Question on orans posture for Our Father

  • Thread starter Thread starter terriwiss
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

terriwiss

Guest
Hi All! +JMJ+
i’m terri from PA; here for the first time. i’m wondering how many of you are comfortable with the orans posture for the Our Father, and if you think it is disobedient not to do it if you know your bishop is highly encouraging it. i’m a revert and find it difficult to hold my hands in this position especially since reading that it wasn’t demanded by the Catholic bishops. it is bothering me since our parish priest seems to look around to see who is holding their hands up and who is not. also, this affects my children since they always look to see what mom is doing…would love some feedback.
 
Ah, yes. I understand your plight. Luckily we go to a chruch where this is not prevelent.

But, the church closest to us does this, and when we are there, I clasp my hands together in prayer, bow my head, and close my eyes. My kids follow suit.
 
40.png
terriwiss:
Hi All! +JMJ+
i’m terri from PA; here for the first time. i’m wondering how many of you are comfortable with the orans posture for the Our Father, and if you think it is disobedient not to do it if you know your bishop is highly encouraging it. i’m a revert and find it difficult to hold my hands in this position especially since reading that it wasn’t demanded by the Catholic bishops. it is bothering me since our parish priest seems to look around to see who is holding their hands up and who is not. also, this affects my children since they always look to see what mom is doing…would love some feedback.
Click to expand...
The world will probably not wobble on its axis whichever you choose. It has been introduced by at least one bishop as a means of getting past the issue of holding hands during the Our Father. Some undobutedly will say that it is an abuse, that it is not allowed by the GIRM, that it is one more unorhodox liturgical practice. It is interesting, however, that the posture of the hands is simply not treated in the GIRM.

Feeling uncomfortable is not necessarily a bad thing. If nothing else, it will possibly prevent rattling through the Our father by rote memory. It also has its roots in prayer posture going back to our Jewish ancestors.
 
40.png
jlw:
But, the church closest to us does this, and when we are there, I clasp my hands together in prayer, bow my head, and close my eyes. My kids follow suit.
Click to expand...
Ditto. (And I’m a convert-in-progress, so this is all new to me)

DaveBj
 
There is no mandated posture for the congregation during the Our Father in the Latin rite. You are free to clasp your hands together as jlw said, if that is your preference.

If you are an Eastern Catholic, I believe the orans posture is often required.
 
I can’t remember where I was reading this, but I think it was a Catholic source. It was saying that holding hands takes away from the significance of the “Sign of Peace”. It also said that we should look for uniformity in Mass and that the Preist are not allowed to have their hands up during a certain part - which I don’t know now, but have noticed in Mass. So, the people will have their hands up when the priest assumes the stance and then they continue to keep their hands up even after he has put them down.

I am struggle with this issue myself. My son is picking up on what they do at school and thinks we should hold hands and also hold our hands up (Orans posture??), but I don’t think we should for the reasons I already stated. The other problem is people get to thinking that we are “supposed to” do those things and will think some big change has come to Mass someday when they instruct that we don’t do it. I don’t think there is enough emphasis put on it being optional. I don’t have any problem with holding hands, but I don’t do it because it does seem to take away from the significance of the sign of peace. Why shake a hand when you’ve just spent a couple minutes holding it?

I hope someone can find some good instruction on this because I am in a situation with my son right now on this (last Sunday actually, it was a bit of an “issue”).
 
It’s got a look at me I’m holy and even protestant feel to it. We are the laity not the priest whether particular priests want to abdicate their role or not.
 
OK - I will ask the dumb blonde question.
What is the “orans posture”?.
Me? I clasp my hands, bow my head, and close my eyes hoping nobody will try to force me to do the koom-by-yah thing. :o
 
I, too, am an advocate for “clasp the hands, bow the head, close the eyes”.
 
The Sign of Peace really bothers me in the Mass. I find myself getting so calm and peaceful before Communion and then BAM! Everyone is sticking their hand in your face or climbing over you and tapping you on the back. It is not that I am against it entirely. It just feels so out of place.
 
