Now, at the end of his prayer at the Last Supper table, Jesus explicitly prays for us: "I pray ... for those who will believe in me through their word."
It's touching. Jesus sounds like a mother or father on their deathbed, praying that the family will stay together. "That they may all be one."
The oneness Jesus prays for isn't merely an external linkage - a structural unity. He wants us to be one as the Father and he are one.
This is the kind of unity the peace ceremony at Mass is intended to express. It isn't simply a polite greeting or forced pretense, or glad-handing with friends. It's the recognition that even though our personal relationship may not be good, or we are at odds on some major issues (political or religious), there is a deep-down bond among us all. We share one faith, one baptism ... God's own life within us.
The gesture we use, the words we speak in the peace ceremony should express this. It is the peace of Christ that we exchange. When we consciously realize this, our other differences don't dissolve, but it helps to put them in perspective.
Today's time with the Lord might well be spent talking about the difficult of being at peace with some people.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw