The Greeting of St. Francis
"The Lord revealed to me that this is to be our greeting: 'The Lord give you peace.'" --The Testament of St. Francis
In our society the standard greeting seems to be "How are you?" when we come upon an acquaintance. I must confess that I am surly enough not to comply because it never seemed sincere to me. My questioner never looked truly interested in how I was--it was just an empty greeting....so I've just stuck with "hello" as my greeting. But I wonder....what if I did greet others with "How are you?" and then waited for an answer? It would mean I could not be so busy that I would be able to take the time to listen if they had more than a "fine" to report. And if that is their response, should I press them? "Fine" seems to be the standard, acceptable response even when we are not feeling so fine. This has given me something to think about the next time I greet someone.....
"The Lord revealed to me that this is to be our greeting: 'The Lord give you peace.'" --The Testament of St. Francis
In our society the standard greeting seems to be "How are you?" when we come upon an acquaintance. I must confess that I am surly enough not to comply because it never seemed sincere to me. My questioner never looked truly interested in how I was--it was just an empty greeting....so I've just stuck with "hello" as my greeting. But I wonder....what if I did greet others with "How are you?" and then waited for an answer? It would mean I could not be so busy that I would be able to take the time to listen if they had more than a "fine" to report. And if that is their response, should I press them? "Fine" seems to be the standard, acceptable response even when we are not feeling so fine. This has given me something to think about the next time I greet someone.....
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