…We just reviewed how detailed and important the Mass is, and how every part of it is important. Next, we examine one of the most common practices of Catholics- the sign of the cross. You might be quite surprised at how powerful this action is.
Making the sign of the cross is an ancient, but familiar action performed by Catholics since we are very young. It conforms to a “sacramental”, as it does not explicitly do what it symbolizes, but rather it prepares us to receive God’s grace and puts us into a state of ready acceptance.
If you only remember two elements of the sign of the cross, let it be these:
- When you make the sign of the cross think of the motion as illustrating the nature of God in the Trinity. You start at the head, the “father”. Moving downward, just as God came down from heaven to join us, we go down to the Son. Now, we move over to the left shoulder- Jesus was crucified, and then we move to the right shoulder-Jesus rose from the dead with victory over sin.
- Another very simple way to think of the sign of the cross when you are feeling prideful- You first make an “I”. The ego. Then you cross it out. You give yourself up to Christ.
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, 4th Century
The sign of the cross is an invitation for a blessing from God. Each time we make the sign of the cross we open up the possibility of drawing closer to God. It also is made at the start of Mass to signify that we are His and that we are not in a state of worshipping ourselves.
Origins of the Sign Of The Cross
Early Christians undoubtedly picked up how to make the cross at their baptism, when the celebrant used it to mark them as belonging to Christ. The Bible contains some proof of this. For instance, when St. Paul stated to the Ephesians that they had received the sign at baptism: “You have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise” (1 Cor. 1:13)”
At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.
Tertullian, 160 – 240 AD
The thumb or index finger of early Christians was used to draw a little cross on their foreheads. They connected the act to references in Revelation 7:3, 9:4, and 14:1 as well as Ezekiel 9:7, which all mention believers wearing God’s seal on their foreheads. That symbol represented the name of God and was a cross made of the Greek letter tau, which is transcribed as a T.
It’s unclear how Western Christians came to use the larger cross. Evidently, some Western Christians adopted the Eastern Church’s custom of signing themselves with a huge right cross after the ninth century. While others in the West started to trace the huge cross over their breasts while moving their hand from the left shoulder to the right shoulder, this was happening simultaneously.
By the end of the Middle Ages, most Western Christians were making the sign of the cross as we do today, most likely as a result of the Benedictine monasteries’ widespread impact. In these institutions, it was customary to make a huge left cross with an open hand.
Stating Our Faith
The most well-known and generally understood purpose of the sign of the cross is a sort of statement of our faith. This all starts with the mention in the Gospel of Matthew of: “Go, therefore,* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. This first implicit mention of the Holy Trinity then gave birth to not only the sign of the cross but also to the Creeds that we still say today at Mass and when saying the Rosary.
Greeting God Properly
When we think about what God “is” what do we do? We impose our own limited human imagination onto God. It is natural, but it is both extremely limited and furthermore, it becomes an action more about us than about God. By making the sign of the cross, we remove our feeble visual and “comprehensive” imagination and replace it with an action that far better greets God by simply repeating how he revealed Himself to us. It is a beautiful and simple change to make in your prayer life. All you have to do is when you find yourself “thinking” about what God is when wanting to converse with Him, you replace it with the action of the sign of the cross.
Moving Closer To God
Building on the previous idea that making the sign of the cross is an improvement over “imagining” what God is in our minds, this has the added effect of drawing closer to God. When we remember God by making the sign of the cross, He welcomes us into his presence and bestows blessings upon us. The way we begin and end our prayers is therefore more than just a formula. The sign is an action that brings us nearer to God and alerts us to the fact that we are in His presence as we walk and pray.
Super Praying
Jesus could not have been more clear when you instructed us to pray in God’s name and without doing that, prayer is pretty inefficient. This is second nature to how most Catholics pray, but it is good that we “reboot” our thought process and really consider what we are doing when we make the sign of the cross before and after praying. Consider:
John 14:13–14: “Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 15:16: “The Father will give you anything you ask Him in my name.” John 16:23: “In all truth, I tell you, anything you ask of the Father He will grant in my name. John 16:26–27: “When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, because the Father Himself loves you for loving me, and believing that I came from God.”
Remembering and Renewing Baptism
By making the sign of the cross we remember our baptism. So first, we need to remember what we received when we were baptized. We received Everything. We were freed from the power that sin has over us. We were joined to Jesus in His death, and able to join Him in life beyond this world, and we were brought into the Mystical Body of Christ, His Church.
The most common time to remember these things is each time you enter and leave a Church when you put your fingers in the holy water (water is used here specifically to remind of us our baptism) and make the sign of the cross.
A Display of Membership in the Mystical Body
Being a member of the Catholic Church is not an easy thing in this modern, secular world that worships power, pleasure, wealth, and honor. Jesus was a warrior in many ways and was not a wilting flower during His public ministry before his crucifixion and resurrection. By making the sign of the cross shamelessly when we need to in public, we display our discipleship to Christ. It should never be done out of bragging or pride, but when it is appropriate, we should not be afraid of making the sign.
A Weapon Against The Devil
Jesus explicitly addressed the danger that Satan poses to humanity. He said that the devil was “the father of lies” and “a murderer from the start” (John 8:44). He said that His mission in life was to submit to death on the cross in order to free all of humanity from the power of Satan. “Now the prince of this world is to be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself” (John 12:31–32).
God then submerged us in the mystery of the crucifixion itself through the waters of baptism. We experienced death and resurrection with Christ in the sacramental bath. At that crucial time, the Lord sealed His claim to ownership over us by marking us with the cross.
The honor of proclaiming the Lord’s victory over the devil belongs to us, the members of the Church, the Body of Christ. The roles have been reversed, and now the intended victims of Satan’s assaults are his victors. As a result, we will have to engage in battles with the devil until Jesus returns. He is without a doubt a formidable foe. Yet, we must never lose sight of the fact that the Lord has given us the advantage, having won the conflict. But we must apply His victory in our daily lives, and using the sign of the cross when we feel threatened by sin is a powerful weapon.
Next up… prayer is essential for life as a Catholic. But how do we get started, and how and when do we pray?
Next Topic >> Prayer + Prayers
Synopsis
The sign of the cross is an ancient practice that Catholics often do without thinking about it too much. However, it can have many purposes and helps us stay grounded and focused on our relationship with God. Understanding the sign of the cross can help us make a great leap in our Catholic faith.
Suggested Reading
Free E-Book: “The Sign of the Cross: Recovering the Power of the Ancient Prayer” by Bert Ghezzi
“The Sign of the Cross” by St. Francis de Sales
Top Image
This fresco, one of Fra Angelico’s final creations for the Dominican Monastery at San Marco, was painted in the hallway where the brethren’s cells open (between cells 25 and 26). The profound gazes, the bold and strong colors, and the frozen movements have almost a spiritual quality. The strength of the side lighting, which is enhanced by the lengthy shadows the classical capitals create, amplifies this sense. They have Michelozzo-style architecture in them. This fresco represents the artist’s magnificent blending of his spiritual inspiration and the successful application of new advances in Renaissance painting.
The heavenly hosts encircle Christ as He appears above the structure. He radiates golden beams that cover the evangelist’s body.