Making the Cross sign on your body

[Cardinalsong]

Unfortunately, a lot of non-Catholic Christians have an almost superstitious avoidance of many Catholic traditions without having any idea as to why! Most of it, I venture, is due to ignorance. I was raised Catholic, attended (and am attending) a non-Catholic Christian church. In the past year I have been revisiting my Catholic roots. Upon attending Mass for the first time in decades, I was particularly blessed to re-engage many of those traditions and practices I took for granted as a child/teen. The sign of the cross is a beautiful and meaningful act that reminds one, daily, of the Holy Trinity; The love of the Father via God’s merciful gift(s) of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and the abiding and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

Welcome GratefulSoul.:tiphat:

I, too for the last few years have revisited my Catholic roots and make the sign of the cross several times a day. What a wonderful way to stay focused on God during a hectic workday

 

[Hellisreal]

I don’t post here much, especially now during this time, but I am so glad I checked in today to see this post., I know in my heart I was meant to read this and I think I know why now.

Your post touched me very deeply, especially thinking about a special intention at the very moment I saw this.

Thank you for posting this, and you are most assuredly in my prayers.

Unfortunately, a lot of non-Catholic Christians have an almost superstitious avoidance of many Catholic traditions without having any idea as to why! Most of it, I venture, is due to ignorance. I was raised Catholic, attended (and am attending) a non-Catholic Christian church. In the past year I have been revisiting my Catholic roots. Upon attending Mass for the first time in decades, I was particularly blessed to re-engage many of those traditions and practices I took for granted as a child/teen. The sign of the cross is a beautiful and meaningful act that reminds one, daily, of the Holy Trinity; The love of the Father via God’s merciful gift(s) of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and the abiding and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Eden]

As a protestant, I agree that some of my friends and relatives see the SOTC as superstitious, but I see it as beautiful, and have incorporated it into my prayers. I finally got up the nerve to pray the rosary and found it to be a wonderful thing, as well, despite the warnings against talking to Mary! Cant go to RICA because of persecution. I’m a former protestant minister. Hoping to someday. One step at a time.

Intercessor 55

Hello and welcome, Intercessor. Are you familiar with the Coming Home Network ( a ministry that includes a television show on EWTN)? Marcus Grodi, the host of the show, is a former Presbyterian minister and he has helped many Protestant ministers come into the Church. Here is their website, if you have not heard about this before:

chnetwork.org/

 

[SemperJase]

I have a problem with a baseball player making the sign of the cross before he bats. I know there are probably a lot of Catholic and Christian baseball players, but sport is not an appropriate place for this. It is about God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not about wanting to get a home run. I’ll make the sign of the cross when I say grace in public, but I won’t do it before I swing the bat on my softball team.

I would say there is quite a difference between the professional baseball player and the guy on the softball team.

Let’s not forget that the professional baseball player is performing his work when he steps to the plate. A charitable view would assume that he is acknowledging God in his work.

 

[SemperJase]

I was raised in a non-denominational church. A Catholic family who had a son a year older than me lived across the street from us. After seeing them cross themselves, I asked my mom why we don’t do that.

Essentially she told me that we don’t do it because that is what catholics do. Thankfully, my non-denominational background was not anti-catholic. She continued to tell me that I shouldn’t do it even in play because that was disrespectful to catholics who took the sign of the cross seriously. Furthermore, it was blasphemous to do it when you didn’t mean it.

That lesson stuck with me. I think I did it in private once or twice after that (tell a boy not to touch the burner and what is the first thing he does?) but I never did it in public or where anyone could see me because I took her warning seriously.

BTW, this Easter Vigil marks the second anniversary of my being accepted into the Catholic Church (woohoo!).

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I was raised in a non-denominational church. A Catholic family who had a son a year older than me lived across the street from us. After seeing them cross themselves, I asked my mom why we don’t do that.

Essentially she told me that we don’t do it because that is what catholics do. Thankfully, my non-denominational background was not anti-catholic. She continued to tell me that I shouldn’t do it even in play because that was disrespectful to catholics who took the sign of the cross seriously. Furthermore, it was blasphemous to do it when you didn’t mean it.

That lesson stuck with me. I think I did it in private once or twice after that (tell a boy not to touch the burner and what is the first thing he does?) but I never did it in public or where anyone could see me because I took her warning seriously.

BTW, this Easter Vigil marks the second anniversary of my being accepted into the Catholic Church (woohoo!).

