![\"Hand-Holding2\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2017\/11\/Hand-Holding2.jpg\")
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(2-19-14)<\/p>\n
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[originally a short post on Facebook, followed by a huge discussion<\/a>: 334\u00a0comments; the Facebook thread also includes a sub-discussion on clapping for musicians \u2014 or anyone else \u2014 at Mass. I have collected my comments from the discussion]<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n [see also my very popular in-depth article on this topic (7497 shares):\u00a0Posture During the \u201cOur Father\u201d Over Against the Rubrics<\/a>]<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n It\u2019s against the rubrics, folks, which in English means that the Church does not permit it. Makes me wonder, then, why so many priests do. Either they don\u2019t know the rubrics or don\u2019t care about them, or think they are wrong at this point and ignore them. Not sure which one of the three is the worst . . .<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n The same is also true of raising hands up. The altar servers are not supposed to do that. In a parish that understands and observes the rubrics (a 50-cent word for \u201cliturgical rules\u201d), you\u2019ll notice that they don\u2019t do so; neither should the congregation. We\u2019re all learning all the time; no shame in that. The thing is, what we\u00a0do<\/em><\/strong> with what we learn<\/em> and come to know<\/em>.\u00a0If one wants freedom to do whatever they like, the Catholic Church is an odd place for them to be.<\/p>\n I think if there is such a thing as rubrics and guidelines for liturgy, they should be enforced. But that\u2019s just me. It can\u2019t hurt to spread the word as much as we can. The more folks understand this, the less they\u2019ll do it, and it\u2019ll be a non-issue. Education is power!\u00a0Jimmy Akin\u2019s books on the Mass explain all the rules very well. He\u00a0argues that lack of mentioning<\/em> something in the rubrics is essentially the same as not allowing<\/em> what is not mentioned. He gives all the documentation.\u00a0Here are links to all three of them (one<\/a> \/ two<\/a> \/ three<\/a>). And here is a 2006 article of his about hand-holding at Mass<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sometimes I\u2019m the \u201cbad guy\u201d for simply sharing what the rubrics say, but so be it. It\u2019s part of being an apologist (we\u2019re like umpires: can never please everyone).<\/p>\n The priests should enforce these things! Why they very often don\u2019t is one of those odd things in life that I can\u2019t comprehend. Perhaps one or more of the priests among my friends here can comment on that.<\/p>\n If someone is offended by not holding their hand, we should take\u00a0them aside after Mass, and nicely explain to them that\u00a0we do what we do because it\u00a0 is what the Church requires. That should put an end to any misunderstanding, but we all know that some folks can be very stubborn and find it difficult to be corrected at all.<\/p>\n The Church has rules that are to be followed, that it deems to be best, just like many other organizations do in various ways. People can choose to follow them or not. The obedient Catholic is supposed to follow what the Church teaches.\u00a0But many priests are not informing their congregations of what the rules are, nor are they learned in catechism, far too often. So we have situations where people just \u201cgo with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n Someone said, \u201cI\u2019ve even heard Fr. Mitch on EWTN saying that although it\u2019s an unapproved posture, \u2018there are bigger fish to fry\u2019. \u201d Yes there are, but that\u2019s no reason for not observing this rule. I love Fr. Pacwa, but that is the mentality of \u201cdon\u2019t make waves; don\u2019t ruffle any feathers.\u201d Again, the rule is there for a reason<\/em>, and so should be followed or else modified. Whatever the Church rule is, I\u2019m gonna follow it. If people think that is a lack of love, this has no basis. I\u2019m as friendly as anyone, but I do what the Church requires me to do.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not \u201cdying on any hill\u201d here; I\u2019m explaining what the Church teaching is, as I\u2019ve done hundreds of times on many topics. Why would I want to ignore that in one instance, simply because the teaching is widely violated? That has no bearing on what I try to teach. Contraception is widely violated, too. It doesn\u2019t follow that the priest and bishop and professor and apologist therefore stop teaching that it is wrong and impermissible. Sometimes we gotta teach the unpopular thing, and we shouldn\u2019t merely teach what is popular, as that would be sophistry and mere crowd-pleasing. I agree that it\u2019s not a hugely important matter<\/em> in the scheme of things. But is there a place for the apologist to discuss it and point out what the rubrics say? To the latter I say firmly, yes<\/em>!<\/p>\n Bishops do wrong stuff, too, at times (I know it\u2019s a huge shock to hear that, but . . .). If\u00a0a bishop is holding hands during the Our Father (while celebrating Mass), he violated the rubrics.\u00a0He, too, is subject to their\u00a0authority (would be my argument). For example, a bishop can\u2019t consecrate with Pepsi and non-wheat bread. It wouldn\u2019t be valid, and it is not,\u00a0regardless of his high office.<\/p>\n Someone said, \u201cthe Bishops can set the record straight, the pastors can inform the parishioners and the problem will be solved.