Hands folded together for prayer at Mass

[Cathryn]

I try to keep my hands folded when I pray at Mass, since this is what I was taught when young and in Catholic school years ago. Father has trained the altar servers to keep their hands folded when they are at prayer on the altar.

It seems as if not many Catholics in the pew do much of anything with their hands, even when the priest says “Let us pray” and demonstrates the folded hands position to everyone before opening his own hands to lead the prayer to God.

Catholic signs, symbols, and gestures are important to me. I love directing my prayer to God along with everyone else. I would like to know if Catholics here give this any thought.

 

[IrishAm]

I try to keep my hands folded when I pray at Mass, since this is what I was taught when young and in Catholic school years ago. Father has trained the altar servers to keep their hands folded when they are at prayer on the altar.

I always taught my own children to keep their hands folded at Mass, but must admit my motive was two-fold – to keep their attention focused on God and to keep their hands OFF one another. (Suspect the schoolroom nuns had the same thing in mind . . . )

 

[1ke]

I fold my hands in prayer at Mass, bow during the Creed, bow before receiving Communion, etc.

I see many others doing the same, and showing their children the proper way to do things as well. And, I also see those who do not.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

I do not fold my hands because I never liked doing it as a kid. I clasp them together, and try not to look at others and what they’re doing. They might want to holdmyhand during the Our Father, and I don’t want to do that!

 

[cothrige]

It seems as if not many Catholics in the pew do much of anything with their hands, even when the priest says “Let us pray” and demonstrates the folded hands position to everyone before opening his own hands to lead the prayer to God.

Not a problem around here. There are tons of hand gestures constantly being used, I just don’t understand any of them. For instance, when anybody says “The Lord be with you” everybody responds by thrusting their hands at the person. At “We lift them up to the lord” everyone sticks their hands up in the air. It starts to look a bit like a big hokey-pokey going on. Then there is always the carrying of firewood. During the Our Father the people in the pews of course grab hands, but up in the sanctuary I always see the people carrying imaginary firewood. It is the funniest position I can imagine to take during a prayer, and seems so completely disconnected to what is actually happening. My favorite though is the ever presnt Nazi salute. Whenever anyone is baptized, confirmed or instituted in some position like that of EMHC all of the people in the pews will hold their hands up in some sort of imitation of a laying on of hands, long-distance style. However, instead of looking prayerful or some such it is a perfect reenactment of a Nazi rally and everyone is saluting Hitler. A bit creepy actually.

So, I would say that here locally there are bunches of hand gestures going on. Too bad the sign of the cross or the folded hands you mention are not among them.

Catholic signs, symbols, and gestures are important to me. I love directing my prayer to God along with everyone else. I would like to know if Catholics here give this any thought.

I agree with you on that, and try to teach my children appropriate gestures and the like during worship. I think they mean a lot and encourage a proper attention to what is going on. I constantly remind them, my kids that is, when to hold their hands together in front of them in prayer, including the Our Father, and all the way to the Amen at the end, rather than just after the “And the power…” part. I teach them to make the sign of the cross at “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, and to bow during the Nicene Creed. We are the only people in our Church which seem to do these things btw. Having converted about thirteen years ago from high-church Anglicanism I also teach them to bow their heads when the crucifix is carried by in the procession, though we are certainly alone in this. I believe these things all contribute to developing a mindset proper to worship and this is especially important in children.

 

[RosalieM]

I’m glad we’re having this thread. I was beginning to wonder if I was supposed to be folding my hands in prayer because only myself and one or two others were doing so. I don’t get it. People lean on the back of pews with their hands, fold their arms, put hands on hips, clasp hands in back of themselves. It’s almost as if they’re doing their best to avoid hands folded in prayer. I don’t care anymore. It feels right to have my hands folded in prayer and I’m going to keep doing it. I think I’ll also quit the gestures of extending hands up in the air and during the “also with you”. One guy looks like he’s tossing a ball to the priest then points his finger. I try not to look. As for the orans position during the “Our Father”, I’m just not comfortable with it and have been doing it for the sake of community with others. Maybe I’ll change that too now and then. why not fold hands in prayer? My resolve is strengthened.

