www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Other Sacramental Mysteries Minor Questions That I Cannot Answer

Well, everyone (I've read) used to do the Sign of the Cross up-down-right-left and then it changed in some places in the West after the Schism and for whatever reason it stuck.

I've heard that you should touch your heart as you say Spirit, which would necessarily require Latins to go from left-to-right, because "Spiritus Sancti" is literally, Spirit Holy. But I am not sure this works in every language. Nor if this is the real reason.

I've also read that right-left posture is a part of a prayer and symbolism. Moving your hand down from your forehead to your abdomen recalls God's Incarnation and condescension out of His unfathomable love for mankind. Then, St. Cosmas of Etolos notes: "You then place on your right shoulder and say; I supplicate You, my God, to forgive me and place me at Your right, along with the just. Then placing the hand on the left shoulder, you say; I implore You my Lord, do not place me at Your left, with the sinners."

As St Cosmas says, but I say the Jesus Prayer while making the sign of the cross.

Lord Jesus Christ (head), Son of God (abdomen, have mercy on me (right shoulder) a sinner (left shoulder).

The prayer with the bodily location of the fingers makes symbolic sense of what St Cosmas is saying.

I found this on Wikipedia -

An instruction of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) evidences the traditional practice but also indicates a shift in the Latin Rite practice of the Catholic Church: "The sign of the cross is made with three fingers, because the signing is done together with the invocation of the Trinity ... This is how it is done: from above to below, and from the right to the left, because Christ descended from the heavens to the earth, and from the Jews (right) He passed to the Gentiles (left)." While noting the custom of making the cross from the right to the left shoulder was for both the western and eastern Churches, Pope Innocent continued, "Others, however, make the sign of the cross from the left to the right, because from misery (left) we must cross over to glory (right), just as Christ crossed over from death to life, and from Hades to Paradise. [Some priests] do it this way so that they and the people will be signing themselves in the same way. You can easily verify this — picture the priest facing the people for the blessing — when we make the sign of the cross over the people, it is from left to right...." Therefore, about this time, the faithful began to imitate the priest imparting the blessing, going from the left shoulder to the right shoulder with an open hand. Eventually, this practice became the custom for the Western Church.

Perhaps this answers your question.

Slava Isusu Khrestu

When I was little ( in the last century), my baba taught us that we are to breath in on the words "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God" and then breath out on the words " have Mercy on me a sinner".

Actually, she only used the words " have mercy on me ". She never did use " a sinner ".

Shortly before she died, we asked her why we leave out the word " sinner'. All she said was something to the effect that in her village, the priest and people never used it but in other parts of Halychyna ( Galicia) they used it and that her way was the right way!!!!. Baba was adamant about it!

Question: Is there a " more correct " way or is there some explanation for this????


Unworthy
Kolya