Don’t fret, this is not some “advanced Catholicism” course filled with esoteric traditions at which there will be a test on later. In terms of the sign of the cross, the Catholic Church is very direct and to the point of its primary and use, which is the first of our 7 uses for the Sign of the Cross:
The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.
Catechims of the Catholic Church 2157
But the sign of the cross is a mystery and a gift, like our Sacrements, and so many other parts of our Catholic faith and traditions. We will be going through some ideas on how to expand and enrich the sign of the cross, but they are not meant to replace the core meaning of this beautiful act.
We have a complete breakdown of the history and use of the Sign of The Cross in another article on Catholic Reboot, and after you read this, we hope you check it out.
Nevertheless, we move forward with 6 other enhancements that can be used to strengthen your use and understanding of this beautiful mystery we call “the sign of the cross”.
There are numerous opportunities to perform the sign of the cross at Mass, so that is where we start.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 2: Before Mass Starts
There is no exact requirement on what Catholics do when they first get to their pew. Most make the sign of the cross and kneel and pray for their intentions for this Mass. That is wonderful. Another practice is saying X amount of Our Fathers and Hail Marys. Whatever works. Here is also an opportunity to get your mind right for Mass with a sign of the cross before and after these moments kneeling.
You can make the sign of the cross and imagine the vertical as a captial “I”, as in your ego. Then cross it out as you do the horizontal part of the sign of the cross. You are removing your ego and giving yourself to God. We would not suggest thinking this way every time you make the sign of the cross, but this is an excellent time to use it in this way.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 3: Start of Mass
One of the first parts of Mass is the priest leading the faithful in performing the sign of the cross. Yes, it is a nice way to begin the Mass, a sort of first communal activity that unites all that are attending, but what is the purpose of doing the sign of the cross at this moment? It is meant to indicate that we belong to Christ. There is an excellent reference to this idea if you watch the show the Chosen, in its first episode. Jesus quotes Isaiah when he calls Mary Magdalene toward the end of the episode. Here is the scene:
…And there it is exactly. Jesus has called us and we respond. We attend the Mass and start it out with the sign of the cross accepting the invitation. You are doing nothing wrong if you think of that scene every time you start Mass.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 4: End of Mass
The bookend of this initial sign of the cross to start Mass is the sign of the cross to end Mass. The word “Mass” refers to us being “sent out”. Besides the receiving of the Eucharist, it can be argued that this end of Mass sign of the cross, blessing, and response is the next most important element for the faithful. (So don’t leave Mass early!).
We have gathered into an ark like church, called out from the world and into a holy sacrifice to worship. Now, we have sort of “recharged” and ready to leave the ark to enter back into the world, which is full of sin. We are sent on mission, each one personal and directed by God. Perform this sign of the cross and power up. You have work to do.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 5: “Martha and Mary”
If you need a refresher on the story of Martha and Mary (not the Holy Mother), you can find it here, verse 38. If you read it again, in this day and age, you probably are thinking, whoa, He was pretty hard on Martha there. That’s a fair initial reaction. But the critical point here is that we need to focus on God first and to love him with every part of our being. Mary is doing that. Martha is doing the next thing, which is a sort of loving thy neighbor or “good works”. These are not separate things, but one flows from the other.
The “Martha and Mary” dynamic is one that is good remember always. Some days we are a bit more focused on “Mary” with prayer and contemplation, and other days are more “Martha” days, where we are involved in charity toward others. Just remember, though, even the giants of “good works”, like Mother Theresa of Calcutta drew her good works from a total devotion to prayer and the Eucharist. First Mary, then Martha.
Think of it like this… you are Mary at Mass. When Mass ends, you are sent out are still Mary, but now are in the world and in action, thus Martha as well.
How does this related to the sign of the cross? It is as simple as looking up. All throughout scripture “God” is viewed as being in the heavenly kingdom and sort of “up”. Love of neighbors is loving creatures like we are, so is “horizontal”. Make the sign of the cross. First Mary, then Martha. A great way to live your life.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 6: The “Two Tablet” Decalogue
This is just a continuation of the theme of Martha and Mary, but in this case, it helps us specifically remember what Jesus said are the two most important commandments. This is in Matthew 22, the discussion about the Greatest Commandment. The Pharisees were testing him and one asked what is the greatest commandment, and Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Now, if you go to scripture and examine the 10 commandments (interestingly enough they didn’t list them in a numbered list, but that is a story for another day), it starts off with the “Mary” type commandments of loving and worshiping God, and the rest are about the “Martha” type commandments of loving they neighbor. Think of them as tablet 1 and tablet 2. Love God. Love your Neighbor. And you can’t love your neighbor if you don’t love God, so start at the first tablet.
How does this relate to the sign of the cross? Well, think of the first movement, up then down vertically as first tablet. Now, we are loving God. Now we go across, to all of creation that is like us. The second part of the sign of the cross. Love thy neighbor.
Catholic Sign of the Cross 7: Sign of the Cross and your Home
Here is a beautiful practice involving your home and the cross sign. First, bless your home. The Epiphany House Blessing with some chalk is a great way, but there are many ways that you can have your home blessed. Now that you have that done make the sign of the cross when you exit and enter your home.
This is not to be thought of as just some minor tradition or custom. Making the sign of the cross before and/or after you leave your home. We will let a Saint and Church Father explain:
Never leave your house without making the sign of the cross. It will be to you a staff, a weapon, an impregnable fortress. Neither man nor demon will dare to attack you, seeing you covered with such powerful armor. Let this sign teach you that you are a soldier, ready to combat against the demons, and ready to fight for the crown of justice. Are you ignorant of what the cross has done? It has vanquished death, destroyed sin, emptied hell, dethroned Satan, and restored the universe. Would you then doubt its power?
St. John Chrysostom
In conclusion, making the sign of the cross is one of the most powerful weapons we have in our constant struggle against the evil in the world. It protects, it reminds, it empowers.