Raising up arms during Our Father.

  • Thread starter Thread starter victrolatim
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

victrolatim

Guest
I don’t personally participate in this, and it doesn’t bother me that others do it, but has the Vatican ever made an official stance on this? I was told that the laity are not supposed to mimic the actions of the priest.
 
victrolatim said:
I don’t personally participate in this, and it doesn’t bother me that others do it, but has the Vatican ever made an official stance on this? I was told that the laity are not supposed to mimic the actions of the priest.
Click to expand...
It seems now the laity mimic one another. One or two start in a parish and they all think it’s a great idea. Same for the “and with your spirit.”
 
The raising of hands is strange to me. My husband and I do not hold hands with each other or anyone else during the Our Father. We bit have missals that we bring to Church, and we make sure that we are holding them during the Our Father.

During the Our Father, there are a few people who raise their hands high like the priest when saying, “For thine is the kingdom…” Again, strange to me, and I have read before about the congregation not making gestures that are reserved for clergy.
 
Whenever gestures or other practices are added to the Liturgy that are not a part of the GIRM I think it shows a need or desire to make the Mass more meaningful, or for the congregation to feel like they are participating. Raising arms at “For the kingdom…” or the gesture at “and with your spirit” gives a little oomph to the words, you know. The problem is that many people in the pews don’t really know the meaning behind the gestures and postures that are licitly a part of the Mass. Instead of learning (or catechizing) they tweak and add things that lack the timelessness and richness of the perfect prayer.
 
this has been discussed ad nauseum in at least 100 threads here at CA
One such thread, forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=840869&highlight=orans

I think good-ole Mr. J. Akins has it covered here: Hand Holding & Rubrics
That being, in short, during OF the Orans or holding hands, etc… ought not be done by the congregation - according to the rubrics we’re to stand, and standing doesn’t normally involve raising one’s arms in the air above one’s head.

TBMK: There has been no official statement either way in the US by the Bishops; however, a lot of discussion as IRC there wasn’t an outright prohibition during those conferences (wish I could locate the documents again, my other PC died and I didn’t have a backup of that folder 😦 ) - nor, has there been anything official issued by the Vatican.

In my Parish, it’s a mix in the congregation of holding or not holding, orans or not orans during the Our Father. Our former Paster and his predecessor didn’t ask the congregation not to use the orans during the OF. We teach our servers to keep their hands together as does the Deacon when present during the Our Father; however, the older adult servers will use the orans during the OF… I think it irritates some of the priests - and one would thing the servers would follow the Deacon’s lead on this matter and keep their hands folded in prayer. 🤷

Personally, my family and I follow the Deacon’s lead on this and keep our hands folded in prayer except during the sign of peace. … stops that “he’s touching me” from the three youngest! 😉
 
In my experience – though I live in Brazil, not the U.S. – there are parishes where everybody does it and there are parishes where nobody does it. In both cases, presumably, in accordance with the wishes of the local clergy. I’m happy to go along with whatever is considered the right thing to do in that parish.
 
victrolatim said:
I don’t personally participate in this, and it doesn’t bother me that others do it, but has the Vatican ever made an official stance on this? I was told that the laity are not supposed to mimic the actions of the priest.
Click to expand...
I believe this has been addressed in previous posts.
The posture is not considered illicit nor is holding hands. It is a matter of preference in expression of prayer.
 
It is very common here in the parish I go to. At least half the people have their arms raised. It seems to be customary with the Filipino immigrants - many of them are Catholic.
 
I too have read that we are not to raise our arms as a priest would but keep them folded.

Why don’t the priests address this from the pulpit or in the bulletin so all conform? Many in my parish have finally stopped wandering around crossing aisles embracing everyone during the Sign of Peace.
 
From Colin Donovan’s article on EWTN, posted by Ahs:
So, we have the awkward disunity created by the priest making an appropriate liturgical gesture in accordance with the rubrics, the deacon not making the same gesture in accordance with the rubrics, some laity making the same gesture as the priest not in accordance with the rubrics, and other laity not making the gesture (for various reasons, including knowing it is not part of their liturgical role). In the end, the desire of the Church for liturgical unity is defeated.
In my parish only a few raised hands initially, but now, due to seeing others use this gesture, many came to believe that it is proper and have adopted it also, with 90% of the congregation using it.

