When a blessing, such as for a birthday or Mother’s Day, is being administered by a priest during the announcement period, he should refrain from requesting the laity to extend their hands or explicitly participate with him in imparting the blessing. This blurs the specific role of the clergy and the singular nature of the priestly blessing. He might encourage them to bow their heads and pray in unison, but it must be evident that the blessing is given by the priest, and this should be apparent in the action.

Beyond the liturgy, lay individuals can impart specific blessings in various manners. For instance, a parent might bless a child, or an elder could bless a younger person, and so on. However, in these instances, they should refrain from using priestly actions like making the sign of the cross on others. Instead, tracing a cross on the forehead may suffice, or perhaps just placing a hand on the head, or even no gesture at all, might be preferable.

In situations where non-clergy individuals are praying for each other, like in a prayer gathering or during healing or deliverance sessions, similar guidelines ought to be adhered to: steering clear of explicit priestly actions, being willing to lay hands, or refraining from any gesture entirely.

In the uncommon cases when lay individuals conduct official liturgical assemblies, like the Liturgy of the Hours, they are required to refrain from gestures and adhere to designated texts that solely request God’s blessing for the gathered faithful, without suggesting that they are imparting those blessings themselves.

Regarding the extension of hands akin to the priest during the Our Father, there are no specific guidelines for the laity’s posture in the Roman Missal for this prayer. Nonetheless, a comparable principle ought to be observed — specifically, that distinctly priestly gestures ought to be refrained from. The devout practice of some individuals raising their hands with palms facing up may be acceptable, but arms should not be spread out like those of the priest. It is important to note, however, that there is no strict regulation regarding this matter, allowing for a certain level of flexibility. Any absence of mutual charity should be steered clear of.

Jesus goes missing?

Question: When Jesus was separated from them and subsequently discovered in the Temple, I ponder why Joseph and Mary did not keep closer tabs on him and took an entire day to realize he was absent. Could you clarify this?

— Name withheld, via email

Answer: Two aspects must be remembered to comprehend the disappearance of Jesus. At the age of 12, Jesus would have been regarded nearly as an adult in that society of that era. It might be comparable to a 17-year-old in our contemporary culture. This suggests that parents are not required to supervise an older child as closely as they would a much younger one. Additionally, travelers undertaking the trek from Galilee to Jerusalem and back, a distance of over 70 miles, frequently journeyed in relatively large groups. It was typical for individuals to separate by gender, with women accompanying women and men alongside men. Older children might also travel together, while the younger ones remained with their mothers.

As a matured child approaching adulthood, it is simple to grasp how Jesus could have journeyed with a group away from his parents. This would likely remain unnoticed until evening when families came together again. As soon as they realized Jesus was missing and asked other family members, they hurried back to Jerusalem in search of him.

Taking these two aspects into consideration, they were not careless. The brief separation from him was justifiable, and as soon as they realized it, they escorted him out.

Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C., and writes for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. at blog.adw.org. Send questions to msgrpope@osv.com.