Hand kissing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Batfink
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Batfink

Guest
I have mostly lived in areas where there is one EF available nearby, so I don’t have a wide range of experience.

At the Mass I currently attend, the server kisses the priest’s right hand every time he gives him something, takes something from him etc., so he ends up kissing the hand several dozen times in the course of a Mass.

In the two previous areas where I attended EF Mass, this was not done. We would kiss the priest’s hand one special occasions, e.g. when receiving a palm, but it wasn’t done as a matter of course.

So, my questions are:
a) Is the hand kissing a matter of personal piety or is it prescribed?
b) If it is optional, how common is it?
c) Any difference between the type of Mass? We only have High Mass.

Any illumination, please?
 
Batfink said:
I have mostly lived in areas where there is one EF available nearby, so I don’t have a wide range of experience.

At the Mass I currently attend, the server kisses the priest’s right hand every time he gives him something, takes something from him etc., so he ends up kissing the hand several dozen times in the course of a Mass.

In the two previous areas where I attended EF Mass, this was not done. We would kiss the priest’s hand one special occasions, e.g. when receiving a palm, but it wasn’t done as a matter of course.

So, my questions are:
a) Is the hand kissing a matter of personal piety or is it prescribed? It’s an option, but can be omitted
b) If it is optional, how common is it? **I have never seen it done myself with the exception of one priest from the FSSP who was visiting our parish, but was the priest there prior. I wasn’t at this parish while he was a priest, and out of the eight FSSP priests’ Masses I’ve been at, that one priest was the only one whom I witnessed do this. That said, I have seen it done by FSSP seminarians serving priests, and during solemn Masses with a deacon and subdeacon. I would imagine this comes down to the priest’s preference and other issues such as how some may take offense to it given the sexual abuse cases that will forever live on. **
c) Any difference between the type of Mass? We only have High Mass. A/A

Any illumination, please?
Click to expand...
 
Batfink said:
I have mostly lived in areas where there is one EF available nearby, so I don’t have a wide range of experience.

At the Mass I currently attend, the server kisses the priest’s right hand every time he gives him something, takes something from him etc., so he ends up kissing the hand several dozen times in the course of a Mass.

In the two previous areas where I attended EF Mass, this was not done. We would kiss the priest’s hand one special occasions, e.g. when receiving a palm, but it wasn’t done as a matter of course.

So, my questions are:
a) Is the hand kissing a matter of personal piety or is it prescribed?
b) If it is optional, how common is it?
c) Any difference between the type of Mass? We only have High Mass.

Any illumination, please?
Click to expand...
I’m not sure what the prevailing Latin practice is, but this is mirrored in the Byzantine Rite and I have seen it done in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches. In fact the Orthodox Church I’ve been too has shown more piety in this regard as the priest’s hand is kissed more often especially during Liturgy, during the reverencing of the Book of Gospels, during Communion, and after the final blessing where everyone reverences the cross.

In our practice in the UGCC, at least where I am, we do so for the bishop only.

This does mean this is a very traditional and universal practice in the Church.
 
In my parish, there was a lady of humble piety. I know that she removed her shoes as she moved to receive the Eucharist. (She may have removed her shoes when she reached the place were she sat for Mass). In the Old Testament, both Moses and Joshua were commanded to removed their shoes, because the place they stood was holy ground. At reception of Eucharist, she would kneel before Father. After receiving the consecrated Host, she would kiss Father’s hands. There could be those who disliked her actions. But with the eyes of faith, I could sense her humility, piety, and obedience. In the Greek, St. Paul called himself a “slave” of Jesus Christ.

Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, our priests receive a divine mark to in some respects substitutionarily stand in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Think on the saying of Jesus in the Gospels, "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon [not St. Peter], “Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.” (St. Luke 7:44).

If we had lived in the time of Christ, we too may have felt the same as the woman that washed His feet with our tears and wiped them with our hair.

Those are the reasons I believe my parishoner removed her shoes, knelt for reception of Holy Communion, and kissed the hands of him whom Almighty God used to change mere bread into the very Body of Christ. And that may in like manner be the motive of the individual you saw.

It is because of my ugly and hated pride, that I do no also remove my shoes, fall down in adoration before the Body of Christ, and kiss the hands of the ordained servant of God who through the power of prayer and obedience of Holy Mother Church consecrated the host.
 
ConstantineTG said:
I’m not sure what the prevailing Latin practice is, but this is mirrored in the Byzantine Rite and I have seen it done in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches. In fact the Orthodox Church I’ve been too has shown more piety in this regard as the priest’s hand is kissed more often especially during Liturgy, during the reverencing of the Book of Gospels, during Communion, and after the final blessing where everyone reverences the cross.

In our practice in the UGCC, at least where I am, we do so for the bishop only.

