Among the early Christians, the Sign of the Cross was probably the most universal expression of faith. It appears often in the documents of the period. In most places, the custom was simply to trace the cross upon the forehead. Some writers (such as St. Jerome and St. Augustine) describe Christians tracing the cross on the forehead, then the lips, and then the heart, as modern Western Catholics do just before the reading of the Gospel.
Great saints also testify to the tremendous power of the sign. “In the Sign of the Cross is all virtue and power. In this Sign of the Cross is salvation for all who are marked on their foreheads.” St. Cyprian of Carthage. “By the Sign of the Cross all magic is stopped, and all witchcraft brought to nothing.” St. Athanasius
Satan is powerless before the cross of Jesus Christ. The Sign of the Cross is the most profound gesture we make. It is the mystery of the Gospel in a moment. It is humility and sacrifice on Calvary and upon the forehead. It is the Christian faith summarized in a single gesture. When we cross ourselves, we renew the covenant that began with our baptism. With our words, we proclaim the Trinitarian faith into which we were baptized (“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”). With our hand, we proclaim our redemption by the cross of Jesus Christ. The greatest sin of human history—the crucifixion of the Son of God—became the greatest act of merciful love and divine power.
The cross is the means by which we are saved, by which we become partakers in the divine nature (see 2 Pet 1:4). Trinity, incarnation, redemption—the entire creed flashes in that brief moment.
In the East, the gesture is richer still, as Christians trace the sign holding the first three fingers together (thumb, index, middle) apart from the other two (ring and pinkie): the three fingers together represent the unity of the Trinity; the two fingers together represent the union of Christ’s two natures, human and divine.
Before everything, make the sign of the cross over yourself. Before going out, before a meeting, when waking and going to bed, and of course, before all prayer. As a father and grandfather and husband, it is very important that I make the sign of the cross and call the blessings of God upon my wife, kids and grandkids. By blessing ourselves and our loved ones over whom we hold a vocation, we can work through the power of the cross to take away Satan’s power.
May the sign of the cross and all its peace rest upon each of you who journey the Road of Faith.
AMEN! 🙏