Sign of the Cross

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I’m asking this more out of curiosity than anything else. It’s not really a big deal to me, I would just like to know. Every once in a great while I see someone make the sign of the cross with their left hand. I’m just wondering, is there some rule somewhere stating it must be with the right hand? Is using left hand some sort of blasphemous statement? In my 12 years of Catholic school way back in the day, much of what was taught was " do this and do it this way" with little to no explanation as to why.
 
I experimented into orthodoxy for a while and still find myself holding my thumb, index, and middle finger together when making the sign of the cross. I am getting used to using my whole hand, however. I’ve always been told to use the whole hand for catholic crosses. Also, orthodoxy calls for right to left instead of left to right. I could be wrong, however.
 
GNM1999 said:
I experimented into orthodoxy for a while and still find myself holding my thumb, index, and middle finger together when making the sign of the cross. I am getting used to using my whole hand, however. I’ve always been told to use the whole hand for catholic crosses. Also, orthodoxy calls for right to left instead of left to right. I could be wrong, however.
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It doesn’t matter how you hold your hand.
Hispanics make a little cross out of the thumb and forefinger as well, even making several tiny cross gestures on each station. It’s all fine.
 
It is not “blasphemous” to use the left hand for the sign of the cross. Many left handed people do this naturally.
 
While on this subject, I have a quick question:
During RCIA a few years ago, I was taught to make the sign of the cross when I genuflect to the alter, prior to entering my pew. I don’t see many other people do this. Am I doing this correctly?
 
Convert1 said:
While on this subject, I have a quick question:
During RCIA a few years ago, I was taught to make the sign of the cross when I genuflect to the alter, prior to entering my pew. I don’t see many other people do this. Am I doing this correctly?
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You genuflect to the tabernacle, which may be directly behind the altar in your church. When you genuflect you can make the sign of the cross, or not. There is no right or wrong.

If you go into a church where the tabernacle is not on the main altar, you bow to the altar, you genuflect to the tabernacle wherever it is if in view.
 
1ke said:
You genuflect to the tabernacle, which may be directly behind the altar in your church. When you genuflect you can make the sign of the cross, or not. There is no right or wrong.

If you go into a church where the tabernacle is not on the main altar, you bow to the altar, you genuflect to the tabernacle wherever it is if in view.
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Thanks, 1ke. I really appreciate your explanation.
 
I hold my rosary in the left hand, as its supposed to ward off evil (the sinister side…) So I usually do the sign of the cross with my rosary (its a pardon crucifix - so some supposed added indulgence benefit to signing with - at least in the old days). I don’t think it really matters.

Only time I ever needed to be really careful about my left handedness was when I was in the First Gulf War, I was paranoid I would cause a riot by doing something with my left hand…of course nothing ever happened.
 
1ke said:
You genuflect to the tabernacle, which may be directly behind the altar in your church. When you genuflect you can make the sign of the cross, or not. There is no right or wrong.

If you go into a church where the tabernacle is not on the main altar, you bow to the altar, you genuflect to the tabernacle wherever it is if in view.
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As I’m aging, I find it harder to genuflect than I once did, so I hold the end of the pew when I genuflect then make the sign of the cross when I stand up.
 
I make the Sign of the Cross right to left. I think I started doing that because I was copying the priest and neglecting the fact that he is facing me. But no point in trying to unlearn that now. Usually I use two fingers on my right hand, occasionally I have to use my left hand if I’m carrying something.
 
“When making the sign of the cross, he holds the palm of the right hand turned toward himself, with all the fingers joined and held straight, and makes the sign of the cross by moving this hand from head to chest and from left shoulder to right.”
The 1984 Ceremonial of Bishops, n. 108, footnote 81, quoting the 1962 Missale Romanum (Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, III, 5). It is in Chapter 4, General Norms.

The Ceremonial of Bishops also has that the bishop should “place his left hand on his breast, unless he is holding something” (n. 108).

From Ceremonial of Bishops, Liturgical Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1818-9, page 44.

From the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which applies to the Mass:

“275. A bow signifies reverence and honour shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.
· A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honour Mass is being celebrated.”

So there is a bow of the head when the three Divine Persons are named together in the Sign of the Cross.
 
GNM1999 said:
I experimented into orthodoxy for a while and still find myself holding my thumb, index, and middle finger together when making the sign of the cross. I am getting used to using my whole hand, however. I’ve always been told to use the whole hand for catholic crosses. Also, orthodoxy calls for right to left instead of left to right. I could be wrong, however.
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I’ve never been Orthodox or Eastern Catholic but I love the symbolism of the three fingers together to symbolize the trinity, (with the remaining two signfying Christ’s dual nature) and use it alot.
 
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