Praying with Clasped Hands | Religion and Spirituality

By BabesTan-Magkalas
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Praying with clasped or folded hands is quite common among Christians. Is there a meaning to this prayer gesture? Yes there is. Apparently, such a prayer posture is a symbol of obedience, sincerity, submission and repentance. Some raise their folded hands when they make a plea to God to answer their prayers.

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."

Jesus, being a Jew, also prayed with clasped hands. You must have seen pictures or images of Him in the garden of Gethsemani in this prayer gesture. In other art works, you can also see the Virgin Mary and angels with their hands clasped as well.

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..."

In the same book, the Pope recalled that during the time when feudalism was prevalent, those who were under a Lord would place their joined hands into the hands of their Lord to symbolize faithfulness and loyalty. Similarly, when we clasp our hands in prayer, we are doing the same - pledging to God our faithfulness and loyalty and placing our hands in His hands.

Does using the praying hands gesture help our ability to pray or meditate? Practitioners of yoga believe that doing this gesture brings the left and right hemispheres of one's brain together and quiet 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 advice on how to pray so that your prayers will be granted, 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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