GULP Alert: Praying over is a clerical thing

And lay people are commonly doing it now.  On instructions by the priest.

And the teachers are asked to gather around the table, and everyone is asked to stretch out their hands and pray over the dear teachers.  Everyone, including the children.

Do the kids know what they are doing?

See that young boy there on the left foreground?  Yeah, that expression says it all.

"It was fun!"

See that EMHC at the back?  Feel na feel.

We have tried so hard to clericalize the laity that these sacred actions like the stretching of the hands to pray over someone, to pray with hands raised, palms facing heaven (aka orans posture) during the singing/praying of the Lord's Prayer.

We have trivialized these sacred actions, the expressions of the kids says it all.

"It was fun!"


Note to charismatics:  Look for the most important gifts.  Speaking in tongues like how I have witnessed it in charismatic prayer meetings is not the kind of gift of tongues the Church needs right now.  Speak in different languages to spread the Gospel to all of mankind.  Pray for that gift.