 

[trying2flywith5]

I keep my hand folded, ESPECIALLY during the Our Father. There are too many hand holders. My children have picked up on that, as my in-laws have lots of handholding in their evangelical church. I have told them that I do not hold hands, and they are beginning to catch on. It also keeps strangers from trying to hold hands. I did hold hands with a family friend on Easter Sunday as I was not uncomfortable since she seemed to need it.

 

[graceandglory]

I find that when I’m focusing on my hands and my prayer posture, I am spending less time actually focused on prayer. Sometimes when I’m actively praying, I realize that I hadn’t been folding my hands. Oops!

So, I wouldn’t worry about it. I can pray while driving, even with my eyes open, or when lying down in my bed on my back, just as good as sitting straight up with hands together pointed up. I actually prefer a more relaxed position when praying the rosary.

I do like how the altar boys look when their hands are together, fingers pointed up.

 

[graceandglory]

Not a problem around here. There are tons of hand gestures constantly being used, I just don’t understand any of them. For instance, when anybody says “The Lord be with you” everybody responds by thrusting their hands at the person. At “We lift them up to the lord” everyone sticks their hands up in the air. It starts to look a bit like a big hokey-pokey going on. Then there is always the carrying of firewood. During the Our Father the people in the pews of course grab hands, but up in the sanctuary I always see the people carrying imaginary firewood. It is the funniest position I can imagine to take during a prayer, and seems so completely disconnected to what is actually happening. My favorite though is the ever presnt Nazi salute. Whenever anyone is baptized, confirmed or instituted in some position like that of EMHC all of the people in the pews will hold their hands up in some sort of imitation of a laying on of hands, long-distance style. However, instead of looking prayerful or some such it is a perfect reenactment of a Nazi rally and everyone is saluting Hitler. A bit creepy actually…

 

[jmjconder]

I can be easily distracted at Mass.

I keep my hands folded and usually my eyes either closed or at least downward and for one very selfish reason ~ it keeps me focused on what I am hearing and away from distractions…I do not care what it looks like.

I also remember in grade school after receiving Holy Communion we were taught to return to the pew and cover our faces with our hands…the nuns knew what they were teaching us! I have recently recalled that and have returned to that lesson from second grade.
Thank you Sister Mary!

 

[RosalieM]

I can be easily distracted at Mass.

I keep my hands folded and usually my eyes either closed or at least downward and for one very selfish reason ~ it keeps me focused on what I am hearing and away from distractions…I do not care what it looks like.

I also remember in grade school after receiving Holy Communion we were taught to return to the pew and cover our faces with our hands…the nuns knew what they were teaching us! I have recently recalled that and have returned to that lesson from second grade.
Thank you Sister Mary!

Thank you for that! (and Sister Mary also)

 

[Michael_Welter]

The most important thing is our spiritual posture during prayer. It doesn’t matter if your hands are pointed up, down or sideways. God is omnipresent. God will hear your prayers if they come from a sincere heart, regardless of the position of your hands.

 

[Cathryn]

A few months ago I attended Mass at a parish in Flagstaff that I had never been to before. At the start of Mass, the priest looked at me in the back, who he didn’t know, with my hands folded. He then told the whole congregation take our hands, spread them apart, look at them. (I was dreading what kind of kooky thing I was in for, but did it.) Then he said OK now, take them and fold them together and let’s pray, and began Mass. Most seemed to think he was joking, and laughed, but I know he was serious about trying to get them to do it.

 

[rwoehmke]

I do like how the altar boys look when their hands are together, fingers pointed up.

This past Sunday the young fellow from our parish who is in seminary was home for a visit. He was assisting Father at Mass wearing cassock and surplice. The regular altar server of about the same stature was wearing an alb. The seminarian stood with hands folded as we did when I was a server. The altar server, a young lad, stood with his hands clenched together and hanging down by his belt buckle. I was actually surprised by the contrast. Cassock and surplice with hands properly folded does make an amazing difference. The other obvious difference was in the shoes. Tennies do look slovenly at least the multi colored ones do. I just hate feeling so unprogressive.

 

[Stillkickin]

I can be easily distracted at Mass.

I keep my hands folded and usually my eyes either closed or at least downward and for one very selfish reason ~ it keeps me focused on what I am hearing and away from distractions…I do not care what it looks like.

I do the same for pretty much the same reasons. I think it is also a good example to the younger members of the parish. I hope through my example they will remember reverence and why we are at Mass.

