Sign of the Cross direction by Byzantine Catholics

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7rosario

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Do Byzantine Catholics make the sign of the cross in the manner of Eastern Schismatics?
 
7rosario said:
Do Byzantine Catholics make the sign of the cross in the manner of Eastern Schismatics?
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just a note…referring to the Orthodox as Schismatics is against the rules on the Eastern Catholic board.

and yes, the Byzantine catholics make the sign of the cross the same way.
 
7rosario said:
Do Byzantine Catholics make the sign of the cross in the manner of Eastern Schismatics?
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Not the schismatics per se… well, the Eastern Schismatics such as the Society of St. Josephat, and the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church do so in the same manner as the Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite and the Eastern Orthodox (who are almost all Byzantine Rite, with a few Byzanto-Roman Rite in the last century with the WRO of the Antiochian Orthodox and ROCOR) but are not considered schismatics per se.
 
The direction and method of making the sign of the cross from right to left with the fingers in the position they are in is the most ancient way of making the sign of the cross. It dates back to the earliest parts of the Christian Church. The Holy Church of Rome and her children, during the first 1200 years of her existence crossed themselves in the way still done by the Orthodox, and Byzantine Catholics such as myself with three fingers and from right shoulder to left. Also around the same time they also used thumb to forehead to cross oneself. It is made by holding the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand together and with them making the sign of the cross from the forehead to the breast, to the right shoulder and then the left shoulder. The three fingers are held together as an act of faith in the Trinity, while the two remaining fingers remind us of the two natures of Christ.
 
I found this: “The Greeks taught that the hand should be passed from right to left, because the Son is seated at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Ghost on the left; but this manner of making the cross was condemned by Innocent III., who expressly prescribed that the cross in the Mass should be made from left to right, and this practice has since been followed in the Latin Church.” books.google.com/books?pg=PA728&dq=sign%20of%20the%20cross%20left%20right&ei=ZZ_lSpCCIpOENrrxlfYL&id=SJQNAQAAIAAJ&output=text
 
What about other Eastern Catholics such as the Chaldean Catholics and Maronites?
 
Aramis said:
Not the schismatics per se… well, the Eastern Schismatics such as the Society of St. Josephat, and the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church do so in the same manner as the Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite and the Eastern Orthodox (who are almost all Byzantine Rite, with a few Byzanto-Roman Rite in the last century with the WRO of the Antiochian Orthodox and ROCOR) but are not considered schismatics per se.
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[Insert WASP-y golf clap]

I’m probably not the only one who noticed your tongue planted in your cheek, but I thought you deserved public admiration for such a deft response.

Well done, sir!
 
7rosario said:
What about other Eastern Catholics such as the Chaldean Catholics and Maronites?
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I do know that the Oriental Catholics usually cross them selves like the Latins…but I’m not entirely certain who is or is not an oriental catholic…I think the maronites and chaldeans are…

I’m not sure about the Oriental Orthodox
 
What’s the proper way to make the sign of the cross?

It has been discussed here so many times that I have come up with a list:

From left to right:

(1) Latin (Roman) Catholics;
(2) Oriental Catholics;
(3) Maronite Catholics;
(4) Syro-Malabar Catholics; and
(5) Oriental Orthodox.

From right to left:

(1) Eastern Orthodox;
(2) Old Ritualists;
(3) Assyrians (and the Ancient Church of the East);
(4) Byzantine Catholics; and
(5) Chaldean Catholics

Arguably, the most ancient practice was that 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.
 
I am fairly certain Oriental Orthodox sign in the same direction as Eastern Orthodox. I attended an Armenian Apostolic Church once and they did it as Byzantines do. I have also read that Syriac Orthodox do it the same way as Easterns as well.
 
Please check again!

Both Armenian Orthodox and Armenian Catholics do left to right as the Latins do.

Ditto for the Syrian Orthodox!
 
Amadeus said:
(1) Latin (Roman) Catholics;
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I’ve heard that Hispanic Catholics add a step. They kiss their lips when the third movement is ended, and they put their thumb between their first and second finger to make a little cross when they sign themselves.
 
Amadeus said:
What’s the proper way to make the sign of the cross?

Arguably, the most ancient practice was that 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.
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I already kind of said that, =P. Not to mention the most ancient was just on the forehead, the lips and heart were later added to Latin tradition,but it was shortly after and still in the early Church they used the right to left method. Now as far as the book she quoted about right to left being banned, I’m thinking that information not correct.
 
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