One time these group of people I know, during the mass, didnt hold hands for the our father, why? They were right next to each other. And also out of the group of these people is a couple, and they never do any of the hand movements, why?
Not knowing the people personally, I do not know the answer to your question. But if they were traditional Catholics, like myself, I may be able to hazard a guess.
The holding of hands is a new development. I heard it encouraged beginning in the early 1980s. By the 1990s, I began to notice it occurring with more frequency, and only in the last 10 years have I seen it become common. Traditional Catholics tend to see this as a bit of a novelty. We also see it has “gimicky,” an exagerated piety to invoke a romantic, perhaps Protestant, notion of the primitive Church which we do not share.
The same thing applies to the shaking of hands at the sign of peace. Traditionally, the priest and deacons exchanged a kiss at this point at high mass, symbolic of apostolic love. Traditional Catholics observe the kiss from the standpoint of the flock, who at this point observe the amity among their shepherds. The “peace” referred to at this point in the mass is that which passeth understanding, not the “peace” as in “Peace, dude!”
Shaking people’s hand blurs this distinction, which we think is important to maintain.
I am not saying that you are wrong to hold hands during the pater noster, or that you ought not shake hands if you enjoy doing so and it makes you feel closer to your fellow Catholics. Your bishop probably commends the practices and likes you to do them.
But you need not take it personally if some in the church follow a different practice in that respect.
Cheers!
