“The word orans (also orant or orante) literally means ‘one who prays.’ It comes from the Latin word ‘oro’–meaning to pray, beg, supplicate, or beseech. The orans posture is considered one of the oldest bodily attitudes for prayer. It was common among both Jews and Gentiles of the ancient world. The posture is described as standing with arms to the side, elbows bent, and hands opened upward.
For the early Christians in the 2nd-6th Centuries, a figure in the orans position was symbolic of the soul. Frescos of human figures in this position are represented 153 times in the Roman Catacombs.
Besides being a figurative imitation of Christ on the cross, offering himself as a complete and willing sacrifice, the orans posture is also symbolic of the risen Christ. Therefore the the orans figures found the Roman Catacombs have been interpreted as symbols of faith and even of the Church itself.
In I Timothy 2:8, Paul says, ‘I want peoples everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.’ The orans gesture signifies one who is ready to receive the divine gifts for God. It is also considered a gesture of peace, as it is non-defensive and non-threatening.”
Even more that 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.”
(Text taken from Wikipedia, prayerbedes.com, and The Compass: Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Green Bay, WI)
“There is no need to lose oneself in words. It is enough to spread out the hands and to say, ‘Lord, as thou wilt and as thou knowest best, have mercy’.” ~Abba Macarius, Sayings of the Desert Fathers