sign of the cross

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pianistclare said:
They probably never been told that we consider the Sign of the Cross as a prayer itself.
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As a former Protestant, I can tell you that the concept of a physical act being a prayer makes little sense within the worldview of non-liturgical Protestantism. There often exists a certain suspicion of anything physical. So, if you told them it is a prayer itself, it’d probably just make you seem stranger to them. 😛
 
JustaServant said:
When I was among IFBs, they used to say it was the “sign of Tamuz”. A notion gathered from the book “The Two Babylons”.
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And there was a quaint individual whom I once encountered who held it to be the Sign of the Beast.
 
Zabdi_Premjit said:
As a former Protestant, I can tell you that the concept of a physical act being a prayer makes little sense within the worldview of non-liturgical Protestantism. There often exists a certain suspicion of anything physical. So, if you told them it is a prayer itself, it’d probably just make you seem stranger to them. 😛
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Huh?
There are words that go with it. It’s not simply a gesture.
We say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

Other faiths often end their prayers with the words “In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”
Same thing.

It’s the prayerful preface to our prayer. 😉
 
pianistclare said:
I have been in many a southern restaurant and prayed grace, using the sign of the cross before and after, and had waitresses come up to the table and thank us. Their response is generally…"I was happy to see you making the sign of the corss…it seems few people even bother to say grace anymore. It’s refreshing to see that some people still thank God for the food that they eat. "

My sister worked in a place where many of her co-workers swore like sailors constantly.
She said she began to very subtly, and with very small motions, silently make the sign of the cross when a particularly bad cuss word was uttered. Rather than draw ire, it caused people to be aware of just how OFTEN they cursed, and they cleaned up their act substantially.

So it can have positive effects.

I’m never worried/shy to cross myself in public. It’s part of who I am. If it’s a problem for others, well, then it’s just their problem. 🤷
I often cross myself in the car when an ambulance speeds by and say a prayer for whomever is in need, as well as those first responders.

:signofcross: *(I can’t believe no one has posted this smiley yet, LOL) *
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My first exposure to Catholics making the sign of the cross was watching some Catholic athletes on TV doing it. For example, in baseball, especially some of the Latin American players would make the sign of the cross as they got into the batter’s box, or a soccer player as they entered the pitch when called in to play by their coach.

At the time, I just assumed they were doing it as part of a personal ritual to help them perform well.

Another current popular item that a lot of Christian ballplayers do (Catholic and non-Catholic alike) is to look up to the sky and point (presumably in a gesture of thanks) or to kneel after a touchdown or home run and then either point up at the sky or make the sign of the cross.

When we pray in a restaurant before a meal, we always try to leave a good tip to show the waiter/waitress that Christians appreciate their service to us. If they know we are Christians but we behave rudely or don’t leave an adequate tip, it is a bad witness to our faith, or at least that is how I see it.
 
pianistclare said:
Huh?
There are words that go with it. It’s not simply a gesture.
We say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

Other faiths often end their prayers with the words “In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”
Same thing.

It’s the prayerful preface to our prayer. 😉
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I have seen people say the physical act was considered a prayer too. I believe it is considered such because it is, in itself, a declaration of faith - in Christ and His victory through the cross (and in some traditions, the Incarnation and the Trinity). The physical gesture is like saying, “I put my trust in the Christ, who was crucified.”

That said, there are not words inexplicably tied to the gesture, as the sign of the cross is made in conjunction with many different prayers, and sometimes even unaccompanied by a prayer.
 
Tommy999 said:
When we pray in a restaurant before a meal, we always try to leave a good tip to show the waiter/waitress that Christians appreciate their service to us. If they know we are Christians but we behave rudely or don’t leave an adequate tip, it is a bad witness to our faith, or at least that is how I see it.
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Good manner is a given and should be practiced everywhere.

Saying grace is acknowledging God’s providence, being thankful for it and asking for his blessing for our own good. Thus is has to be said before every meal regardless of wherever the place is. There is no other condition for it. Not to show off that we are Christians or that we should be terribly conscious that someone is watching. Catholic’s grace before meal is very short, unless one wants to pray elaborately, usually prayed non-verbally if you’re alone, and before anybody realize it, you are done.😉
 
Zabdi_Premjit said:
I have seen people say the physical act was considered a prayer too. I believe it is because it is, in itself, a declaration of faith - in Christ and His victory through the cross (and in some traditions, the Incarnation and the Trinity). The physical gesture is like saying, “I put my trust in the Christ, who was crucified.”

