What Is the Correct Posture During the Our Father?

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otjm said:
There is no correct posture other than standing. The GIRM does not dictate anything else, although many individuals feel they are liturgically correct in their commentary based on what they like or don’t like.
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We have several here who have said that holding hands is not permissible, but have no citation. There is none.

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His summary is that there is no rule,…

In short - there ain’t no rule. …

… there is no rule.
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“Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant.” Instruction approved in forma specifica 6.2 http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...ocuments/rc_con_interdic_doc_15081997_en.html

“Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.” S.C. 22.3 http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_...const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

“However, the Priest will remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy and that he himself is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of Mass” GIRM 24

" Christ’s faithful have the right that ecclesiastical authority should fully and efficaciously regulate the Sacred Liturgy lest it should ever seem to be ‘anyone’s private property, whether of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated’ " Redemptionis Sacramentum 18
 
Would be nice if you all cared less about how people stood when they prayed and cared more about being less judgmental or cared about feeding the homeless
 
Absolutely, Father.

And it would silly to dispute that he is presiding.

I’m saying that in the context I met these (“celebrant” suddenly wasn’t heard for years, even though there were no concelebrated masses in that parish), they came at or about at the sometime, and with an overall context of de-empasizing the significance of the priest.

hawk
 
It’s custom for people to hold hands or pray with their hands open. It’s not wrong for them to do so. Father wade menezes said so on ewtn open line this week.

What is wrong is judging the people who pray a certain way as being more or less pious than another. I feel threads like this add to more judgmental behavior.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
What is wrong is judging the people who pray a certain way as being more or less pious than another. I feel threads like this add to more judgmental behavior.
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Would this be the way we should be less judgmental?
SacredHeartBassist said:
Would be nice if you all cared less about how people stood when they prayed and cared more about being less judgmental or cared about feeding the homeless
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The assumption that people who care about the liturgy are judgmental and don’t care about feeding the homeless seems a bit… well. judgmental. 😉
 
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I agree, we shouldn’t judge. I don’t think anyone is judging someone as more or less pious. But sometimes at my parish I feel judged for not wanting to hold hands with those around me. That’s the problem with hand holding, it isn’t just a personal choice, it often gets pushed on the people around you. And as for orans posture, it isn’t technically correct, yet many people do it because they see people around them doing it and assume that it is the correct way.

So I think it would just be nice if priests would offer better instruction about what is expected, instead of letting everyone do whatever they want. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal to have people doing different things, but it’s more about how those things then end up being thought of as required. Which they are not.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
It’s custom for people to hold hands or pray with their hands open. It’s not wrong for them to do so. Father wade menezes said so on ewtn open line this week.

What is wrong is judging the people who pray a certain way as being more or less pious than another. I feel threads like this add to more judgmental behavior.
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No such “custom” exists in the Roman Rite for the laity to assume the orans posture at the Our Father at Mass. In fact, such a practice goes against nearly 2,000 years of legitimate liturgical custom–that only the priest uses the orans gesture at Mass.

One cannot say that because something is acceptable in private prayer that it therefore has a place in liturgical prayer (especially the Mass).
 
Father wade said it’s been going on for the past thirty years and it’s a custom in some parishes. Why don’t you write him and take it up with him then
 
Who benefits when everybody in the church feels good about “doing their own thing?” Note: I’m not restricting “Who” in the answer to the sentence above to humans on this earth.

I’ve said before on other threads that I personally don’t care which way we do it. But there should be some clearly defined (by the Church) “right” way to do it.

“Do your own thing because it makes you feel good” has been really bad for society over the last 60 years. It doesn’t help the Church either.

IMHO
 
When it gets down to issues of liturgy, I trust those who actually are responsible for it - and that includes Archbishop Chaput, and the USCCB.

Amazingly, they are either ignorant of the rule cited concerning “add, remove, or change” anything, or they conclude that does not address holding hands.
 
Father is addressing the orans position not hand holding at the Our Father. I find the remarks made to Father to be shamefully rude.
 
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Perhaps if you re-read the parts of my post he quoted before he started citing rules which do not address my comments, my response may be more clear.

I did not address the orans posture in my post, but rather the related issue of holding hands; and he responded to my post citing the orans posture.

To which I replied that as to holding hands, there is no rule, and I rely on the bishops as to that issue. In short, his comments about the orans position when I had limited my comments to the hand holding is non-responsive. Rude? I really don’t think so, but I am sorry if you were offended.
 
Aren’t we children of God? Holding hands with our heads bowed seems fine with me. Shows respect and that we love each other like we are told to do. If everything has to be politically correct with whatever, and goes back and forth, I’m going to start singing, “Three blind mice”.

I live a lone. Very, very, very isolated. Holding hands with my brothers and sisters bowing to Our Father sends a wonderful message of Love to Him IMO and biologically/mentally would make me feel tons better. Further IMO, The Our Father prayer is the ultimate prayer to our Heavenly Father. When you pray at meal time, don’t you hold hands after crossing yourselves?

However, now I still watch Mass on the internet having no TV, or ride to Church. And in two days, even that/net will be turned off. I have no money. So anything in this world/being Roman Catholic is appreciated by me.

Have a blessed day.
 
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There is a time and place for everything. Even if you want to hold hands during mass, surely you need the agreement of the person you want to hold hands with, don’t you? I am not against any preferences here as my position on this, it is pretty much up to the individual concerned. There is no necessity for justification, if one wants to do what one wants to do. The GIRM is there for all to read and see. Ultimately, it is one’s decision, and only one’s decision.

God bless you. How blessed are the one who is poor in the spirit. Some of us are admittedly rich and therefore has not been blessed by being poor. Consider yourself as more privileged and bless than most of us.
 
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FrDavid96 said:
There is no correct posture other than standing. The GIRM does not dictate anything else, although many individuals feel they are liturgically correct in their commentary based on what they like or don’t like.

…

We have several here who have said that holding hands is not permissible, but have no citation. There is none.

…

His summary is that there is no rule,…

In short - there ain’t no rule. …

… there is no rule.
Click to expand...
This is what Father quoted. You are stating there is no rules to which Father posted what rules would apply. You may have intended to say that there were no rules on holding hands but you made it more general that there were no rules just the instruction to stand. Father added to your statement that there are rules that govern how you hold your hands. To use the Orans position is stated in rules. Since Father was addressing the Orans position, your answer to him did not make sense if you were not addressing the orans position. Your reliance on the USCCB would be moot since they do not address the Orans position and actually do not have authority over the mass only the pope does. The Archbishop I understand has another opinion. I intend to have him clarify it for me when my time permits. Yours was not the only post which was not respectful. I do believe you were sarcastic which a priest doesn’t deserve. It is amazing Father still post the way he is treated. I don’t always agree with him but I frame my disagreement hopefully with respect.
I believe that things would be better if they would move the exchange of peace to the beginning of mass.
 
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Extending hands in the orans position is a wonderful expression of the Baptismal Priesthood for both men and women.
 
BartholomewB said:
Two priests joined in the discussion in one recent thread on this subject, a couple of months ago. One of them said the orans posture (arms extended, hands raised) is okay and the other one said it’s not. So when even priests disagree among themselves …
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I don’t believe there is a single correct posture… as long as you’re not standing on your head and yodeling the prayer you are likely good… saying or singing the prayer and the intention in your heart and mind are what matter.

Don’t fall in the trap of believing your posture is of significant value
 
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