What does it mean to greet each other with a holy kiss? Every time I read the Apostle Paul’s phrase, “Greet each other with a holy kiss” in Russian, the word “kiss” stands out — because “целование” literally means “to make whole.” Kiss is something that makes whole what was broken.
In English, that sense of “wholeness” is less explicit, but it is still there. The word kiss comes from Old English coss, meaning an embrace or a greeting. So in Old English, Paul’s words read:
Halsiað eow betwux mid halgum cosse.
Here, the sense of wholeness comes through in the word halgum —“holy,” which is related to whole and health. So the phrase may be rendered: “Greet one another with a whole-making embrace.”
In Purgatorio, Dante shows us something striking. The souls circle the mountain in their slow ascent, still burdened by their sins, each step a struggle. And then, in Canto 26, he describes an unexpected scene: two groups of souls meet — and instead of passing by, they rush toward one another.
They greet each other with kisses and embraces — looking somewhat funny — like ants touching antennae as they pass.
“Coming down the middle of that road of flames was another group of souls approaching those who had spoken to me. As I watched, both groups rushed to greet each other with a brief hug and kiss. I was reminded of how ants nose up to each other when they meet, as though to find out which way to go, or how they have fared.”
When a soul is on its way to Paradise, it longs to be embraced — to be made whole. Every step along the way reminds us that something within us is still broken. And when we become too fixated on that brokenness, we stop moving. When our gaze is fixed on what is wrong, we forget Heaven — and betray our calling: to become light, to fly.
We long for someone to run toward us, to embrace us, and to say:
You have done well. Do not give up. I know who you are. Believe me: you must fly.
These words make us whole. That is why, in Purgatorio, the souls on the mountain rush to greet one another with a “whole-making” kiss. They know they need friends who believe in them.
As the saying goes, the road is yours alone — but you can never walk it alone. We can only fly when others see us flying, and say: “Drop everything that weighs you down. You belong to the skies!”
In that embrace, something mysterious happens. Wholeness is restored before it is restored. We stop looking down — and lift our eyes to the Sun and other stars.