I was taken aside by a well-meaning charismatic who observed me using closed hands in prayer :eek: and told me that I should be open-armed in order to “receive” God’s blessing. (God doesn’t bless us otherwise? 🤷 )
She may be the causal influence of many in our parish using that posture now, if she admonishes them privately, as she did with me. 😦

That being so, then wouldn’t we assume open arms’ posture during *other *liturgical prayers, lest we fail to “receive?” In community prayer with religious, they never lay down their breviaries in order to raise hands. It would create quite an unnatural spectacle. 🙂
 
We’re not supposed to do it.
People insist.
I even approached the priest (I work at a parish) and he said he didn’t want to upset people over such a trivial thing. That I didn’t have to partake if I didn’t want to .Trouble is…The Deacon came into my office and chastised me for not holding someone’s hand across the aisle one Sunday. He said I hurt the other person’s feelings. ??? Really? I pointed out that it was not a “real gesture” and he was shocked. He said “we’re a Hand-holding parish! You HAVE TO!”

No. No I don’t. Leave me be. I pray the Our Father with my eyes closed. I warmly give the sign of peace immediately afterward. I get upset when people pry my folded hands apart to they can hold mine. Literally pry my hands apart. I guess people think accosting people shows unity. 🤷

Nope. I don’t do it. Don’t want to do it. And don’t believe it’s necessary for good communal prayer. :twocents:
 
This question of raising the hands for the Our Father was posed to a Catholic Answers apologist named Jim Blackburn, who answered as follows:

“In his book, Mass Confusion, Jimmy Akin states, “The Holy See has not ruled directly in this issue. In response to a query, however, the Holy See stated that holding hands ‘is a liturgical gesture introduced spontaneously but on personal initiative; it is not in the rubrics’ . . . For this reason, no one can be required to hold hands during the Our Father” (161). The appendix notes that the practice of holding hands during the Our Father is ‘discouraged.’”

In other words, the practice is neither required nor encouraged.

May God bless you all abundantly and forever! 🙂
 
pianistclare said:
We’re not supposed to do it.
People insist.
I even approached the priest (I work at a parish) and he said he didn’t want to upset people over such a trivial thing. That I didn’t have to partake if I didn’t want to .Trouble is…The Deacon came into my office and chastised me for not holding someone’s hand across the aisle one Sunday. He said I hurt the other person’s feelings. ??? Really? I pointed out that it was not a “real gesture” and he was shocked. He said “we’re a Hand-holding parish! You HAVE TO!”

No. No I don’t. Leave me be. I pray the Our Father with my eyes closed. I warmly give the sign of peace immediately afterward. I get upset when people pry my folded hands apart to they can hold mine. Literally pry my hands apart. I guess people think accosting people shows unity. 🤷

Nope. I don’t do it. Don’t want to do it. And don’t believe it’s necessary for good communal prayer. :twocents:
Click to expand...
There’s a parish near me as well where they still try to form a human chain during the Our Father, stretching and reaching across the aisles and from front to back. I don’t dig it, so I sit way in the back there where no one can reach me.

At most other parishes around here, it is a mix of arms raised, holding hands, arms at one’s sides (my preference), or hands folded. Thankfully, no one really imposes their preference on anyone else any more (like they did when holding hands first became popular).
 
BartholomewB said:
In my experience – though I live in Brazil, not the U.S. – there are parishes where everybody does it and there are parishes where nobody does it. In both cases, presumably, in accordance with the wishes of the local clergy. I’m happy to go along with whatever is considered the right thing to do in that parish.
Click to expand...
My husband asked the pastor of the church we attend and he said that you do not have to hold hands during the Our Father. However, that we did have to show the sign of peace, which we always do.

We make it a point to sit far enough away from others in the pew so that it would be difficult to hold hands during the Our Father, as well as we make sure we have our missals in hand. I have never had anyone try to pry my hands to hold hands during the Our Father. If someone did that, it would probably be the last time I went to that church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top