Your comments?
Liturgical abuses Ping!
I don’t hold hands either, I fold mine in a prayer gesture together and bow my head. I don’t like extending my hands upwards at different times during Mass, especially when the priest asks us to extend our hands towards people he is blessing. It just looks like a Nazi rally to me.
Who thinks up all these nutty rules?
As long as a person prays in a respectful and loving manner, who cares if they’re standing on their heads?
When the person next to me indicates a desire to hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer, I say, with a sheepish grin, “hepatitis”.
Just curious,Is this offense greater than the Grace of Jesus Christ? Was his blood not worthy to cover this infraction?
In the early church, all members used the orans position of the hands during the consecration because all were part of the “priesthood of all believers”, and all were participating in the sacramental rite or consecration. Consecration is not an act of the priest, but of the church. Sorry, my Protestantism is showing.
I sneeze whenever people start this prayer.
Hands in the prayer position and I bow my head. Going up to Holy Communion my hands are in the prayer position. I receive the host on the tongue and immediately make the sign of the cross. Receiving the precious blood the steps are repeated.
I am a convert, and as I was beginning to explore the Church I was surprised and annoyed by the hand holding. It just seemed so casual and modern to me, and I had been hoping to connect with the “old” Church of the Church Fathers in a more concrete way. It seemed my old Episcopalian church had more formality to it and that made me sad.
There is also a sense of collectivism to it that bothers me to no end, as if we all sink or swim to Heaven together as in Obama’s “collective salvation” claptrap. I suppose it is meant to express our unity as the body of Christ but it just never came across that way to me.
The last thing about both postures, the orans and the hand holding, is that it has a sort of show-offy evangelical “look how caught up in the spirit I am” feel to it. I prefer my relationship to the Lord to be very private, not that I don’t express my gratitude or give Him praise, but that I know it’s what is in my heart that matters to Him. But then again maybe that’s the Episcopalian thing in me still, they’re not exactly known for emotionalism, LOL.
Anyway I usually sit in a wide open pew and only hold hands with my children since that at least feels reasonably normal and sincere to me. I would like to teach them not to do it but it is taught at our parish school where they attend, what to do!!
To those of us who agree, the intricate arguments are highly meaningful.
However, it would be helpful to place information in a position in the article, in a position that attracts greater attention, information about what the laity ARE supposed to do.
(I think I already know: hands folded upward, like a traditional altar boy.)
I’m not able to detect the word “folded” in the article.
Same, and that's what I teach my kids to do. I frankly despise the spectacle of the "hand raising" -- as if it's some sort of cheesy televangelist program.
Me too. I have to be fast beofre someone tries to grab my hand.
I have noticed this for some time now. It DOESN'T matter what a priest may say because people WILL do what they want. It's an unconscious response, I think, passed on from their families/mentors.
One can only hope that it will go away with time.
My stance for the "Our Father" is standing, hands clasped loosely. I usually gaze at the crucifix, the statue of Our Lord as as adult and then at the statue of Mary holding the Baby Jesus.
I am always in a front row because it's helpful for concentration.
That is exactly what I do, Sal.
As for:
...hand-holding intrudes a false air of chumminess into the Mass (and undercuts the immediately-following sign of peace....
***
That stupid sign of peace is a false air of chumminess and disrupts the flow of the Mass.
Neither the orans nor holding hands is ideal. However, to declare them gravely illicit under rules whose expressly stated purpose is to block a loophole for co-consecration is just foolish. It validates enormously liberals who feel that orthodoxy and orthopraxis have been officially done away with.
MICROMANAGING???
I stand, close my eyes, and say the prayer.
In our church, for a while everyone held hands—except for just a few of us. Now I think it’s about 50-50, and the hand-holding is among families, not across the whole pew, which at least is a little better.
bump