The SIGn OF THE CROSS


by Fr. Josh Bales

The Sign of the Cross

St. Cyril of Jerusalem , A.D. 315 - 386 Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are in the way and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the poor's sake; without toil, for the sick, since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of evils; for He has triumphed over them in it, having made a shew of them openly; for when they see the Cross, they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, Who hath bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the Gift; but for this rather honor thy Benefactor. 

St. Anthony the Great The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.

St. Maximus of Turin It is from the sign of the cross we must expect the cure of all our wounds. If the venom of avarice be diffused through our veins, let us make the sign of the cross, and the venom will be expelled. If the scorpion of voluptuousness sting us, let us have recourse to the same means, and we shall be healed. If grossly terrestrial thoughts seek to defile us, let us again have recourse to the sign of the cross, and we shall live the divine life.

St. Gregory of Tours Whatever may be the temptations that oppress us, we must repulse them. For this end we should make, not carelessly, but carefully, the sign of the cross, either on our forehead or on our breast.

DOES YOUR FOREHEAD ITCH?

At Incarnation Oviedo we include a small cross in seemingly random places throughout our bulletin/worship guide. Right in the middle of prayers! Some parishioners asked, “Is this a printing error?” “No!” I tell them. Because those little crosses, sprinkled throughout the service, show when and where Anglican Christians have customarily made the sign of the cross, adorning their mostly intellectual or verbal worship of God with a physical gesture, a physical prayer of sorts. It’s not dissimilar to the raising of one’s hands in a modern charismatic church! Making the sign of the cross (touching one’s forehead, left shoulder, then right shoulder) is a way to involve one’s whole self- soul AND body- in exuberant worship. (By the way, Christians in the East reverse the order of shoulder-touching…don’t be thrown off by that.)

Be assured, this is not a requirement! The compilers of the earliest Book of Common Prayer (1549) put it like this:

“As [to] touching, kneeling, crossing, holding up of hands, knocking upon the breast, and other gestures: they may be used or left as every man’s devotion serveth without blame.”

If you come to Incarnation Oviedo after attending a Roman Catholic church, this gesture probably isn’t new to you.  But if you’re coming from a Protestant congregation (Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc.) it may seem foreign, and you might be wondering:

“Are physical gestures like this, repeated over and over, actually meaningful- helpful to my relationship with God? Isn’t Christianity supposed to be about the heart, not ritualistic practices?”

This may seem strange to you but the answer to both of these questions is: “YES!” Are we not more than just brains on sticks? Sometimes in our post-Enlightenment world (where the written and spoken word has triumphed, along with the role of the intellect, e.g. I think therefore I am), it can be easy to forget that we are shaped not just by what we think or say or read, but by what our bodies DO and the physical habits we engage. As human beings (beings with bodies), often times the way to our hearts is through our habits (physical, embodied practices). So, I want to encourage you to be open to the wisdom and simplicity of this ancient practice. Maybe the earliest Christians have something to teach us about how our love for God involves ALL OF US.

But, why a cross? As Christians, it’s our logo! To be sure, it’s a strange logo! But in this symbol of death we see life because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It signifies Jesus’ suffering for love’s sake, in obedience to God the Father. And it signifies our salvation, as well as God’s victory over sin, death, and the grave. 

WHEN DO I MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS?

I once heard someone ask a priest “When and why do we make the sign of the cross in worship?”  His reply? “Whenever grace is being offered, or asked for.  As you make the sign, picture yourself being opened up and God’s grace being poured in…” So, in our worship service, you’re encouraged to make the sign whenever the priest offers God’s grace: during the Absolution after Confession, and at the Priestly Blessing at the end of the service. Often times, during these moments, the priest will actually sign a large cross over the congregation as a whole! It’s like he is saying to us: “I’m sending you God’s grace!”. In response, we make the sign of the cross as if to respond directly to him saying, “Amen! I’ll take God’s Grace! Thank you!!”

Another specific moment we may make this sign is during the announcement of the proclamation of the Gospel.  The gospeler says, “The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to…” and in response we sign a tiny cross- usually with our thumb- on our foreheads, on our lips, and over our hearts.  Why? As the Gospel is about to be read, with this gesture, we are saying to God something like, “Lord, place this good news in my mind (forehead), in my speech (lips), and deep in my heart.”

But it’s not just in worship that we make the sign of the cross. At home or in my car, before a meeting, or when I’m exercising, I find deep communion with God in the form of this silent prayer.  For me, when I make the sign of the cross, I’m saying any number of things to God: “I love you, Jesus.” Or “Help me, Jesus!” Or “Lord, have mercy on me.” Or “God, in this moment of my day, I remember you.”

So, the sign of the cross, an ancient physical prayer, could truly become a meaningful way of engaging God in worship and prayer, both at Church and in your everyday life. I hope you will consider making it a part of your spiritual discipline and practice.

Fr. Josh Bales