Name that Posture - Palms up, Arms Out, Why?

[Exporter]

Why has it become customary reciently for people at Mass to raise their hands with palms up. This was an old testament Jewish posture for only the Jewish Priests - the people didn’t do it back then.

I saw the name for this Priestly posture, but have forgotten it. What is the name? At Mass you will notice that the Priest will assume this priestly posture several times during Mass. I have never had any one including Priests tell me about this Jewish Posture. Why is it that about one-half the people have the habit of assuming this posture.

IS IT IN THE G.I.R.M. ?

 

[Grace_and_Glory]

I think you’re describing the orans posture. It’s not supposed to be a posture for the laity to assume, and I’m not sure exactly why it’s gotten so popular. My guess is that in the Our Father, people who don’t have anyone next to them to hold hands with do orans instead, and given that they’re praying with the priest during the Our Father, they feel like they should mirror his gestures as well.
There’s a good article about it here:

catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=2&art_id=28525

 

[Mysty101]

And there is also something about it on the USCCB site.

Orans

http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/images/solidline.gif

Many Catholics are in the habit of holding their hands in the “Orans” posture during the Lord’s prayer along with the celebrant. Some do this on their own as a private devotional posture while some congregations make it a general practice for their communities.

Is this practice permissible under the current rubrics, either as a private practice not something adopted by a particular parish as a communal gesture?

Response–No position is prescribed in the present Sacramentary for an assembly gesture during the Lord’s Prayer.

Email us at bcl@usccb.org
Committee on the Liturgy | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.
Now, if this was not allowed, the response would have been a simple “No”*

 

[Mysty101]

PS There have been a number of threads about this, if you care to search

 

[netmilsmom]

Exporter:

Why has it become customary reciently for people at Mass to raise their hands with palms up. This was an old testament Jewish posture for only the Jewish Priests - the people didn’t do it back then.

I saw the name for this Priestly posture, but have forgotten it. What is the name? At Mass you will notice that the Priest will assume this priestly posture several times during Mass. I have never had any one including Priests tell me about this Jewish Posture. Why is it that about one-half the people have the habit of assuming this posture.

IS IT IN THE G.I.R.M. ?

catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9903qq.asp
This is a posture for the priest only. Anyone using it during the Holy Mass is stretching the rules, ignorant of why the Priest is using it or attempting to Co-celebrate.