Raising Hands during Mass

[deusmeusetomnia]

I can’t understand why there is so much confusion as to what we do with our hands during Mass. Nowhere in the GIRM is there any instructiion to raise our hands at anytime during Mass. I recommend that every-
one should watch Mass as
celebrated on EWTN. There is
no confusion there. No raising
of hands at any time. Just watch the altar servers. Their
hands are held together with
the thumbs crossed. This is
what I was tought many years
ago in Catholic school. It has
never been outlawed. People
going up to Communion should
hold their hands together. It is
a sign of great reverence. Jim H

 

[Fortiterinre]

I was thumbing through Liturgical Question Box by the highly regarded Msgr. Peter Elliot (author of Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite) the other day and was very surprised to read him approving of this custom. It always irritates me because it brings a Simon-Says, mime quality to the Mass and because I always looked at it as coopting the sacrificial gesture of the priest offering sacrifice. I can understand intellectually that several liturgical gestures may have started as pious practices and then become incorporated into the liturgy more formally, but this one always irritated me.

 

[Peace-bwu]

At every parish I have been to from about the age of 7,( 7different parishes in Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, and Delaware) The parishioners held hands during the “Our Father” so this was normal for me. Over about the past 10 yrs. I have noticed that the whole parish then raises their hands up when, still linked to everyone else when they say " For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen"

The raising up of the hands has always bothered me. Not until I began reading the “holding hands” debates in this forum have I understood why hand holding is inappropriate. I have tried to discontinue it in my own family, but my kids see everyone else doing it and they want to do it too because it looks like fun!

I think it is really annoying and a distraction.

The worst is at the Teen Life Mass at the civillian parish (we live on an Air Force Base and are members at our base chapel) At the civillian Teen Mass, a whole bunch of teens go up onto the altar behind the priest and join hands while he is blessing the bread and wine. and during the Our Father. They kneel when it is time to kneel. It is extremely annoying, distracting and loud. I truly wish they would “do away” with this. It is like they are the main attraction and more “special” than the rest of the parisioners. I noticed that one of the priests, a young man who is extremely conservative, only allowed them to stand in front of the altar and not in front of the priest. I dont quite understand the necessity for this but I feel it is much more acceptable than standing behind the priest. When I was a teen I enjoyed the regular Mass. I didn’t need to get up on the altar.

 

[mtr01]

Well, my short and sweet response, I don’t like it and I don’t do it (it’s not too widespread at my Parish). That said, I’d rather see the orans than handholding (which has infected my Parish). My dislike of handholding is somewhat different than what I’ve read so far: for me it totally makes a mockery of the Sign of Peace, which is a valid part of the Liturgy. The way I see it, how meaningful is it to shake a someone’s hand after I just got finished holding it for a minute? Going from a more intimate gesture to a less intimate gesture to offer someone peace seems pretty backwards to me.

 

[A_Chaoidh]

I never understood this, and I would find it distracting. The rubrics of the celebrant and the servers have a defined purpose, the mimicry does not. Thankfully in the TLM this is not an issue.

 

[mgy100]

I remember back in high school masses when i was in 8th grade, they made us hold hands

that sucked.

 

[MariaG]

My church hold hands and raises them at the end. Coming from the Fundamental branches of Christianity, I truly love it. It is not about being in unity with the priest or a sense of unity. I never ever thought about it that way. It is about worshipping God! It is like taking my prayers and laying them at His feet! It is Joy! It is Love! It is pure worship!

But I never grab the hand of the person next to me (or even look at them), I just extend it over to the side palms up. I don’t care if the person next to me joins their hand as well as their voice to mine in prayer to God or not. Why should I care, the focus is not on me or my neighbor, but worshipping God.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[Celia]

Hmmm. I personally, don’t like it. When I started attending mass again after a few years away and saw people doing this I was so confused, like, “what are they doing? when did that start?” I went to Catholic schools my whole life and we never were told to do that. So to me, it looks kinda weird. But is there any particular harm in it, probably not. If it helps people feel closer to the Lord in their prayer and more active in the mass, well, why not.

I’ll still always think it looks silly though.

 

[Dj_Roy_Albert]

William Putnam:

I guess I am an old “fuddy duddy” when it comes to the Sacrifice of the Mass, where I believe we should all be looking straight ahead, wiht the priest’s back to us, leading us toward heaven!

Yes, with all the wonderful news about priests in the news these days I’d say that many of them are leading the church somewhere, but not exaclty to heaven.

Now, I don’t actually mind the priest facing me, but all of these new inovations are a distraction to me.

Whose fault is that? If you’re so easily distracted then maybe your heart really isn’t centered in Christ.

We also have an initial “greeting” just before the priest comes down the center isle to begin Mass, where I keep my hands to my side. But I do participate vigorously at the approprate time of the “greeting” we give each other when it is called for in the Novus Ordo.

Music? I don’t sing half of the music when I get the feeling that the music originated from some Broadway musical!

I’d like to say that your rejection of music is saddening in itself. If you are not singing then you are not participating fully in the Mass & sholud be ashamed of yourself.

By the way, I am a conservative Catholic, but not a “traditional” Catholic, as the word has come to mean these days. The Novus Ordo Mass is beautiful when it is said/sung in Latin!

What exactly are you trying to “conserve” anyway? The spirituality of the Dark Ages? Your own little confornt zone where God is wrapped up in a little box just the way you like him?

Gregorian Chant - God’s music!

ALL music was created by God, not just chant. Now whether music is used to glorify God or not is a different story all together.

