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Traditional Catholic Faith => The Sacred: Catholic Liturgy, Chant, Prayers => Topic started by: klasG4e on August 09, 2017, 07:43:05 PM

Title: Sign of the Cross
Post by: klasG4e on August 09, 2017, 07:43:05 PM
How do we make it?  It is a most important and significant prayer!  Ever wonder why so many clergy, including tradCat clergy make it so rapidly/casually/sloppily?   St. Francis de Sales authored a tremendous book on the subject, The Sign of the Cross.  Another extremely good book on the subject is by Mgr. Jean-Joseph Gaume, The Sign of the Cross in the Nineteenth Century.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: josefamenendez on August 09, 2017, 08:22:17 PM
Yes, It is the sign of the Tetragrammaton , the Name of God, and the 4 relationships of the most Holy Trinity.
YOD, HEH VAV, HEH. The two  "Heh' being the spirations from both the Father and the Son ( The Holy Ghost)
Of course it is the sign of our Lord's Cross and probably so much more. It is important to sign ourselves correctly and reverently as we are invoking the greatness of the relationship of the Triune God and the Eternal Sacrifice.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: songbird on August 09, 2017, 08:25:35 PM
I noticed that the Byzantine Rite, cross themselves, from right to left, and the roman rite signs themselves from left to right.  Is there a reason for this?
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: MyrnaM on August 09, 2017, 10:42:05 PM
I remember the good nuns in my day reminding us, that when we make the Sign of the Cross it is NOT supposed to look like we are shooing away a fly.  
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: Nadir on August 10, 2017, 12:05:24 AM
On the feast of OL of Mt Carmel I had a stroke while travelling overseas. I was paralysed on the right side. My movement has slowly improved and my slurred speech righted itself. My very first action with my right hand was the Sign of the Cross - a great achievement and privelege. I am now walking with some difficulty and would appreciate your prayer.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: klasG4e on August 10, 2017, 12:19:33 AM
On the feast of OL of Mt Carmel I had a stroke while travelling overseas. I was paralysed on the right side. My movement has slowly improved and my slurred speech righted itself. My very first action with my right hand was the Sign of the Cross - a great achievement and privelege. I am now walking with some difficulty and would appreciate your prayer.
So wonderful!  God bless you!  I will pray for you.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: klasG4e on August 10, 2017, 12:26:54 AM
I remember the good nuns in my day reminding us, that when we make the Sign of the Cross it is NOT supposed to look like we are shooing away a fly.  
Nope, but rather to shoo away the “lord of the flies” (“Baal-zebub”)!  And it certainly does work!  I'm sure those good nuns would have vouched for that.  I know I certainly can.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: Dolores on August 10, 2017, 12:10:39 PM
I noticed that the Byzantine Rite, cross themselves, from right to left, and the roman rite signs themselves from left to right.  Is there a reason for this?
As I understand it, the Easterns sign themselves right to left because they are mirroring the motion of the priest when he blesses them.  In the West, we mimic rather than mirror the priest's motion.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: poche on August 11, 2017, 04:53:35 AM
When you gather to pray a group of Christians of different denominations, it is easy to find out who is (or was) Catholic. Instead of meditating fully on prayer and addressing God the Father, the Catholic uses his hand to draw a cross on his body or on his forehead.
But why? Is it some sort of superstitious ritual?
Let's start by looking into the story behind this gesture.
According to writings dating back to the third century, Christians have been making this sign of the cross on their body since the beginning. The Christian apologist Tertullian wrote at that time that "we Christians have a worn-out brow with the sign of the cross."
Then he added: "In all our journeys and movements, in all our outings and arrivals, when we put our shoes, when taking a bath, at the table, when lighting our candles, when we lie down, when we sit, in any of the tasks in which We occupy ourselves, we mark our fronts with the sign of the cross. "
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived in the fourth century, noted in his Catechesis:"Let us not be ashamed, then, of confessing the Crucified One. Let the cross be our seal, boldly made with our fingers on our forehead and in all; On the bread we eat and the glasses we drink, on our comings and goings; Before bed, when we go to bed and when we wake up; When we are traveling and when we are at rest.
