i didn’t know where to place it and figured here, because of the other thread going. didn’t know it was a banned topic in the other section.
i’ve had a woman flat out grab my hand when i had stitches in my thumb. some (not all), but some people think that this is normal and that we all need to hold hands. most of us that do not prefer this practice find that it is distracting to our prayer and that IS a big deal.
)99.9% sure no. it’s a tent revival of some sort. just using some hyperbole to make the point that that is where i feel like we are headed when we get into this holding hands and raising them up and what not. i was going to use this pic, but wasn’t sure if it was just too much of an exaggeration. Lord forgive me for my over active imagination, but this new custom has me thinking all these things. distracting indeed!
i don’t get it why we should dismiss something because the Protestants did it first. if they found a way to be more reverent to God, shouldn’t we welcome that into our lives as well? its not like they’re complete fakes, they have some of the truths. not that i’m saying that handholding is reverent, i’m not making implications on this specific practice. but my point is, lets not dismiss something just because it came from a Protestant practice. we must analyze it by its own merits before dismissing it
No we must not.
The practice depicted in Post #45 is also Protestant in origin and is every bit as licit as the hand holding ritual. I have analyzed it by its own merits and I find it every bit as acceptable as the current hand holding ritual. It even has biblical origins - Mark 16:8, They will pick up snakes with their hands…
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you’re joking.
your pet boa is very welcome inside a church on October 4th
could you give me an example of how any one of these relatively young organizations have come up with anything that is “more reverent” than the ancient Catholic and Orthodox Churches?
i agree, but the truth they have is what they retained from the CC. they didn’t come up with it on their own. i do hate that that sounds uncharitable, but it’s a fact.
if you could give me an example to analyze, then i would. as far as the hand holding example, i am glad you are not saying it is reverent. i don’t want to think, touch or deal with other humans when i am trying to sincerely pray. it’s funny, but i can pray for the people sitting next to me with more concentration than i could if i had to hold their hands!
You’ve hit the nail on the head. It is a no no.I guess you could say I do not have a preference. I actually did like it many years ago until I discovered the practice is really a no-no. So now I do not hold hands. I put my hands together in prayer while praying the Our Father during Mass - it keeps people from grabbing mine.
Its not really a problem at our parish as most do not hold hands. Its really most helpful if I’m visiting another parish where some are most exuberant in they’re wanting to have a “group” experience. I don’t fault them, I’m sure they come from a place of genuine kindness. Haven’t had anyone try to snatch up my hand though if they’re held together in prayer.
I agree. On top of that: it is VERY uncomfortable to someone with delicate health. If they insist on making this a part of Mass then the priest should acknowledge that some people that don’t shake hands are not being rude but may not be able to be exposed to germs like that! I almost had a cow when I went to the new church and had to deal with this. It IMMEDIATELY took the focus off of God and worship and caused anxiety. People need to realize that there are those that look OK but may not really be so on the inside. On top of dealing with whatever physical thing they face they now have to think about germs at Mass. People with certain things are NOT allowed to use hand sanitizers because they kill off all bacteria - good and bad. Unfortunately, bad bacteria grows faster than good bacteria so it actually makes people more susceptible to further illness!
not that i have anything specific in mind. i’m just saying, we shouldn’t be merely dismissing something just on the basis of its origin. in fact, many Christian traditions nowadays comes from pagan origins, we never complain about it. we adopted it and made it our own. so why complain about something that is in part inspired by our own theology?
i totally agree with you on this. but that just means they still can come up with their own traditions (even if they wouldn’t call it that). if the basis of their practice comes from a truth from the Catholic Church, would it still be Protestant or Catholic?
my entire point was just that we shouldn’t dismiss something based on its origin. the actions should have their own merits and based on this we decide if they’re worthy of practice within our own Church or not. in the end, maybe every Protestant practice is not worthy to be included in Catholic practice, but the process for evaluating that is through understanding the practice, not by brushing it off simply because of its Protestant originif you could give me an example to analyze, then i would. as far as the hand holding example, i am glad you are not saying it is reverent. i don’t want to think, touch or deal with other humans when i am trying to sincerely pray. it’s funny, but i can pray for the people sitting next to me with more concentration than i could if i had to hold their hands!
Only October 4th?
Hmm, doesn’t sound like you’re paying very much attention to the altar.
Sorry Mark, I don’t follow your reasoning here.
That’s a question that pretty much answers itself, right? I mean, what posture would you have to pick if you wanted to ignore the altar even more – turning around, facing the other way, and twiddling your thumbs? Besides which, why on earth are we saying a prayer to the Father when the Son is right there in front of us? Who came up with that one?