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A blog for Catholic men that seeks to encourage virtue, the pursuit of holiness and the art of true masculinity.
Spiritual Weapons: The Sign of the Cross
October 22, 2013
There is nothing so natural to Catholics as making the sign of the cross. We cross ourselves before and after we pray; we cross ourselves in the liturgy of the mass; we make the sign of the cross when we bless ourselves with holy water. Yet, while we often make this sign unthinkingly, it is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons we have at our disposal.
Why We Should Use the Sign of the Cross
The signum crucis, the sign of the cross, is powerful because it marks us as children of God who have thrown off the slavery of Satan and embraced the Cross of Christ as the way to salvation. The Cross destroyed death and hell, and through it, Jesus redeemed the world. By make the sign of the cross, we acknowledge that he has redeemed us, and that through baptism we have become the children of God.
Because the sign of the Cross is the mark of our redemption, Satan hates it. Demons flee from the sign of the cross when it is devoutly made. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (AD 386), Bishop of Jerusalem, says the following of this powerful sign:
Let us, therefore, not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but though another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon thy forehead, that the devils may behold the royal sign and flee trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and drinking, at sitting, at lying down, at rising up, at speaking, at walking: in a word, at every act.
How to Make the Sign of the Cross
How do we make the sign of the Cross? Most Catholics know, of course, but it can’t hurt to repeat it anyway.
First, the position of the hand. There are several ways to do this, but the most common are the completely open hand, the five fingers representing the five wounds of Christ, or using three fingers to represent the Holy Trinity (see illustration).
The sign is then made by touching the forehead, chest, left shoulder, and right shoulder. When the forehead is touched, we say, “In the name of the Father,” when the chest is touched we say, “and of the Son,” and when the left and right shoulders are touched, we say, “and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost. Amen.”
Keep in mind, there are different traditions in Eastern Christianity, such as touching the right shoulder first. There is no one right method of making the sign of the Cross, so employ whatever method is most comfortable to you.
One way to connect ourselves to our forebears in the faith is to say the Name of the Holy Trinity in Latin while making the sign. The words are: “In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.”
When to Make the Sign of the Cross
How can we put the sign of the Cross into practice? Here are some ways you can make the sign of the Cross a part of your daily life.
1. Immediately after waking and before sleeping – Making the sign of the Cross immediately after waking and before sleeping is as ancient as Christianity. It is a powerful way to consecrate our day to Our Lord.
2. When passing a Catholic Church – There is a beautiful Catholic tradition of crossing oneself while passing a Catholic Church in order to recognize Jesus present in the tabernacle and to show him honor and dignity.
2. At the Name of the Holy Trinity – In Catholic prayer, the name of the Holy Trinity is often invoked. To show honor to the Holy Trinity, it is a good idea to Cross yourself when saying the Glory Be or any other time the Name is invoked.
3. In reparation for blasphemy – The name of God is abused frequently in daily conversations. If you want to make an act of reparation to God for this abuse of his Name, you can quietly make the sign of the Cross.
4. Before entering a room or house – G.K. Chesterton, the famous Catholic convert and all around genius, was said to have made the sign of the cross before entering any room. This Catholic custom also applies to entering a house, and many (including this Catholic gentleman) have Holy Water fonts next to the door for blessings oneself when entering or leaving the home.
5. Blessing people or things – A small sign of the cross can be traced on the forehead of a child or upon an object which you wish to bless.
6. When afraid – In old movies that involve Catholicism, you will often see people cross themselves when in the presence of death, upon receiving bad news, or when generally afraid. Sadly, this custom has fallen out of use, but it is an excellent way to drive away fear and to inspire courage.
There are countless other ways to employ the powerful sign of the Cross. The point is, we should use this powerful sign frequently and reverently, paying attention to what we are doing.
Finally, I want to close with one more beautiful quote from St. Cyril that summarizes why we should make use of this powerful sign.
“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. Cyril of Jerusalem
What bout you? What are some of the ways you employ the sign of the cross?
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I make the sign when I am afraid- and almost instantly my fear goes away. The first time I did this I couldn’t believe how much it gave me peace. However, I sometimes do the Sign nonchalantly now, and I need to be careful of that.
Steve you are Superman!
Ha! Thanks Josh! Using the Sign of the Cross reverently makes us all supermen and superwomen! 🙂
Great article and something we often take for granted. I would add to this and say, Father’s as spiritual head of your family, you have the God given authority and grace as head of the house to bless your children. Get some holy water, if you have some handy, and make the sign of the cross on your children’s forehead and give them your blessing. The home is the domestic Church.
I make the sign of the cross and say a brief prayer when I hear the siren of an emergency vehicle (police, ambulance, fire).
