Prayer while in restaurant

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You should make the sign of the cross and pray. A simple action can have profound effects on someone who may be watching. Preach always, when necessary, use words.

Matt
 
Gratias Grace:
I pray it inside as a silent prayer that is between the Lord and me!

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mt 6:5- 6).
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I understand your point, Gratias, but I don’t think this particular passage applies to praying in restaurants in modern Western culture.

When Jesus said this, He was condemning public prayer for the purpose of being praised: “that they may be seen by others.” In His context, people looked up to those who prayed out loud in public, standing on the corner. The hypocrites knew this, and they wanted praise from men, so they prayed on the street corners and in the synagogues.

This same situation doesnt apply today in our increasingly secular society. Demonstrating any faith in God is frowned upon these days, at least in our culture. So the motive behind the public prayer is everything. Today, in our culture, it is a good thing to pray in public because 1) you’re thanking God, no matter where you are, and 2) far from receiving praise from men for praying in public, you’re more likely to be ridiculed.

So, to all those who cross themselves and pray in public, keep it up! (Just make sure your motives are always pure).
 
i think it has more to do with intention than anything else. when i cross myself in a restaurant i’m doing it to first thank God for the gift of food and family and second to evangelize the faith. i’m not saying a prayer to say “hey look at me.” i’m doing it for God and for others. Didnt Christ pray publicly?
 
I see what you’re saying and have friends who feel the same way you do. I, on the other hand, am never embarrassed to pray while at a restaurant. But I must admit that usually after I make the sign of the cross I don’t look around. I just start eating. I would hate to know that someone was staring at me or something because of it. That would prohibit me from praying while in a restaurant in the future, I think I would then be too self conscious.
 
We were eating out with other Catholic friends, and we made the sign of the Cross and said our “Bless us o Lord, and these thy gifts…”

During the meal, a young woman who worked at the restaurant approoached us - with a very heavy accent said “You are Catholic”? Ends up, she had been in the US for some time, yet, did not know where to find a Catholic Church. When she saw us make the sign of the cross, she knew she could ask us! My friend had a Parish bulliten in the car, so, we could give here times and numbers - etc. A busy restaurant in a very Catholic town, and in all those weeks - this worker had not seen ANYONE she could identify as Catholic…

You never know who is watching when you pray, and the positive impact you could have on their life!
 
My family always prays at a maltime, home or restaurant, for that matter so does my boss and co-workers when they go to lunch with me. At first they didn’t but after the first 2 times they saw me do the sign of the cross and pray, they got the message. My boss and co-worker are both Catholic and we eat lunch together occasionally. The cool thing is we had a family come and thank our family for reminding them they should be praying before meals (and that was in McDonalds of all places). My kids are 18, 16, 14, and 10 and they have no problem praying in public even if their friends are there. I think it is great that the kids are like that. We all almost fell over laughing when we were visiting my sister and I called all the kids to the kitchen to say prayers (casual dinner) and my sister looked at me and asked, “We pray for pizza?” So I looked at her, and said, “Yes Sue, we pray for pizza.” Kids just cracked up!!! So now everytime we pray for fast food of any kind they ask, “We pray for pizza?” 🙂
 
Think of it this way too…the more Catholics see other Catholics making the sign of the cross and praying in public, the more Catholics will think ‘hey, I guess it’s okay to do that’ and maybe, just maybe, it will help others be bolder in their fatih. This is a great way to be a witness for our faith - both to non-Catholics and Catholics alike.
 
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Elzee:
Think of it this way too…the more Catholics see other Catholics making the sign of the cross and praying in public, the more Catholics will think ‘hey, I guess it’s okay to do that’ and maybe, just maybe, it will help others be bolder in their fatih. This is a great way to be a witness for our faith - both to non-Catholics and Catholics alike.
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Yes but…[WARNING: OFF TOPIC] we do have to draw the line at genuflecting at the movie theatre. No kidding a friend of my husbands did this when they went to the movies. As soon as she did, she was sooooo embarassed and of course everyone laughed their butts off.
 
In a restaurant when I am with business associates, or customers, usually when I cross myself and begin to quietly say my grace before the meal, the others go silent, bow their heads and say their grace also (Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Catholics too).Same for grace after meals.
 
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BlestOne:
Yes but…[WARNING: OFF TOPIC] we do have to draw the line at genuflecting at the movie theatre. No kidding a friend of my husbands did this when they went to the movies. As soon as she did, she was sooooo embarassed and of course everyone laughed their butts off.
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LOL!!! My DS did this when visiting a non-Catholic church…
 
BlestOne said:
Yes but…[WARNING: OFF TOPIC] we do have to draw the line at genuflecting at the movie theatre. No kidding a friend of my husbands did this when they went to the movies. As soon as she did, she was sooooo embarassed and of course everyone laughed their butts off.
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I needed a good laugh. This is an old thread, but I am glad I found it.
 
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