www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Eastern reverences when passing a Church

I recall this topic being discussed on another thread way back but I'm not sure it addressed the East.
Is it customary for the East (both Catholic and Orthodox) to bless themselves when passing a Church ?
I understand that Latin Catholics bless themselves in reverence to the Blessed Sacrament that is in the Tabernacle.
Have said that, What happens to the remain Precious Blood after a Liturgy ? is it consumed entirely by the celebrant ?

Brad

Dear Brad,

You are always challenging us to think! hehehe!

I remember my RC girlfriends ALWAYS did the sign of the cross when passing a church. That was in the 60's and 70's. I don't think that I have ever seen anyone do it today. Infact, I remember that the RC used to sign the cross many times in and out of church. I rarely see that today too.

I know that Greek Orthodox in Greece will sign the cross when passing a church. Ofcourse, just as with the RC, that seems to be a dying, if not dead practice with my generation and younger.

On the other hand, we Greek Orthodox can make the sign of the cross on ourselves IN Church ALOT...sometimes Greeks (older) almost do it TOO much,over and over and over again! Some priests compare it to strumming a guitar! LOL! (Did you see the movie 'Corelli's Mandolin' filmed on the island of Kefallonia? Think of the 'extras' who were REAL Greek old ladies, and how much they signed the cross...)

In Christ,
Alice

Yes, all of the remaining precious body and blood is consumed at every liturgy, in the Orthodox faith. This is done by the deacon, if there is one, or starting with the youngest priest, if there is more than one priest and no deacon, otherwise, it's the celebrant who will consume the gifts.

There are only two instances where the intinctured body is reserved. On example would be during the Great Fast, each week an additional lamb (or lambs) is (are) consecrated during the liturgy for the subsequent Presanctified Liturgy(s) during the week, where there there is no consecration (anaphora). These are kept in a special container on the altar table called a artophorion. The regular Divine Liturgy (where we consecrate the gifts) is forbidden to be served during the weekdays of Lent, except for the feast of the Annunciation.

The second instance would be when the communion for the sick is consecrated, and placed in the tabernacle. This is normally done during the Divine Liturgy on Holy Thursday, although it can also be done as needed. The portion of the one Lamb consecrated at that liturgy is cut up into small cubes, intinctured with the precious blood and then dried (there are various methods to do this), then placed in the tabernacle. As the priest visits the sick to distribute communion, these small portions are taken from the tabernacle and placed into a small container which is worn around the neck and then taken to the hospital. Generally, the priest must go to the church immediately before the visit to take the body (which is intinctured) from the tabernacle, although this is not always the case, due to distance, time, etc...

Hope this helps.

Priest Thomas Soroka
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

Bless Father Thomas!

Do Orthodox (atleast the Greeks) cross themselves when passing a church because it is a holy temple?

Kissing your right hand,
Alice

May the Lord God bless you!

Oh yes, this is quite a unversal custom among the Orthodox. And not just a passing making the sign of the cross. Most pious people will stop, face the church (the east) and make the sign of the cross with a bow from the waist.

But I agree, it is becoming less and less "fashionable."

Dear Friends,

An old Ukrainian Orthodox book on the Sign of the Cross I have (somewhere at home) indicated that when one passes a Church, one is to remove one's headgear, face the Church and make the Sign of the Cross with a bow, saying the Jesus Prayer.

I know the Old Believers would always say the Jesus Prayer in this way, but I have found this tradition on MP Russian Orthodox websites as well.

It hearkens to the humility of the Publican and his prayer (upon which the Jesus Prayer is based).

One should also do this while passing an Orthodox or Catholic cemetery.

I have a friend, who is now an OCA priest. When he was first received into Orthodoxy, he would cross himself incessantly

We were in a coffee shop and he would also bless his food with three fingers - and once the lady at the cash register, when she saw this, shouted out loudly, "Vat a vanderful boy you are!"

And when we were driving, he, all of a sudden, crossed himself.

I started looking around to see if we had passed an Orthodox church or something . . .

Then he turned to me and said, "Do you see that hill over there? There's a cemetery behind it. . ."

Definitely a convert . . .

Alex

I dont know about everyone in the Roman Catholic Church but my spiritual director (a priest of Opus Dei) taught me that whenever I passed a Catholic church I should say a prayer of spiritual communion and whenever I passed a protestant church I should say an act of love.

I know other young Catholics who do this i.e. one of my friends at St Benet's hall. But the prayer of spiritual commmunion that he says is much different than the one I say I guess he must've learnt the tradition from somewhere else in the Roman Church.

I still make the sign of the cross when driving by an apostolic church. I don't do it when going by Protestant churches. Most of them don't use the sign of the cross, so I suspect it's a meaningless gesture to them to begin with.

I grew up in Washington State as a practicing Roman Catholic. I don't recall being taught to make the 'sign of the cross' when passing a Catholic or any other church. And this was not a custom I knew about when living in Alaska either.

But I often say a short prayer as we pass a church so have done it even though never heard of it as a custom.

Mary Jo

My best friend of many years is a priest. I have picked up the habit from him of saying a short prayer for the dead every time I drive by a cemetery, or wait on the roadway for a funeral procession to pass.

Thank you all for your posts.
I am truly enlightened by the different methods of reverence and prayer.

Charles,

I do that too whenever I pass a cemetery, but can't remember when I started it. Seems like it was after my father died when I was about nine or so. Anyway it is one of those good habits...and reminds me of my own mortality. Seems like at my age I have more reminders than I would ever have imagined when a young woman.

Many relatives and some contemporaries of mine are gone. I asked an elderly lady (much older than I--- ) some years ago how she dealt with so much loss. She had outlived most of her old friends. She smiled and said, "Well, Jo, you just make new friends." And so she did - me included. She was gift for a while on the journey.

She is gone now. God rest her soul. + And I keep making new friends.

God Bless you. +

Mary Jo

Don't forget about making the Sign of the Cross when passing a roadside Cross or shrine!

Dave

And Catholic hospitals, where the sacrament is reserved in the chapel....

Chtec, when I was driving thru Transcarpathia with my Rusyn cousin Volodja, every village church, wayside crosss, kaplica, he made the sign of the Cross, both Catholic and Orthodox churches. Do you know how many times we made the sign of the cross during that 3 1/2 hr. drive from Uzhorod to Rachov? I lost count!

"Imnja Otca, i Syna, i Svjataho Ducha. Amin."


Ung-Certez