Holding hands during the "Our Father" prayer

[irishmom]

I’m looking for an answer on the Church’s teaching on holding hands during the Our Father prayer at Mass. It has caused quite a division in our family. Half of my family holds hands, the rest of us reverently fold our hands during the prayer. Can you please tell me if hand holding is encouraged, discouraged or left up to the Parish.
Our Pastor "invites’ us to hold hands as a show of unity. I thought that gathering as a community around the Lord’s Table WAS a show of unity. Please help me unify my family.

Thank you and God bless,
Irishmom

 

[Della]

Your priest is in the wrong here. The GIRM does not mandate any holding of hands during the Our Father. And the sign of unity is the Eucharist not a communal recital (holding hands or not) of the Our Father.

 

[netmilsmom]

irishmom:

I’m looking for an answer on the Church’s teaching on holding hands during the Our Father prayer at Mass. It has caused quite a division in our family. Half of my family holds hands, the rest of us reverently fold our hands during the prayer. Can you please tell me if hand holding is encouraged, discouraged or left up to the Parish.
Our Pastor "invites’ us to hold hands as a show of unity. I thought that gathering as a community around the Lord’s Table WAS a show of unity. Please help me unify my family.

Thank you and God bless,
Irishmom

It is always best to check with your Diocese. Some are encouraging this and some are discouraging.
If you feel the need to reach out and it is encouraged, do it.
However if your Bishop is saying it’s wrong, then do not.
Do tell your family, however that even if the Bishop is encouraging this innovation, you have a right to your own space.

 

[Angels_Watchin]

It’s always best to check with ROME! Most priests these days have no idea what is allowed and what is not. And many Diocese don’t care to follow Rome (come to the Diocese of Orange in So. Cal., where the spokesman for the Diocese stated, “If we did that (remove all homosexual priests from the priesthood in OC) there’d be so few priests left we’d have to turn the church over to lay people to run it.”) They want their own church with no rules (and here, they have created it!), and the money and power that comes from being a part of the Catholic bureaucracy.

It is really very simple. If the GIRM does not allow for it (by discussing it specifically), it is not allowed.

Now, many say “But the GIRM doesn’t say we can’t.” Think about that.

The GIRM doesn’t say you can’t have a monkey on the altar either, or a mouse in the ciborium, or an aligator in the sanctuary, or a deacon or altar boy dressed as a clown.

It it 'does not allow for it" specifically, it does not allow it. Period.

Let’s stop trying to make this up as we go along. The proper mass is in the GIRM and the Sacramentary. Anything else is not ok.

God help us be obedient to Rome.
Angel

 

[MrS]

Angels Watchin:

It’s always best to check with ROME! Most priests these days have no idea what is allowed and what is not.

It is really very simple. If the GIRM does not allow for it (by discussing it specifically), it is not allowed.

Now, many say “But the GIRM doesn’t say we can’t.” Think about that.

The GIRM doesn’t say you can’t have a monkey on the altar either, or a mouse in the ciborium, or an aligator in the sanctuary, or a deacon or altar boy dressed as a clown.

It it 'does not allow for it" specifically, it is not allowed. Period.

Let’s stop trying to make this up as we go along. The proper mass is in the GIRM and the Sacramentary. Anything else is not ok.

God help us be obedient to Rome.
Angel

well said… and you didn’t smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_112.gif around

 

[dumspirospero]

Netmil(name removed by moderator)…I respectfully disagree with the advice you have given irishmom…You should not encourage someone to do something that is wrong. The fact remains that it is not called for in the GIRM…therefore it has no place in the Mass, regardless whether or not the Bishop of that Diocese supports it or not…The Bishop has no authority to add or take things away from the mass. We have the responsibility to set the example and point out abuses with the hope of eradicating them. The problem with most abuses today is that they go unreported and Catholics are indifferent to those committing the abuses…and to top it off, when a confused Catholic ask whether or not a particular abuse is right or wong, Catholics who know the right answer tell them just to do whatever they feel like doing. That will not fix the problem…the laity, along with the Clergy, must put our foots down and be intolerable of all abuses if we want to ever see them stop.
netmil(name removed by moderator):

It is always best to check with your Diocese. Some are encouraging this and some are discouraging.
If you feel the need to reach out and it is encouraged, do it.
However if your Bishop is saying it’s wrong, then do not.
Do tell your family, however that even if the Bishop is encouraging this innovation, you have a right to your own space.

 

[cargopilot]

dumspirospero:

Netmil(name removed by moderator)…I respectfully disagree with the advice you have given irishmom…You should not encourage someone to do something that is wrong. The fact remains that it is not called for in the GIRM…therefore it has no place in the Mass, regardless whether or not the Bishop of that Diocese supports it or not…

Hi dumspirospero,

I’m pretty sure you’re preachin’ to the choir to netmil(name removed by moderator) on this one. I’ll bet a steak dinner she doesn’t participate in this hand-holding stuff, at all. I don’t think she was encouraging anyone. I think she was just tryin’ to be nice, so the hand-holders won’t rip her apart. http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

 

[netmilsmom]

cargopilot:

Hi dumspirospero,

I’m pretty sure you’re preachin’ to the choir to netmil(name removed by moderator) on this one. I’ll bet a steak dinner she doesn’t participate in this hand-holding stuff, at all. I don’t think she was encouraging anyone. I think she was just tryin’ to be nice, so the hand-holders won’t rip her apart. http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

Like on many other threads we’ve been on, Right my friend?

(who gets the steak?)

 

[dumspirospero]

OH I know…I don’t believe she does that either, it is just that I believe we must be very clear to those who are confused and those who blatantly disregard the GIRM that abuses are wrong and will not be tolerated…thats all. I don’t care if the hand-holders rip me apart…I love it when they come after me.

cargopilot:

Hi dumspirospero,

I’m pretty sure you’re preachin’ to the choir to netmil(name removed by moderator) on this one. I’ll bet a steak dinner she doesn’t participate in this hand-holding stuff, at all. I don’t think she was encouraging anyone. I think she was just tryin’ to be nice, so the hand-holders won’t rip her apart. http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

 

[netmilsmom]

dumspirospero:

OH I know…I don’t believe she does that either, it is just that I believe we must be very clear to those who are confused and those who blatantly disregard the GIRM that abuses are wrong and will not be tolerated…thats all. I don’t care if the hand-holders rip me apart…I love it when they come after me.

God bless you!
The problem is that this is a family torn apart. I’m not sure what the extent is, but it’s pretty bad. I think it has to be handled outside of a forum, so to the Diocese she should go.
They will give her the right advice.

We know nothing can be added, or you, me and Cargopilot could be BBQin’ for the Lord in the Choir loft!

Check out the Orans vs. Handholding thread. Fix and I were pretty much on our own on that thread.

 

[Roche42]

Our Bishop recently told the priests of our diocese to inform their parishoners that they should not be holding hands. I don’t think its something that is universally banned…but everyone is saying liturgical reform is coming from the Holy See. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on that. God bless.