Stillkickin

 

[hilde_the_dog]

rwoehmke, Unprogressives of the world - UNITE. And that includes me

 

[HamtramckSteve]

Then there is always the carrying of firewood. During the Our Father the people in the pews of course grab hands, but up in the sanctuary I always see the people carrying imaginary firewood. It is the funniest position I can imagine to take during a prayer, and seems so completely disconnected to what is actually happening.

The posture is called the “orans” and its the posture of supplication, almost pleading. Its use is truly ancient, although it’s new to the Mass in America.

Here’s a link from EWTN about it:
ewtn.com/expert/answers/orans_posture.htm

 

[cothrige]

The posture is called the “orans” and its the posture of supplication, almost pleading. Its use is truly ancient, although it’s new to the Mass in America.

Here’s a link from EWTN about it:
[urlh]ttp://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/orans_posture.htm

No, not really. There is an orans position which is commonly used by the priest, and yes it is very ancient indeed. It involves the stretching out and usually up of the arms with the hands open and up. Typical thing to see during the Mass. However, whenever I see lay people or altar boys and girls try to imitate this it is as if they only have the interest to start the gesture, but give up before getting anyway into it. Rather than spreading their arms or lifting them up, they keep them straight down at their sides and flat against them, bend the elbow 90 degrees, and then hold their palms flat up and just curl their fingers over. Viola! Imaginary firewood. Honestly, it is very hard not to giggle whenever I see this strange mimery during the Mass, and so try to keep my head down at any point where such a spontaneous desire to gather up invisible kindling is likely to take hold of the people.

 

[HamtramckSteve]

Maybe I should have clarified in my response that what they’re *attempting *is the orans.

 

[cothrige]

Maybe I should have clarified in my response that what they’re *attempting *is the orans.

Ah, yes, I would agree with you in that. But, funny looking all the same. I think of it in much the same way as the “genuflection” I see so often. Maybe things are different in other areas, but here in North Florida this is a gesture which is basically extinct. Maybe ten percent of parishioners do it at all, and at least half of those do not bother to try to do it right or finish what they start. To see healthy men and teen boys come walking into the church, stop at the pew, and curtsy in almost perfect impersonation of a ten year old girl at her first dance recital is really odd to me. In any other setting it would result in immediate finger pointing and laughter.

I know that none of this really bears on me, but it does at times become obvious to me and I have to wonder about it. The thing that really gets me of course is how funny it is to see people doing something so strange looking and all the while they are looking so bored doing it. If you are going to go out of your way to stand in a really odd manner shouldn’t it move you or something? Shouldn’t you be passionate about that really bizarre thing you are doing? Everybody waves their arms, thrusts them up, carries the proverbial firewood, curtsies, claps and so on, but all with the same bored indifference that they would have shown to simply standing there like everybody else normally would. I can not, for the life of me, figure out why? Why do it? That is what makes me laugh about the “orans” thing. They are lifting no more than the bottoms of their arms, like they weigh a hundred pounds, barely holding them up to hip level with their fingers still mostly curled shut. And you can see on their face so clearly “Ho hum. Whatever…” So why do it at all? Why not just stand there? I really cannot imagine the thinking behind it.

Like I said, it is nothing to me really, but in the sense that, around here anyway, the Church is looking more and more like somebody that died yesterday and just hasn’t realized it yet, it makes one wonder. What does any of this gain for anyone? It all just contributes to a growing trend of distraction. We are beset here with clapping songs like “Our God is an awesome God!” every week, which I cannot take even remotely seriously. We have a Gloria that sounds like something from a football game, with clapping every line in what can only be called a chorus. The Sanctus is apparently copyright Eddie Cochran. Every week I have to steel myself for it as when the guitars come in it really does seem just like Summertime Blues, or maybe Come on Everybody. One of those anyway. It really just starts to wear me down and leave me feeling more and more disconnected from the community of believers here in this town, and especially the liturgy. It may be the work of the people, but not this people. And it all means nothing as more and more people drift away from the Church and those who remain insist on all of these odd postures and gestures so that the Spirit will be made manifest. Well, nothing seems all that manifested to me, except the expectation of standing there each week trying not to listen, and keeping my eyes on my feet until they finally manage to gather up enough fire wood to get something done.

Patrick