Can you position yourself out of the way, or maybe just nod or smile? You are just asked to give a sign of peace, so you really are not even asked to touch anyone, if you would rather not.

Maybe, if it really bothers you, sit at the end, and just go to the back of the Church at that time, and come back to your pew for Holy Communion?
 
Suz,

How sad that you would suggest that someone have to leave thier own seat and move to the back of the Church because others can’t behave themselves.
BAM! Everyone is sticking their hand in your face or climbing over you and tapping you on the back.
Click to expand...
These are all examples of people who don’t understand the sign of peace. Maryprayforme, if possible, speak to your pastor. He might work in some instruction for the faithful on how to offer the SOP in a sober and decorous way. I have heard this instruction given a few times lately.

But the real topic here is the orans. In one of the recent go-arounds with the GIRM, the Bishops had a request for the orans posture to be approved in the US. It was left out in the final version of what was submitted to Rome. So, no request = no permission. I would guess that it is one of those things that can be tolerated if it is done entirely at the initiative of members of the parish but for a priest to instruct you to do so is probably overstepping. You are perfectly free to just fold your hands and pray. My kids really object to the hand-holding in our parish. They go to a Catholic school and do not hold hands at the school Mass. They told me that they liked it better the “school-way”. Since neither hand-holding or orans are postures mentioned in the GIRM for those attending Mass, I told them it was ok to just fold thier hands and pray.

Only once have I had one of those grabby guys who man-handled me to take my hand forcibly. 😦 At least that can’t happen with the orans.
 
I think what you mean is the Orant posture. It’s very common in Byzantine Art. The posture means, “Pray for me.”

I asked my priest about that one day while I was in Extraordinary Minister training, and he said that we should have our hands in an upward fashion. Like with both hands pushed together. He said the Orant posture was ok, but we’re not really supposed to hold hands, but he said it’s not a big deal.
 
40.png
StratusRose:
I think what you mean is the Orant posture. It’s very common in Byzantine Art. The posture means, “Pray for me.”

I asked my priest about that one day while I was in Extraordinary Minister training, and he said that we should have our hands in an upward fashion. Like with both hands pushed together. He said the Orant posture was ok, but we’re not really supposed to hold hands, but he said it’s not a big deal.
Click to expand...
I have never ceased to be amazed at the press the SOP, Orans, Holding Hands during the Pater Noster seems to engender. What is the big deal? As they used to say, “When in Rome do as the Romans Do.” In other words follow the pattern for the people in the particular parish where you are at Mass. Seems like a lot of sweat over nothing. The one that always slays me is when we are processing up to recieve communion and every one is standing, bowing, and holding out there hands, someone will plop down on both knees, almost smack their forehead on the floor, and then receive on the tongue. I know they have the right to do this, but talk about making a spectacle. Oh well,the Catholic Church seems to handle diversity very well. Some Bishops even seem to honor the Rainbow sash.
 
Because I tend to be shy, I always had a hard time with the “holding hands” posture. I have come to view it in a different light, though. I find it is a time for me to reach out to the stranger next to me and share in something very special. I always give my hand holder a little extra squeeze at the end of prayer and get one in return. I feel it makes the prayer even more powerful and uniting. 🙂
 
Wait a minute! I just got finished slogging through a whole thread on this! Are we going to go through it all again?
 
40.png
maryprayforme:
The Sign of Peace really bothers me in the Mass. I find myself getting so calm and peaceful before Communion and then BAM! Everyone is sticking their hand in your face or climbing over you and tapping you on the back. It is not that I am against it entirely. It just feels so out of place.
Click to expand...
Because…it is.
 
Does anyone have a link to a picture of someone in the Orant posture? In my parish one can see everything from -hands sticking out front with the palms up- to the ol’ “I surrender” hands up in the air. I’m just curious.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top