The cross holds a very important place in Christianity. It represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified. This is why you may even see a small statue of Jesus on the various crosses, including decorative and jewelry crosses.
Due to its religious symbolism, many people choose to wear a cross as jewelry to showcase their faith. While cross necklaces are the most common type of jewelry worn for this purpose, some people also wear cross bracelets and earrings.
Most of the time, when people see somewhere wearing a cross necklace, they automatically assume that the person is Christian.
Do Cross Necklaces Need to Be Blessed?
If you are planning on wearing a cross necklace for religious purposes, you may wonder if you need to If you are planning on wearing a cross necklace for religious purposes, you may wonder if you need to have your cross necklace blessed.
Especially if you’ve seen priests bless necklaces before giving them to newborn babies.
The truth is that you don’t have to get your cross necklace blessed. The cross symbol itself is considered holy and if you have faith in it, you don’t need to bless it or have it blessed.
Nevertheless, if you want your cross to be blessed, there is no reason not to do it. The recommendation to have your cross necklace blessed can vary from priest to priest. While some may recommend you have your cross necklace blessed, others believe that just wearing the cross necklace with faith is enough.
Therefore, the choice of whether you bless your cross necklace or not is entirely your own decision.
How To Bless a Cross Necklace
Many people have this misconception that only a priest can bless a cross necklace. However, that’s not true. Anyone can make a plea to God if they want to have their crosses, or any other objects blessed. You need to have faith while praying to God and ask him to bless your cross necklace.
While there isn’t any particular verse or passage that you need to recite for this purpose, if you need help, you can use this:
“Oh, heavenly father.
you sent your son to us to save us because you love us.
This cross may be an instrument of your divine mercy.
I pray to you to bless this cross necklace.
as a sign of your glory and mercy.
Let me carry this cross as a remembrance that Jesus died!
and rose for all of us.”
Have a Priest Bless Your Cross Necklace
While it isn’t necessary, you can always have a priest bless your cross necklace. Some people believe that having a priest, deacon, or another religious leader bless a cross necklace is more effective than a layman doing it. However, as mentioned earlier, blessing a cross necklace isn’t particularly necessary. However, if having a priest bless your cross necklace makes you feel better, then go for it.
The blessing used to bless your cross necklace will then depend on the priest or deacon that you visit. For a small cross such as your necklace, the blessing would likely be very short and simple.
Bless the Cross Necklace With Holy Water
While it isn’t a common occurrence, some people also choose to bless their necklace using holy water. This can be useful if you want to bless your cross necklace yourself but are skeptical about just reading a prayer over. Holy Water can give you more confidence if you are blessing a cross for the first time.
All you need to do is sprinkle some Holy Water onto the cross necklace while making a prayer to God to bless the cross necklace. You can read the same blessing that is mentioned above while using Holy Water as well.
Disposing of an Old Cross Necklace
Since crosses hold such a great place in Christianity, it can be difficult to dispose of old crosses that are worn out. However, doing it responsibly can make the whole ordeal easier.
You need to ensure that the cross should lose its appearance before you dispose of it. This means that it shouldn’t look like a crucifix anymore. For this, you can either break it into pieces to melt the metal or use it for another purpose.
It is believed that a cross loses its blessing once it is broken or damaged. You can also bury the broken pieces in your background or anywhere convenient to return them to earth.
Can Non-Christians Wear Cross Necklaces?
Due to its religious connotation, you may wonder if it is ethical for a non-Christian to wear a cross necklace. Especially since people automatically believe that anyone wearing a cross necklace must be a Christian.
However, there isn’t anything inherently wrong or disrespectful about wearing a cross necklace irrespective of your religious beliefs.
After all, it is a beautiful piece of jewelry that has and will remain timeless. So, if you want to wear it as a fashion statement, you can do that as well.
This shouldn’t affect the people who wear cross necklaces for religious beliefs. As stated earlier, the significance of a cross lies in its symbolism and the person’s faith in wearing it.
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