The early church did not celebrate mass in a conservative, a traditional, or a liberal way, but only as Christ & the Holy Spirit taught them. Hopefully you & other “conservatives” will allow the Holy Spirit to teach you as well, if that’s ok?

 

[philipl]

katherine2:

God bless you my faithful sister. The Lord IS with YOU!

You’re not implying the Lord is not with those that don’t raise their hand?

 

[mgy100]

My daughter’s teacher told them to do it. She refused and instructed the teacher that it is wrong. The teacher didn’t argue. Me and the teacher are going to have a talk. She needs a little Catholic instruction herself. In her first communion get together the teachers said communion was a symbol and a meal. I was going to ask when we became lutheran. She knows communion is really the Body and Blood and not a symbol.

 

[EddieArent]

Don’t touch me or I’ll knock ya into the next pew. :tsktsk:

 

[mtr01]

just posting here in hopes that the server will stop bumping the thread to the top of my unread list…sorry for any inconvenience

 

[legeorge]

mtr01:

Well, my short and sweet response, I don’t like it and I don’t do it (it’s not too widespread at my Parish). That said, I’d rather see the orans than handholding (which has infected my Parish). My dislike of handholding is somewhat different than what I’ve read so far: for me it totally makes a mockery of the Sign of Peace, which is a valid part of the Liturgy. The way I see it, how meaningful is it to shake a someone’s hand after I just got finished holding it for a minute? Going from a more intimate gesture to a less intimate gesture to offer someone peace seems pretty backwards to me.

That is exactly the point of this:

“…The prolonged holding of hands is of itself a sign of communion rather than of peace. Further, it is a liturgical gesture introduced spontaneously but on personal initiative; it is not in the rubrics. Nor is there any clear explanation of why the sign of peace at the invitation: “Let us offer each other the sign of peace” should be supplanted in order to bring a different gesture with less meaning into another part of the Mass: the sign of peace is filled with meaning, graciousness, and Christian inspiration. Any substitution for it must be repudiated: Notitiae 11 (1975) 226.”

Finally, someone got it right!

As for hand raising, I’m not comfortable with it, and I only see the “attention getters” doing this at Mass. So that colors it in a negative light for me.

 

[sherilo]

To some who stumble across this thread, this must all look pretty silly. Here we all are debating the issue of whether or not we should be holding hands or assuming the orans posture. However, I am glad to see this being discussed. “Tempest in a teapot” or not (depending on who you are), it is the principal of the thing. No one can deny that some in this thread have provided clear evidence that we, as a congregation, should not be doing the hand thing, either mimicking the priest with the orans position, or reaching out to commune with each other while we are praying the Our Father. And to those hairsplitters who want to compare holding a child’s hand to widespread hand holding during the Our Father, that is apples and oranges. Does not wash. If you are participating in congregation-wide hand holding during the Our Father and/or assuming the orans position, you are doing it because you think you are supposed to, or just because you want to. Therein lies the danger. It is a feel-good gesture. And there are many feel good churches out there. I know. Before I was led to convert, I went to one a couple of times. There was big wide screen, a live band and the congregation stood and swayed as they sang along with the lyrics printed on the screens–all designed, in my opinion to give the people what they want just so they will come to church. True worship should be the setting aside of self and what entertains us. The hand holding/orans position issue is a battle of wills. It is not provided for in the liturgy, and that is that. Priests should reclaim their role as leader and teacher of the congregation. Prayerfully,
Sheri

 

[Ignatius]

AirForceMama:

During my Fundamentals of Catholicm class, our priest told us that it is not right for us to raise our hands during Mass, such as during the Our Father. However, almost every other parish I go to, this is happening. Just wanted to know your thoughts. (I saw this in the Ask an Apologist forum and it sparked my poll).

I like to raise up my hands when they say “Let us lift up out hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.” It just seems right.

 

[Cadence]

My father is a Catholic priest. (we are anglican converts).

When I was younger I remember asking him - “why do some people lift their hands when the priest does?”
He told me he didn’t understand why they did but they were not supposed to - it is a gesture done by the priest.

Something I have also noticed is when people in the congregation start saying the words of the Mass that the priest is supposed to say.

We have a liturgy set out for the Mass so that people DON"T just do “whatever feels right”. Sometimes things that are objectively wrong can “feel right.” Feelings are not an excuse!

For goodness sake, didn’t we all learn as children that we can’t just go about doing what feels good? It may appear harmless but just because YOU don’t understand why we shouldn’t do something dosn’t mean there isn’t a good reason!

 

[PAX777]

I do! The parishes I have gone to do also. But I am the Catholic Charismatic type.

I like to raise up my hands when they say “Let us lift up out hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.” It just seems right.

Ezra 9:5 Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, I rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.

Nehemiah 8: 5,6 Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people); and, as he opened it, all the people rose. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground.

My Humble thoughts to all…

 

[netmilsmom]

PAX777:

I do! The parishes I have gone to do also. But I am the Catholic Charismatic type.



Ezra 9:5 Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, I rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.

Nehemiah 8: 5,6 Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people); and, as he opened it, all the people rose. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground.

My Humble thoughts to all…

I do wonder how people would feel if laying prostrate became the norm.
Orans in the latin rite is an innovation. Why fix what isn’t broken?

 

[dumspirospero]

Please explain to me what you mean by this sentence. I am a traditional Catholic and I would like to know what that word has come to mean these days…please explain.
William Putnam:

By the way, I am a conservative Catholic, but not a “traditional” Catholic, as the word has come to mean these days. The Novus Ordo Mass is beautiful when it is said/sung in Latin!

Gregorian Chant - God’s music!