Signing out With Sign of the Cross

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Neil_Anthony

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How come after we pray it’s customary to do the sign of the cross? At least that’s how I was taught. However I keep thinking that it’s not appropriate because it’s like telling God that you’re going away now, and will talk to Him later. It’s ending the prayer, but we’re supposed to pray unceasingly. So if we really intend to spend our time in God’s presence and pray unceasingly, maybe we shouldn’t make the sign of the cross ‘after’ praying, since praying never ends?

What do you think?
 
To carry your logic to a ridiculous extreme, we should make the sign of the cross on a baby when it’s born and again as we die, and never in between.

Perhaps you could think of the sign of the cross as another prayer which simply marks your place, rather than an “ending” to your prayer. Or maybe an end to your formal prayer, while your informal conversation with God continues. It’s all in the intention. We may be overthinking this.

Betsy
 
In remembrance of you baptism?

My first grader is being taught that the sign of the cross means we are friends of Jesus…`
 
Whenever I make the Sign of the Cross I think of it as an reminder of the oath my parents took for me at my Baptism and my affirmation to be Catholic when I was Confirmed. So before I say a prayer and at the end of the prayer I make the Sign of the Cross to remind myself of the seriousness of the prayer I have just said.
Just as I make the Sign of the Cross when I enter the Church to remind me of where I am and to get myself in the correct frame of mind to offer worship to God.
To me the Sign of the Cross is itself a prayer that can be done quickly, but has very very deep meaning.

Just my 2 cents worth 🙂

Stillkickin
 
i didn’t know you were meant to cross a baby at birth. Nobody told me.
 
Linnyo said:
i didn’t know you were meant to cross a baby at birth. Nobody told me.
Click to expand...
Linnyo, Betsy was just using that as an example of the OP’s concern being taken to the extreme, not as a definite reminder of something we are to practice (although there is obviously nothing wrong with signing a newborn with the sign of the cross 🙂 ).
 
Linnyo said:
i didn’t know you were meant to cross a baby at birth. Nobody told me.
Click to expand...
You’re not. It was just an example of taking the OP to extremes. But you could if you wanted
to - what a nice thing to do.

Betsy
 
The sign of the Cross is said for a couple of reasons, including the aformentioned Baptismal reason.

Furthermore, it is said at the end of a prayer, not because we are saying “goodbye” to God in our prayer. Rather, we are reaffirming Jesus words. He told us that anything we pray for in His name will be granted unto us, right? So when you say "and we pray this In the name of the Father, The Son, and of the Holy Spirit." You are basically reaffirming what Christ told us to do 🙂

Also, in the early Church, when the first Christians were being persecuted, they used the hand motion in the sign of the cross to identifiy each other in secret when in public. Don’t knoiw if this helps your question at all, but it is a nice story 😛
 
Neil_Anthony said:
How come after we pray it’s customary to do the sign of the cross? At least that’s how I was taught. However I keep thinking that it’s not appropriate because it’s like telling God that you’re going away now, and will talk to Him later. It’s ending the prayer, but we’re supposed to pray unceasingly. So if we really intend to spend our time in God’s presence and pray unceasingly, maybe we shouldn’t make the sign of the cross ‘after’ praying, since praying never ends?

What do you think?
Click to expand...
I have been informed that when I make the SOTC, this helps the Holy Souls. So I make the SOTC as much as I reasonably can. Even at home, with only the cats around. (The cats probably think I am blessing THEM:D )
 
Hi,

There is an excellent book entitled Sign of the Cross by bert Ghezzi. The book is not long, but gives the history of the SOTC and also stresses the importance of the meaning and reverance of the ancient prayer.
 
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