Is the Sign of the Cross more than a simple gesture?

As they enter and leave the church, I often see parents teaching their young children to make the Sign of the Cross at the holy water font. It’s enjoyable to watch. And, it reminds me that, typically, we Catholics are exposed to the Sign of the Cross very early in life. So early, perhaps, that we go through life without examining what it means or why we perform this gesture so frequently. It’s worthwhile, then, to reflect upon this, the most common of Catholic prayers.
 
First, it’s interesting to note how ancient this prayer actually is. Evidence suggests that even before Christ was born, some Jewish graves were marked with a cross, the Greek letter Tau, as a confession of faith in the God of Israel and as a sign of hope in his protection. This practice was likely based on Ezekiel 9:4-6, wherein faithful Israelites were described as marked with the Tau, which signified God’s protection. The first Christians, having witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, understood even more fully the power of the Cross and adopted it as their own mark. Thus, we can say that Christians have always traced the Sign of the Cross. By the second century, for example, Tertullian wrote, “in all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever task occupies us, we mark our forehead with the Sign of the Cross.”
 
As time passed, different ways of making the Sign of the Cross, as a prayer, came about. We, as Roman Catholics, now raise our right hand to our forehead as we say, “In the name of the Father.” We then move our hand downward to our stomach or breast and say, “and of the Son.” Our hand then moves to our left shoulder as we say, “and of the Holy Spirit,” moving our hand to our right shoulder as we conclude the prayer with “Amen.” The prayer is very simple. Even children know it. Yet, in its few words and motions, it manages to express many of the core tenets of our Catholic Faith.
 
In making the Sign of the Cross, for example, we express the mystery of the Holy Trinity. We begin by saying “In the name.” Note that we do not say “in the names.” This reminds us of the unity of God. There is only one God. Yet, in subsequently mentioning the three persons of the Holy Trinity, we express that God is a communion of persons.
 
Meanwhile, as we utter the words of the prayer, we trace the shape of a cross. That motion calls to mind the means of our redemption, the Cross of Jesus Christ. Without it, we would have no hope of heaven. And, as we make the gesture of the cross over our own bodies, we are reminded that the saving power of Jesus’ Cross is applied to us, individually. The Cross, as Pope Benedict XVI put it, “tells how much God loves us; it tells us that there is love in this world that is stronger than death, stronger than our weaknesses and sins.”
 
We also see in the downward motion of our hand from our forehead to breast a reminder of how Jesus descended from heaven to save us. And, in the left to right motion of our hand at our shoulders, we see a reminder that he has ascended to the right hand of the Father, having paved the way for us to follow.
 
There is a great deal of meaning packed into this brief prayer. That is why we pray it often—during Mass, in the Rosary, at our meals, and during any formal prayer. But, we should also pray it at other times. In moments of fear or temptation, the Sign of the Cross can give us fortitude. As we confront evil, the Sign of the Cross is a powerful weapon. The devil hates and flees from the Cross, the instrument of his decisive defeat. As Pope Benedict XVI put it, “by signing ourselves with the Cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the Cross, hold it in front of us like a shield that will guard us in all the distress of daily life and give us the courage to go on.”
 
In addition to this, we can use the Sign of the Cross as a subtle tool of evangelization in our secular world that seems to want to forget God. By signing ourselves in public, we profess that we are Christians and we remind others that the Lord is still here.
 
The Sign of the Cross is a simple gesture, for sure. But, it is an ancient, meaningful, and powerful one. It reminds us of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and of the redemption Jesus won for us. It is a tool we may use in worship, to sanctify our day, to ward off evil, and to spread the faith. With this knowledge, let us make the Sign of the Cross with greater intentionality and gratitude to God.
 
Fr. Signalness is pastor of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in Stanley and St. Ann in Berthhold. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.