WHEN DO I CROSS MYSELF?

During the Divine Liturgy when we hear the mentioning of the Holy Trinity (The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), which is usually the conclusion of a petition, we do our cross.

Also, we cross ourselves when we sing the Hymn or we recite Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.  We bow our heads when the priest or the bishop is blessing us with his hand or cross.  Also we cross ourselves when we venerate an icon, the Gospel, the Holy Cross or a relic of a Saint.  We never cross our selves when we kiss the hand of a clergy.

We cross ourselves when we wake up and say our morning prayers, and before and after any meal, when we leave our house for the first time in the day, when we start our car, when we enter into an Orthodox Church, when we pay a visit to a Christian grave at the cemetery, when the epitaphios procession passes, when the Holy Communion passes in front of us during the Great Entrance in the Divine Liturgy, when we hear the Hymn "Christ is Risen…", whenever the name of the Virgin Mary is mentioned during services or sacraments. Also when we say our prayers before going to sleep at night.

As Orthodox Christians we should know these things and talk to and teach them to our children. When we attend the Divine Liturgy we should participate by opening the book of Divine Liturgy, which is located on the pews, and pray at the same time.