Hand-Holding Explained

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Maximilian75 said:
Because that’s not the best hill to die upon.

Sometimes the bother involved in righting a liturgical wrong is just too much of a hassle
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This…and I would imagine the priest has asked himself about the people’s intent and decided that their intent is a positive thing, and not to rock the boat. They have to pick their battles very carefully, because they are faced daily with the old adage that you can’t please everyone.
 
AlNg said:
It is? Everyone is doing it at the local Roman Catholic Church here. If what you say is true, why don’t the priests say something about it being reserved for the priest alone?
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Yes, it is. Read the GIRM and the rubrics.

And some priests do. We had one two weeks ago at the military chapel who did.

The orans is essentially the priest offering up prayers on behalf of the people. Why would the people mimic that?
 
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Pup7 said:
The orans is essentially the priest offering up prayers on behalf of the people. Why would the people mimic that?
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I would not know the answer to that except that possibly it is something that Protestants have done.
 
I didn’t mean to trap you with that - I meant that as a rhetorical.

Yes, I saw that in Protestant churches (I didn’t get it then, either, but it’s not my bag regardless, so that’s personal preference). But we’re not, and our rubrics say it’s reserved for the priests.
 
I’d be shocked to see it universal anywhere; I drove through 13 states and was happy to see little amiss at any Mass I attended. Hand holding appears in no Missal.
 
These things seemed to be organic developments, not anything imposed. As someone else mentioned, at least where I am, the hand holding is a lot less than it was the 80s and 90s.
 
Many people in my church do the hand-holding or the holding up of hands. I don’t care for it, and I don’t do it.
 
Just another benefit of receiving communion on the tongue rather than in the hand
 
guanophore said:
I think it was imported from 12 step programs, whose members generally hold hands during the Serenity Prayer.
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AA closes meetings with the Our Father, not the Serenity Prayer, and they hold hands during it.
 
Augustinian said:
AA closes meetings with the Our Father, not the Serenity Prayer, and they hold hands during it.
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Some do, but after thinking about this, I realized that it pre-dated the Charismatic movement, but that was probably an influence.
 
guanophore said:
Some do, but after thinking about this, I realized that it pre-dated the Charismatic movement, but that was probably an influence.
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The founders of AA were touched by the Oxford Group (not to be confused with the Oxford Movement) which was active in the 1930’s. Oxford Group had meetings, I don’t know if they did the Our Father recitation at the end.

I wouldn’t be surprised if handholding didn’t come later for AA until the charismatic movement
 
Augustinian said:
I wouldn’t be surprised if handholding didn’t come later for AA until the charismatic movement
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It had already infiltrated my parents very traditional Tridentine parish by 1973. There was no evidence of anything Charismatic at the time.
 
Reverent_Howler said:
Strange you should say “cultish” as we’ve seen individuals form circles during the Lord’s Prayer–even if one must turn one’s back to the altar. This odd practice suddenly stopped after a few times.
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I didn’t say cultish, but I can see why someone would.
 
I noticed that hand-holding is used much less now. Mostly it is husband and wife and their children that hold hands.
 
It is far more likely that it came about from the Catholic Charismatic Movement, as it spread at the same time the movement was spreading.
 
i’m not sure how this bizzare practice crept into the Mass

in my parish only family members “hold hands”

but, i’ve heard of parishes where “everybody” is expected to “hold hands”

it is weird; during flu season it is dangerous
 
I don’t have a dog in the fight; I don’t care if people hold hands or they don’t.

But I do disagree with you bout the Our Father. Reading the prayer shows that it is a community prayer - npt an individual one (“Our”, “give us”, “forgive us” “as we forgive”, 'lead us"). Further, it is not said individually; it is said as a community all together. And holding hands is a symbol of “us” and “we”. It is certainlyl one that some do not like, but it is nevertheless a sign of unity, just as a man and a woman holding hands, or a parent and a child holding hands, is a sign of unity.

Please, if it upsets you, do not hold hands. That is not the purpose of it and I would never suggest otherwise.
 
Wow, just… wow. Such charity as would amaze Christ himself.

And your radio host is not the first person to make the comment.

Folding one’s hads just before the Our Father begins would be entirely sufficient to show that one does not wish to hold hands.
 
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