As a young boy, I often saw my parents holding hands even during such ordinary moments as going to the public market to buy food. They were such a sweet couple and until now they still are. I grew up appreciating the holding of hands as a tangible expression of love and intimacy. Thus when held hands as we said grace before meals, I felt that special love and care that bonded us as a family.
In the masses I celebrate I encourage the congregation to hold hands during the singing/praying of Our Father by holding the hands of my altar servers and/or other liturgical ministers at the altar. I see it as an expression of unity and brotherly/sisterly love. I see it as an act of acceptance of the other person, even if he/she is a stranger, with glad and generous heart. I also see it as a concrete sign that in the celebration of the Eucharist we become truly one body and one spirit in Christ.
I experienced such oneness in a very real way some two weeks ago when I attended the General Chapter of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC). There were 90 priest-participants coming from more than 30 countries worldwide. During one afternoon Mass the presider invited us to hold hands as we recited the Lord?s Prayer in our own native tongues. I could not understand the language of the person next to me but it did not matter. What was important was despite our differences in culture, language, and race the whole assembly became one concentric chain of brothers united in calling God our Father.
Contrary to what many people think, there is nothing in the liturgical rubrics that prohibits this nor did Pope Benedict XVI publish a statement regarding the issue. In response to questions raised by some of the faithful, Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB, executive secretary of the Commission on Liturgy of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said that ?there?s is no prohibition on the holding of hands during the singing of the Our Father during the Mass.? He added that ?the criterion should always be the full, active, and intelligent participation of the assembly.?
In the Philippines it is quite common for people to hold hands at the Our Father and it will only create confusion if the priest prohibits it out of the blue. On the other hand, here in Europe, where the practice is not common, it would create as much confusion if the presider suddenly asks the assembly to hold hands. My point is, the decision to hold hands or not should be left to each local church. And the parish priest should not decide on his own as if the mandate came directly from God. He should listen to his parishioners and only after consulting them will he decide to continue or abolish the practice. On the whole, we should avoid any kind of legalism or be obsessed with rubrics but be attentive to real pastoral needs. And the full, active, and intelligent participation of the assembly as well as common sense should be our guiding principles.
Besides, to hold hands or not is not a dogmatic issue. As one of my email friends said, ?I won?t become less of a catholic if I don?t hold some strangers? hand during the Our Father nor I would be more of a catholic if I do.? However I also think that holding hands is a creative way in which the Eucharistic liturgy leads us to reinforcing the bonds of unity between us. If holding hands with the persons next to you will make the Our Father a moment for communion with God and with your brothers and sisters more intimate and real, then you should do so. But we must also respect those who feel distracted from their prayers if they hold hands at the Our Father or discomforted at touching a stranger?s hand. Good liturgical participation is based on a combination of kindness, consideration and common sense.
It is important for us to see the profound link between the Eucharistic and our everyday life. In the Eucharist itself we can experience what it means to be a family, a community, and as one creation. The grace we receive in the Eucharist impels us to form fraternal relationships in the Church, in society and with the whole creation. When I was a young boy, we always held hands as a family during the Our Father and it taught me that the Eucharist was an adequate foundation for our life and action. Whenever I say Mass now I treat the congregation as one big family united in love, thanksgiving and prayer. And that?s why I join hands with them at the Lord?s prayer.
Catholic Curiosity of the Day: How often do we realize that ‘Goodbye’, means ‘God be with you’?. And that common greeting ‘Hello,’ used these days so casually, in Anglo-Saxon meant ‘be whole,’ ‘be healthy’.
The most practical objection is that it takes away from the Kiss of Peace.
There are plenty of other objections. If I were sitting next to a pretty girl, I would have no problem holding her hand, but I wouldn’t be thinking about the Lord and my heart would not be moved in prayer to Heaven.
There are a number of Catholics who struggle either with lust or concentration during Mass or liturgical preferences who have trouble with the Kiss of Peace as it stands. These are the sorts of people who might be tempted to join schismatic movements precisely because a “final straw” breaks the back of their faith, a straw perhaps as light as a single Mass they attend while they are travelling. There are, sadly, many of these people in our Church, and we ought to be concerned about scandalizing them unnecessarily.
The sacred liturgy is the work of the whole Church and the property of the whole Church. There may be nothing in writing against holding hands during the Pater, but there is nothing in writing in favor of it. One should be wary about introducing handholding or any other unapproved novelties or pietistic practices.
You’ll note that there was no condemnation of “legalism” adopted by the Second Vatican Council, or by any other Ecumenical Council or by any Pope. As such, if you compel your flock to combat ‘legalism’, you would be adding to Sacred Doctrine.
Drop the external formalities and concentrate on the essentials. This is what we should be focusing on as Christians and as a people of God ebverytime we celebrate the eucharistic banquet. The avowed plan to do away with the holding of hands during the Pater may just be rocking the boat unnecessarily.
Holding hands during the Pater has become a tradition that started in the 60s and it hhas been inculturated, so to say, in the celebration of the eucharistic meal…Why change it now? Does this culturally expressive way of solidarity and familiality diminish the holiness and purpose of the mass? Or is there something more to it other than liturgical reasons that make this non-issue an issue of the present dispensation?
Thank you.
What’s actually wrong with holding hands during singing/praying of our Father. I love holding hands specially to hold the hand of the person I love so much/most. I find it a good sign of a Filipino caring each other unity showing our thanks to God in that moment we are all one all brothers/sisters one big family in the eyes of God. It is really nice it adds one of our beautiful Filipino good habit/custom. I noticed people from abroad who visited Philippines who attended Filipinos Masses were amazed and they talked with it with their family back home. When I came here in the Netherlands first thing I asked where I can find the church I personally I when there. Lucky me the Mass was in Latin not in Dutch glad cause in that time I don’t speak Dutch yet. During praying the our Father no holdings okay another culture that is my observation in that moment. After the celebration of the Eucharist surpise me signing the peace, peace be with you, you know what remarkable SHAKING HANDS WITH EACH OTHERS and at the same time said each other word PEACE BE WITH YOU. Lovely beautiful word and custom good habit from the Dutch people what I learned . Now we Filipino Communities here during the Filipino Masses celebration we ADAPTED that good habit from the Dutch and us Pilipinos holding hands during singin/praying our Father and with the combination Shaking hands each other during the signing of peace be with you. Nice.
God Bless you.
Father, i attended a seminar before on the eucharist. I think it was Father Gene Diwa and he said that there are things that you can’t change in the mass and there are things that can be depending on the culture also. Sometimes, we may do things that are not really allowed but we don’t know.. but then God sees through the intention, right? whether we hold hands or not what is imporatant id se honor God and praise Him and love Him… and I am sure that would make Him smile!
God bless and thanks for visiting my site!
I wrote a blog on this topic about 2 weeks ago. I’m glad that the issue has been settled. If we read the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, there’s nothing in it that prescribe or proscribe the posture for the hands during the Our Father. The rubrics only provide guidelines on how priests and any concelebrants should pray the Our Father.
Holding hands during mass or during any giving time gives the impression that those who are holding their hands are in union. In mass, when complete strangers are holding hands while singing the Lord’s Prayer, they don’t look like complete strangers at all. Holding hands is also sort of a reassurance of a couple’s love for one another.
Maybe there was a bad incident that made the Pope decide to ban holding hands.