other ways to say keep your hands to yourself

#OTHER WAYS TO SAY KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF CODE#

The vertical bespeaks of God’s mystery and beyondness-a reminder that God is not confined by time or space and that his existence extends beyond the universe which he created.Īrchitectural features such as high vaulted church ceilings that seem to soar all the way to heaven convey a sense of transcendence, as does light filtered through beautiful stained glass windows. When we speak of transcendence (vertical), we speak of our God, “who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see” (Tim. The article is flawed, however, in that it fails to express clearly and precisely some of the essential qualities of both the horizontal and vertical elements in the Mass. Those of us who witnessed the liturgical changes following the Second Vatican Council are all too aware of the abuses that diminished our sense of the transcendent (vertical dimension) in the Mass.Īccordingly, I concur with much of what Prof. Rychlak rightly warns us of the dangers of a Mass dominated by its horizontal elements. Neither let us encourage one another to withdraw into solitary aloofness within the context of a gathering that celebrates our oneness in Christ. Let’s not leap to unwarranted conclusions that these parishes speak for the Catholic Church or that the Catholic Church approves of improper liturgies. Are there parishes where there is a distinct lack of reverence for the Mass and an undue focus on the horizontal.aspect of a community in worship? I do not doubt it.

Is there a tendency in some parishes to seek human answers to our problems rather than to rely on God? Certainly. Refusing to hold somebody’s hand during prayer speaks of disdain for others, not love. An island-like stance of refusing to hold hands shows an unwillingness to be approached or to accept the unity which is expressed by holding hands-the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ. If the professor seeks quiet, then he should arrive earlier than he does for solitary prayer before Mass or should seek solitude in a side chapel. The title issue of the professor’s article is that of holding hands in Mass, which leads him to the adjoining issue of having his vertical communication being interrupted for a variety of reasons that grow out of being part of a congregation. At the same time, Christ being in our midst due to community does not preclude or diminish his particular and miraculous Presence in the Eucharist. To intimate otherwise (and to print it) is a grave error. Where Jesus is present, there is sacredness. Christ is present due to the community of the people: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them” (Matt. It is just a meeting place.” This is heresy.

Rychlak states, “If Christ is present due to the community of the people, there is no sacred place in the church. Our Mass now incorporates both vertical and horizontal elements, as it should. He rebuked his disciples when they attempted to bar children from approaching him.

When Jesus ministered and prayed publicly, he was accessible, not remote. The Church that Jesus founded was for his people. And the Church found that situation unacceptable. Rychlak states, “The Mass was once a vertical proceeding between the priest and God, with the rest watching on or engaging in their own vertical communication, through prayer.” That is true. The same holds true of the responsibility to remain in line with the Church you are supposed to be supporting. As a periodical that holds itself in a teaching position, This Rock holds a great responsibility to see that heresy is not preached within its pages. Having read the article “Why I Don’t Hold Hands at Mass,” I find myself amazed that you accepted it premises at all, much less printed it.

#OTHER WAYS TO SAY KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF CODE#

I do know that obsessing with the Code of Canon Law and every possible liturgical abuse is very distracting for me personally during the liturgy. I simply don’t see the hand holding as a big barrier to prayer. I’m not saying that I would oppose the elimination of hand holding if so instructed by the Pope and the bishops in union with him. Holding hands during the Our Father actually helps me to focus on the Father because I become keenly aware that I am among his children. However, my greatest battles of concentration and focus on the Lord happen in my own mind. Do new ceremonies make kneeling and focusing on God impossible for all believers? I am a child in the faith, and I deeply desire greater orthodoxy in the liturgical environment and in the Church as a whole. Perhaps others will do the same.” Maybe the Church hierarchy will go through every parish and clean up liturgical abuses.

Rychlak’s article? Two solid pages of criticism of the Catholic Church in America and his response: “In church, I will recite the Our Father with my hands folded and my heart in communication with God.

Other ways to say keep your hands to yourself