O
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Guest
I don’t really know why there should be a dilemma. Making the sign of the Cross at the beginning of a prayer is nearly universal among Catholics. However, it is not a mandate to do so; it is a tradition with a small “t” which goes back to the time the mind of man remembereth not.
When praying among Protestants, some will have no opinion whatsoever concerning whether you do or not. Some will likely not notice that you did not, but will notice if you do, and given the antipathy between some Protestant individuals and us as Catholics, one has to weigh whether making it is more distracting to them than relevant.
You may be in a group which does not know that you are Catholic; it is up to you to decide if that is a point you need to make. I personally never hide the fact that I am Catholic, but neither do I go out of my way to make the point where it is not of particular concern at that moment.
In short, when in a group of Protestants, I choose to not do something which is going to trigger a negative reaction. And granted that any number of Protestants may not have a negative reaction to the sign of the Cross at the beginning of a prayer, it is up to you to decide if you will or won’t start the prayer that way.
I have been in many situations where a priest will lead a prayer with Catholics; sometimes it starts with the sign of the Cross, sometimes it doesn’t. Neither offends me. It is a worthy and long-held tradition, but again, with a small “t”. Given that it is so ingrained, we sometimes do it with little or no particular thought…
When praying among Protestants, some will have no opinion whatsoever concerning whether you do or not. Some will likely not notice that you did not, but will notice if you do, and given the antipathy between some Protestant individuals and us as Catholics, one has to weigh whether making it is more distracting to them than relevant.
You may be in a group which does not know that you are Catholic; it is up to you to decide if that is a point you need to make. I personally never hide the fact that I am Catholic, but neither do I go out of my way to make the point where it is not of particular concern at that moment.
In short, when in a group of Protestants, I choose to not do something which is going to trigger a negative reaction. And granted that any number of Protestants may not have a negative reaction to the sign of the Cross at the beginning of a prayer, it is up to you to decide if you will or won’t start the prayer that way.
I have been in many situations where a priest will lead a prayer with Catholics; sometimes it starts with the sign of the Cross, sometimes it doesn’t. Neither offends me. It is a worthy and long-held tradition, but again, with a small “t”. Given that it is so ingrained, we sometimes do it with little or no particular thought…