![]() The palm of the right hand faces left and the little finger of the right hand is closest to the person(s) being blessed. The fingers of the right hand are fully extended and joined, and pointed upwards. When blessing the deacon or the faithful at the end of Mass, for example, the celebrant first joins his hands and then raises his right hand to the height of his face. Both hands are joined before and after signing oneself with the Cross (Mutel and Freeman, 44). One signs oneself with the Cross when standing or kneeling. Then, one makes a horizontal line from the left should to the right shoulder before joining the hands once again (Mutel and Freeman, 44). Then one draws a vertical line with the right hand from the forehead to a point above where the left hand is held. The right hand, with the palm open and the fingers extended and joined, begins by touching the forehead with the right hand before the face. When making the sign of the Cross, the left hand is placed on the chest. The hands are joined before and after making the Sign of the Cross. Similarly, when standing at the altar and using the left hand to turn the pages of the Missal, for example, the right hand rests on the altar. When standing elsewhere, when blessing with the right hand, the left hand rests on the chest (Ceremonial of Bishops ,108). When standing at the altar, when blessing with the right hand, the left hand rests on the altar. When wearing vestments in the sanctuary, one never crosses one’s arms or one’s legs or feet, nor should the hands be placed under the dalmatic or the chasuble (Mutel and Freeman, Cérémonial de la sainte messe, 43). When seated, the open palms of the hand are placed on either knee with the fingers fully extended and joined. (It is wise, before rising, to use the right hand to free the heels from the bottom of the cassock or the alb.) Likewise, the hands remain joined when going from standing to kneeling and when rising from kneeling. The arms are not lowered when bowing profoundly. The hands are kept joined even when making the genuflection or when bowing. The forearms are raised slightly to the wrist and the hands are raised slightly. The hands are held joined before the breast, with the upper arms hanging vertically from the shoulders, and the elbows resting lightly against the torso above the hips. The hands are held this way whenever standing, walking, or kneeling during liturgical celebrations. Hands joined means that the hands are held palm open, flat against each other, with fingers joined and the right thumb resting over the left thumb (Ceremonial of Bishops, 107n80). When done devoutly in a recollected way, they deepen the experience of prayer both for the celebrant and those joining him in offering the Eucharistic sacrifice. ![]() In either case, such postures and gestures are meant to be exterior manifestations of an interior disposition of prayer during the course of the liturgy. ![]() This post addresses the different postures and gestures of the hands of the celebrant. The previous post described the manner of walking, kneeling, genuflecting, and bowing according to the traditional practice of the Roman rite (General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) 42).
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