Proper place to put hands when making sign of cross blessing onself

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic : One Thread

Hello,

I see Catholics blessing themselves different ways. When we say Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen.

My question would be are the three fingers suppose to be on the heart when we say "Holy Spirit", and is Amen on the right shoulder?

Or when we say Holy Spirit, is Spirit on the right shoulder? Does the Catechism address this? I am looking for a Catholic link, because it looks as if people are being taught wrong now to me.

Thanks in advance.

-- - (David @excite.com), January 06, 2004

Answers

+

-- - (.@......), January 06, 2004.

Up=Father Down=Son Left=Holy Right=Spirit

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), January 06, 2004.


What Dan describes is what is most commonly seen, at least in America. However, I don't believe that the Church ever spells out a required way. The Sign of the Cross is mentioned in the Catechism, but its movements are not described.

Not everyone's "rhythm" of language and hand motion is the same. Another common -- and I think valid -- way is -----

Father (forehead)
Son (chest)
Holy Spirit (left)
Amen. (right)

-- (Hmm@Hmm.com), January 07, 2004.


I should have said that the above ways are used in the Latin Catholic church (to which over 95% of Catholics belong).

In the Eastern Catholic churches, the movement is from right shoulder to left (rather than from left to right). Easterners also tend to bow when making the Sign -- and they tend to join thumb with first two fingers (indicating Persons of the Trinity), while folding in the other two fingers (indicating the two natures of Jesus). I have read that one should not use the Eastern way during a Western church liturgy (and vice versa).

-- (Hmm@Hmm.com), January 07, 2004.


If I'm not mistaken, people in Eastern Rite churches make the Sign of the Cross by touching the right shoulder, then the left. I had a friend in grammar school who belonged to the Ukranian Rite, and he blessed himself that way. I remember once puzzling over this, and asking him why he blessed himself "backwards." To the best of my memory, his response was a pause, a pensive glance, and a ahrug.

So if my foggy and fading memories of boyhood betray me and I'm way off base on this, I apologize. Please correct me if I'm worng (as if I need to ask! Har!).

-- jake (j@k.e), January 07, 2004.



Err, that's "shrug," lest you think his reaction was to hug me.

Funny what a simple question like this brings to mind. I remember being taught, either by one of my parents or by one of the nuns in school to make the Sign of the Cross with your right hand while placing your left hand across your torso, kind of in between the chest & the belly, and never, ever to rush through it. That and half- genuflections brought swift and terrible correction from parents & nuns alike.

-- jake (j@k.e), January 07, 2004.


Yes, they are right. The Eastern Rites do it differently. Sorry, I did not mention that.

As for the right left or left right issue, there seems to be some confusion. Eastern Catholics do left shoulder then right shoulder just like in the west. It looks different though because they are using their left hand. They also tend to do it three times as opposed to just once.

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), January 07, 2004.


Dan, you're new to the forum and have posted many good messages already. But this is the first time I've noticed that you are making a mistake.

Catholics of the Eastern churches (not "Eastern rites") use the right hand -- not the left hand. And they do go from right shoulder to left, as I stated earlier. When you get a chance, watch it in person, or phone an Eastern church priest, if you think I'm mistaken.

I want to relay the explanation that I have read about why there is a difference (left-to-right/right-to-left) between West and East. It was stated that, in the West, priests originally gave their blessing (facing the people), by making a cross top-down-right-left. But the people followed the movement of the priest's hand (as little children do when you teach them the sign of the cross), and this resulted in top-down-left-right. (Think about it -- the "mirror image" effect.) For some reason, this reversal did not take place in the East, according to the explanation I heard.

-- (Hmmm@Hmmm.com), January 07, 2004.


An article that ya'll might be interested in.. The Sign of the Cross in the Eastern Church by Archpriest Armand J. Jacopin Just a snippet: This newer usage also spread to the Western Church where we read Pope Leo IV writing in the middle of the ninth century instructing his clergy: "Sign the chalice and the host with a proper cross... with two fingers outstretched and the thumb hidden within them, by which the Trinity is symbolized. Take heed to make this sign rightly." In the thirteenth century Pope Innocent III directed most explicitly that the sign of the cross be made with three fingers from the forehead to the breast and from the right to the left shoulder, the actual way it still is made by the majority of Eastern Christians. The Western Church retained this ancient form till about the fourteenth century when gradually the open hand was introduced and the sign began to be made in an inverted fashion from left to right, perhaps mistakenly following the lead of the priest who in blessing inverts his movement so it would be seen correctly by the congregation before him.

Also, check out their Iconostas...tres nice

-- Faith C. (tctees@yahoo.com), January 08, 2004.


Lutherans also make the sign of the Cross, ending on the left shoulder or heart.

-- Daniel N Harmelink (missio@earthlink.net), April 09, 2004.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