\u201d\u00a0Yes they could, but they don\u2019t<\/em>, and that<\/em> is the problem. This shouldn\u2019t even be an issue at all. It should be understood what the proper posture is, and complied with. When it\u2019s allowed, people think it is either required or optional: no problem! And so it continues on.<\/p>\n It\u2019s weird that almost everyone who has commented here and in posts of the 22 shares, agrees that it is against the rubrics, and don\u2019t do it \/ like it. Then why is it so common<\/em>, I wonder? It seems to be common based on numerous reports \/ complaints in this thread and others about it. Most parishes I\u2019ve been to besides our own seem to have it among most of the people or a sizable portion, if not a majority.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not for us to judge what the Church has determined to be the best course, and in this instance, she tells us to refrain from such gestures during the Our Father. Whether we fully understand why that is, is irrelevant.<\/p>\n If we claim to be obedient Catholics, we\u2019ll want to follow the rubrics. If we want to go our own way, we\u2019ll say and think, \u201cwhat does the Church know? If I wanna do x, y, z, I\u2019m gonna do it. To Hades with what the Church says! It\u2019s none of its business how I live my life.\u201d Etc., etc. ad nauseam<\/em>, ad infinitum<\/em> . . .\u00a0The rubrics\u00a0exist for a reason: for our guidance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As far as I know, I haven\u2019t judged hearts in this thread. Most people who do these things are likely perfectly sincere<\/em>, and have a pious intention<\/em>. If I didn\u2019t state that above, it is my opinion, and I should have made that clear (but I do now, in any event). I have sought only to point out that it\u00a0is<\/em> against the rubrics in the Roman \/ Latin Rite, and that rubrics have a purpose, and ought to be taught and followed.\u00a0But judging hearts and intentions? No<\/em>! I don\u2019t want to do that at all and think it is wrong to do so. One can point out what a law is without being legalistic or lacking in charity. Those are two different things. The former is good, the latter bad.<\/p>\n Subjectively, it may be (usually is) fine; well-intentioned, pious. But the Church (via the rubrics) doesn\u2019t allow<\/em> it. Thus, whether we understand the fine points of the reasoning or not, we should be inclined to follow her guidance.<\/p>\n I try to take pains to distinguish between simply not knowing vs. \u201cknowing and deliberately disobeying.\u201d Vast <\/em>difference . . . The former is largely the fault of the Church: failure to properly teach and catechize her children; the latter is the fault of the individual. \u201cTo whom much is given, much is required.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201ctogetherness \/ community\u201d aspect of the Mass has been emphasized in the last 50 years, so, as with all else, that has been distorted at times and has led to things (however well-intentioned) that violate the rubrics.\u00a0But as I understand it, that\u2019s where it basically came from. If priests liked that, then they did nothing to discourage it: either thinking that it was a minor issue (though against the rubrics), or not knowing what canon law states about it in the first place.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The \u201cwhys\u201d of that are best left to liturgists and bishops to explain. I agree that holding hands wouldn\u2019t necessarily \u201cdetract,\u201d yet the rule is there for some reason.\u00a0It has simply become a custom. People are sheep. That\u2019s all we need to explain that. People see others doing something, and they assume that is what should be done, and copy it.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know why bishops and priests don\u2019t instruct about this, other than that they prefer not to make waves and like to be liked (which is true of all of us), so they tolerate it.\u00a0Even if<\/em> it were legitimate for the bishop to tell folks to raise hands, it wouldn\u2019t follow that the normative rubrics are null and void all other times. It would simply be a special case or exception.<\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Photo credit:<\/strong> photo by \u201cAnna_Sunny\u201d (3-28-15)<\/span> [Pixabay <\/a>\/ CC0 public domain<\/a>]<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (2-19-14) *** [originally a short post on Facebook, followed by a huge discussion: 334\u00a0comments; the Facebook thread also includes a sub-discussion on clapping for musicians \u2014 or anyone else \u2014 at Mass. I have collected my comments from the discussion] *** [see also my very popular in-depth article on this topic (7497 shares):\u00a0Posture During the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":14403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[1596,887,361,1597,1595,4639,1598],"class_list":["post-14402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eucharist-liturgy","tag-holding-hands-at-mass","tag-liturgical-abuses","tag-liturgy","tag-orans-posture","tag-our-father","tag-posture-at-mass","tag-rubrics"],"yoast_head":"\nPractical Matters<\/em><\/strong>: Perhaps some of my 3,900+ free online articles (the most comprehensive \u201cone-stop\u201d Catholic apologetics site) or<\/span> fifty books<\/a>\u00a0have helped you (by God\u2019s grace) to decide to<\/span>\u00a0become Catholic<\/a>\u00a0or to<\/span>\u00a0return to the Church<\/a>, or better understand some doctrines and<\/span>\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0we believe them<\/a>.<\/div>\n*<\/span><\/div>\nOr you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general.\u00a0If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. 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