A question concerning my hands

[Andruschak]

I am in formation as a penitent to live a rule of life based on the Franciscan Rule of 1221. Part of our rule is not to stand out. We are urged to do our penance quietly, to avoid the huge danger of Spiritual Pride. Even if, or especially if, when attending Mass.

Now my local Church is a rather large church, so it would be hard to stand out unless I wore my kilt. And even that would not be considered unusual, since a lot of the Samoan men wear their traditional skirts. It would be considered “dressy”, and quite appropiate for something like my Confirmation.

But for routine Sunday masses, I stick to my standard outfit of dark-blue work trousers from K-mart and those cheap light blue T-shirts. The same outfit that made that cashier ask if I was a Priest. (See the Spirituality Forum for that thread.)

One habit I may have to change is the way I hold my hands in prayer. My lifelong habit is to hold the palms together, with fingers closed and upright. The upraised hands hover between my breasts. The tip of the fingers is near the throat.

Today I noticed that I seem to be the only person in the church who holds their hands this way. The rest interlace their fingers, and the hands are around the waist area. If they bother at all. But am I standing out? Does anybody else in the church really care, or even notice? Should I change my practice so as not to try and stand out? Feedback welcomed

 

[puzzleannie]

I One habit I may have to change is the way I hold my hands in prayer. My lifelong habit is to hold the palms together, with fingers closed and upright. The upraised hands hover between my breasts. The tip of the fingers is near the throat.

I do it because that is the way I was taught by the good nuns over 50 years ago when I made my first communion. We actually thought this was the “Catholic way” and that hands clasped in the rounded double fist was the “Protestant” way. Since we still teach the children to fold their hands in the “steeple”, when they are processing, when they are standing “at attention” such as waiting for a blessing etc., the catechists and myself still do it this way, because our view is that the children are looking to us for an example. (We of course do not make that old CvP distinction). We also try to genuflect properly, also as a visual aide for the children.

 

[gvogt4]

I am in formation as a penitent to live a rule of life based on the Franciscan Rule of 1221. Part of our rule is not to stand out. We are urged to do our penance quietly, to avoid the huge danger of Spiritual Pride. Even if, or especially if, when attending Mass.

Now my local Church is a rather large church, so it would be hard to stand out unless I wore my kilt. And even that would not be considered unusual, since a lot of the Samoan men wear their traditional skirts. It would be considered “dressy”, and quite appropiate for something like my Confirmation.

But for routine Sunday masses, I stick to my standard outfit of dark-blue work trousers from K-mart and those cheap light blue T-shirts. The same outfit that made that cashier ask if I was a Priest. (See the Spirituality Forum for that thread.)

One habit I may have to change is the way I hold my hands in prayer. My lifelong habit is to hold the palms together, with fingers closed and upright. The upraised hands hover between my breasts. The tip of the fingers is near the throat.

Today I noticed that I seem to be the only person in the church who holds their hands this way. The rest interlace their fingers, and the hands are around the waist area. If they bother at all. But am I standing out? Does anybody else in the church really care, or even notice? Should I change my practice so as not to try and stand out? Feedback welcomed

As with most other issues, this will be a matter of opinion. I am not familiar with your rule, but I would personally not change. I was not taught to hold my hands as you do, however, after reading Pope Benedict’s “The Spirit of Liturgy”, I have changed from praying with fingers interlaced to palms together (bit not with fingers pointed up, rather with them pointed forward). His description of the deeper spiritual meaning of this was all I needed. (My book is on loan to a friend so I cannot quote, but I can do my best.) He said that when we pray with our hands in this manner, it is as if we are placing them into the hands of God, and that in this somewhat vulnerable position, we are saying “I place myself, all I am, all I have, all my hope, all my trust in Your hands.”
I have noticed the deacons holding their hands in this position as well. Now, I remmeber being taught a long time ago “I you are not sure about what you are supposed to be doing, follow the deacon.” This came from a deacon of course .