This does mean this is a very traditional and universal practice in the Church.
Click to expand...
I’m sure that the Filipino Latin custom is derived from this as well… venerating the consecrated hand of the priest by bowing and touching the priest’s hand against one’s forehead.
 
You might want to see this thread too –
“To kiss, or not to kiss, that is the question…”
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=8614867#post8614867

The PDF link in my old post is dead, but the Father Z link still lives!
amsjj 🙂

+++
Jesus, God and man,
imprisoned by love in Thy most holy Sacrament,
have mercy upon us.
  • Blessed John Henry Newman, December 22, 1851
Tú y yo sabemos por la fe que oculto en las especies sacramentales está Cristo,
ese Cristo con su Cuerpo, con su Sangre, con su Alma, y con su Divinidad,
prisonero de amor.
  • San Josemaría Escrivá, 1 junio 1974
… Our Lord Himself frequently said; and it is recorded as an Apostolic tradition from Him
by St. Justin the Martyr. He says ‘Jesus often said, “They who are near Me are near a
fire”’.
  • Abp. W. B. Ullathorne, August 1st 1886
 
I will have the courage to state what everyone else may be thinking. I have enough problems with germs and doing the SOP handshake ,so I really don’t want to kiss hands unless it is Christ.
 
I wear lip gloss, and I think our priest was aware whenever we were receiving blessed objects at the communion rail. He’d always make a quick by-pass of my face with his hand.
 
twf said:
I’m sure that the Filipino Latin custom is derived from this as well… venerating the consecrated hand of the priest by bowing and touching the priest’s hand against one’s forehead.
Click to expand...
The “mano” (Spanish for “hand”) is an act towards any elder, not just the priest. You would do the same for your parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, and practically anyone considered an elder like your parent’s friends. Priest of course are elders.

I’m not sure if this came out of Church practice or something else. But we would commonly call it in English as “Bless” because the act is an act of blessing from elder to the younger one. That is why sometimes I’m guessing it has more to do with our pagan past (ancestral worship) than Catholic piety. I could be wrong though.
 
I’ve seen people kiss the priest’s hand after Mass, and once even a deacon’s hand (perhaps the kisser thought the deacon was a priest?). I don’t do it, but it seems like a harmless enough custom, as long as it doesn’t segue into excessive clericalism.
 
Where I serve (a diocesan TLM) we only kiss the priest’s hand when handing him the biretta, nothing else. We follow the manual “How to Serve” by Dom Matthew Britt, OSB, which does not indicate any other time to kiss the priest’s hand. This manual does, however, recommend kissing each object (e.g. cruets, thurible, etc) being handing it to the celebrant, and again upon receiving it back.

A “kiss” need not be a real kiss. No actual contact is necessary. I usually remain about an inch away, and one time still got smacked in the mouth by a dear elderly Monsignor who has poor fine motor skills these days (though his preaching is still extraordinary!)
 
Batfink said:
I have mostly lived in areas where there is one EF available nearby, so I don’t have a wide range of experience.

At the Mass I currently attend, the server kisses the priest’s right hand every time he gives him something, takes something from him etc., so he ends up kissing the hand several dozen times in the course of a Mass.

In the two previous areas where I attended EF Mass, this was not done. We would kiss the priest’s hand one special occasions, e.g. when receiving a palm, but it wasn’t done as a matter of course.

So, my questions are:
a) Is the hand kissing a matter of personal piety or is it prescribed?
b) If it is optional, how common is it?
c) Any difference between the type of Mass? We only have High Mass.

Any illumination, please?
Click to expand...
 
I think it’s beautiful…I was always taught that the Priests hands were Holy and just think about it…I kissed a priests hand after Mass once and I think he thought I was crazy…there are indeed prayers specifically addressing the Holy hands…PAX
 
Deo_Gratias42 said:
I wear lip gloss, and I think our priest was aware whenever we were receiving blessed objects at the communion rail. He’d always make a quick by-pass of my face with his hand.
Click to expand...
Ha ha. Did we talk about this in some other thread a while back?

A similar thing happened to me. I think during Candlemas? I can’t remember which feast, but we were kneeling at the communion rail to receive the candles (I think unless I have the feast mixed up), and I noticed that the visiting priest extended his hand after giving whatever he was giving but I did notice he didn’t really extend his hand for me to kiss.

Oh well! 😛
 
IesumPerMariam said:
A “kiss” need not be a real kiss. No actual contact is necessary. I usually remain about an inch away, and one time still got smacked in the mouth by a dear elderly Monsignor who has poor fine motor skills these days (though his preaching is still extraordinary!)
Click to expand...
Oh no. An air kiss!
 
Many rubrical guides maintain that this should be done at all Masses, High and Low. It is done at our FSSP parish.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top