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Pitcharan
Guest
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. (John 13:35)
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Faithdancer
Guest
Yikes. People should not be changing places during the Mass. And I’ll take your suggestion a step further and say let’s just end the chaos.By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. (John 13:35)
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Seeker1961
Guest
Can we now not love people without touching them?By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. (John 13:35)
Good grief…why is it SO important that we hold hands with everyone? Hold hands with your family and friends, nobody cares. Just don’t force others to do it or tell them how “unchristian” they are for not doing it.
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Faithdancer
Guest
Perhaps they could do the “Ickey shuffle” instead? (Does anybody remember that??)youtube.com/watch?v=8f-m-Fmd1lYNow I have an excuse,
CATHOLIC HH: (Offers hand to be held during prayer)
ME: I’m sorry, but I became a Catholic to get away from that Protestant stuff.
Sorry, but it is football season, and I’ve got the 9’ers and Raiders on my mind!
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Faithdancer
Guest
Regarding the chalice, I just genuflect toward it all but a few months out of the year because I’m around kids a lot as an educator and I always seem to be exposed to whatever flu or whooping cough or Dengue fever is going around amongst them. When I catch their maladies I’m always sick five times as long as they are too, the little vectors! So I’m actually doing other people a favor by avoiding contact and the chalice.
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adopted_heir
Guest
I don’t know about being loud, but it is in the 1962 rubrics, anyway. I say it in my mind rather than out loud (and I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard it out loud in Mass–TLM anyway).Where did it get started anyway? And another thing- just a minor distraction really, but- when the priest elevates the host and then the chalice and someone in the front pew loudly intones, “My Lord and My God!” Is that in the rubrics?
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adopted_heir
Guest
Please say you receive on the tongue!
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1AugustSon7
Guest
Well, if I recall, it was an ancient practice of the Church for the priest to give a nice little/mild slap on the cheek to someone about to be confirmed, so that they wouldn’t forget. I think in the East this might sometimes still be done.Can we now not love people without touching them?
Therefore, perhaps we can start slapping our neighbours as a sign of peace and communion, and so that they don’t easily forget we are in communion? Lol.
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robwar
Guest
Likewise, the ancient practice at the kiss of peace was literally a kiss on the cheek so i guess we should start slapping and kissing each other in church.
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acarlson
Guest
Not so ancient if my grandmother remembers that!
On topic: As others have said, I can understand that the lady may have felt offended, and it probably would have been better for you simply to hold her hand. But the way she reacted was less than appropriate.
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maltmom
Guest
:slapfight::hug1:
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adopted_heir
Guest
My husband was confirmed that way (a healthy smack, too, not a love tap; the girls got a lighter one), and he’s now 30. It’s still done!
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pnewton
Guest
If they are weeping, it is because we argue over the silliest things. I am more inclined to believe they are laughing.
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austenbosten
Guest
Now I’m down with that…something Biblical, none of this Kumbaya post-Hippie hand-holding love-fest.
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number2wilkins
Guest
i’m with the others who just don’t want to touch strangers… i simply close my eyes, fold my hands for prayer, and pray… i find that i am much less bothered by what others are doing / not doing during Mass when my eyes are closed
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Seeker1961
Guest
But that’s my point. I don’t care what other people are doing, I just don’t want to be told from the altar that “we all hold hands here at xx parish as a sign of community”. I don’t want to have someone grabbing at my hand as the Our Father is beginning. (both of these have happened to me)i’m with the others who just don’t want to touch strangers… i simply close my eyes, fold my hands for prayer, and pray… i find that i am much less bothered by what others are doing / not doing during Mass when my eyes are closed
It’s not a rubric, and those of us who would prefer not to hold hands are within our rights to not do it. You’re not holier because you do it and I’m not holier because I don’t.
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thomasf
Guest
Our parish just merged with another so we have an influx of new people who came from the other parish, which didn’t hold hands. Which makes me happy because now we pretty much don’t hold hands and I can just stand there and say the prayer without doing all that.
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maltmom
Guest
After seeing so many threads about this and a few other topics I’m starting to think they should put signs at the back to the church. One side of the aisle for hand holders and the other side for those who do not want to hold hands. That way everyone can pray the Our Father in the manner they choose
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maryjk
Guest
I think many here have lost the original post’s point.
He held hands with his mother, but refused to hold hands with the “older woman” next to him.
Sorry, but the problem isn’t hand holding, but how to hold hands only with those that you want to.
He upset the woman next to him. No kidding. Sorry, I don’t hold hands, but if someone shook hands with someone next to me, but refused to shake hands with me, I might just be a bit offended.
He held hands with his mother, but refused to hold hands with the “older woman” next to him.
Sorry, but the problem isn’t hand holding, but how to hold hands only with those that you want to.
He upset the woman next to him. No kidding. Sorry, I don’t hold hands, but if someone shook hands with someone next to me, but refused to shake hands with me, I might just be a bit offended.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
With respect, why?I think many here have lost the original post’s point.
He held hands with his mother, but refused to hold hands with the “older woman” next to him.
Sorry, but the problem isn’t hand holding, but how to hold hands only with those that you want to.
He upset the woman next to him. No kidding. Sorry, I don’t hold hands, but if someone shook hands with someone next to me, but refused to shake hands with me, I might just be a bit offended.
Since when are we supposed to either hold hands with no one, or hold with everyone?
If the family in the pew in front of you --father, mother, two children–hold hands with each other, you would, if you sat next to them, be OFFENDED if they didn’t hold hands with you? WHY?
We are all family in Christ but heck, if you were sitting in a restaurant and the family in the table next to yours held hands as they said grace, would you thrust your hand out to them and be offended if they didn’t take it?
Maybe the person next to you has just come from chemo with his caregiver. The caregiver he would know has taken precautions to keep hands etc. ‘sanitized’. But other people, we don’t know. Don’t even START me on that, I’ve worked in hospitals.
Or maybe the person has arthritis and his mother KNOWS not to squeeze or pump his hands. Do other people know? Or will they grab first and be OFFENDED when the poor guy winces in pain and think that he is glaring at them for daring to hold his hand, when he is merely reacting in pain?
Maybe the person holding hands is recovering from a rape, a divorce, job loss, is suffering with a mental illness, is developmentally delayed. Maybe she’s holding mom’s hand because Dad died recently and she’s focused on her well being.
There are HUNDREDS of reasons why people might not want to hold hands–a gesture which is not in the rubrics and not mandated and (supposedly) is a personal choice.
Why is it that if you make the personal choice to hold somebody’s hand you’re applauded, but if you make the personal choice not to, you’re vilified? If it’s a choice, aren’t the TWO CHOICES EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE?
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