Sign of the Cross

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  • The Sign of the Cross: It’s History, Meaning and Biblical Basis
  • Sign of the Cross - Prayers - Catholic Online

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    And why is this? Because it recalls to him who makes it, and to those who see it made, that Jesus Christ is the God of Christians and the Lord of their whole lives. Because it reminds us that God has loved us so much as to give Himself up for our sakes to suffer on the Cross, and that we must love Him with our whole hearts. It places incessantly before our eyes Jesus Christ crucified; and Jesus crucified is the Divine and living rule of life to each one of His disciples, and His sacred Cross their moral law. The sign of the Cross recalls to him who makes it with reverence and devotion that he is bound to imitate in his daily conduct the penance, mortification, humility, meekness, patience, detachment, chastity, and obedience of his Master; His love for His heavenly Father and His Blessed Mother, and toward all men; His mercy to His enemies, and His love of suffering.

    The Sign of the Cross is distinctively the sign of the Christian, because it reminds him of the blessed eternity which awaits him. It was after His passion and death that Jesus rose again.

    Sign of the Cross

    And by His Cross He entered into glory. And so it must be with His disciples. Their glory in heaven must be the full fruition of the crucified life they have led on earth, like unto the life of their Saviour. The Gospel also declares to us that when He shall come at the last day to judge the world, the sacred sign of the Cross shall appear in the heavens, to be recognized by the elect with thankfulness and love, and by the reprobate with fear and trembling; for then shall it be the disciples of the Cross, and none but they, whom He will acknowledge for His Own.

    It is the sign of the Christian because it brings before his mind the most important doctrines of the Catholic religion. It recalls the mystery of the holy and undivided Trinity, for in making it we say, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; three persons, but one God. In the name; and not, In the names. And also the mystery of the Incarnation, that is to say, the coming down of the Son of God from Heaven to earth, to assume a body and soul like ours in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; for, in saying "In the Name of the Son," we move the hand down from the forehead to the breast, a lively image of the annihilation of the Son of God, who reposes in the hearts of the faithful, as formerly in the chaste womb of Mary.

    And, again, the mystery of the Redemption, since it was upon the Cross He died to wash away our sins, to merit for us pardon and salvation, and to open the gates of Heaven which sin had closed. And the mystery of the Church of God, that great society of the disciples of Jesus Christ, that perfect union, holy, Catholic, and apostolic, of the children of the Cross; since, being the same for all, it is necessarily the sign of their union in one body under one head: In considering all that is symbolized by this sacred Sign, we may therefore clearly understand why it is employed by the Church in the administration of all holy things, in the Sacraments, in every blessing, at the beginning and end of her prayers.

    Let us make it often, but especially when tempted and when troubled; also before and after meals; and when we make it, let us be careful to remember what it signifies, and the obligations imposed on all who bear the holy name of Christians. It strengthens our hope by recalling that all blessings come through the Cross and by fostering a habit of seeking aid through the Cross. Finally, it nourishes our charity symbolized by fortitude in acting as soldiers of Christ and Patience in disciples of Christ. Some examples of this are the 50 times it is used during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass [Traditional Roman Mass, not the Novus ordo, which eliminated most of them], at the beginning, end and during the Divine Office, in all Blessings by Bishops and Priests, in the administration of the Sacraments such as 14 times in Baptism [Traditional Roman rite] and 17 times in Extreme Unction [not the Novus Ordo "Sacrament of the Sick"], and on everything blessed for the service of God, such as altars, linen, holy water, etc.

    The sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of most branches of Christianity. The sign of the cross is a form of Catholic blessing whereby a person traces a symbolic cross on their body, or in the air in commemoration of the crucifixion of.

    The Sign of the Cross is also used in personal devotions. Examples of this are: The first thing in the morning and the last thing we do at night in order to seek God's protection day and night, before and after prayers against distractions, before and after meals against excess and danger, 2 in dangers of the soul, such as temptations, 3 occasions of sin, etc. Tiburtius and the Fire, 4 St. Hilarion and the Flood, 5 St.

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    Indulgences are given of 50 days for making the Sign of the Cross saying the words, and days for the same when using holy water. Every society has its badge, such as a garter, ribbon or medal. It is found in Churches, houses and private rooms. It is found on Churches, schools and buildings as the ensign of the King who reigned from the Cross. Finally, the Cross is found throughout Christian art in order to sanctify it and make it minister to the glory of the Cross.

    Sometimes a triple Cross is made with the thumb for example at the reading of the Gospel.

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    Retrieved 18 April His own conversion, which took place at the same time, was soon followed by that of the greater portion of his subjects. The first thing in the morning and the last thing we do at night in order to seek God's protection day and night, before and after prayers against distractions, before and after meals against excess and danger, 2 in dangers of the soul, such as temptations, 3 occasions of sin, etc. Retrieved 14 October Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sign of the cross. The movement is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one's own body, echoing the traditional shape of the cross of the Christian crucifixion narrative. He thereupon makes on himself the Sign of the Cross, and to his surprise the rifles are lowered.