 

[Brenda_V]

Like Puzzleannie, I was taught to pray with my hands folded the way the OP describes them.

The good Sisters taught us that we fold our hands with palms together, fingers pointing to heaven as a sign that we are sending our prayers to heaven and our thumbs crossed right over left as a symbol of the Crucifix and Jesus suffering on the Cross for us.

OP, I would not change my posture of prayer, my best guess is no one else even notices you do this . I sure wouldn’t as I would be too busy praying myself to see what you are doing.

Brenda V.

 

[Spirithound]

The rest interlace their fingers, and the hands are around the waist area. [bold]If they bother at all[/bold]. But am I standing out? Does anybody else in the church really care, or even notice? Should I change my practice so as not to try and stand out? Feedback welcomed

If nobody even folds their hands to pray, would you stop too? I say stick with your traditional posture. The Rule does not (should not) cause you to do anything that contravenes your well-formed conscience.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I am in formation as a penitent to live a rule of life based on the Franciscan Rule of 1221. Part of our rule is not to stand out. We are urged to do our penance quietly, to avoid the huge danger of Spiritual Pride. Even if, or especially if, when attending Mass.

Now my local Church is a rather large church, so it would be hard to stand out unless I wore my kilt. And even that would not be considered unusual, since a lot of the Samoan men wear their traditional skirts. It would be considered “dressy”, and quite appropiate for something like my Confirmation.

But for routine Sunday masses, I stick to my standard outfit of dark-blue work trousers from K-mart and those cheap light blue T-shirts. The same outfit that made that cashier ask if I was a Priest. (See the Spirituality Forum for that thread.)

One habit I may have to change is the way I hold my hands in prayer. My lifelong habit is to hold the palms together, with fingers closed and upright. The upraised hands hover between my breasts. The tip of the fingers is near the throat.

Today I noticed that I seem to be the only person in the church who holds their hands this way. The rest interlace their fingers, and the hands are around the waist area. If they bother at all. But am I standing out? Does anybody else in the church really care, or even notice? Should I change my practice so as not to try and stand out? Feedback welcomed

I think you miss the point of the rule. It is not that we won’t stand out, but not to make it our intention to stand out. If the way you held your hands was not because you wanted to be noticed, but rather it is your reverence for God as you pray, then by all means do it, providing it is not a distraction for others around you.

When I’m at Mass, I never take notice of how people around me are praying. My eyes are generally closed. I just hope father doesn’t think I’m sleeping while he’s giving his homely.

Jim

 

[LilyM]

I’m sure the way you currently hold your hands when you pray is fine, Harry. It won’t stand out in any way that you need be concerned by.

I usually just have the fingers loosely interlaced rather than palms together, and honestly never thought about the difference and never notice what others are doing (except the orans position - that can be annoying)

 

[Prague]

That is the way I place my hands. Just seems natural to me. God’s Blessings
Prague

 

[blessedstar]

I think that if we spend our time worrying about whether to fold fingers not fold fingers etc then we are not acting naturally in Mass, by this giving natural reverence to God. We are being self-concious thus the mind being on the self and drifting from being on God.

The Church has laid out norms of posture expected to be followed by all laity at appropriate parts of the Mass. In my time I have seen some extraordinary goings on that people think are devout actions during Mass but result in distraction for other people, such as kneeling near the Altar when the norm states to stand in the pews, causing a block up at Communion in the aisle from ‘falling down’ in the aisle for a reason best known to the person as well as other occassions of sighing and moaning as if in consolation for all to hear. I would say that this draws attention to oneself and distracts from the Mass but I cannot say the intent of the heart of those carrying on like this.

However you are not waving your hands in the air and causing a scene, you are holding your hands in one of the postures that people may chose to hold their hands whilst praying.

Relax, approach God naturally and follow the norms of the Church. Over analysis is always a recipe for scrupulosity and that is not the aim of any Spiritual Rule.

 

[THutch04]

I’d say you’re fine. Most people probably aren’t noticing, and the ones who are probably don’t feel strongly one way or the other.