It is believed that this early tradition of marking the sign of the cross was inspired by a passage from the book of Ezekiel, where it says: "And the Lord said to him," Pass through the city through Jerusalem and mark a cross in the In front of the men who moan and weep for all the abominations that are committed in the midst of it "(Ezekiel 9: 4).
In some translations, the passage says "mark with a T [or a Tau] on the forehead". The Tau is a letter of the Greek alphabet that is written like a T, so the first Christians saw in her the sign of the cross. They considered the sign of the cross to distinguish them and "mark" them as a chosen people belonging to the one true God.
The sign of the cross that Catholics do before praying or doing any activity should not be a superstitious act, but an outward manifestation of faith.
According to the Baltimore Catechism, "the sign of the cross is a profession of faith in the principal mysteries of our religion because it expresses the mysteries of the Oneness and Trinity of God and of the Incarnation and death of our Lord. ; Expresses the mystery of the Incarnation by reminding us that the Son of God, after becoming a man, suffered death on the cross. "
The Catechism of the Catholic Church adds: "The Christian begins his journey, his prayers and his actions with the sign of the cross, 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen'. The baptized consecrate the day to the glory of God and invoke the grace of the Lord that allows him to act in the Spirit as the son of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties "(2157).
The cross is at the very center of our faith, so to be saved is supposed to be a constant reminder of the price Jesus paid for our sins. It is both a manifestation of faith and a simple prayer of great power.
According to St. John Chrysostom, the demons flee from where they see the sign of the cross and fear it "as a staff with which they are being slaughtered."
In short, the sign of the cross is a simple gesture with ancient and biblical roots. Although it may seem that some Catholics are crossing themselves with superstition, the intention to cross was never superstitious. It is a reminder of the profound sacrifice of Jesus two thousand years ago and is an active call to His intervention to help us in our need.

https://es.aleteia.org/2017/04/17/por-que-los-catolicos-se-hacen-la-senal-de-la-cruz-antes-de-rezar/?utm_campaign=NL_es&utm_source=daily_newsletter&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=NL_es
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: poche on August 11, 2017, 04:54:49 AM
I saw the above essay in Mozarabia blog and I thought it was worth noting. 
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: Irish_Catholic on August 11, 2017, 09:55:13 AM
When busy with day-to-day distractions, when unfortunately there isn't time for deeper reflections and prayerfulness, crossing one's self, with reverence and thoughtfulness, is a prayer in itself, full of meaning. It is centred on one of the deepest mysteries of the faith - the holy trinity - and it can only ever be good to bring that to mind. I find it an excellent way to remind myself of the true focus of life when the minutiae of daily existence is getting in the way.
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: klasG4e on August 11, 2017, 11:21:43 AM
When busy with day-to-day distractions, when unfortunately there isn't time for deeper reflections and prayerfulness, crossing one's self, with reverence and thoughtfulness, is a prayer in itself, full of meaning. It is centred on one of the deepest mysteries of the faith - the holy trinity - and it can only ever be good to bring that to mind. I find it an excellent way to remind myself of the true focus of life when the minutiae of daily existence is getting in the way.
What could be the likely explanation for why we often observe tradCat clergy make the Sign of the Cross in a rapid/casual/sloppy way?
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: Miseremini on August 11, 2017, 01:24:52 PM
Remember that by making the Sign of the Cross, we are actually blessing ourselves.
The act carries with it an indulgence.....  and triple the indulgence when made with Holy Water.
Not only do we bless ourselves, but parents often blessed their children with this Sign on their foreheads.
(another tradition lost)
Title: Re: Sign of the Cross
Post by: RoughAshlar on August 12, 2017, 12:16:08 AM
What could be the likely explanation for why we often observe tradCat clergy make the Sign of the Cross in a rapid/casual/sloppy way?
Faith itself is a discipline, not unlike practicing the martial arts or refine a skill.  Catholic traditions and rituals are not arbitrary, they are deliberate.  The Sign of the Cross is not the only thing that gets sloppy.  I have seen some very casual genuflecting.  If they truly believed that God is present in the Tabernacle, would they half genuflect with a rapid Sign of Cross.  The laity and clergy alike share the responsibility to do this with resolve.  In a rough analogy, a sacrament has matter and form.  We are the matter in this case and the form would be the Sign of the Cross.  Would you like to receive a sloppy/hastily performed sacrament?