tired of wondering

[heyyoimjohnny]

I think we've been over this a million times. The whole holding hands during the Our Father issue. Last time I looked into it, I didn't understand it completely; all I could really see was phatmassers holding a really negative view of this, and it's come up again. So I asked my Bishop, and he felt it was "totally appropriate as long as you felt comfortable." So that tied me over for a while.

But I see all these wonderful, orthodox people treatin' it like the plauge, and I'm afraid to stop holding hands with people, because people would get offended (and parish community is weak enough as it is...), wouldn't understand, and I wouldn't be able to explain it in a way that would make people understand. So. Tell me, please, what to think. Thanks, Godbless.

Edited July 23, 2005 by heyyoimjohnny

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
7/23 - St. Apollinaris of Ravenna

heyyoimjohnny,

Good question; my immediate response would be that you should be focusing more on praying the Our Father than on what you're doing while you're praying it. Thus, is holding hands is a distraction, don't hold hands. If people have a problem with it, they'll get over it - just don't put on a show when you don't accept someone's hand.

Also, if it comforts you at all, nowhere in the rubrics of the Mass does the holding of hands during the Our Father appear. Hope this helps.'

Yours,
Pio Nono