Sign of the cross over food during grace?

[voxxpopulisuxx]

Yes thanks...is there a difference in intention between the two? (Ive never been Roman)

[Basilios]

Yes, do it, absolutely. I would say that (once you know to do it) it is probably negligent not to do it. Exorcists always tell stories of cursed food. So there's that. There is a well-known Priest (no names, you know who he is from AudioSancto) who blesses absolutely everything he eats and drinks, and even makes the sign of the cross with his thumb on his knee when he's relaxing and sitting down just as a pious habit. It is good practice to make this holy sign not just over your food but over everything if possible and when necessary (if my car has trouble starting, I bless it and ask for God's will). Don't be surprised when things start happening when you start blessing things. This is the true power of God, and your Catholic patrimony, the resources that are available to us handed down to us from the Apostles themselves. It's the meat and bones of traditional Catholicism.

In the stories of the ancient Irish monastics there is a story of a young monk who was moving a pail of milk after milking the cow. He forgot to make the sign of the cross over the pail and the devil got into it and made the thing tip over. When St Columba (I think it was him) encountered the boy he immediately knew what happened, so he scolded the young monk, made the sign of the cross over the pail and immediately a small little devil figure leaped out, and the milk was miraculously restored. From that story (and others) we know that for the Irish monastics they made the sign of the cross over everything (not just food). Many of them were not ordained.

St Gerard Majella (Redemptorist brother) has many miracles attributed to his making the sign of the cross over things/people. One of the famous ones is when he encountered a devil when he got lost on his way to another monastery late at night and in a storm. The devil tried to spook him and scare him and tell him he was destined to die that night and go to hell, but St Gerard made the sign of the cross over the thing and ordered it to lead him to the monastery safely, which it did and then disappeared.

Voxx as you may know, Byzantine monks (at least in Slavic tradition) bless things whether they are ordained or not (it's just the hand arrangement that differs: clergy do it the ICXC way, non-clergy make their hands the way one would make the sign of the cross on themselves).

A good book I recommend (the Transalpine Redemptorists publish it) is "The Sign of the Cross" by Mgsr. Gaume. He writes it as if writing to a young chap who has been mocked at school for making the sign of the cross before meals.

So that is an emphatic yes; and any Priest who says "No" - traditional or not - is suffering from true clericalism in the proper sense of the word. Of course, if you are in the company of a Priest, then you don't bless things, it always goes in the heirarchy, so if Father rebukes you for getting out your hands when he's saying "Benedic +Domine nos et heac..." then he's right. But apart from that, absolutely bless everything you eat and drink.

JMJA+

[erin is nice]

When the whole family is saying grace, do you mean they all individually should make a sign of the Cross over their plates, or one person should just do it for everyone? I've never heard of people blessing their own food like that.

[Landless Laborer]

Yes, do it, absolutely. I would say that (once you know to do it) it is probably negligent not to do it. Exorcists always tell stories of cursed food. So there's that. There is a well-known Priest (no names, you know who he is from AudioSancto) who blesses absolutely everything he eats and drinks, and even makes the sign of the cross with his thumb on his knee when he's relaxing and sitting down just as a pious habit. It is good practice to make this holy sign not just over your food but over everything if possible and when necessary (if my car has trouble starting, I bless it and ask for God's will). Don't be surprised when things start happening when you start blessing things. This is the true power of God, and your Catholic patrimony, the resources that are available to us handed down to us from the Apostles themselves. It's the meat and bones of traditional Catholicism.

In the stories of the ancient Irish monastics there is a story of a young monk who was moving a pail of milk after milking the cow. He forgot to make the sign of the cross over the pail and the devil got into it and made the thing tip over. When St Columba (I think it was him) encountered the boy he immediately knew what happened, so he scolded the young monk, made the sign of the cross over the pail and immediately a small little devil figure leaped out, and the milk was miraculously restored. From that story (and others) we know that for the Irish monastics they made the sign of the cross over everything (not just food). Many of them were not ordained.

St Gerard Majella (Redemptorist brother) has many miracles attributed to his making the sign of the cross over things/people. One of the famous ones is when he encountered a devil when he got lost on his way to another monastery late at night and in a storm. The devil tried to spook him and scare him and tell him he was destined to die that night and go to hell, but St Gerard made the sign of the cross over the thing and ordered it to lead him to the monastery safely, which it did and then disappeared.

Voxx as you may know, Byzantine monks (at least in Slavic tradition) bless things whether they are ordained or not (it's just the hand arrangement that differs: clergy do it the ICXC way, non-clergy make their hands the way one would make the sign of the cross on themselves).

A good book I recommend (the Transalpine Redemptorists publish it) is "The Sign of the Cross" by Mgsr. Gaume. He writes it as if writing to a young chap who has been mocked at school for making the sign of the cross before meals.

So that is an emphatic yes; and any Priest who says "No" - traditional or not - is suffering from true clericalism in the proper sense of the word. Of course, if you are in the company of a Priest, then you don't bless things, it always goes in the heirarchy, so if Father rebukes you for getting out your hands when he's saying "Benedic +Domine nos et heac..." then he's right. But apart from that, absolutely bless everything you eat and drink.

JMJA+

This is good, really good!  I'm getting that book. 

[drummerboy]

Don't forget St. Benedict!   He worked many miracles with the sign of the cross.


Ordered that book too.


And good to see you around Basilios 

[drummerboy]

One time I went to go to my mma class, and there was a sign on the door saying our instructor was sick.  I was pulling away when another student, a Hispanic kid, went to the door, saw the sign, and crossed himself.  Neat custom I thought.

[Kaesekopf]

Do you folks just make the sign of the cross over food like the priest does when he makes the sign of the cross over the bread/wine at TLM?

[Lynne]

Ordered that book too.

And good to see you around Basilios 

Yes and yes. 

[Arun]

Mr. T has adopted this custom. The kids won't eat unless their food is blessed.

[Lynne]

 

[erin is nice]

Do you folks just make the sign of the cross over food like the priest does when he makes the sign of the cross over the bread/wine at TLM?

This is what I'm wondering. I've never seen anyone do this, and I know a lot of trads...

[verenaerin]

Mr. T has adopted this custom. The kids won't eat unless their food is blessed.

word.

[verenaerin]

Do you folks just make the sign of the cross over food like the priest does when he makes the sign of the cross over the bread/wine at TLM?

This is what I'm wondering. I've never seen anyone do this, and I know a lot of trads...

Yes. You make the sign of the cross the way a priest does.

[drummerboy]

Do you folks just make the sign of the cross over food like the priest does when he makes the sign of the cross over the bread/wine at TLM?

This is what I'm wondering. I've never seen anyone do this, and I know a lot of trads...

Yes. You make the sign of the cross the way a priest does.

I'm assuming because of the universal priesthood of Christ due to Baptism, right?  And keeping in mind that laity cannot actually "bless" an object, i.e. make it holy and set aside for God, but that we're more begging God's blessing upon it?

[Landless Laborer]

Do you folks just make the sign of the cross over food like the priest does when he makes the sign of the cross over the bread/wine at TLM?

This is what I'm wondering. I've never seen anyone do this, and I know a lot of trads...

I've never seen laymen do this in the Orthodox world either.

Yes. You make the sign of the cross the way a priest does.

In the East, this would be from left to right, mirroring the flock as they face him.