Hand Gestures and Positioning

Have you ever noticed the weird things a priest does with his arms and hands? Sometimes, the priest will raise his arms during the service. Or, how throughout the Mass, the priest makes a cross over the elements. Other times, he contorts his fingers when saying a blessing. Perhaps the most noticeable oddity is when the priest joins his index finger and thumb after the consecration of the bread. What is the point of all of this? Does it make a difference?

At different points in the Liturgy, the priest will hold up his arms. This posture is called the orans position. Orans means “prayer,” which explains why the priest is holding his arms up like this, it is the times he is praying on behalf of the congregation. Remember, the priest is leading the people of God in worship into the presence of God. The orans position began in the Ancient Near East to show openness and submission to God. Sometimes, the orans position is shown with someone's arms way out to the side and hands lifted to the height of their heads; however, that is not practical in the space at the altar and it draws undue attention to the priest. Rather, what is preferred is for the priest to lift his hands, palms inward, shoulder width apart, and high enough for his fingers to be seen above his shoulders.

When it comes to hand gestures during the Mass the priest simply has his hands palms together with his thumbs overlapping in the shape of a cross. Or, his right hand is open and straight to make the sign of the cross for a blessing. Other hand gestures used by some priests, especially seen in icons, have more to do with gestures of ancient speakers indicating who is speaking, the beginning of an oration, or to indicate the important part of a speech. These gestures seemed to have been confused with signs of blessings. The one gesture that might be used for a priest to bless an item outside of the Mass is often called "Jesus's hand of blessing" because in icons you often see him making this sign and the fingers spell out the first and last letter of "Jesus" "Christ." This would be a way to bless something in Jesus's name.

The priest's hands at the consecration, however, is often one of the most misunderstood gestures I have seen among priests. I have seen many incorporate it into the orans position for the whole Mass or begin it at "Lift up your hearts". The reason to hold your fingers this way has nothing to do with looking holy, meditative, or priestly. The priest holds his index finger and thumb following the Words of Institution because they have touched the consecrated elements and it is a way of respecting any consecrated particles on their fingers. The priest's fingers stay together until they are cleaned unless they are touching the consecrated elements themselves.

So does it make a difference; yes and no. The wrong arm or hand positioning does not invalidate the Mass or nullify a blessing. However, they teach us something (I would argue that improper or no use also teaches something, just not the right thing). Other times it points us to the meaning behind what is happening. And often it orients our hearts, minds, and posture towards a reverent and right worship of God.

Let us worship the Lord in holiness,

Fr. Aaron