Is there a reason for this?

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LaughingBoy1503

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I am a new Catholic. Baptized this past Easter Vigil, but I have been going to Mass since early 2012. In that whole time I have seen two different people do something extremely unusual during the consecration (I am pretty sure they are two different people but they do almost the exactly same thing)

I saw it today and I was wondering if anyone has seen this before and can explain why someone would be doing this. When the Priest elevated the host the lady raised her hand, palm facing the host. She did it in unison with the priest as he raised and then lowered the host. Then she did the same thing as the priest elevated the chalice. Only with both her hands cupped together. Actually, she might have did the thing with her palm facing the chalice too, but I have seen the other lady who was doing something identical during the consecration, raise both her hands cupped together in unison with the priest as he raised and lowered the chalice. And I think I have seen it also done with one hand raised, palm facing the host, other hand at about shoulder level, palm facing up.

This distracted me a lot because the lady was sitting in the first row near the isle. So I could see her clearly while looking toward the Altar. Like I said, I have only seen two women do this (unless they are the same woman but I am pretty sure they are two different women) I was just wondering if anyone has any idea why they are doing this? Is there some kind of special reason or do you think it is maybe just some kind of personal, extra reverence or at least a attempt at it? It just seems strange to me because of the whole “raise and lower in unison with the priest” thing AS he is concreting the bread and wine. Anyone seen this before, actually do this themselves, or at least know why these women do this?
 
It indeed sounds strange.I have never seen nor heard of anyone doing this.
 
I have also never seen or heard of any such thing; very strange indeed.
Mary.
 
This sounds like what will sometimes happen at adoration in an informal setting. Such as at large conferences, on retreats, etc. It really isn’t appropriate for Mass, but the persons you are speaking about probably don’t know that this isn’t an appropriate devotion.

It is common for people to bow when the priest kneels after consecration.
 
LaughingBoy1503 said:
I am a new Catholic. Baptized this past Easter Vigil, but I have been going to Mass since early 2012. In that whole time I have seen two different people do something extremely unusual during the consecration (I am pretty sure they are two different people but they do almost the exactly same thing)

I saw it today and I was wondering if anyone has seen this before and can explain why someone would be doing this. When the Priest elevated the host the lady raised her hand, palm facing the host. She did it in unison with the priest as he raised and then lowered the host. Then she did the same thing as the priest elevated the chalice. Only with both her hands cupped together. Actually, she might have did the thing with her palm facing the chalice too, but I have seen the other lady who was doing something identical during the consecration, raise both her hands cupped together in unison with the priest as he raised and lowered the chalice. And I think I have seen it also done with one hand raised, palm facing the host, other hand at about shoulder level, palm facing up.

This distracted me a lot because the lady was sitting in the first row near the isle. So I could see her clearly while looking toward the Altar. Like I said, I have only seen two women do this (unless they are the same woman but I am pretty sure they are two different women) I was just wondering if anyone has any idea why they are doing this? Is there some kind of special reason or do you think it is maybe just some kind of personal, extra reverence or at least a attempt at it? It just seems strange to me because of the whole “raise and lower in unison with the priest” thing AS he is concreting the bread and wine. Anyone seen this before, actually do this themselves, or at least know why these women do this?
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I live in Mexico, and I have seen a LOT of different practices I have never seen done anywhere else. I don’t know for certain, but it’s almost as if these people are trying to be like the celebrant, like the priest, and try, themselves, to consecrate from a distance?

Our hands aren’t designed for that. We don’t have blessed hands to consecrate as lay people, though, but, I think at least here, people do things largely out of ignorance.

We have people who also go up to the Blessed Sacrament and begin carressing it.
I’ve never seen things like this in the US, ever.

Yes, all these things are very distracting.
 
I would be uncomfortable judging the motives of these people who are doing these actions.

It would not be something I would do, as I would feel ostentatious .

I have taken an elderly lady to Mass on several occasions, and, after the consecration when the priest raised the Host for adoration, she says out loud “My Lord and my God”. I could sense that she was saying this from her heart and she loved being at Mass.
 
That’s what used to be printed in prayer books, an echo of St. Thomas when he saw the resurrected Lord, of course.
 
I have seen a man do this, in the fronnt pew, accompanied by reciting all the words the priest says. I took him to be mentally disturbed, and thinking he was a priest. Perhaps the women you saw want to be priests too?
 
I’ve seen this once - A lady at Church who would pray fervently along with the priest during consecration. I could tell, not because she was talking out loud, but because she would have here hand extended, palm up, and it would be moving up and down slightly in cadence with the words of institution. I don’t recall if she then raised her hand at the elevation or not…

As others have said, this is obviously not a common practice, but I would not be disturbed about it.

In my case I noticed it at weekday mass…when there weren’t too many people in church…but obviously this person wants to be there and participate in the mass, which is great.

Peace
James
 
Dorothy said:
I would be uncomfortable judging the motives of these people who are doing these actions.

It would not be something I would do, as I would feel ostentatious .

I have taken an elderly lady to Mass on several occasions, and, after the consecration when the priest raised the Host for adoration, she says out loud “My Lord and my God”. I could sense that she was saying this from her heart and she loved being at Mass.
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Believe me, I am trying not to judge. I am curious. That is part of the reason why I asked the question I did. I was wondering if it was for a special reason or just a private devotion. But it is not judging to voice my opinion that it is a unusual practice during consecration and distracting to me. Those are just facts. I can understand someone saying “My Lord and my God” when the priest elevates the host. But this other practice, I do not understand. Sounds like it is just a private devotion though. If a priest has not told them “That is not appropriate” Who am I to say it? Especially when I don’t know what the purpose of it is.
 
LaughingBoy1503 said:
Believe me, I am trying not to judge. I am curious. That is part of the reason why I asked the question I did. I was wondering if it was for a special reason or just a private devotion. But it is not judging to voice my opinion that it is a unusual practice during consecration and distracting to me. Those are just facts. I can understand someone saying “My Lord and my God” when the priest elevates the host. But this other practice, I do not understand. Sounds like it is just a private devotion though. If a priest has not told them “That is not appropriate” Who am I to say it? Especially when I don’t know what the purpose of it is.
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I do believe you…and thank you for taking the time to tell us what you saw. God bless you.
 
ClearWater said:
I live in Mexico, and I have seen a LOT of different practices I have never seen done anywhere else. I don’t know for certain, but it’s almost as if these people are trying to be like the celebrant, like the priest, and try, themselves, to consecrate from a distance?

Our hands aren’t designed for that. We don’t have blessed hands to consecrate as lay people, though, but, I think at least here, people do things largely out of ignorance.

We have people who also go up to the Blessed Sacrament and begin carressing it.
I’ve never seen things like this in the US, ever.

Yes, all these things are very distracting.
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I noticed a lot of Mexican immigrants here in southern California appear to get the most “moved” during mass sometimes when compared to us Americans. And sadly, us Mexican americans :o I have never seen anyone caressing the Blessed Sacrament though. I have seen them walk backwards out of the adoration chapel, like they do not want to take their eyes off of it. And I have seen them kiss the tabernacle or the table that it sits on. Both things that I find very reverent of them and it moves me a bit sometimes. Though I am not fluent in Spanish, I like the Spanish hymns and/or worship music better than the ones in English for some reason too. They are BEAUTIFUL 🙂
 
As far as I understand, the host is the holiest physical object we have on the earth.

While other faiths have holy books in which they have a lot of reverence for, we have small pieces of God.

It is bound to generate a variety of responses for those who appreciate what is up on the alter.

What troubles me are those that seem to take the host for granted, almost treating it like a potato chip. I heard an excellent piece by a priest on Catholic radio about how there are many who seem to have lost reverence for the host. He pointed out, for example, that Muslims wash their hands before even touching the Quran (their holiest object), but how many Catholics do the same before taking the host in their hands?

Just my :twocents:

God Bless
 
Much prayer and excellent homilies can help that.

And, the good example of those who walk into Church and genuflect and make the sign of the cross like they really mean it.

Hopefully someday our churches will be packed when we have Eucharistic Adoration.

It needs to start with us.

It is the Risen Christ we receive in the Eucharist!
 
It used to be fairly prevalent in your more progressive Parishes where the Priests and the congregation routinely consecrated the Host together, Kind of a toned down come up and join in the consecration by standing around the altar sort of scenario, The only place I’ve seen it recently was at a Charismatic Mass last year.
 
I would suspect that they belong to some feminist group that believes that they can “co-consecrate” with the priest. I say this because I have seen it before when women of this mindset, whom I knew, (in this case, sisters) were doing this during a Mass.
 
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