Thanks for a great article. The sign of the cross is a major theme in our PSR class. When passing a cemetary: there should be a relic of an unamed saint in there somewhere, and as a prayer for those in Purgatory.
When passing a roadside shrine: as a prayer fir the departed who may have died suddenly, and for their family.
@Cathoholic_Dave
We make the sign of the cross when we pass a Cemetary or place where people have been buried. We cross and pray that the departed souls are in heaven, and if not, in Purgatory. We ask during this time we do cross for Mother Mary to help intercede and bring up at least one soul from Purgatory each day. This is what we pass on to our children.
WE (Myself & 10 brothers/Sisters) were Raised & Taught By Our Parents To Begin The Sign Of The Cross By (1) Signing A Cross On Our Forehead First And Saying, “By The Sign Of The Holy Cross,” (2) Then Sign A Cross On Our Chest Saying, “From Our Enemies,” (3) “Free Us God Our Father.”
We Made The Sign Of The Cross Also When We Phased
Also When We Passed By A Cemetery, An Ambulance Or A Catholic Church.
This is a beautiful way of growing up. I was also raised this way. The act of signing ourselves on the forehead, lips and chest is called(persignarse) and just making the sign of the cross is called (santiguarse).
the Extraordinary from of the Roman Rite for Sept 14th the exaltation of the Holy Cross has for the communion prayer (Per signum Sanctae Crucis de inimicis nostris libera nos, Domine Deus noster.) By The Sign Of The Holy Cross, From Our enemies deliver us oh Lord our God”
I have a question. When I observe my Hispanic brothers and sisters making the sign of the cross at church, they kiss their fingers after touching the right shoulder.
Do you know why? Also, why don’t Anglo-Americans do this?
Topaz,
I have read that, the thumb and index finger are put together to make a small cross , so then it is like you are kissing the cross. Also apparently it started out as an Irish custom. Hope that helped.
I see. Thanks!
I guess that also explains why I see European soccer players also doing that.
Kissing your fingers afterward is a sign of venerating the “invisible” cross by kissing it. I do know quite a few non-Hispanics who do this, so I don’t think it is exclusive to them as Catholics.
Thank you for the reply!
I have often thought that it was because Hispanic culture has historically been very devoted to the Rosary, and you kiss the Crucifix on a Rosary after you make the Sign of the Cross with it. This movement, after saying many Rosaries, would become instinctual and be passed on without the knowledge of where it came from, hence kissing your empty fingers after the Sign of the Cross.
Oops, thanks Ian, I didn’t see your response.
Your welcome.
Thank you! Excellent elaboration of the Catechism par 2157: “The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.”
Possible typo: “By mak*ing the sign of the cross”
I used to make the sign of the Cross before every exam (it worked :)) I make it also before I start a journey.
I would encourage us all to do it’s often as needed. Very few people have said anything about it to me, especially in a corporate America environment. However, just this past week, out of the blue, two co-workers have started to ask me questions about Catholicism. One a lifelong (but perhaps lukewarm) Catholic and the other some flavor of Protestantism.
I like to think of our simple act of Love of God is some form of apostolate…seed planting…even if on delayed growth.
When i feel afraid, I make the sign of the cross and immediately after that am OK
Before and after eating meals.
All very good. I will make just one clarification. Only ordained priests can bless anything they see fit. A husband can bless his wife and parents can bless their children, the head of a household can ask God to bless the home, but that’s it. For example, a brother and sister cannot bless each other, nor children their parents, or laymen anything they want. Its part of what is called The Divine Economy of Authority. Blessings flow down from those who posses spiritual authority, never up, or across. I cringe when I see priests telling Eucharistic ministers to “bless” children in communion lines. Its simply impossible.
Is there any book in the Bible that supports all of this?
Is there any book in the Bible that states that every pious practise has to be supported by the Bible?
When I see a hurst going past
I will make the sign of the cross more often.
I cross myself when hearing good news as praise to God for that gift
Biblical references for making the sign of the cross are as follows: Rev 14:1 and Rev 22:4 “a sign on the forehead identifying those as servants of God”.
2 corinthians 1:22 and Ephesians 1:13 ” Sealed with the Holy Spirit “
When I still had my landline, I would make the sign of the cross before I answered the phone.
When an ambulance passes. When a funeral procession passes.
I make the sign of the cross when leaving my home driving my car.
Besides those mentioned in the article, also when passing or being passed by ambulance, police or fire truck (with sirenes). When a funeral procession passes. As a prayer before difficult moments, also at work. When making a shorter or longer journey by car or bicyle.
I make the Sign of the Cross and say a little prayer when I see others sinful and harmful behavior.