Praying with Clasped Hands

by: BabesTan-Magkalas
Total views: 10 | Word Count: 503

There is a common prayer gesture among Christians which is called praying hands or the hands clasped or folded together before the heart. Such a prayer gesture is a symbol of obedience, submission, sincerity and repentance. There are others who raise their prayer hands as if pleading to God.

Natahn Ausubel, in his book "Book of Jewish Knowledge said that this prayer gesture is not exclusive to Christians alone. He said the Jews even before the time of Jesus Christ, practiced it: "It has also been commonly assumed that folding the hands in prayer is exclusively a Christian custom. This is not the historical fact at all. As early as the post-Exilic period, when Jews prayed, they folded their hands, and they observed this custom for several centuries even after it had been adopted by Christians."

This being so, Jesus who was a Jew, also prayed with his hands clasped. It is not uncommon to see pictures or images of Him in this prayer gesture. Even the Virgin Mary and angels are often depicted in art with their hands drawn together.

The Hindus and Buddhists draw their palms together at the heart as a sign of veneration and respect. It is also a form of greeting. This is known as the "anjali mudra" which means offering (anjali) and seal (mudra). The people of India when doing this gesture would say the word "Namaste" which is some kind of a sacred hello. "Namaste" means "I bow to the divinity within you from the divinity within me." How beautiful the meaning of that word is!

In prayer, our body certainly has a role to play in prayer along with our heart, mind and soul. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "Spirit of the Liturgy" said: "The body has a place within the divine worship of the Word made flesh, and it is expressed liturgically in a certain discipline of the body, in gestures that have developed out of the liturgy's inner demands..."

The Pope mentioned the custom during feudal times of placing one's joined hands into the hands of his ruling lord as a sign of his fidelity and loyalty. So when we fold our hands in prayer, we are symbolically pledging to God our fidelity and loyalty and placing our hands in His.

Is there a benefit to doing this prayer gesture? In yogic practice, drawing one's hands together is believed to bring the left and right hemispheres of one's brain together. Such a gesture is said to calm the mind.

If you ask me, I am able to pray better with my hands clasped or folded because I can focus on God more. My concentration is much better and I am sure many people would agree with me. When I kneel, I do it out of reverence to God and it is the same when I pray with my hands drawn together. God is certainly pleased with praying hands and praying hearts.

About the Author

For some valuable tips on how to make your prayers more powerful and effective, go to www.how-to-pray-effectively.com and discover the secrets to answered prayer. For more articles about prayer, go to our praying hands blog.  

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