Blessed Anniversary! And kudos to your mom; I appreciate her approach to the situation.

 

[water]

Blessed Anniversary! And kudos to your mom; I appreciate her approach to the situation.

yes, thanks to your mom and congratulations. SemperJase!

 

[KennC]

I was raised in a non-denominational church. A Catholic family who had a son a year older than me lived across the street from us. After seeing them cross themselves, I asked my mom why we don’t do that.

Essentially she told me that we don’t do it because that is what catholics do. Thankfully, my non-denominational background was not anti-catholic. She continued to tell me that I shouldn’t do it even in play because that was disrespectful to catholics who took the sign of the cross seriously. Furthermore, it was blasphemous to do it when you didn’t mean it.

That lesson stuck with me. I think I did it in private once or twice after that (tell a boy not to touch the burner and what is the first thing he does?) but I never did it in public or where anyone could see me because I took her warning seriously.

BTW, this Easter Vigil marks the second anniversary of my being accepted into the Catholic Church (woohoo!).

It sounds as though your mother and mine were of the same school

… this Vigil will be my 12th Anniversary and each Vigil is like the first.

 

[smiley358]

hi, i am wondering about when making the sign of the cross on the body, what does it mean to touch your thumb to your chin at the end?

by the way, i am not Catholic, but i do not have a problem with people making the sign of the cross on themselves. and from what ive read today in this post, it sounds like a reverent thing to do.
i think what Protestants object to is doing the ritual without understanding what it is your doing. as in the case of my friend who is Catholic and doesnt know why she touches her thumb to her chin. she does it because her mother does it and her mother does it because HER mother did it.
or doing other rituals, like at a wedding, when you dont really practice your faith at any other time. that kind fo thing.

anyway, for my friend, i’d like to know about the thumb to the chin part of making the cross on oneself.

thank you.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Never heard of the thumb to the chin gesture. Italians sometimes kiss their fingers after they make the sign of the cross. Maybe that’s what you saw her do?

 

[smiley358]

Contra Mundum,
no, theyre Spanish. i didnt see anyone do it. but my friend wants to know what it means when she does do it. i posed the question on Google and this was one site that came up.
i plan on telling my friend to sign up so she can ask questions too. i would like her to be able to know more about why she believes what she believes, rather than just doing things because her parents do them. she’s over 40 and i suspect she wants to know the "why"s also. it might help her to become a more committed Catholic. thanks for helping!

 

[FCEGM]

Contra Mundum,
no, theyre Spanish. i didnt see anyone do it. but my friend wants to know what it means when she does do it. i posed the question on Google and this was one site that came up.
i plan on telling my friend to sign up so she can ask questions too. i would like her to be able to know more about why she believes what she believes, rather than just doing things because her parents do them. she’s over 40 and i suspect she wants to know the "why"s also. it might help her to become a more committed Catholic. thanks for helping!

I think the understanding of that tradition is that after the sign of the Cross is made the thumb and the index finger come together to form the shape of the Cross and then kissed as an added sign of devotion.

 

[panevino]

~ 200ad tertullian - (De cor. Mil., iii), “in all our coming in and going out, in putting of our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupieth us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross”.

~ mid to late 300’sSt. Cyril of Jerusalem - “Catecheses” (xiii, 36) “let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in every thing; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink…

 

[Nathan_Wagar]

Hi Ha?i (sp?)

I was having a conversation with my mom about SOTC.
When I make it, it reminds me of the teachings:

1 - evangelizing the Holy Trinity (“In the name of …”)
2 - God’s will for human is:
a) to know Him – when your hand touch your forehead
b) to love Him – when your hand touch your heart
c) to serve Him – when your hand touch your shoulders (to put on His yokes)
3 - I hold my hand as the Eastern rite where the thumb would join with the middle and index fingers in honour of the Holy Trinity and the final two fingers would be folded down in honour of the Divine and Human Natures of Christ.

I have started to make SOTC more often since.

unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/alex_roman/signofthecross.htm

I appreciate the Eastern tradition behind how they hold their fingers. Another thing to keep in mind is the gradual meaning of the Western way of all the fingers joined as referring to the five wounds of Christ. For those so inclined, there is an excellent book called “The Sign of the Cross” by Andreopoulos that gives a complete history behind the practical, liturgical and theological development of the sign (it’s development from the forehead to the full-body sign today, for example). It’s absolutely fascinating.