Yawning

Unknown

Hello,

When I was really young, this priest once told me that I had to do the sign of the cross on my mouth whenever I yawned in Church.

Why is that?

Has that got to do with Islam? They believe the devil enters your mouth when you yawn. They also believe that the devil sleeps in your nose, so when you sneeze, you have to say "yer7amakom allah".

THanks for your explanation

jydeacon

I think its more of a tradition thing, i personally do it everytime i yawn but i'm not completely sure why, i think it is more or less on the belief that the devil can enter through your mouth as you said, but i've never heard people tell me "yer7amakom allah" people tell me "ism allah" instead

Unknown

I don't think that devils enter your mouth when you yawn. You are  in church. No devils hang around here. It is more of a tradition to show respect in church that you are not just anywhere bored. But definatley no devils go into u at all.
pray for me

jydeacon

I agree with you we definetely need to take out all the influences islam has had on the church, but that is a difficult task especially in egypt, where they are in constant contact with muslims but yeah i never believed in that nonsense i always just took it as a tradition sort of thing

Unknown

We really shouldn't be influenced at all by all that nonsense. As long as we pray and read the bible and partake of the comunion we will be safe from all the non-sense that we could be affected by so it doesn't prevent the salvation of our souls.

Anglican

Dear QT,

Good points.

Just don't yawn during the sermon!

INXC

Anglian

Holmes

[coptic]+ Iryny nem `hmot>[/coptic]

I don't think the crossing your mouth when you yawn is either a requirement or necessary.  I do it only because I always like to remind myself about of the Cross even when I'm bored in class or something (er, I mean, when my brain indicates a lack of oxygen and thus compensates,  :D). 

Unknown

1 Corinthians 3:18-19: "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."

Who amongst you has reached the spiritual heights of the great Saints and ascetics, who were able to perceive the hidden yet very real demonic activities that plague mankind by the second, so as to be counted amongst their ranks? Who amongst you has been so immersed in the life of prayer and the exercise of virtue so as to claim the divine illumination necessary to speak so boldly on these hidden mysteries? Who amongst you has overcome all the common obstacles of man so as to be forced to wrestle face to face with the demons and visibly confront their snares and traps so as to be able to claim to have the experience necessary to speak with any credibility on these matters?

St Shenoute the Prophet teaches us that since the Incarnation of our God, satan and his minions have been stripped of any direct power over the human soul. In the Life of St Antony, St Athanasius demonstrates how the devil, in his desparation, resorts to attacks on the body in his pursuit to disturb the soul indirectly. Sometimes these attacks are manifest in illness, disease, pain, or fatigue. At other times these attacks are carried out more subtly. St Evagrius of Pontus teaches us how the devil is capable of instigating our yawns and prolonging them for the sake of inducing tiredness or sleep as a way to inhibit us from carrying out a spiritual activity or an act of goodness or virtue. St Makarios the Alexandrian similarly taught that the devil can provoke our yawns.

Professor of Eastern Christian Studies, Dr. Sinkewicz notes that it is here that the tradition of signing your mouth with the cross when you yawn originates--in Eastern Monastic spirituality, not Islam. The teachings of Islam on the matter have no relationship whatsoever to Orthodox demonology. The issue is not about satan entering your mouth for a holiday, but about how satan uses every desparate means he can, no matter how trivial it may seem, to inhibit one from the path of perfection unto which we are all called.

Unknown

[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=5855.msg78661#msg78661 date=1193070411]That still doesnt explain why the Coptic Church has asked us to do the sign of the cross over our mouths when we yawn in Church.

Sorry, but "the Coptic Church" does not encourage one to "cover" one's mouth as a course of spiritual practice. If you believe such to be the case, then please cite me an authority who is representative of "the Coptic Church" who demands such a thing on account of Coptic spirituality.

What I addressed in my above post is the consistent ridicule concerning signing your mouth with the cross upon yawning; a tradition that predates Islam, and is grounded in authentic ascetic spirituality.

Unknown

Let me be more specific. We are talking about little kids here yawning... is it that serious to do the sign of the cross?

There can be no harm, and only benefit, derived from a conscious pursuit to perfectly enforce all the recommendations made by the Holy Fathers in regard to how we conduct our spiritual lives.

If it was because we are tired from prayer, should we also do the sign of the cross whenever we get tired without yawning??

I do not think there to be any occasion where one should not do the sign of the cross. The devil is not always the cause of every physical ill or weakness, but I doubt the majority of us have the discernment to know whether such is the case in any given particular circumstance. At times it is obvious; there have been many occasions where I have decided to go to sleep at a specific time in order to wake early in spite of feeling rather awake and alert at the time, only to subsequently find rather severe fatigue hit me at the moment I open my Agpia. Nevertheless, most of us laity find our own ways of tiring ourselves out in our preoccupation with worldly matters and hence inhibiting our own spiritual growth without the devil's help, which is why the bulk of satan's efforts in regard to inducing tiredness are aimed at monastics.

In any event, if you can, out of precaution, maintain a consistent conscious awareness that tiredness inhibiting you from doing that which is good and spiritual is potentially satanically induced, and choose to manifest that conscious awareness by doing the sign of the cross, then I would think that to be a good thing.

jydeacon

Good explanation Iqbal, i had no idea that this came from our Ascetic fathers but was merely tradition, thank you for enlightening us with this information. much appreciated

God Bless and Pray for me and weakness