Do you pray in public? Do you make the sign of the cross?

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I have some Catholic friends I eat out with fairly often and they always want us to hold hands while someone prays before the meal. I really don’t like doing that.😦
 
We make the sign of the cross before grace when we eat out. If we do forget, our protestant friends remind us.
 
I cross myself all the time for various reasons. I’m not self-conscience about it at all. I don’t do it to make a statement. In fact, I guess I really don’t think much about how other people might or might not react to it whether negative or positive. In terms of meals, when with family (wife & kids), we hold hands and pray and of course we cross ourselves. We use a free form mainly because I usually say grace and just never got in the habit of using the standard prayer. When alone, I say a quickie prayer and cross myself. It never has occured to me to look around to see how people are reacting. I can certainly understand if other people might be self-conscience or wonder how it might generate reactions both positive and negative. I don’t see anything wrong with that either. It’s human nature I suppose. God understands. I suggest not putting too much pressure on it or yourself.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,* and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Mt 11:25-30
 
Yep, I do make the Sign of the Cross and pray in public. Even at the Secular university that I attend. I don’t really care what other people think of me. Jesus is the only one that matters. Plus, maybe someday someone will notice and ask about it and I can minister to them. 🙂

-LiveForChrist :signofcross:
 
domandcarols said:
I make the sign of the cross when I hear a siren, pass a Catholic church, etc. I don’t think people really notice.
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I do so for some of th same reasons. I don’t always do it when passing a church. I should though. My parents did all the time when I was growing up. I guess that’s why it seems so, well, matter of course. Not that I don’t place a special and important significance to it, I just don’t see it as out of the ordinary. I just don’t want to seem like I’m saying that people that might feel it’s out of the ordinary are somehow doing something wrong. Christ is our personal savior and we have to journey with him in a personal way. A custom savior for each of us. Pretty cool. God is great.
 
My family and I always pray before meals, with the sign of the cross before and after. For the longest time, we didn’t pray before meals in public, but then we started doing that a couple years ago. I think my dad joining the deacon formation program inspired my parents to start doing it publicly though. We just say our prayer quietly, and do the sign of the cross.

When I am at my Catholic college, I do try to remember to pray before meals wherever I am. I don’t always remember because I did not grow up doing it, but most of my friends do it, so they remind me by their example. When I’m not with my family, I pray silently, and only do the sign of the cross at the end. Last year, I also started to kiss my thumb after the sign of the cross. I always loved that about Latin American Catholics.
 
abort73catholic said:
My family and I always pray before meals, with the sign of the cross before and after. For the longest time, we didn’t pray before meals in public, but then we started doing that a couple years ago. I think my dad joining the deacon formation program inspired my parents to start doing it publicly though. We just say our prayer quietly, and do the sign of the cross.

When I am at my Catholic college, I do try to remember to pray before meals wherever I am. I don’t always remember because I did not grow up doing it, but most of my friends do it, so they remind me by their example. When I’m not with my family, I pray silently, and only do the sign of the cross at the end. Last year, I also started to kiss my thumb after the sign of the cross. I always loved that about Latin American Catholics.
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Not to nit pick, but the idea is that we are making a sort of mini-cross with the thumb and forefinger. So, in essence, we’re kissing the cross. I grew up doing it so I guess I just figured that was what all Catholics did. I might have been in my teens before I realized that there were non-Latino/hispanic, whatever, Catholics. I’m only half kidding. I never really knew it was a hispanic thing until I read it on this forum maybe a year or two ago and I’m in my late 40’s. Okay very late 40’s. And, btw, born and bred Texan. We go way back in this part of the country, in case your wondering.
 
