Orans Position During the Lord's Prayer

Dear Father,

Is there a correct posture for the congregation to take while saying the Lord's Prayer during Mass? Is it the choice of the individual or is it the choice of the parish priest? I ask this because over the years at Sacred Heart, those in the congregation have held the hand of the person next to them, folded their hands, and most recently many people hold their arms and hands in the orans position, which I thought was a posture reserved for the priest. Or is it even important at all if we are unified in our postures?

Thank you,
Kathleen


Kathleen,

There is no official position for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at Mass. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the orans position (hands held up in prayer) as a universal sign of unity in worship. Using the same style of worship at Mass does speak of our shared faith and that is an important witness to make. I suspect that the urging of the orans position may have been partly in reaction to the practice of holding hands during the Lord's Prayer. That position was never sanctioned but it seemed like it in many places. While in and of itself there is no prohibition against the holding of hands during the Lord's Prayer there are two difficulties with the practice. One is that we become too focused on ourselves and not on God, to whom the prayer is directed. The second difficulty with the position is that it was often imposed on other persons who did not feel comfortable with doing it. When I was a child I do not remember any particular position for the Lord's Prayer. As such it is still permissible to refrain from the orans position and, most definitely, from holding hands.

Fr. Pisut