The Lord's Prayer during Mass: Should we hold hands? Or raise them in the air?

Yeah I stopped reading right there. Dear author: you're a fool. Sorry.

Personally I prefer RCC not do it......not because I have anything against it per se, but it kind of "obligates" people at Mass to do it, and not everyone is comfortable with it, for whatever reason, and I dislike trying to "impose" something like that on others. (side note: I rarely hold hands or raise my hands up. To each their own.)

I am glad that it's finally been settled that there is nothing wrong with it.

I enjoy holding hands during the "Our Father." My second choice would be to hold my hands out, palms raised. I was always told that this posture indicates openness to God's will (as opposed to a closed palm position). When I raise my palms, I often feel a spiritual energy which I attribute to grace.

In our (Latino) parish, it is custom for only family members to hold hands. I've never seen hand-holding across family boundaries; and indeed I would consider it a bit odd and intrusive.

Regarding the raising of hands, I believed it was derived from the Jewish mode of prayer (in which the oran position is very common). Personally I hold my hands with the palms facing up, as if to receive blessings.

Fantine said:

I am glad that it's finally been settled that there is nothing wrong with it.

I enjoy holding hands during the "Our Father." My second choice would be to hold my hands out, palms raised. I was always told that this posture indicates openness to God's will (as opposed to a closed palm position). When I raise my palms, I often feel a spiritual energy which I attribute to grace.

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It's hardly "settled", although you'd like it to be. There are some that believe if it's not addressed in the GIRM, it doesn't belong in the mass.

I feel uncomfortable with holding hands and am glad it is not forced on us. I used tho dislike exchanging the peace also, and even now, often remain with my eyes closed, praying. We are all different

There's also the final hand squeeze that some people do at the end of holding hands. But people holding hands during Mass doesn't really bother me. If someone offers their hand to me at Mass, I'm not going to pull my hand away. The thing that I find more distracting is when sometimes at the end of the Our Father prayer, instead of saying "and deliver us from evil" one or two people in a parish say "and deliver us from all evil". This causes an awkwardness, discord, and disunity in the prayer and is also superfluous since right afterward the priest says "deliver us from every evil". I think they probably have good intentions, but the Our Father prayer should not be ad–libbed.

I would never pull my hand away from somebody. But just sometimes I do not want to be touched and on such an occasion I have found that simply praying with my eyes closed deals with it

I do not want to hold peoples' hands, or raise them up, or keep my palms upturned. I just fold my hands together.

But that's just me.

I've read the GIRM. Some stuff people do bothers me. Some stuff doesn't. Holding hands isn't required. It's also not a liturgical abuse. It's not a hill worth fighting over.

I always disliked holding strangers hands. Yuch Lol

eastcoast_bsc said:

I always disliked holding strangers hands. Yuch Lol

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Better not shake hands the next time you meet someone then.

AvilaSurfer said:

Better not shake hands the next time you meet someone then.

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I try not to. Lol

Wave them in the air like you just don't care.

Chalk me up the crowd who doesn't like holding hands. I do it anyway, but I would rather fold my hands in prayer as we say it. I also don't think we should be copying the priest by lifting our hands in the air during the final verse, but that's me.

I am uncomfortable being touched by strangers. I will do this in my home Church where I know everyone, but in a strange Church I would avoid it.

JeffreyLloyd said:

Chalk me up the crowd who doesn't like holding hands. I do it anyway, but I would rather fold my hands in prayer as we say it. I also don't think we should be copying the priest by lifting our hands in the air during the final verse, but that's me.

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Oh my word, where have you been!!??

AvilaSurfer said:

I've read the GIRM. Some stuff people do bothers me. Some stuff doesn't. Holding hands isn't required. It's also not a liturgical abuse. It's not a hill worth fighting over.

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I've talked about my miracle several times (but I believe testimonies like this are evangelizing, so I'm happy to do it again.

1991. My son's confirmation. My brother, his sponsor, flew in, one year after being diagnosed with MS. I, his sister, was heartbroken to see his limp, and his hand shaking when he tried to pour milk into the cereal bowl. During the "Our Father," holding hands with the choir, I felt such a strong presence of the Holy Spirit and asked the Spirit to heal my brother.

He limped up to Communion with my son. As he walked back to his seat, and as he passed by the choir singing the Communion hymn, he straightened up and stopped limping. His remission lasted several years.

He wasn't healed forever, although he still walks, and was able to work until he was 53, but I am so grateful to God for those extra years of good health for him.

So will I hold hands? Sure. I wish I could be an octopus--I'd hold eight hands if I could.

My after Communion ministry, as I am playing the Communion hymn, is focusing on the people in my parish who need prayer. I am situated so that I can see the congregation, and I choose someone who needs a miracle. I hope that those prayers bring some comfort and healing to their lives.