Doxology Hand Raising

[Sola]

Hi all,

For those of us who attend Mass in parishes where people hold hands during the Our Father, or for people who just have knowledge, why do people then raise their hands when the Priest gets to the doxology (“For thine is the kingdom…”)?

What does that signify?

Thanks!

 

[Cherub]

I am not sure what this means. The majority of people in my parish do this hand raising. They have joined hands for the Our Father, then raise them for that part you mentioned. I am one of those who prefers to keep my hands in prayer position and to myself. I don’t refuse to hold hands if someone makes a good effort to get hold of mine, but I don’t go out of my way. I wonder what it means, too.

 

[Sola]

Cherub:

I am not sure what this means. The majority of people in my parish do this hand raising. They have joined hands for the Our Father, then raise them for that part you mentioned. I am one of those who prefers to keep my hands in prayer position and to myself. I don’t refuse to hold hands if someone makes a good effort to get hold of mine, but I don’t go out of my way. I wonder what it means, too.

Same here, Cherub. We’ve had many threads about hand holding, but I haven’t heard anything about the hand raising, and I’m not sure what the significance of it is. I keep my hands in the same position for the prayer and the later doxology, but don’t want to be missing out on something that I should be doing, if we are supposed to!

 

[otm]

It has been around for so long, I suspect any answer would really be speculation. But I seem to recall a line from one of the psalms, “the lifiting of my hands as an evening sacrifice”.

 

[Inkman]

I asked my priest what this was all about and he told me that raising your hands (slightly) is a form of supplication and is quite all right to do. He said that in some European countries it is very common. He did however say that the position of Oran (sp?) is not permitted and is reserved for the priest.

Both of these, holding and raising hands, has always drove me bonkers. I have no idea why but it does. I now keep my eyes closed for most of the Mass so that I may not be distracted and lose focus on Christ’s presence.