Veiling and Crossing

Two very Catholic practices I have been doing lately are veiling and crossing.  I only do so in my prayer closet.  I don't veil and cross in church or in front of others.  This may come as legalistic and even wrong to some Protestants, but allow me to explain why.

1 Corinthians 11 has always confused me.  I have studied it for 2 decades now and I still can't come to a solid understanding of it.  I have read and listened to debates on it and both sides seem to have valid explanations.  I even tried covering my head (a la Amish/Mennonite style) 20 years ago, but it was legalistic back then.  I was trying to seek the Lord through works and not through honor and obedience...and I thought that being an ultra-conservative Christian would allow me the ability to be a stay at home wife and not have to work.  In other words, I was trying to orchestrate and control my perfect little future.

I say all that to assure you that I am not currently utilizing a veil for legalistic purposes.

I have always admired coverings on women.  Veils and scarves look so epically beautiful and feminine.  1 Corinthians 11 does discuss the purpose of veiling, and so I decided to just start placing one on my head during my prayer closet time.

I don't feel more holy.  I don't feel like God suddenly sees me and approves of me better or hears my prayers more clearly or answers my prayers simply because I stand out with a pretty cloth on my head.  What it does do is it provides me with a tool of focus.  It is holy by the definition of holy meaning set-apart.  I utilize it to set apart that time.  As it drapes over my head and down the sides of my face like blinders, it helps keep me focused.  It is a physical reminder of my time with God.

Crossing is a bit more difficult to explain why I do it, now.  As I thought about why Catholics cross, I actually felt compelled to cross.  Now, I don't like that feeling because I have a hard time knowing if it is of the Lord or simply of my own psyche.  I gave it a try and found that I like the practice because it is another tool to set apart a time, to set the focus.

I don't believe it gives me any more power in my prayer, or makes me more special in the sight of the Lord, or earns me any favors.  It is a gesture of holiness, again, as the definition of holy is set-apart.  It sets that time and that prayer apart.  It emphasizes to me that I am serious about this.

Prayer is something I can be very flippant about, very unfocused, loose, just blurting out a few demands while my mind is focused elsewhere.  Utilizing a veil and crossing are tools that have really helped me to settle down, focus, and realize that I am entering before the Lord.  I am speaking to my Creator and my Savior.  It sets it apart.