Hi Martina,

When the priest does this, he says, "Lord, wash away my iniquities; cleanse me from my sins."

So it symbolizes being cleansed from sin before offering the sacrifice, just as in the
Old Testament (Exodus 30:19-21, 40:32).

It also serves, or did at one time, the practical purpose of cleansing the priest's hands before he handled the Eucharist for everyone. Many elements of the Mass have or had a practical purpose:

• incense made the smelly peasants a bit easier to stomach, and
• the little cardboard square the priest puts on top of the chalice keeps out bugs and debris, and so forth.

Hope this helps,

Eric

Martina,

A priest washes his hands as a sign of his spiritual cleansing and preparation to wash away his impurities before handling the consecrated Eucharist which is holy and sacred. The rite is directly derived from Jewish rites of purification in the Temple and the Passover ritual.

It is meant as an act of humility and acknowledgement of the extreme sanctity and respect which should be afforded to God who humbles Himself so much as to become Our Food.

We should all make a similar internal gesture of purification to ready ourselves for
Holy Communion. We do that as community when we say:

Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

Peace,

Bob Kirby

Hi, Martina,

Nothing dramatic.

The priest washes his hands to clean them!

Historically, the hand washing served the purpose it does today before meals. Your hands are dirty and should be washed, particularly before celebrating the Eucharist.

As time evolved, it took on a theological meaning, where the priest says as he washes his hands, for God to:

Take away my sins and cleanse me from all my impurities.

Fr. Nick