Big_Ro said:
Not to nit pick, but the idea is that we are making a sort of mini-cross with the thumb and forefinger. So, in essence, we’re kissing the cross. I grew up doing it so I guess I just figured that was what all Catholics did. I might have been in my teens before I realized that there were non-Latino/hispanic, whatever, Catholics. I’m only half kidding. I never really knew it was a hispanic thing until I read it on this forum maybe a year or two ago and I’m in my late 40’s. Okay very late 40’s. And, btw, born and bred Texan. We go way back in this part of the country, in case your wondering.
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Oh, I know that, about making the small cross…that’s what I do. I suppose I should have clarified a bit more. I think it’s lovely. 🙂
 
abort73catholic said:
Oh, I know that, about making the small cross…that’s what I do. I suppose I should have clarified a bit more. I think it’s lovely. 🙂
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Yes it is lovely. I only pointed it out because I think it’s the important point. Unfortunately, it was not pointed out to me until I was well in to adulthood. I always did it without really giving it much thought. The perils of being a cradle Catholic. Now that I know, it has deeper meaning. I’m glad for it.
 
I always say before me grace in public, albeit silently. I figure that no one needs to hear it but God. I don’t pray for the benefit of the other diners. And I make a small, discreet cross across my breast, nothing showy.

NO ONE can prevent you from praying in public. Perhaps one can be prevented from making a production of it, but prayer requires no spoken words, so one can *constantly *pray in public.
 
Very inspiring thread…thank you. When we go out to eat as a family we cross ourselves before and after & say the Catholic grace prayer.

My daughter will be playing on a Protestant homeschool basketball team and I was wondering how to handle prayer before the game. This has given me some great ideas how to handle it without embarrassing her (teenager) but not compromising our faith as Catholics.

We are the only Catholics in a very large group of Protestants.

Her god-brother plays for them and heard one of his fellow teammates asking everyone what church each member attended. Before they asked him someone said “Yeah, those Catholics are weird”. He spoke up and said “Hey, you haven’t asked me yet…I’m Catholic and we are not weird…we are Christians.” lol He’s 15 yrs old. 👍
 
There are also prayers for after meals as well, and I’ve seen one most often. One wording online is “We give Thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.” I’ve more often heard a version that uses “mercies” for “benefits.”

In terms of crossing and meals, I more often make a little sign of the cross over the food instead of crossing myself or doing both. I can understand the link to the prayer (the “gifts”), but I don’t know why I do that. I don’t remember seeing others do it or being somehow instructed to do it. For that matter, I don’t have much history of seeing others cross themselves at grace before meals, either; that is, I’m not going against what I’ve seen or been taught about crossing ourselves here.

One thing just bubbled up into mind, though I’m not ready to claim it as the reason for what I do. I long ago read parts of The Little Flowers of St. Francis, in which the Pope and St. Clare have had a meeting, and at the end he requests that she bless some bread. (She protests because he’s the Pope and she’s not, but to avoid the appearance of presumption, he rephrases his request as a command invoking holy obedience.) In doing so, she makes the sign of the cross over the bread.

(On the loaves then appears the sign of the cross. I have never had this happen. :D)
 
Re the subject of the thread. I am late coming home from work by bus 2 days weekly and then go shopping for groceries before walking home. I pray Evening Prayer from the Little Office of Our Lady and then the Rosary on the bus and make the Sign of the Cross before and after.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I have to say if I haven’t said before - I pray on the plane! I make the sign of the cross upon take off and I fold my hands in prayer and anyone sitting in my row knows it. I don’t do it for the sake of them knowing it, but because I am truly frightened and want a blessing on the pilot, the crew and the everyone in the tower and on the plane. I used to be self concious about doing that, but it harms nobody and if it helps someone pray too, all the better.
 
I find praying in public before eating a little distracting, but I’l almost always do the sign of the cross before any actual meal, not including random quick snacks or something, I guess it just doesn’t cross my mind in those cases.

I pray almost everytime I drive though, otherwise the sign of the cross suffices for me and I just save the prayers for when I get home. I also do the sign of the cross before going swimming, playing sport, or any activity which involves risk or concentration.
 
Nowadays, if I pass a Catholic Church on a bus or however, I also make the Sign of The Cross as an acknowledgement and my statement of Jesus truly present in The Blessed Eucharist in all Catholic Churches everywhere. I recalled the words of Jesus “If you acknowledge Me before men, I will acknowledge you before my Father in Heaven”.(Matthew Ch10) What beautiful and comforting. merciful, words. Especially since they are totally in opposition to “Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew Ch7)
 
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