Yesterday was 'The Exaltation of the Holy Cross'.
The homily was about making the sign of the cross when we go out such as for a meal in a restaurant.
The preacher said we should be brave and good Catholics and make the sign of the cross with full confidence in view of everyone when saying grace. I feel that is being like the Pharisees. "Look how good I am".
I do say grace, but quietly. Am I right.

It's a lot like ashes on Ash Wednesday and whether or not you should wipe them off. I recommend people do whichever they're least comfortable with.

I don't see how making the sign of the cross in public is Pharisaical.

In 1977, I did see a woman make a sign of the cross in public at Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia.

I do the same. I like Father's advise though about doing what is least comfortable.

I just had a good laugh at this response. At work we call this "leaning into discomfort". The theory being if every day you come to work things feel comfortable and routine, then that means nothing is improving/changing.

I had an experience recently that relates to this. I printed out a small crucifix to hang in my cubicle. My first thought was to sort of hide it. But there was just something about that feeling that I had to hide it. So I ended up putting it up where anyone within my cube could see it. Initially I was uncomfortable about it as if I was saying "Look at me I'm Catholic". But after a couple of days that feeling went away and nobody has ever said anything about it.

Also, hi, this is my first post.

Thanks.

ANYTHING can be Pharisaical if it is done to show off or because you think it makes you better than other people.

Hiya, Brian!

I know what you mean. When I was in RCIA and learning the Mysteries of the Rosary, I taped a Mysteries prayer card to my monitor to help me remember. Then a Divine Mercy. Then a Spiritual Warfare. At the Easter Vigil, I was given a plastic-bead rosary that was safe for work (I work in a detention center), so I hung that off my monitor as well. Then when the Diocese's vocations campaign put out a bookmark-sized calendar of Holy Days of Obligation, that went up. too. Add to it little orts that either get left behind by departing detainees or confiscated during shakedowns -- a crucifix that had broken off a rosary here, a St. Patrick medal off a saint's bracelet there (anything altered from its original form is contraband and must be confiscated), and I've got a legitimate shrine on my desk. Once or twice, I've worried that I've overdone it, but I've never had a single complaint. Not from a detainee, not from a staff member, not even from the whacked-out shrinks we have now. (Oh, how I miss the counselors we used to have!)

I will admit, though, that this evening I put away my little vial of Jordan River holy water that was on top of my CPU. The bottle is glass, which is verboten. The company's #2 guy is flying down for a visit tomorrow, and I can't run the risk of him noticing the bottle. It's been there for years; I have no idea what made me realize just tonight that the bottle could get me into trouble.

What I mean is that there is nothing inherently Pharisaical about it.

I am proud of my religion (as the good old Baltimore Catechism teaches) and see no reason to hide it in public.

I still do the sign of the cross the Orthodox way.

I visited the Catholic church the Exaltation of the Cross at Kazan, Tatarstan, Russian Federation several times.

That is an out of the way parish to attend Mass.

The first time I was there, the parish used a chapel in the cemetery. Now they have a brand new church, all paid by a Moslem mayor. It is a great improvement !!!

If one makes the sign of the cross to be seen by others, yes, he's a cretin and a Pharisee.

The sign of the cross is a blessing - do it because of that. And if people see you, they see you. You have identified yourself as a Christian; So what.

240

I've done that but we are on a war footing in America; persecution is just around the corner. I can't afford to lose jobs so I stopped doing it at work. Never underestimate how much Americans, and particularly modern ones, hate the Catholic Church.

One thing I like about wearing a hat is I tip it going past a Catholic or Orthodox church; subtle. I cross myself if hatless.

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Hello there Muirfield,

Making the sign of the Cross is an outward indication to people that you are a Catholic. I say do it! But, I am the type of guy to where I am Catholic and I could care less who knows it. Your personality is probably very different from mine, because I like to rile up Protestants and Atheists - - then I can share my faith with them. And, if anyone has a problem with you making the sign of the cross publicly, remember this; They have the problem and you don't. I enjoy wearing the ashes on AW too, just because it shows people that I am a Catholic. I am not ashamed of Jesus or His Church, I'm a sinner, and the world can know about it.

B40

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Hello there Muirfield,

Making the sign of the Cross is an outward indication to people that you are a Catholic. I say do it! But, I am the type of guy to where I am Catholic and I could care less who knows it. Your personality is probably very different from mine, because I like to rile up Protestants and Atheists - - then I can share my faith with them. And, if anyone has a problem with you making the sign of the cross publicly, remember this; They have the problem and you don't. I enjoy wearing the ashes on AW too, just because it shows people that I am a Catholic. I am not ashamed of Jesus or His Church, I'm a sinner, and the world can know about it.

B40

Sorry about the double-post.

I make the sign of the cross in restaurants when I say grace.

I just recently found the "blessing before meals" prayer in my "Laudate" phone app.... before I found it and started to learn commit it to memory, the sign of the cross WAS grace before meals at the restaurant. I had read in St Francis De Sales' book "The Sign of The Cross," that the sign itself IS a prayer, so that's why I used it as such.
I recommend the book if one is up to a challenging sort of read. It isn't "light."

My then-13 year old daughter had some serious problems in middle school over the issue of crossing herself and praying before lunch. If you're interested in the problem and what others thought, you can read it in this thread.

I was taught that making the Sign of the Cross is in itself a prayer. It's also a sign to others of my faith. I'm not about to let anyone tell me when or where I can do that. My youngest son is aboard a Naval vessel right now defending my right to do so. I know what you mean about jobs, honest, but if an employer is going to fire me for that perhaps I shouldn't be working there to begin with.