Just what are you saying, without any words?

Orans, or else? By Patricia Kasten Compass Associate Editor We all know the gesture, but few of us know its name. "The orans posture" sounds so foreign -- and it is, since "orans" is Latin. But then what might be a better term, one that sticks in our minds? How about calling this prayer posture the "Here I am?" Wouldn't "Here I am" express visually what we're saying and doing? • Here I am, expressed by standing, reminds us that we stand before the Lord, ready to serve God and each other. We are always in God's presence, standing like Moses, here before "I AM." • Here I am, with hands open, also reminds us that we stand ready to receive whatever God gives us, as in "give us this day our daily bread." • Here I am, arms outstretched, also reminds us of Christ -- dying and rising -- in total self-giving. • Here I am, as we mimic Christ's posture, we are also called to be like Christ, filled with God's Spirit and totally self-giving. • And, finally, Here I Am reminds us that God, I AM, is here, with us. So, when you next stand, announce -- and proclaim -- "Here I am."

"Gimme five." "Thumbs up!" "A-OK."

Do you need words to say these? No.

We all recognize non-verbal communication and use it daily. We also use it in church. We make the Sign of the Cross, genuflect, fold our hands in prayer. We join hands with each other in sign of community.

And a lot of us use the orans prayer posture.

The "what" prayer posture?

According to new liturgical norms adopted June 15 by the U.S. bishops, the orans prayer posture -- standing with hands outstretched -- is one option people may use during the Lord's Prayer at Mass. (Any decisions involving changes from current practice require Vatican approval before they take effect.)

Many congregations already use the orans posture with this prayer. It is also used many times during Mass by the presider. Diann Wimmer, diocesan worship director, prefers to use the term "arm uplifted," instead of the less familiar "orans," because arms uplifted "says what's happening."

Orans means "one who prays" and comes from the Latin "oro" meaning "to pray, beg, supplicate, beseech." It is one of the most ancient Christian prayer positions, represented 153 times by pictures in the Roman catacombs.

Gestures express thoughts. Our bodies express our feelings. So what does the orans position express about our inner prayer? Let's study this posture in parts:

Standing: In ancient times, servants and soldiers stood. Ready to serve at a second's notice, they were attentive to their superiors. To pray standing indicates one's readiness to serve. (See Psalm 123). This was also a major prayer posture for ancient Hebrews -- see, for example, Solomon's prayer before God's altar (1 Kings 8:22). Standing is also mentioned as a prayer posture in Mark (11:25), Matthew (6:5) and Luke (18:11). Notre Dame theologians John Leonard and Nathan Mitchell point out that the Mishnah (a second century compilation of ancient Jewish practices still used today) "makes it clear that standing is the customary and prescribed posture for daily prayer."

Hands open: This classical prayer gesture offers thanks and praise, but also shows one stands ready to receive divine gifts. We should also remember that, in a world ruled by the military might of Rome, the open hands gesture showed that one came unarmed and vulnerable. As Austrian theologian Dr. Johannes Emminghaus notes, "General anthropology has also shown us that among all peoples, the offering and showing of the open palms ... is a sign of peaceful intent." (Even today, holding your empty hands up, palms out, is a placating gesture.)

Arms outstretched and body unprotected: This is also a peace gesture. Holding open hands away from the body leaves one vulnerable to attack. It is non-defensive, non-threatening.

What does putting this all together say about standing with hands outstretched in prayer?

Origen (d. 254), one of the Fathers of our faith, wrote about the orans posture: "Even more than stretching out the hands to heaven, one must lift up the soul heavenward. More than raising up the eyes, one must lift up the spirit to God. For there can be no doubt that, among a thousand possible positions of the body, outstretched hands and uplifted eyes are to be preferred above all others, so imaging forth in the body those directions of the soul which are fitting in prayer" (On Prayer).

So our prayer posture shows where our mind and thoughts are. Also, when Christians adopted this prayer position, we added two new meanings to the already ancient posture of praise and petition.

First, the orans position imitates Christ upon the cross -- hands outstretched and open, offered in complete and willing sacrifice. Emminghaus notes that an image of Christ standing in this posture, preserved in artwork at the sixth century church of Santa Sabina in Rome, represented the crucifixion without showing the cross (still a shameful symbol at that time.)

But it doesn't stop there. Just as Christ on the cross doesn't end at the tomb, so the orans posture does not symbolize only the sacrifice of the crucifixion. It was also symbolizes resurrection.

Leonard and Mitchell note that "the earliest evidence regarding the posture assumed by Christians ... standingwith arms outstretched ... standing with uplifted hands and with eyes fixed in the direction of the rising sun was the ordinary posture of prayer among most ancient peoples. ... This posture of prayer was continued by all Christians, in common and in private, with this variant: They saw in the rising sun an image of the Risen Christ."

Representations of the risen Christ often show him standing with hands outstretched in triumph and blessing, sharing salvation with all. We are called to imitate Christ, to let the glory of his death and resurrection shine through our lives -- and our bodies.

What better way to remind ourselves of this calling than to place our bodies in the orans position -- standing with arms wide and hands open -- praising God, giving thanks, ready to receive new graces and announcing Christ's Paschal Mystery in word and deed to the world. A gesture more triumphant and hope-filled than any double thumbs up.