So You Want a Blessed Cross. Here Is How.
So you want a blessed cross. Maybe it's for you to have divine protection or you just want His company in your home. Maybe it's supposed to be a gift for a loved one or to spread the religious wealth. It's completely up to you.
To get one is quite simple. And the easiest way is to speak to a religious leader about you wanting one and he will give/get you one. Or you can go in Josephs footstep and make one and have it blessed. Or maybe buy one (but consider that a blessed cross looses the blessing if it's sold for profit).
The following article is for you that takes the DIY way or get/buy one that isn't already blessed.
Different kinds of cross
Bare in mind that different churches use different crosses. E.g. the catholic church prefer to use a crucifix with the image of Christ nailed to the cross, and the protestant use a plain cross.
If you are unsure you can always ask your church which to use.
If you DIY
Making a cross is really simple. You cross two beams with different length. But as this is a symbol for God and is something far greater than you, you need to make it the very best you can. But how good is up to you. The only thing matter is that you try.
And for the blessing. The best thing is to have a priest or other religious leader to bless the cross. But technically anyone can plea to God to have him watch over an object. But there isn't a guarantee that the object really gets blessed if a layman perform the pray. But you can always give it a try, God is always listening.
The pray
If the pray gets done by a priest, it's up to him to choose a pray that he sees fit. But if you do it yourself, you need to know what to say. (Note that if the cross is ment to be public, it's safer for a priest to bless it)
Think also about that there isn't any pray in the Bible for objects.
But always remember, even if I wrote in the last section that there isn't a guarantee that the cross gets blessed: God is always listening and He loves us all.
Following is three prays for three churches:
- Catholic - "May this cross and the one who uses it be blessed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
- Protestant - "Let us pray to our Father in heaven,
who has given us this cross for our use. (Moment of silence.) Blessed are you, Lord God, king of the universe. You have made all things for your glory. Bless this cross and grant that we may use it in your service and for the good of all your people. Father, we praise you through Christ our Lord. Amen!" - Orthodox - "O Creator and Author of mankind, Giver of spiritual graces and Bestower of eternal salvation: Do Thou, the same Lord, send down Thy Holy Spirit, with a blessing from on high, upon this cross, that, fortified by the might of heavenly protection, it may be potent unto bodily salvation and succor and aid, unto all who shall desire to make use of it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
And here follows som generic prays for you to use if you want:
- Lord, bless this Cross that it may be an instrument of Your Divine Mercy in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
- Bless this Cross in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Creating a sacrament is something only the higher leaders in the religion can do
Use
For you to use your newly acquired cross, you need to understand what a sacrament object is and its importance. If you do the blessing yourself, it may get holy, but not as holy as a sacrament. Creating a sacrament is something only the higher leaders in the religion can do. And because your back-shed-blessed cross isn't a sacrament it may not be appropriate to get used in church ceremonies until it gets blessed by an official priest.
But for everyday use is completely up to you. But do it with respect. Wear a cross on your necklace because you want Him near. Not as a jewelry or as a fashion statement. And don't use it as an argument leverage or as an excuse to do bad stuff. This thing actually matter!
Proper disposal
A blessing from God never expire. It doesn't matter if its 2000 years old or got blessed last night, it's still holy.
But if you for some reason want to get rid if the blessed cross in a respectful way, the best thing is to simply give it away.
But if that isn't an option, maybe the cross got damaged and need to get replaced. You can always sell it away. But its better to dismantle it so it's not recognizable anymore. If it isn't the same thing anymore, it looses the holiness. If its made of metal, you can melt it down and make something else. If it's wood, burn it to ashes. Another alternative is do bury it and return it to the ground.
