I was at a Catholic wedding yesterday, and I could understand, or come up with a plausible explanation for, most of the rituals, but one thing puzzled me. After a reading from the bible (Matthew 5:13-16, according to the program), all the Catholics did something. I’ve since learned that they were making the sign of the cross on their foreheads, lips, and chests. At the reception, the two Catholics with whom we were sharing a table had speculations about the significance of that gesture, but nobody could tell me why it was done at that particular time. Can anybody fill me in?
Bless my thoughts (mind)
words (Lips)
and deeds (Heart)
More or less…thats what it stands for
Right, that’s what they told me, but I remain in the dark about the timing of it.
I was raised Catholic, but am no longer a practicing Catholic. From what I remember, the crossing you saw was done at the beginning of the Gospel. You make the sign of the cross on your forehead, lips, and over your heart, indicating that “the word of God be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart”.
Yay for getting in there before me, Enola!
I believe the timing is because it’s right at the beginning of the Gospel, which is “the word of God”… hence the blessing.
I was taught that we were supposed to “Cleanse” instead of “Bless”.
Or I might have misheard back when I was 7 years old and never bothered to follow up.
The tradition of the blessing (I have heard “cleanse” as well, but “bless” is rather more frequent) appears to be pretty old. Interestingly, there are no words associated with the gesture in either the Ordo Missae Missal of 1962 nor in the Novus Ordo (Missae) Missal of 1970. The gesture is made by the priest and repeated by the congregation with no words associated with it.
One version of the accompanying prayer that I have heard:
Obviously, the sentiment is fairly consistent, but there does not seem to be a specific rubric to address the prayer.
Like the others here, my thoughts are that it’s before the Gospel reading because you are preparing to hear the word of God. Thus, “May the word of God be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart”.
You know, I’m sure both parishes I’ve attended regularly have said something to go with it, but I’ve never been able to make out what it was.
I’ll listen extra-closely at Mass today… 
You are correct that the priest and people exchange words.
From the Novus Ordo link:
The priest and people definitely speak at that point. However, there are no particular words associated with the gesture of the triple Sign of the Cross. The “mind/lips/heart” connection is limited to an interpretation of the gesture, not a prayer to accompany the gesture.
I once heard, in a movie review, of a mnemonic to remember which way the crossing is done. “Spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch.”
–Nott
That’s actually a different gesture than the one in the OP. The Sign of the Cross usually closes a prayer with “Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen.” It’s movie shorthand for someone about to do something dangerous (instant, generic prayer), although I’d wager most people only do it in church. (I’m a bad catholic though, so I could be wrong.)
BTW…Testicles would be WAY too far south!
voguevixen, I make the sign of the cross when I hear a siren. The nuns trained it into us from a young age.
And I heard it as…forehead, belly button, left nipple, right nipple. That was in our racy jr. high days though. 
Thanks for the info, all. The triple crossing was performed immediately after the gospel reading, but aside from that, it sounds like you’ve nailed it down. Incidentally, nobody said anything while they were performing this action. Perhaps that’s a local thing.
Generally there are two or three consecutive readings. The first one (or two) are given by members of the congregation and can be from anywhere in the Bible, including (but not necessarily) from the Gospel, and often from the Epistles, Acts or from the OT. The last reading is given by the priest and is always from the Gospel. It’s this last reading that other posters are referring to and the crossing action is right before it.
The mnemonic AskNott mentioned is just that – a mnemonic. I agree that you’re not expected to go that far south in practice. As for when to bless yourself, I’ve seen people doing it at all kinds of times and places, including football (soccer) players as they head out onto the pitch or even when they’re about to take a penalty kick. Technically you’re supposed to do it whenever you pass a Catholic church but I can only recall seeing my parents’ generation sticking to that.
The triple crossing prayer is supposed to be a mental one and not spoken. Seeing as it is done right before the reading of the Gospel and the crossing is done at one’s own speed, it’s prefereable not to have everyone saying their own variant of the prayer as the priest prepares to read God’s word.
That would be from Austin Powers 2.
I think the “spectacles, testicles” thing was also in Keeping the Faith…
And, to elaborate on what everton said, the way the readings usually work is that the first one is from the OT, the second from Acts or the epistles, and the last is from the Gospels.
Oh, OK, I see what you mean. Never mind. 
IME, it’s always been 3 readings: first from the Old Testament, second from the New Testament (non-Gospel) and third is the Gospel. That’s from a rather small sampling of Catholic churches in the upper Midwest though.
I think ( and it’s been a long time since I’ve been to one) at a regular weekday Mass there’s no Acts/Epistle.