2026 Meditations | Meditations & FAQ | Meditations Archive
Should we hold hands during the Our Father at Mass?
Catechism Meditation:
In the Eucharistic liturgy the Lord’s Prayer appears as the prayer of the whole Church and there reveals its full meaning and efficacy. Placed between the anaphora (the Eucharistic prayer) and the communion, the Lord’s Prayer sums up on the one hand all the petitions and intercessions expressed in the movement of the epiclesis and, on the other, knocks at the door of the Banquet of the kingdom which sacramental communion anticipates. ―No. 2770
REFLECTION. In his article for Aleteia: The Lord’s Prayer During Mass: Should We Hold Hands? Or Raise Them in the Air?, Fr. Henry Vargas Holguín writes… These practices are not explicitly prohibited in the missal, but come from a Protestant tradition. The practice of holding hands while praying the Our Father comes from the Protestant world. The reason is that Protestants do not have the Real Presence of Christ; that is to say, they do not have real and valid sacramental Communion that joins them among themselves and with God. Therefore, they turn to the gesture of holding hands as a moment of communion in community prayer.
During the Mass, we have two important moments: the Consecration and Communion. There – during the Mass – is where we find our unity; that is where we join ourselves to Christ and in Christ, through the common priesthood of the faithful. Holding hands is obviously a distraction from that. We as Catholics are united by receiving Holy Communion, not by holding hands.
There is nothing in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal that indicates that we should hold hands. During the Mass, every gesture is regulated by the Church and its rubrics. This is why there are particular moments during the Mass when we kneel, parts when we stand, parts where we sit, etc. – and nowhere in the rubrics does it say that we have to hold hands when we pray the Our Father. Therefore, we should avoid this practice during the celebration of Mass. Now, if someone wants to do it, let them do it (as an exception) with someone they know very well, without forcing anyone to do it, without making anyone uncomfortable and without trying to convert this practice into a liturgical norm for everyone.
Another thing that you see a lot when praying the Lord’s Prayer is that people raise their hands like the priest does, which isn’t correct either. During Mass, lay people should not make gestures that are reserved for the priest, just as they should not say the words or prayers of the priest, confusing common priesthood with ministerial sacrifice. Only priests extend their hands, and it is best that the faithful stay as they are or join their own hands in prayer, because internal faith, which God sees, is what matters.
The purpose of the priest’s external gestures during Holy Mass – above all – is that the faithful see that the priest is the person designated to intercede for them. Extending one’s arms in prayer was already a custom in the early Church, but in the context of a prayer circle, or private prayer, or some other non-liturgical event, not during Mass.
As Catholics, we are called to follow the mind of the Church and preserve the sacred traditions handed down to us rather than inventing new gestures that distract from the reverence and focus the liturgy deserves. Both holding someone’s hand and lifting up one’s hands when praying the Lord’s Prayer are, in the case of the faithful, non-liturgical practices; even though they are not explicitly prohibited in the missal, they are not appropriate for a healthy Liturgy. Next time you attend Mass, pray the Our Father with reverence: stand, fold your hands, and offer this perfect prayer to Our Father in Heaven with devotion. Small acts of fidelity to the Church’s tradition help restore beauty, reverence, and focus to the Holy Mass. Let us pray the Our Father as the saints did — with humility, reverence, and trust.
Sources: Aletia.org, CatholicAnswers.com, CatholicTimesColumbus.org, RaisingSaints.com
PRAYER. Almighty God, we gather as Your people, united in worship. We come before You with hearts open to praise and glorify Your name. Let the Eucharist guide our interactions, deepen our unity, and cultivate spiritual growth together. Amen.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“Communion is not only the incorporation into the life of Christ and incorporation into His death, but it is also communion with all the other members of the Mystical Body of Christ. When we receive Communion we are being united with every other member of the Church throughout the world. . . . The Eucharist makes the Church one.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen