Interesting . . .

We attend a parish where there is widespread hand holding during the Our Father. It is interesting, particularly at morning Mass, how people all claim the same seat every day, far away from everyone else for their 'space'. Come the Our Father, however, the miles must be reduced and most everyone practically climbs over pews to reach another outstretched hand.

During the Swine Flu or H1N1 'pandemic' a few years ago, some bishops sent out requests that we refrain from this 'liturgy' until after the 'pandemic' was over. It cut the Mass time down noticeably although there were a few parishioners who were going to hold hands regardless. The rest of us would whip out our pocket-sized hand sanitizer and prepared for the worst!

After Mass one day, some kindred spirits and myself had to laughingly acknowledge that the bishop's request to forego the hand holding was basically asking us to "stop doing what we aren't supposed to be doing, anyway"!

Since the bishop had come out strongly in favor of taking precautions with what turned out to be not a pandemic, it makes we wonder why he isn't as concerned during the annual flu season where thousands die. The world is certainly a strange place and I imagine my being in it adds to the strangeness, too!