The Sign of the Cross

Watching the recent World Cup soccer games or other athletic events, you may notice how many players bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross during a game. Some athletes may be putting themselves in God’s presence, while others are thinking that there is magic in this gesture of faith. Even in formal prayer, the Sign of the Cross can be routine, just the traditional way of starting and ending prayer. But this gesture is so much more.

The Sign of the Cross is the most often used prayer of Christians and probably the first prayer we learned as children. As simple as it seems to us, the Sign of the Cross is more than just a gesture – it is an ancient prayer. References to it appear in writings dating back to 240 A.D.

Initially, the Sign of the Cross was made with the thumb, usually on the forehead, but sometimes on the lips and chest. This small Sign of the Cross was in common use by the end of the 4th century and is still used today at every Mass, with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick. It is also used for the R.C.I.A. Rite of Signing and marking the forehead with ashes on Ash Wednesday.

By the 6th century, people were using the first two fingers, held together to make a wider Sign of the Cross, touching the forehead, chest, and shoulders. The two fingers symbolized the divine and human natures of Christ.

The use of three fingers became popular in the 9th century. The thumb and first two fingers were held outstretched together to symbolize the Trinity, while the remaining two fingers were bent to signify Christ's two natures. This form is still used in Eastern Christian churches, where the right shoulder is touched before the left.

By the end of the Middle Ages, the Western Church had adopted the practice of making the large Sign of the Cross with an open hand and touching the left shoulder before the right. This is the form we Roman Catholics continue to use today.

When we make the Sign of the Cross on ourselves, we aren’t doing anything “magical.” Rather, we are expressing our belief in God and the Trinity and reminding ourselves of God's love for us, of the sacrifice Jesus made to give us eternal life, and of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.