The Sign of the
Cross
Please note:
The Sign of the Cross,
like each of the other foundational prayers, comes from the time of Christ
& His Apostles. This is not something that worldly intellectuals & other
people of modern times wish to believe, but here is not the place to go into the logic & evidence
‘proving’ them wrong. That can be done in another section at
another time (such as in Questions & Answers or Books & Articles). My
concern right now is simply to provide the prayer for those of good will ---
for those who take the Catholic Church seriously, or who are actually
converting to Her --- that they may learn to use the Sign of the Cross rightly,
along with enough details that they may do so with intelligence of mind &
fervency of heart.
Almost immediately after
the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 disciples in Jerusalem at Pentecost
(10 days after Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven and 50 days after His
Resurrection from the Dead), the Twelve Apostles, under the inspiration of this
same Holy Spirit, sanctioned this short prayer for the edification of all
Catholics everywhere until the end of the world. The words of the prayer are
simultaneously combined, under normal circumstances, with the ‘making’
of the Sign itself upon the head & chest. That is to say, as one says the
words of the prayer, one at the same time uses the fingers of his right hand to
trace upon his head & chest the outline of a cross. This tracing of a Cross
begins at the forehead (“In the Name of the Father…”),
proceeds vertically down the chest to near the heart (“…and of the
Son…”), then goes to the left shoulder (“…and of
the…”), from there moving horizontally across to the right shoulder
(“…Holy Ghost.”), where it ends (“Amen.”).
Probably most people have
seen this prayer mimed by someone somewhere, if only in a movie or TV program
that tends to mock the teachings & practices of the Catholic Church. Such
mockery is contemptible, albeit to be expected during our wicked times and
given the ignorance of most people toward the things of Heaven. Good Catholics
may say about such persons, along with Jesus on the Cross, “Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34b-c DRC)
However, Catholics must not willingly consent to this mockery. For instance, if
part of an ‘entertainment’, then the usual response for a Catholic
to take would be to turn the television off or walk out of the theatre lest he
not only offend God by failing to uphold His Honor, but allow men to think the
ridicule is acceptable. For how are they to conclude otherwise when they see
a man who calls himself Catholic sitting there quietly in sight of the mockery,
obviously unperturbed? Actions indeed speak louder than words!
A Catholic should say
this prayer both before & after another prayer. He should make the Sign of
the Cross (though not necessarily having to say the words aloud) when passing a
church sanctuary that he knows contains the Eucharistic Flesh & Blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ (this is rare today due to the scarcity of Catholics
& complete absence of real Catholic priests, nevertheless, there are enough
illicit priests that, every once in a while, one may encounter a place where
the actual Body & Blood of Jesus are reserved, being held captive by heretics),
or, if ever fortunate enough to have a lawful priest, when he enters the
sanctuary in which this priest performs Mass and keeps the Eucharist in the
Tabernacle. He should pray the Sign of the Cross when in physical danger or
upon entering a place that he suspects is afflicted by demons. A Catholic
should pray the Sign of the Cross prior to any significant endeavor or going on
a journey, even a short distance. He may also make the Sign of the Cross toward the area in
front of himself instead of upon his head & chest. To wit, if seeking to
bless a room, area, object or other person, he may trace the cross with his
right hand held out in front of him away from himself, or over the object or person, saying the words of
the prayer while, of course, always synchronized with the reverent motions of
his hand as he starts from the top of the sign, moves to the bottom of the
sign, and completes the sign with a horizontal trace from left to right.
Yet what is the
significance, you may ask, of this prayer & its accompanying sign? Very
simple. The Catholic Faith is founded upon the twin doctrinal pillars of the
Trinity and the Incarnation. Viz., all Catholic Teaching rests upon the fact of
God being One Divine Being in Three Divine Persons (Father, Son & Holy
Ghost) and upon the fact of the Second Person of that Holy Trinity (God the
Son) become a Man, via the Holy & Sacred Womb of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, Who offered up His Divine Self in Eternal Sacrifice on the
Cross for the debt of men’s sins. In saying the words of the prayer we
plainly affirm our belief in the Existence of the Holy Trinity; in tracing the
Cross upon our heads & chests we clearly affirm our belief in the Sacrifice
of the Incarnation.
Directly beneath this
explanatory note are the words of the prayer in both English & Latin. It is
not necessary to know the Latin. However, it is helpful to learn it at some
point in the future: Latin is the ancient language of the Roman Catholic
Church, a language now no longer spoken apart from religious purposes, and, as
such, the language has itself become a ‘sacramental’. I.e., the
words of Latin are now hallowed by long sacred use, the supernatural power of
God Almighty operating through their reverent enunciation. I therefore provide
the Latin form of most prayers so that good Roman Catholics may, wherever they
wish, obtain its benefits.
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In English:
In the Name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
In Latin:
In Nómine Patris,
Et Fílii,
Et Spíritus Sancti.
Amen.
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Pilate’s
query met:
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© 2008 by
Paul Doughton.
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