Making the Sign of the Cross

By R. R. Soucy, (First written May 27, 2008;revised Sept 23,2010) Two Clarifications Needed Right Here This topic, making the sign of the cross, is addressed here as we, lay people, generally exercise it, and not as a Sacramental of the Church, as found in the official publication of the Holy See, known in English as the Raccolta (#678). Another clarification is my use of the word Christian. As best as I can put it, I apply the use of the word Christian for this article to mean persons baptized with the Holy Spirit, belonging to a denomination participating in ecumenism endeavors, and Catholic Christians. On the other hand, there is nothing I know of that would deter anyone reading this piece from adopting for themselves what they find here. The choice is always yours. >>>>><<<<< The sign of the cross is a confession of faith in Christ crucified, made by a cruciform gesture on one’s body. What a brief, beautiful prayer with imagery it can be! Made respectfully with the tips of the fingers and thumb of the right hand held together, deliberately, slowly, and aware of the movement from the forehead, breast, left and right shoulders. The words that accompany the gesture, slowly, understandably uttered (orally or mentally, as appropriate), visualized and felt, come alive with full of meaning. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the utmost, and first in the life and death of a Christian. The gesture is somewhat altered in different countries of the world. Simplified or otherwise, normally said, are “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. Those words are the centuries old, accepted Sacramental Form, a confession of faith and an acknowledgment of the Three Divine Persons in the One God. At Mass before listening to the Gospel reading, we make the sign of the cross in small form on the brow, lips and breast. Just prior to the reading, appropriate words (referring to the Gospel reading), such as, “In my mind, on my lips, and in my heart” welcome receiving the word of the Lord. Regrettably, many Christians make the sign of the cross with such haste they have no time to say the words with loving thought, feeling and meaning. I fear that this has become automatic, i.e. second nature for them, bordering on disrespect, disrespect through carelessness. When we give God our attention, He wants 100% of it. He does not want us speaking (praying) to Him while simultaneously looking around and thinking about someone or something else. That is not only wrong it is rude, toward anyone, let alone God. Paying Attention If you have read thus far, I will be bold and urge you to check your habits to consider your manners in the Presence of God, especially in God’s house of prayer, launching into prayer with the sign of the cross. Mass is not a social hour. There is a saying that if Elvis Presley were to enter the room, all would stand. If Jesus were to enter the room, all would kneel. (For once, someone got it right.) This simply means pay attention to your sacred surroundings and conduct yourself in a manner befitting of where you are. The sign of the cross, carefully executed, will help you do that. How wonderful it is to feel and act as though you are alone with God and in the presence of His angels and saints. It is a time to carry and place your prayerful heart and soul into God’s sanctuary with full attention and all your love and adoration; the blessed moments of silence, combined with the holy actions of God’s Minister, accentuate the spiritual sense. The deep sense of connection to the wonders of the invisible world is awesome. The sign of the cross has led us, in concert with the angels and saints, to rendering glory and praise to our Almighty God. Some things should never change and this is indeed one of them. How to Break a Bad Habit If you are one of many that hastily make the sign of the cross without thinking, or as if you were swatting at a fly, allow me to suggest another form until you break yourself of the “rushing” habit. This long form will almost certainly slow you down and help you begin to realize what you are saying and doing. You most probably will begin to realize that you can truly enjoy being present in God’s House, and glean something new from the readings. You may even ponder upon these words suggested here and know their ultimate meanings. You should truly enjoy the living images that the words you say slowly bring to mind. I learned this many years ago and say it now and then, in solemn moments, when reminding myself that it is the thing to do. As you raise your hand and fingers, and you purposely gesture making the sign of the cross, say aloud or to yourself: “In the Name of the Father, Who made me, and of the Son, Who saved me, and of the Holy Spirit, Who pours out Their Love in me.” Amen. Pause long enough between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to imagine: God seated as on a cloud above the earth, with scepter held in one hand, gazing down upon us, His children. The Son nailed with crude nails to the wooden cross, suffering horribly, having taken our sins upon Himself, the crown of thorns upon His head, His body wracked in terrible pain and drenched in blood. View the Holy Spirit of Love, as a Dove or as a Tongue of Fire, in some manner, perhaps hovering over someone you love or care for. The Christian that I picture in my mind as I write these words would have little trouble visualizing the roles of the Creator, His beloved-Son, and their Love in the Holy Spirit. Because of the First Commandment, the Christian knows God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. It may be just a matter of thinking on these things to make them substantive. This form, because it is unusual, should make you stop and realize where you are, and it ought to help you think about what you are doing and saying. I hope that you may even take a more fervent part in the Mass, if that is your Christian life. If you are unable to conjure up suggested imagery, or you do not understand the meanings of the imagery in your mind, you should seriously consider a good