The Cross – which
Christ willingly took up in order that humanity may be saved from death and
have eternal life with Him – banishes all evil and absolutely nothing is
greater than the power of the Cross. Therefore, use it!
How to sign with the Cross?
Not only is it
easy to do, but this “gesture” summaries the entirety of the Faith within the
palm of the hand.
(2) pinch the thumb, index & middle fingers together – this represents the 3 Persons of the Holy Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three separate yet indivisible Persons who are one God;
(3) fold the ring-finger and little-finger together into the palm of the hand – this represents the 2 natures of Jesus Christ – that He was both God and Man. Folding these two fingers together into the palm also represents that Christ came down to Earth from Heaven to become like us, except without sin.
Then, to make our
Cross, start with:
(1) touch the forehead; then
(2) down to the chest, then
(3) from
the right shoulder (4) across to the left shoulder.
Whether a person
crosses themselves once or three times the final Cross is completed with an open palm on our heart.
An interpretation
In making the sign of the Cross, first touch the forehead
to make the mind and thoughts pure in order to understand the teachings of
Christ. Then by touching the chest to make one’s heart holy and kind, and to
fill the heart with love for Christ and for other people. Then by touching the right
shoulder and then the left shoulder so that the person may receive from God
spiritual and physical strength to do good works. The right shoulder is touched
first in remembrance that when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven He sat at the
right hand of God in Heaven.
When making the
sign of the Cross, it should be made carefully, reverently and earnestly, and
the person should always bow their head slightly as a sign of humility and
reverence.
A layperson interpretation
The vertical line
from forehead to chest = One God…
The horizontal
line from right to left shoulder = who loves
all of humanity.
Some important points
† Do not rush.
† Do not make a small Crosses
† If there is only time to make one Cross do
it with care rather than rush to do three.
When to sign with the Cross?
A short list (only
some) when to sign oneself with the Cross:
† whenever someone feels the need
† when venerating icons or relics
† before, during and after prayer
† before kissing an Icon, Cross, or the
Gospel Book
† before and after eating
† when leaving the house
† before travelling or driving anywhere – in
the car, plane, boat etc.
† when you/someone is suffering
† see or hear of something tragic
† walking past a church/monastery/cemetery
† giving thanks
† before and after reading the Bible
† before and after doing a task
† before and after going into surgery etc…
To show that something
belongs to Christ and is consecrated to Christ, mark it with the sign of the
Cross. All Christians should wear their Cross because we all belong to Christ.
How many times should we make the sign of the Cross?
One should make
the sign of the Cross three times. The three times symbolize the Holy Trinity
and the three days that Christ was dead. However, only once if time is short,
for example, during Liturgy prayers.
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