The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit - we say these words multiple times a day as we make the sign of the Cross. We often do this out of habit and sometimes we miss the meaning and power of this mark of our faith.
Here are three quick things to help us connect with what we are doing each time we make the sign of the Cross:
Prayer
Since we begin many of our prayers with it, we can forget that the sign of the Cross is itself a beautiful prayer. When discussing his book on the sign of the Cross, author Bert Ghezzi said, “When you … pray in someone's name you are declaring their presence and coming into their presence — that's how a name is used in Scripture.” When we make the sign of the Cross we recognize that we are always in the presence of God, we mark ourselves as disciples of Jesus, and we proclaim that He is the Lord of our lives in every circumstance.
Saying this ancient prayer of the Church with intentionality and meaning strengthens us in our deepest identity as God’s own sons and daughters, reconciled to Him through the Cross of Christ.
Trinitarian
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of faith". The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin".
(CCC 234)
When we pray the sign of the Cross, we ground ourselves in the mystery of our God who revealed Himself to us as Trinity. We are reminded that through our baptism God draws us into His own divine communion through the work of the Holy Spirit living within us, helping us to be more like Jesus.
Witness
Finally, the sign of the Cross is a small way in which we can bear witness to our faith. We have all been in a situation where, for example, just before eating with friends or in public, we become nervous to identify ourselves as Christian by saying grace and making the sign of the Cross. It takes courage to make this prayer in front of others who do not share your faith, but do not be afraid.
St. Paul said to the Corinthians, “I … know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” In his work of evangelization, Paul reminds us that we must also preach Christ crucified because through the Cross God defeated sin and death to set us free. As Christians, we are invited to live in the freedom that God has won for us, and when we make the sign of the Cross, we declare that we belong to that kingdom of freedom.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “the sign of the Cross is the fundamental act of our prayer, of Christian prayer. Making the sign of the Cross … means saying a visible and public "yes" to the One who died and rose for us, to God who in the humility and weakness of his love is the Almighty, stronger than all the power and intelligence of the world.” (SOURCE)
So the next time you mark yourself with the sign of our faith, the sign of the Cross – listen to the words you profess, pray them with conviction and allow our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to draw you deeper into His love.