During my formation in New Zealand, I came to know a tiny bit about the Māori culture that is still practiced today among the kiwis. The hongi - the traditional Māori greeting, where 2 people press their noses together.
In this physical connection is contained a deeper, spiritual connection not just between the 2 people but with the whole history of both. That includes the lives of all their ancestors and everything they experienced and which flowed down the generations to the present. This history is reverenced in this small gesture.
I find in this culture such richness, reverence and meaning in the deep connections. We don't practice the hongi in Singapore but when we meet one another, we can still be present to the other and his/her whole history in a real, spiritual and reverential way.
Gospel: https://universalis.com/20201102/mass.htm
By Anchored in Christ.
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