How important is it that Eastern Catholics do the sign of the cross different than Western Catholics?

[hamburglar]

In my experience as a Latin I"ve always crossed myself open-palmed (thumb and four fingers extended). I’ve never seen anything different (among Latins). In fact I had no idea there were Latins who did otherwise… Perhaps the variation is regional?

I began crossing myself with the index and middle fingers, pinky and ring tucked in a thumb touching them. I’m not quite sure why I did this, but I think seeing holy cards, icons, and statues holding their hand in this position had some effect on me. I think sometimes the open palm looks sloppy, like it doesn’t really mean anything. Having my hands in a different position helps me focus on what the sign of the cross means. I think this is the way priests bless something, as well.

 

[THutch04]

Personally I was taught to cross myself holding the thumb and first two fingers together, so that’s just how I’ve always done it. But it seems like there’s only a few Roman Catholics who also cross themselves this way. For the most part they all use an open hand.

 

[Aramis]

In re the original question:

Not very important. Throughout the east, exactly which hand positions are used by which members of the church varies.

The Russian Old Believers can be spotted from the rest of the Russian Orthodox by how they make the sign of the cross; examine the hand position.

The direction is also varied amongst the eastern churches, both within and outside the Catholic Union.

Certain other unions of particular churches have consistent standards to varying degrees; the EO almost universally make the sign of the cross right to left. Amongst them, tho, several hand postures are used, and clerics use a different one when blessing others than while making the sign of the cross upon themself.

 

[kathielee]

I remember a comedian on TV…Chris Fonseca…he has cerebral palsy. He commented that he always had trouble making the Sign of the Cross, so he had to settle for the Mark of Zorro.

ROFL ! That was SO good ! God bless you for making me laugh tonight. Kathie

 

[kathielee]

And how many XP did you get for that?

That is a really cool name!

And no doubt beeeeutiful skin!

 

[kathielee]

When my youngest son was a toddler, he used to make the sign of the cross with his left hand and goes from right to left shoulder and he is a Latin!

Oh good grief, I just noticed that I am responding to posts from 3 years ago! LOL

Anyway…it has seemed to me, as well, that preschool children definitely have it in there head to go from right to left…and, yes, the Latin ones! hahah Kathie

 

[Ghoti]

Oh good grief, I just noticed that I am responding to posts from 3 years ago! LOL

Anyway…it has seemed to me, as well, that preschool children definitely have it in there head to go from right to left…and, yes, the Latin ones! hahah Kathie

No, the thread is pretty current. Maybe you mistook someone’s “join date” (top right corner) for the post date (top left corner). I did that myself when I joined.

And welcome, btw.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

I was recently talking to a Ukrainian Catholic priest, and I don’t want to say he scolded me, but he was sure to take time to tell me that Eastern Catholics do it correctly (right shoulder then left shoulder), and the Latin Church does it incorrectly (left shoulder then right shoulder).

I realize that it is because it is to mirror the priest when he does the sign of the cross to you, but how important is this difference? I guess the Eastern way makes more sense, but it really seems like he put a lot of importance on it.

I was sort of tickled a few months ago by the presense of some Roman rite seminarians who came to our parish to visit and experience our Divine Liturgy… In order to be good guests, I saw more than a few struggling to “keep up” with our self-crossing regiment and many seemed to have awkward moments where they stopped themselves mid-cross and restarted to do it “right” (ie right to left) I quietly mentioned to one particularly exhasperated looking gent “Do what comes natural and don’t worry about ‘keeping up’!” When attending Roman Mass, I simply cross myself the way I always do - three fingers together, right to left.

As yet, no one has ever pulled me aside to set me right… And I haven’t heard of our priests or faithful doing the same with our guests.

Do what you do, just focus on the prayer.

 

[a_pilgrim]

…When attending Roman Mass, I simply cross myself the way I always do - three fingers together, right to left…

As do I.

 

[rciadan]

What’s this?

God bless,

Rony

I got a good laugh from it…

 

[rciadan]

Amen to that!

I think you are referring to the practice of the earliest Christians (and of the Apostles?) using triple signage of the cross (1) on the forehead, (2) on the lips, and (3) on the heart in one sweep.

This triple signage continues to this day in the Latin Church during Holy Mass prior to the reading and proclamation of the Gospel for the day.

Which by the way is right to left…

 

[rciadan]

When I went through RCIA, there was no mention of any particular
“version” of holding the fingers. My experience in the Latin rite is that very few know why they do it the way they do; they just “always have”. I also notice that there is no one way that is more prevalent than any other except the open hand…
After attending the Byzantine church for a few months now (and having become a member of the parish), I find myself crossing from left to right fairly consistently without really giving it much thought.

 

[rciadan]

Now that I think of it, I did have one priest (Byzantine) tell me that all Christians crossed right to left up until the great schism in 1054 and then the latins began crossing left to right in order to show that they were latins and not easterns…
Any one ever hear that before?

 

[Hesychios]

Now that I think of it, I did have one priest (Byzantine) tell me that all Christians crossed right to left up until the great schism in 1054 and then the latins began crossing left to right in order to show that they were latins and not easterns…
Any one ever hear that before?

It is possible that travelers did such a thing in the crusader lands, where how one was perceived could affect how one was treated. But I have never heard this explanation before as a reason why the practice initially diverged.

It is known that the practice of crossing oneself originated somewhere in the east, and one early Pope was supposed to have given an instruction “take care to do this sign rightly …” and then described the Greek method! Accurate or not, I saw this story on a Byzantine Catholic video with young father Thomas Loya explaining this.

Actually, I have seen when Latin rite priests face and bless the congregation they often use the ‘Greek’ form. It is as if they are pointing to the shoulder one should touch.

 

[Swiss_Guy]

Now that I think of it, I did have one priest (Byzantine) tell me that all Christians crossed right to left up until the great schism in 1054 and then the latins began crossing left to right in order to show that they were latins and not easterns…
Any one ever hear that before?

Nope. I heard that they started going left to right because (I don’t understand this but anyway…) the left side has something to do with “spirit” and the right side being “holy”, and since it was said in Latin it goes “Spiritus Sancti”. So left to right.

vs. :byzsoc:

 

[HalynaHanya]

It’s been explained to me that the significance of the direction reflects the direction Christianity spread - from “East” to “West” (right to left) - also analogized by the direction of the Sun rising from East to West. I guess when Christians in the West found themselves facing East, the mirror image would be left to right, which accounts for the change in direction.

I could be wrong, but I believe the Armenians also sign the same way the Latins do it. Perhaps Oriental Christianity in general is reflective of its unspoken status as the “middle way” within apostolic Christianity (no knock to the Anglicans who claim “middle way” status within Western Christendom )

Blessings,
Marduk

This discussion is FUN.
I’m UKE CATHOLIC. I was taught that when the priest blesses me, he goes to his lleft so that I go from right to left. he is not blessing himself. I was also taught that it was the thief on the right, the sinner who repented, that went to heaven first. Is why we go to our right first.
Also don’t know if it was mentioned above, the 3 fingers represent the trinity, the 2 curled in fingers represent Jesus who isGod and man.
Us older folks think it is more important that you cross yourself deliberately, it is an outward sign of prAyer, slowly, carefully. I end my crossing with a beat on the breastbone, meaning “God be merciful to me a sinner”
Though in any case I apologize for the priest being rude to the original poster. I am certain you are not the 1st RC in that church. Kindness, understanding and gentle teaching go a long way.