That said, there are not words inexplicably tied to the gesture, as the sign of the cross is made in conjunction with many different prayers, and sometimes even unaccompanied by a prayer.
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From the Catechism:
2157 The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.

Pretty clear to me that the words are part of the signing.
 
pianistclare said:
From the Catechism:
2157 The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.

Pretty clear to me that the words are part of the signing.
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I make the sign of the cross when saying the prayer you mention, but also when saying other prayers:
  • “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”
  • “Most holy Guardian Angel, pray for us!”
  • “Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us!”
  • “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!”
  • "Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee!
  • “Come, let us worship Christ our God!”
  • “Come, let us worship Christ our King and our God!”
  • “Come, let us worship Christ Himself, our King and our God!”
  • “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!”
  • “Holy Servant of God, Saint ______, pray for us!”
  • Etc., etc., etc.
I also make the sign of the cross when not saying anything:
  • When passing altar in a church
  • When venerating at icon
So, no, it might be “[p]retty clear to [you] that the words are part of the signing,” but it is not clear to me…or hundreds of millions of Eastern Christians, whether Orthodox or Catholic.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a lot of edyfing information, but at the end of the day, it is only representative of a particular Latin tradition, and anyone that relies on it to understand Christianity will often acquire a very narrow understanding of many things. It isn’t really a catechism of Catholics, as much as it is a catechism of the Church of Rome.
 
My wife, who used to attend a Syrian Orthodox church years ago, got me into the habit of making the sign of the cross when the crucifix goes by in in the Processional.
 
I make the sign of the cross two/three times a service: at the beginning of the service, after confessing my sin, and when I approach the altar for communion. This is done as a silent prayer and outward sign of faith that gets the mind, heart, and body involved. Many in my parish do this, many don’t.

I do not see it as necessary, it is more about personal devotion. I usually only do this at Church or in private, to avoid being labeled as Catholic or asked if I am, not because I dislike Catholics, I just don’t want to have to explain it or give a misrepresentation of my faith, as others have already stated in this thread. However, some days I don’t do the sign of the cross at all on Sunday–typical Anglican I suppose.
 
JustaServant said:
My wife, who used to attend a Syrian Orthodox church years ago, got me into the habit of making the sign of the cross when the crucifix goes by in in the Processional.
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I am going to ask a rather kindergarten-level question and ask that you forgive my ignorance, but which part of the mass do you call the Processional? Can you describe what it is? I have inklings of what it probably is, but I don’t want to make an assumption when I can just ask. 😛
 
Aslan10 said:
I make the sign of the cross two/three times a service: at the beginning of the service, after confessing my sin, and when I approach the altar for communion. This is done as a silent prayer and outward sign of faith that gets the mind, heart, and body involved. Many in my parish do this, many don’t.

I do not see it as necessary, it is more about personal devotion. I usually only do this at Church or in private, to avoid being labeled as Catholic or asked if I am, not because I dislike Catholics, I just don’t want to have to explain it or give a misrepresentation of my faith, as others have already stated in this thread. However, some days I don’t do the sign of the cross at all on Sunday–typical Anglican I suppose.
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I do not understand this concept - typical Anglican?

I do it when I kneel after entering the pew, at the end of the Gloria and the Creed, whenever the cleric preaching begins/ends with “In the name of…”, at the Absolution, at the Benedictus, at the Elevations following consecration of the elements, at the Major Elevation, at the final Blessing. Possibly other occasions. I know some in the parish do more than I.

And some less, if at all.

Not sure which is typical.
 
Zabdi_Premjit said:
I have seen people say the physical act was considered a prayer too. I believe it is considered such because it is, in itself, a declaration of faith - in Christ and His victory through the cross (and in some traditions, the Incarnation and the Trinity). The physical gesture is like saying, “I put my trust in the Christ, who was crucified.”

That said, there are not words inexplicably tied to the gesture, as the sign of the cross is made in conjunction with many different prayers, and sometimes even unaccompanied by a prayer.
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What about kneeling.🙂
 
Kneeling in the East is a sign of repentance. In the West, a sign of submission to a greater authority
 
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