explains the English historian Tim Stanley, a convert, writing in the Catholic Herald. “I’ve even witnessed a full-blown snog,” he says.