Making the sign of the Cross before a meal

[joasia]

Perhaps this subject has been discussed before...

Since I converted 11 years ago, I have always struggled with the teaching of crossing myself before a meal(in public). I was given the scare tactic preaching that not crossing myself would be like denying Christ and on the other side of the coin, I was told that if I did something to scandalize another...that it would not be right by God.

I say the Our Father and cross myself when I eat at home and I used to cross myself when I was in public or at work. But, I always felt that I made others uncomfortable when I did. So I stopped...because I didn't want to scandalize them and make them feel internally aggressive because of my action.

Does anyone have a spiritual resolution to this dilemma? After all these years, I am still struggling with this.

Joanna

[尼古拉前执事]

You should always ask for the Lord's blessing on your food and cross yourself before and after eating a meal. There have been saints that have died before refusing to make the sign of the cross and saints spared from poisoned foods since they asked for a blessing upon it.

[Tessa]

I cross myself before meals no matter where I am, even when eating with non-Christians.

I recently was at a birthday party of a little half Serb/half Croatian friend of my kids' and I tried to cross myself as "secretively" as possible in public before we all sat down to eat. (Alot of these mixed marriage types from former Yugoslavia take a sort of communist "hands off" approach to God and religion, so I {wrongly} didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable.) Well my kids, ages 2 and 4, didn't see me make my cross and made the hugest deal and then demonstrated in a sort of over-animated way how we should ALL make the cross before we eat, with three fingers "up like this-Otsa, Sina, Duha-Amin." Some of the people at the table got "flushed" in the face at such boldness. I just kept my mouth shut and realized that they can't interpret a difference at home or in the secular world-so why should I.

In Christ
Tessa

[Justin Kissel]

Regarding workplace situations, or other situations in which people know me, I worry about crossing myself and sending signals that I think I'm pious or holy and trying to show off (since this is certainly an attention getter as it is rarely done these days). Given that I sin a lot, and that this is probably very noticable considering the types of sins that I am prone to, I worry that I would appear to be a hypocrite to people (which would be true), and that by doing so I would do more harm than good. If we lived in a Christian society that would be one thing, but unfortunately we live in a very cynical, "post-Christian" society, where increasingly people are looking for any excuse whatsoever to turn away from Christ our God. As I said, my sins are most likely easily spotted, yet I do not want to do further damage by playing the hypocrite in front of them. So, until I grow in the faith given to me, I normally avoid praying in the streets and try to stick to praying in my closet.

[尼古拉前执事]

The martys did not worry what others thought of them. We are all vile sinners, but when we fail to publicly be Christians and pray, we become like those ashamed of Christ saying we do not know him. That is a far greater sin than not being perfect or causing a hateful anti-Christian offense.

[joasia]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Decon Nikolai,

I understand that it's important to cross ourselves. But, my dilemma is that my boss is jewish and when the Christmas dinner comes up(we will be going to a restaurant), I will fast, no problem, but then I will have to cross myself and there will be five jews at the table.

I have crossed myself in resturants before, but this is so much, in your face, type of situation.

Will I be betraying God, if I don't or should I not care what they think?

I need the stricter interpretation. I'm not a slouch about my faith. I even cross myself when I'm with my family(who are catholic), but they are so ignorant and it just hurts them to see that I am not one of them anymore. That's their impression. I'm still their child, though...even if I am fasting on their Easter.

Will God condemn me if I don't cross myself? Is it that black and white?

Joanna

[romiosini]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Decon Nikolai,

I understand that it's important to cross ourselves. But, my dilemma is that my boss is jewish and when the Christmas dinner comes up(we will be going to a restaurant), I will fast, no problem, but then I will have to cross myself and there will be five jews at the table.

I have crossed myself in resturants before, but this is so much, in your face, type of situation.

Will I be betraying God, if I don't or should I not care what they think?

I need the stricter interpretation. I'm not a slouch about my faith. I even cross myself when I'm with my family(who are catholic), but they are so ignorant and it just hurts them to see that I am not one of them anymore. That's their impression. I'm still their child, though...even if I am fasting on their Easter.

Will God condemn me if I don't cross myself? Is it that black and white?

Joanna

Sister in Christ Joanna! What are you talking about! GOD rejoices when He sees his people being witness of Him at all places! It is just our society (being with so many different ethnicities and religions,) we are scared to witness Christ in public. Even to the heretics and those outside the church! We shouldn't be afraid to do our Cross in public, even if that makes other people uncomfortable! Ask yourself this: Is it worth to put down Christ because there are heretics or non-Christians such as Jews present? And lets pretend you lost your job because of that. The more the Lord will be pleased with you, for you sacrificed your job for Him! And knowing God that is all-Powerful, and can help us when we need Him, we can ask Him to find us a newer and better job! Fear not of what other people feel, for the Love of Christ, is the greatest feeling of them all!