The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is the brief Trinitarian invocation by which Catholics open and close every prayer, every liturgical action, and every spiritual exercise of the day. It is at once a profession of faith in the Most Holy Trinity, a recall of the Cross of Christ on which our salvation was accomplished, and a sacramental gesture that consecrates the moment, the place, and the person to God.

How to make the Sign of the Cross

The Catholic Sign of the Cross is made with the right hand. The fingers touch the forehead at "In the name of the Father," the breast (just below the sternum) at "and of the Son," the left shoulder at "and of the Holy" and the right shoulder at "Spirit," and (in many traditions) a final gesture downward at "Amen." In the Latin Rite the cross is traced with the open right hand, with all five fingers extended; in the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Orthodox tradition, the cross is traced with the thumb, index, and middle finger held together (representing the Trinity) while the ring finger and little finger are pressed to the palm (representing the two natures of Christ).

The smaller Sign of the Cross is also traced with the thumb on the forehead, lips, and breast at the proclamation of the Gospel at Mass, with the brief silent prayer "Lord, be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart, that I may worthily proclaim the Gospel." This smaller Sign is the gesture by which the faithful prepare to hear the Gospel in the liturgy.

Origin and historical development

The Sign of the Cross is one of the most ancient Christian gestures. Tertullian, writing around AD 200 in his De Corona, says: "At every step and movement, when we come in or go out, when we put on our clothes and our shoes, when we bathe, when we sit down at table, when we light the lamps, on the couch, on a seat, in any of the actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign of the Cross." The gesture was already in widespread use in the Christian community of North Africa at the close of the second century.

The verbal formula "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" is drawn directly from the baptismal formula given by the Lord Jesus to the Apostles in Matthew 28:19: "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." The Catholic faithful prefix every prayer with the same Trinitarian invocation that constituted them Christians at their Baptism.¹

Theological foundation

The Sign of the Cross is a brief but theologically rich act. It confesses three truths of the Catholic faith at once.

First, it confesses the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" names the three divine Persons in their proper order of the immanent Trinity (the Father as source, the Son as eternally begotten, the Spirit as eternally proceeding) and confesses that they are one God ( in the name, singular, not in the names).

Second, it traces upon the body of the Christian the sign of the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross is the instrument of our salvation, and to trace it on oneself is to claim the redemption Christ accomplished. "Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).

Third, it consecrates the moment, the place, and the person to God. The Catholic faithful make the Sign of the Cross before meals, before driving, before difficult conversations, before sleep, in moments of fear or anxiety, on entering a church, on receiving a blessing. The gesture is the lived form of the Christian's belonging to the Trinity.

When the Sign of the Cross is made

The Sign of the Cross is made:

• At the opening and close of every prayer.
• On entering a church (often dipped first in holy water).
• At the opening of every liturgical action of the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours.
• Before and after meals, with the traditional grace prayers.
• Before sleep, in the Catholic family's evening prayer.
• On occasions of fear, anxiety, decision, or temptation, as a brief refuge.
• On the bodies of the dying, by family members and priest, as a final blessing.

Pairing the Sign of the Cross with other prayers

Almost every Catholic prayer begins and ends with the Sign of the Cross. It is the frame within which the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Apostles' Creed, the Holy Rosary, and every other Catholic prayer is set.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Tertullian, De Corona Militis (c. AD 200), chapter 3. Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), "Sign of the Cross," available at newadvent.org. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 232-260 (the Trinity), 1235 (Sign of the Cross at Baptism), 2157 (the Christian beginning the day, prayers, and works with the Sign of the Cross). ↩