    It is made on the forehead, on the heart, and on the lips in order to show our readiness to profess the Cross. Any Catholic who with love performs this simple act of piety will soon see its excellent effects, and we propose it to all as one of the easiest and most efficacious means of sanctifying the day.

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    It is necessary to be very careful never to make the Sign of the Cross badly; that is, to make it from habit without thinking of it, and when laughing, or to make it in haste without taking the trouble to move the right hand from the forehead to the breast, and from the left shoulder, to the right.

    It is not necessary every time you cross yourself to say, "In the Name of the Father," etc. Nothing is more edifying than to see a Christian make the Sign of the Cross with care and reverence and in a truly Catholic spirit. The celebrated Pere de Ravignan always crossed himself with scrupulous care; anyone might see that he was proud to sign himself with the Cross of Christ. By this he preached even before preaching, and made a deep impression upon his hearers without having said a single word.

    A Protestant clergyman who went to hear him one day at Notre Dame said to his companion, after having seen the venerable religious sign himself with such holy and majestic gravity, "He has preached already; the sermon is finished and we might go. And now let me ask, have you felt a little conscience smitten while reading this chapter? How do you make the Sign of the Cross? Do you make it often during the day?

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    Form now an earnest resolution to do all things in the spirit of faith, and never to make with indifference and distraction the sacred sign of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nicephorus writes that S. Ignatius, disciple of S. John, is the trophy raised against the power of the prince of this world: When he sees it, he is afraid: Benedict was asked to govern a monatery where discipline was but badly observed: They accordingly mixed poison with his drink, and brought it to him as he sat at the table with the rest of the community.

    The Sign of the Cross: It’s History, Meaning and Biblical Basis

    Benedict, according to his custom, extended his hand to make over the glass the Sign of the Cross, and at the very moment when he formed the holy Sign, the glass, which was held at a little distance, was shattered to pieces, as if it had received a sudden blow from a stone, and a serpent came forth from it. Though retired into the remote parts of a desert, S. Anthony often experienced the fiercest attacks of the devils: The Saint laughed at their impotence, and to put them to flight, simply contented himself with making the Sign of the Cross, saying to his disciples: Tiburtius, condemned under the Emperor Diocletian to walk through a blazing fire, made the Sign of the Cross over it, and walked over the burning coals without experiencing any injury.

    After the death of the Emperor Julian the Apostate, there was a tremendous earthquake all over the East. The seas overflowed their bounds, as though they would have submerged the earth in another deluge. At the sight of these prodigies, the inhabitants of Epidaurus a small city of Greece ran to the cell of S.

    Hilarion, and with tears besought him to have pity on them, and come to their aid. We are asking the Lord to renew in us those baptismal graces. We are also acknowledging that baptism joined us to the body of Christ and equipped us for our role of collaborating with the Lord in his work of rescuing all people from sin and death.

    Sign of the Cross

    At baptism the Lord claimed us as his own by marking us with the Sign of the Cross. Now, when we sign ourselves, we are affirming our loyalty to him. By tracing the cross on our bodies, we are denying that we belong to ourselves and declaring that we belong to him alone see Lk 9: The Church Fathers used the same word for the Sign of the Cross that the ancient world employed to indicate ownership. So, when we mark our bodies with the sign, we are embracing whatever pain comes as a consequence of our faith in Christ. But at the same time it comforts us with the realization that Jesus, who endured the crucifixion for us, now joins us in our suffering and supports us.

    Signing ourselves also announces another significant truth: When the devil sent Jesus to the cross, he mistakenly believed he had won a great victory. Instead, the Lord surprised him with an ignominious defeat see 1 Cor 2: From the first Easter morning through the present, the sign of the cross makes the devil cower and flee.

    Sign of the Cross - Prayers - Catholic Online

    But more importantly, the sign is also an offensive weapon, helping us reclaim with Christ all that Satan lost at the cross. It announces our cooperation with him in the indomitable advance of the kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness. In the New Testament, the word flesh sums up all the evil inclinations of our old nature that persist in us even after we die with Christ in baptism see Gal 5: Making the sign of the cross expresses our decision to crucify these desires of the flesh and to live by the Spirit.

    Like tossing off a dirty shirt or blouse, making the sign indicates our stripping ourselves of our evil inclinations and clothing ourselves with the behaviors of Christ see Col 3: The Church Fathers taught that the Sign of the Cross diffused the force of powerful temptations such as anger and lust. So no matter how strongly we are tempted, we can use the Sign of the Cross to activate our freedom in Christ and conquer even our besetting sins.

    Confessions of a Catholic Dad Editor's Notebook. Mini-creed The Sign of the Cross is a profession of faith in God as he revealed himself. Six Signings I invite you right now to imprint in your heart these six truths about the Sign of the Cross by making it with me six times, each time applying one of the perspectives.

    I often go through these signings in my morning prayer and recommend that you try it, too.