Q: The Roman missal does not say anything about the posture of hands while praying the our father in the Mass, Could you help to understand this. Thank you very much for all that you are doing.
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A: Here’s a previous post: https://paulturner.org/orans-posture/.
Some people have pointed to Article 6 §2 here: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_con_interdic_doc_15081997_en.html to say that the laity may not raise their hands at the Lord’s Prayer because deacons and laity may not “use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant.” However, the context refers to the eucharistic prayer’s words that they are not to recite either. They are not to simulate being a presider.
With the Lord’s Prayer, the people are reciting the words together with the priest, so I don’t see how that document pertains. If it did, we’d have to forbid laity from making a genuflection before receiving communion, as some do, because only a priest does that during Mass. Not even a deacon does.
In my view, it’s not proper for the priest or a deacon to invite the people to raise their hands for the Lord’s Prayer. But if individuals do so spontaneously, or if some families choose to hold hands, I don’t see how this breaks any liturgical law. It may, indeed, help those individuals say the prayer with more meaning.