Week 4: Hands folded in prayer

By Archbishop Michael Jackels

Witness Publisher

When we say prayers or worship at Holy Mass, generally speaking, we fold our hands.

When we do this by interlocking our fingers, it signifies the intimacy of the communion with God we enjoy as a result of our faith and Baptism.

If instead our hands are joined palm to palm, it signifies a humble acknowledgment of need, of our inability to provide for ourselves, and of our pleading to God who alone can supply our need.

The more casual gestures of standing with hands in pockets, or in the penalty kick stance of soccer players, or with arms crossed, do not correspond well to the interior sentiments normally associated with prayer and worship at Holy Mass.