Blessing yourself ...

The Sky

so i was walking past a protestant church and my girlfriend said that i should not have done that but to me it is ok as they pray to the same god So is it acceptable to bless yourself at the sight of a protestant church even if catholic ?

Festus

The Sky wrote: »

so i was walking past a protestant church and my girlfriend said that i should not have done that but to me it is ok as they pray to the same god So is it acceptable to bless yourself at the sight of a protestant church even if catholic ?

Do you understand the Real Presence and why Catholics do it when passing a Catholic Church?

The Sky

Nope enlighten me

Festus

For Catholics Christ is present in the Tabernacle.

Manach

Whilst in a protestant church, a vast majority of us Catholics would behave in a respectful and appropriate manner (except if it was a very boring recital and none could blame me for nearly falling asleep, none.)

tommy2bad

Manach wrote: »

Whilst in a protestant church, a vast majority of us Catholics would behave in a respectful and appropriate manner (except if it was a very boring recital and none could blame me for nearly falling asleep, none.)

I might even say a prayer. Though the only recital I ever attended in a protestant church was Spiritualized, not sleep inducing
http://www.myspace.com/spiritualized

Cardinal Richelieu

Any opinions on people blessing themselves while passing a graveyard while driving? An extremely dangerous practice IMHO.

Tea 1000

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Any opinions on people blessing themselves while passing a graveyard while driving? An extremely dangerous practice IMHO.

I'd say it's pointless, but I'd also say that calling it "extremely dangerous" is silly.
If I were to bless myself while driving, I'd use one hand, not two. I can drive fine with one hand while the other hand is temporarily busy. I drive a manual, like most people, which means that everyone drives temporarily with one hand many times per journey!
Changing the radio station is more dangerous, your eyes leave the road for that!

Run_to_da_hills

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Any opinions on people blessing themselves while passing a graveyard while driving? An extremely dangerous practice IMHO.

Another practice seen more so down the country is to stop and in some cases bless oneself when approaching a hearse and walking funeral procession travelling in the opposite direction.

gimmebroadband

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I'd say it's pointless, but I'd also say that calling it "extremely dangerous" is silly.
If I were to bless myself while driving, I'd use one hand, not two. I can drive fine with one hand while the other hand is temporarily busy. I drive a manual, like most people, which means that everyone drives temporarily with one hand many times per journey!
Changing the radio station is more dangerous, your eyes leave the road for that!

I wouldn't say it's pointless! The CC offers a partial indulgence to anyone making the sign of the Cross, which can also be made applicable to the Souls In Purgatory!

http://www.holysoulscrusade.org/indulgences.html

lmaopml

The Sky wrote: »

so i was walking past a protestant church and my girlfriend said that i should not have done that but to me it is ok as they pray to the same god So is it acceptable to bless yourself at the sight of a protestant church even if catholic ?

I've probably often done this myself and not known that the Church was a Protestant one tbh while passing by in a car. I also bless myself when I hear an ambulance or firebrigade. Most Catholics bless themselves in recognition of the real presence of Christ within the Church, but it's not strictly limited to only that circumstance, is it?

I often think of it as a small prayer in reverence and praise of the Trinity, as a standalone thing, and also an opening to further prayer that addresses God as a Christian understands the Trinity. Just before hearing the Gospel at mass we bless ourselves in a very traditional way using our thumbs on the forehead, lips and heart - I must find out more about it though......

LordSutch

Always wondered why Roman Catholics crossed themselves when passing a church. I remember well back in the day, the whole upstairs of the 46a frantically blessing themselves as we passed each & every Church on the way into Dublin (C of I) Churches included ) And just like my 'Grotto thread' you just don't see them as much as you used to (back in the day)!

PS; Surely if you are a Christian then Christ is persent all the time. No need for a tabernacle.

Tea 1000

gimmebroadband wrote: »

I wouldn't say it's pointless! The CC offers a partial indulgence to anyone making the sign of the Cross, which can also be made applicable to the Souls In Purgatory!

http://www.holysoulscrusade.org/indulgences.html

But the Souls aren't hanging around the graveyard was kinda my point.
I also don't see the point in blessing oneself for a fire brigade or ambulance. I'd admire someone and fully see the point in saying a prayer for them and their victims so that whatever emergency ends well, but blessing yourself isn't a prayer in itself, it's a sign to address the Holy Trinity really, so using it to acknowledge an ambulance seems pointless. Apologies if that statement seems harsh, don't mean to offend!

Benny_Cake

Tea 1000 wrote: »

But the Souls aren't hanging around the graveyard was kinda my point.
I also don't see the point in blessing oneself for a fire brigade or ambulance. I'd admire someone and fully see the point in saying a prayer for them and their victims so that whatever emergency ends well, but blessing yourself isn't a prayer in itself, it's a sign to address the Holy Trinity really, so using it to acknowledge an ambulance seems pointless. Apologies if that statement seems harsh, don't mean to offend!