Gospel Study Group or, at the least, begin reading the New Testament. In either case, supplement your pursuit with acceptable iconographic material to help resolve your inability or lack of understanding. A visit to a Christian Book Store and browsing therein should reveal quality prayer books and prayer cards, and such. (Tread cautiously; bring a friend or relative to discuss things with if you are so inclined.) I say one other sign of the cross occasionally. I will share that with you as well. You can say, “In the name of the Father, Creator, of the Son, Savior, and of the Holy Spirit, Loving Sustainer.” Amen. Please understand that these variations are for your private prayer utterance only. Do not expect to hear them said in a community setting where it is best for you to use the normal, Sacramental form. This last sign of the cross says precisely the same thing as the long form in different words, perhaps with a wee bit different imagery. Only you can respectfully put your imagination to work. Confirmation and Communion Each sign of the cross, delicately expressed is a confirmation of belief in the Blessed Trinity,with the “Amen” meaning, “so be it.” In effect, you could consider a proper, respectful sign of the cross a prayer in itself, done in a brief amount of time available to you. A prayer when that is all the time you have now, wherever you may be. How wonderful to have that Christian prerogative, and to know what you are doing. We always make the sign of the cross as best we can, depending on our physical condition, before we speak with God, that is, before morning and evening prayers and throughout the day wherever we are; before and after meals in thanksgiving. As we raise our eyes to heaven in a plea, in gratefulness, in thanksgiving for answering prayers, in prayers for someone, in joining fellow Christians in community prayer, etc. When you commune with God, you do so alone or with relatives and loved ones, and others not of the immediate family. Nevertheless, especially powerful it is when two or more are gathered together in prayer; Jesus said, “Where two or more are gathered together in my name, there Am I in the midst of them.” No Real Reason Why You Don’t As I pen these words for the word processor and eventual placement on my Blog, it occurs to me that we may have readers that do not make the sign of the cross. Should that be the case for some of you, I am quite certain that there can be no reasonable explanation other than that you just do not do so. It may be that you never cultivated the gesture, never incorporated it into your life; perhaps it is because a spiritual leader failed to recognize its power. It could be that the practice was broken for some reason. I pray that soon changes in your life and you move closer to your God with genuine confession. I look forward to every day to learn something new from someone or some thing. That is to say, that today you can learn from this article a beautiful manner of expression toward our God. Christians, though righteous in many ways, always have more to learn. For you this article could be a learning moment of a mighty act. Go ahead find God’s peace and comfort in your mind and heart as you lovingly make the sign of the cross. I have been “around the block” a few times in my lifetime; I have been around long enough to recognize unexplainable differences disguised as excuses in Christian congregations and worship. There is little to no valid excuse for these differences among Baptized Christians. Right now, I remind myself that there are approximately 30,000 different protestant denominations, each making up their own private manner of worship. None of them present on earth from the beginning of Jesus’ time when He alone started His Church. As it is said, “the rest is history.” So many unhappy (or otherwise inclined) individuals cause break away or new denominations, one started every time you turn around it seems, certainly places us far from the unity that Jesus prayed to the Father for. You would think that if God is our Father and therefore Jesus is our Brother (of which I have no doubt), that we could at least agree on the sign of the cross. Many Christian groups (I do not know how many), have a cross on their church structure, some have a cross inside their building, others wear a cross on their person, and others around their necks. Even some of the “off the wall,” devil’s advocate Hollywood celebrities (I pray for them) abuse the cross, worn with their obscene attire. Why,what is with the cross? What manner of expression is associated with the cross? I know of none, except for the Catholic Christian. I cite the “cross” because it is not a crucifix with the image of our Brother,Jesus. Someone long ago apparently, made an erroneous, cruel distinction and others blindly followed. So I can ask why have crosses at all if you do not acknowledge its representation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? In summary to this paragraph, I say, it is long overdue, not too soon to start saying “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Amen. What Matters The most important thing is to know what you are doing and why. Reflect on the meaning of what you are doing when making the sign of the cross. (This is not the same as knowing why.) Understanding the significance of the sign of the cross will see your Christian life grow stronger and more durable. You never know about tomorrow. Unable to know where in the world my Blog is read, my closing words are to accommodate even the most hardened heart against Christianity. Be wise and learn that it would be better for unbelievers to believe and find out God did not exist, than to not believe and find out that He does. Consider the God-inspired Holy Bible and strong, historical accounts of the ages; I would say the odds are in the favor of the believer. Besides our God is pure Love and Love does no wrong. Those of you that are Christian, I once again urge you to make the sign of the cross deliberately, with proper feeling, gratefulness and unrivalled respect. Thanks for visiting. -- Bob Eph 3:16-19