The Latin word “orans” is translated as “one who is praying.” The “orans posture” is praying while lifting up one’s hands. This posture of prayer has a Scriptural basis in First Timothy: “I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.” (1Tim. 2:8).
The orans posture was common in early Christianity and can be seen in early Christian art. Several of the early Church Fathers saw it as “the outline of the cross.”
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (the “rubrics,” or rules for the celebration of the Mass) references the orans posture with the phrase “with hands extended.” It is instructed to be done twenty-eight times and is used as a direction only for the priest; the laity are never directed to pray “with hands extended.”
Among the laity this practice reemerged with the charismatic renewal in the 1970’s. Used first in private prayer, it has worked its way into the Liturgy. It is a legitimate gesture to use when praying, as history shows; however, its use as a private gesture in the Mass can conflict with the system of signs which the rubrics are intended to protect.
There are some priests that instruct the faithful to assume the orans posture at Mass during the recitation of the Our Father. This is incorrect. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states that: “no person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.” If a handful of people are innocently praying in the orans posture during the Our Father, most priests are not going to go out of his way to embarrass them or cause them to feel uncomfortable. Their action is probably not a distraction to anyone around them, but it is not part of the rubrics of the Mass.