Indulgences and so on aside - which wouldn't mean a huge amount to me I'd have to say, if I was to bless myself when passing a funeral, graveyard, or an ambulance which had it's siren on it would usually be accompanied by a silent prayer. For a person driving a car, it might not be safe to lose concentration by saying a prayer, so making the sign of the cross would be the person's way of acknowledging God's presence and asking that his presence will comfort those who need comforting.

yammycat

Festus wrote: »

For Catholics Christ is present in the Tabernacle.

Isn't he present everywhere ?

tommy2bad

yammycat wrote: »

Isn't he present everywhere ?

Well yes but this is to do with whats referred to as the Real Presence. Its a transubstantiation thing and if you dont hold to that then it not something you would do hence blessing oneself passing a church isn't a protestant thing.
Wiki as ever has an article;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_presence_of_Christ_in_the_Eucharist

An Ri rua

Benny_Cake wrote: »

Indulgences and so on aside - which wouldn't mean a huge amount to me I'd have to say, if I was to bless myself when passing a funeral, graveyard, or an ambulance which had it's siren on it would usually be accompanied by a silent prayer. For a person driving a car, it might not be safe to lose concentration by saying a prayer, so making the sign of the cross would be the person's way of acknowledging God's presence and asking that his presence will comfort those who need comforting.

I'm with you on most of that. What people intend when they bless themselves is of course a blessing / invocation for another person very often e.g. the ambulance example. What the RCC or any church teaches is not always what's learned !! The people make a religion their own. In our case, we Irish are fond of blessing things. A quick read of the early church's time here shows that to be true.

I got quite into blessing food, things, situations, people through the work of William Bloom and José Silva so now, as a maturing and still lapsed Catholic, I bless myself generally passing most Christian churches (if I feel like it, its not a biggie) but I ALWAYS now bless / send intentions re roadside memorials.

ps (http://www.irishroadside.com/)

I don't think a momentary blessing on roads that you are familiar with is any more cognitively difficult than using the radio or God forbid, using a mobile. Its down to the driver. Some have great roadcraft and some simply have none, concentrating or not. I do think that roadside memorials on roads which you are not familiar with ARE a great distraction. But then so are beautiful women. Its all down to what distracts you. Oil tanks, churches, ladies, memorials etc etc.

I do take the point regarding the correct reasons for blessing oneselves passing a Catholic altar. However, we had and have our own folk customs, including religious ones, which are embedded deep inside our psyches and show up in our brand of Catholicism. Thankfully, our old religions never died; they were subsumed

Cato Maior

Do CofI persons bless themselves in the manner of Catholics. I sing in the choir of a CofI church and notice that some present do bless themselves and some not. I wonder is it only the Catholics present that are doing so and not the Anglicans.

lmaopml

Cato Maior wrote: »

Do CofI persons bless themselves in the manner of Catholics. I sing in the choir of a CofI church and notice that some present do bless themselves and some not. I wonder is it only the Catholics present that are doing so and not the Anglicans.

Surely as a seminarian you would know about beginning a prayer with the sign of the cross? That's odd.

Anyway, I would love to see, as equally I would love my Anglican brothers to see how we celebrate mass and 'sing' our praises to God - I long for the day that we sing together, although I do believe we already do so, world over.

Cato Maior

lmaopml wrote: »

Surely as a seminarian you would know about beginning a prayer with the sign of the cross? That's odd.

Anyway, I would love to see, as equally I would love my Anglican brothers to see how we celebrate mass and 'sing' our praises to God - I long for the day that we sing together, although I do believe we already do so, world over.

As a Catholic, yes - of course. I am unclear as to the Anglican practice. Most in the church do not perform the gesture but some do. It was that to which I was enquiring - I am perfectly clear on the Catholic practice.

LordSutch

lmaopml wrote: »

Surely as a seminarian you would know about beginning a prayer with the sign of the cross? That's odd.

Anyway, I would love to see, as equally I would love my Anglican brothers to see how we celebrate mass and 'sing' our praises to God - I long for the day that we sing together, although I do believe we already do so, world over.

The Anglican Church is of course a broad Church, its also a catholic church, and broadly speaking "in Ireland" you do not see Anglicans crossing themselves, this is because most Anglicans in Ireland are Church of Ireland (low church) Anglicans, there are however some High Church Anglicans too! these Anglicans are closer to Rome than the more popular low church variety, and although they do not recongise the Pope as their leader, they do tend to bless themselves, some also genuflect befors sitting in their pews. St John's Church Sandymount is a perfect example of an Anglican High Church, the congregation there bless themselves, they have insense, and they even genuflect, all this is soo alien to most Protestant Church teaching in Ireland, but as I say, its a broad church, so each to their own.