Hand-Holding Explained

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I try to tell myself that is personal preference also because I totally do not like it and tell myself not to judge others but when hands end up in front of your face during Mass because you are in a small crowded church, I think it goes beyond personal preference.

I once witnessed a middle aged man insist that the elderly woman next to him hold hands with him and you could tell she was in pain. (I live in a small town, I know they were not together) Then when they let go he wiped his hands on his pants, turned to her and laughed. She just kept looking forward.

Of course then there is always the kids (and sometimes adults) that push and pull at each other while holding hands making it an arm wrestling contest.

I agree with you, and I don’t want to be judgmental either but these are just things that should not be going on at Mass, especially right after the consecration.

Many priests and parishes have wrote on their blogs and in their bulletins asking people to stop the hand holding but many just flat out refuse.

There is a good video by Fr. Ricardo on youtube, explaining why we should not be holding hands at Mass.

God bless
 
wow, that’s really terrible! I’ve never had anybody insist or anything.

I’ve been to a few Masses in the past couple years (Novus Ordo) with NO sign of peace and certainly no hand holding. A local priest around here says the sign of peace is “disruptive” and I agree-he’s right!

I would enjoy going to Mass more if there were no hand holding nor sign of peace… seems the Church didn’t do either for centuries!
 
One once observed in the local parish groups of individuals in the pews–and even the choir members located in the sanctuary–forming circles during the Lord’s Prayer. At least one source has referred to these as “magic circles” borrowed from either new age pagans or Wicca. Some turn their backs to the altar to carry out the posture. Fortunately, the choir no longer does the circle but a number of eucharistic ministers in the pews have taken a fancy to it.
 
pnewton said:
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kill051:
I don’t mean this to sound harsh, but it is the truth. At Mass, I am concerned neither with the alienation of my fellow congregants nor with my integration into the ‘community
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It not only sounds harsh, but contrary to what we are called to be.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
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Jesus left heaven for us, much further outside of his comfort zone than we are ever called to go.

If we look for ideas that came from Protestants, “me and Jesus got our own thing going” is as Protestant as it gets.
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Oh dear, how did the Church create so many saints in those centuries without the sign of peace? Just doin’ their “me and Jesus” thing?! 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
 
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I saw something like that recently at a daily Mass, a group of women forming a circle in the pews, certainly thought it was odd.
 
Reverent_Howler said:
One once observed in the local parish groups of individuals in the pews–and even the choir members located in the sanctuary–forming circles during the Lord’s Prayer. At least one source has referred to these as “magic circles” borrowed from either new age pagans or Wicca. Some turn their backs to the altar to carry out the posture.
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This is outrageous. Ecumenism is one thing, but when flagrant disrespect for the Mass and outright paganism have entered into the house of God, action must be taken. Thank God I have not seen this in my parish.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
Many priests and parishes have wrote on their blogs and in their bulletins asking people to stop the hand holding but many just flat out refuse.
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In the parish where we live now, when we first moved here a few years ago, the entire congregation used to hold hands during the Our Father, the whole length of every row. It was the way the pastor wanted it done at the time. Earlier this year a new pastor arrived to take over the parish, and the rule has changed. Now nobody holds hands anymore, or only maybe in small family groups. The rest of us just go along with whatever the pastor tells us to do, which is okay by me.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
Many priests and parishes have wrote on their blogs and in their bulletins asking people to stop the hand holding but many just flat out refuse.
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If there are parishioners who are ignoring direct instructions from priests regarding their conduct during Mass, they should immediately betake themselves to and register with the nearest Protestant church, where I am sure they will feel more comfortable.
 
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I’ve never seen the hand holding and wouldn’t do it myself. There’s only one guy, an older fellow, who I’ve seen raise his hands during the “…we lift them up to the Lord…” response.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
Oh dear, how did the Church create so many saints in those centuries without the sign of peace? Just doin’ their “me and Jesus” thing?! 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
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The same way saints are always made. Comparing different cultures and times should always come with an understanding of that time. But no, I do not think anyone became a saint by loving Jesus while rejecting all the people Jesus died for. Love of God may be the greater commandment, but love of neighbor is still an absolute necessity.
 
kill051 said:
One once observed in the local parish groups of individuals in the pews–and even the choir members located in the sanctuary–forming circles during the Lord’s Prayer. At least one source has referred to these as “magic circles” borrowed from either new age pagans or Wicca. Some turn their backs to the altar to carry out the posture.
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Don’t believe everything you read here. “Some source”? Really? This claim of magic circles and paganism is crazy enough for Jack Chick.
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I don’t particularly like it (perhaps due to my conservative mindset and slightly introverted personality) but if others want to do it that’s their business. However I once attended a particular Mass were the congregation were all instructed to do it (across the aisles too). As a result of not joining in I ended up with the people either side of me holding hands in front of me and the end result was a feeling of being pushed out and excluded (as a result of a gesture that I think was intended to create a feeling of inclusion).

If people want to do this as familes or couples etc, then that is up to them, but once it becomes something that we are all expected (or instructed as a congregation) to do, then it becomes an invasion of space and an unfair (in my opinion) imposition.
 
Brendan_64 said:
I don’t particularly like it (perhaps due to my conservative mindset and slightly introverted personality) but if others want to do it that’s their business. However I once attended a particular Mass were the congregation were all instructed to do it (across the aisles too). As a result of not joining in I ended up with the people either side of me holding hands in front of me and the end result was a feeling of being pushed out and excluded (as a result of a gesture that I think was intended to create a feeling of inclusion).

If people want to do this as familes or couples etc, then that is up to them, but once it becomes something that we are all expected (or instructed as a congregation) to do, then it becomes an invasion of space and an unfair (in my opinion) imposition.
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Absolutely correct. What I like to call ‘enforced camaraderie’ has a sinister underlay, an implied threat of ‘If you don’t agree to participate in our show of inclusivity, we will drag you into it whether you like it or not’. Hardly the picture of peaceful and loving co-existence that its proponents intend.
 
kill051 said:
Absolutely correct. What I like to call ‘enforced camaraderie’ has a sinister underlay,
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Making this enforced would actually be adding something to the Mass that should not be added. It is one thing if this is occurring organically without it being promulgated, that is people just want to do it, but it must not be a thing that is promulgated.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
I think there’s a misconception that Father stood up one day and said, “We’re all going to start doing ___ now.”
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That did happen in the parish I belonged to. I hated it and still do, and go another parish where it isn’t enforced.
 
Doing the Orans posture during Our Father needs to go away, and quickly. Cardinal Sarah, who is in charge of the Liturgy, said not to do it. The Vatican has said not to do it.

Article 6 §2 - INSTRUCTION: ON CERTAIN QUESTIONS REGARDING
THE COLLABORATION OF THE NON-ORDAINED
FAITHFUL IN THE SACRED MINISTRY OF PRIEST
To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers — e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology — or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to “quasi preside” at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity
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Thankfully during daily Mass I have refused to do it and now I am noticing a lot less people starting to do this Evangelical seepage.
 
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