Left Hand of the Father

[at0m1c]

I was thinking...

if Jesus sits by God's right hand, then who sits by God's left hand?

Merely a figure of speech?

[StColette]

I wouldn't know off hand. I don't think it would be Mary, since I've always been taught that Mary sits at the right hand of Christ. So I really have no idea.

[Era Might]

The left hand was reserved for contempt in ancient Israel (and even today in the Middle East). When the Lord speaks of the goats and the sheep, for example, the goats are on his left hand. I heard Fr. Mitch Pacwa describe once how seriously they shunned the left hand in the Middle East. I forget the example he gave, but it can be considered an insult.

Edited November 18, 2005 by Era Might

[StColette]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Nov 17 2005, 08:15 PM']The left hand was reserved for contempt in ancient Israel (and even today in the Middle East). When the Lord speaks of the goats and the sheep, for example, the goats are on his left hand. I heard Fr. Mitch Pacwa describe once how seriously they shunned the left hand in the Middle East. I forget the example he gave, but it can be considered an insult.
[right][snapback]793567[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Right, that's why when we do the sign of the Cross we go left to right. The left apparently was a symbol of unrighteousness and the right well righteousness, so we cross from the unrighteous to the righteous when we make the sign of the Cross.

[p0lar_bear]

[quote name='StColette' date='Nov 17 2005, 08:23 PM']Right, that's why when we do the sign of the Cross we go left to right. The left apparently was a symbol of unrighteousness and the right well righteousness, so we cross from the unrighteous to the righteous when we make the sign of the Cross.
[right][snapback]793577[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


Except the Orthodox and Eastern Churches do the sign of the cross "backwards" I really don't think it's because they are going from righteousness to unrighteousness (not that I think you were implying that)...I wonder what the difference in symbolism is...





As for the question...

If there is someone at God's left hand, we don't know who it is.

However, since the Father does have a physical body, its all symbolic language anyway.

[Church Punk]

Im gonna apologize a head of time, Sorry for not being so serious on this one, but I have to....

Wouldn't the Father be at the left hand of the Father because he is omnipresent!

HAHAHA

I know, everone is smacking their head of the desk right now!

[ofpheritup]

[quote name='Church Punk' date='Nov 19 2005, 07:30 AM']Im gonna apologize a head of time, Sorry for not being so serious on this one, but I have to....

Wouldn't the Father be at the left hand of the Father because he is omnipresent!

HAHAHA

I know, everone is smacking their head of the desk right now!
[right][snapback]795031[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


I'm not "smacking" anything right now. I am more concerned over the fact that what you said MAKES SENSE. Oh help. :

[franciscanheart]

learn something new every day...

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Nov 17 2005, 08:15 PM']The left hand was reserved for contempt in ancient Israel (and even today in the Middle East). When the Lord speaks of the goats and the sheep, for example, the goats are on his left hand. I heard Fr. Mitch Pacwa describe once how seriously they shunned the left hand in the Middle East. I forget the example he gave, but it can be considered an insult.
[right][snapback]793567[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


The left hand is sinister...

[tojo]

It is.

Muslims aren't supposed to eat with their left hand, and they aren't supposed to "wipe" with their right, probably in order to seperate these activities further, especially since there wasn't TP in Arabia when the Qu'ran was written.

[franciscanheart]

the readings for today corresponded so well for this topic. how neat!

[journeyman]

LEFT

[img]http://www.rvc.ac.uk/Courses/Postgraduate/MSc_Livestock_Health/images/Goats.jpg[/img]










RIGHT

[img]http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/YGLNews/images/sheep.jpg[/img]

[StColette]

[quote name='p0lar_bear' date='Nov 18 2005, 10:54 AM']Except the Orthodox and Eastern Churches do the sign of the cross "backwards"  I really don't think it's because they are going from righteousness to unrighteousness (not that I think you were implying that)...I wonder what the difference in symbolism is...

[right][snapback]794131[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

yes I definitely wasn't saying that the Orthodox and the Eastern Churches are crossing themselves into unrighteousness. I was merely saying what I read was part of the symbolism for the Western Church to cross themselves that way.

[quote]An instruction of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) evidences the traditional practice but also indicates a shift in the Latin Rite practice of the Catholic Church: "The sign of the cross is made with three fingers, because the signing is done together with the invocation of the Trinity. ... This is how it is done: from above to below, and from the right to the left, because Christ descended from the heavens to the earth, and from the Jews (right) He passed to the Gentiles (left)." While noting the custom of making the cross from the right to the left shoulder was for both the western and eastern Churches, Pope Innocent continued, "Others, however, make the sign of the cross from the left to the right, because from misery (left) we must cross over to glory (right), just as Christ crossed over from death to life, and from Hades to Paradise.

In the West, one then proceeds from the left shoulder to the right shoulder to finish the Sign of the Cross. The left in this case is usually associated with death and darkness, while the right symbolizes truth and light. Thus the action represents the transition from misery to glory, from death to life, and from hell to paradise. As Christ passed from death to life and sits at the right hand of the Father (left to right), so too may we pass from death to life in Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. [/quote]