I will begin by blessing myself in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Why do Catholics bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross? Is it a shallow ritual … or some superstitious gesture? It may be interesting to note that although this practice is not found specifically in Scripture, it is a practice which dates back to the earliest foundations of the church. In fact, St. Basil, A.D. 330-379, credited the Sign of the Cross as being handed down from the Apostles.
In the early church, the Sign of the Cross expressed two things: it was a profession of faith, and it was a prayer acknowledging and invoking the presence and protection of the Lord.
Tertullian, who died around A.D. 230, said: “In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before resting to sleep, we make on our forehead the Sign of the Cross. These practices are not commended to us by a formal law of Scripture, but tradition teaches them, custom confirms them and faith observes them.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, A.D. 315 – 386 said: “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.”
Why did this reverent practice change following the reformation in 1507 A.D.? Martin Luther himself did not view the blessing as a shallow ritual, but rather said: “Bless yourself with the holy cross.”
The Millenary Petition of 1603, signed by a thousand Puritan ministers and addressed to King James, called for a number of reforms in the Church of England. It called for the cessation of the Sign of the Cross being made at baptism, and asked the church members not to bow their heads at Jesus’ name during church services (another Catholic tradition). This rejection is consistent with their adherence to sola scriptura, or “Bible alone” teaching, which in simple terms means: what the Bible does not teach is prohibited. They had a desire to purify or rid the Church of England of anything reminiscent of Roman Catholicism.
Signing oneself is more than mere symbolism. There is something significant about tracing the points of the Cross over one’s body. It goes back to a topic covered in the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, in which a senior demon persuades a younger demon that Christians “can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers, for they constantly forget that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls.” What we do physically affects us spiritually, whether it’s lowering our gaze, raising our hands, bending our knee, or crossing ourselves … physical actions have a spiritual effect.
Perhaps you have observed Catholics who kiss their thumb after making the Sign of the Cross? They make a cross with their thumb and index finger; the thumb is the vertical bar placed over the index finger, which is the horizontal bar. By kissing their thumb, they are symbolically kissing the Cross of Jesus. It implies a humble acceptance of one’s own cross in imitation of Jesus Christ.
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 crossing ourselves we acknowledge that he too has redeemed us. Because the Sign of the Cross is the mark of our redemption, Satan hates it, and demons flee from the Sign of the Cross when it is devoutly made.
So the Sign of the Cross is a powerful gesture when expressed with reverence and faith. Perhaps there are some who lazily bless themselves like swatting a fly … possibly not fully realizing or forgetting the power of this symbol. But if we bless ourselves with sincerity, as a reminder of the great sacrifice offered by Jesus who died on that lifesaving Cross 2,000 years ago, we truly honor Him.
George and Dawn Fattal are directors of RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goshen, Indiana. George, a life-long Catholic, and Dawn, a former Evangelical Protestant, teach the Catechism of the Catholic Church to those who may have a desire to learn more about Christ and the Catholic faith. They can be reached by email at gfattalmcvisa@gmail.com.
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