SIGN OF THE CROSS

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The 'Sign of the Cross' is a ceremonial hand motion made by the vast majority of the world's Christians. It is usually accompanied with the trinitarian formula. For Christians, the motion symbolizes the Cross on Calvary by tracing the shape of the cross in the air or on one's own body. The four points can also signify loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength. There are two particular arrangements one is most likely to observe. One is followed by many of the Eastern Churches, the other by the Western Churches (Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Roman Catholicism) as well as the Oriental Orthodox.

Contents

The gesture

Shoulders

Use of the sign

Low-Church attitudes

Lutheranism

Methodism

Origins of the sign of the cross

Double-cross

See also

References

External links

The gesture

The open right hand is used in the churches of the West, whilst in Orthodox churches the thumb, index, and middle finger are brought to a point. The sign of the Cross is then made be touching the hand to the forehead, sternum, and both shoulders.
As one moves through the Sign, the Trinitarian formula is prayed: when the sign is firstly at the forehead, "In the name of the Father"; then at the stomach, "and of the Son"; across the shoulders, "and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost"; and in the end, "Amen." There are several interpretations, according to Church Fathers^[1]: the forehead symbolizes the Heaven; the stomach, the Earth; the shoulders, the place and sign of power. Also, the hand to the forehead may be seen as a prayer to the Father for wisdom; the hand to the stomach as a prayer to the Son who become incarnate; and the hand to the shoulders as a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
The thumb, index and middle finger brought to a point symbolise the Trinity (the Father, son and the holy Spirit/ghost) , three persons sharing a single essence. The remaining two fingers (kept pressed together and touching the palm) represent the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ.
There are some variations: for example a person may first place the right hand in holy water. After moving the hand from one shoulder to the other, it may be returned to the stomach. It may also be accompanied by the recitation of a prayer e.g the Jesus Prayer, or simply "Lord have mercy".

In Russia until the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century, it was customary to make the sign of the cross with two fingers (symbolising the dual nature of Christ). The enforcement of the three-finger sign was one of the reasons for the schism with the Old Believers whose congregations continue to use the two-finger sign of the cross.

Shoulders

Regarding the sequence of which shoulder is touched first, different practices have developed.
Originally, all Christians signed themselves in this order: forehead, stomach, right shoulder, left shoulder. However, it would seem that, by the end of the Middle Ages, the Christians in the West moved from left shoulder to right; this is the practice that is followed by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans. However, the Eastern Christians have retained the original right to left movement (to mirror the direction in which the priest blesses the people).

Use of the sign

During liturgical action, such as the Roman Catholic Mass, there are moments where the Sign is required: the laity sign themselves at the beginning of the Eucharist, at the Gospel and at the final blessing; additionally, the celebrant makes the Sign - but only once - over the bread and wine before the words of Institution (i.e. words of Christ). In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, both celebrant and people make the Sign of the Cross much more frequently than in Catholicism. Other occasions at which the Sign of the Cross is made would be: upon entering or leaving a church building, at the start and end of personal prayer, or passing the main altar (which represents Christ). Additionally, Eastern Christians sign themselves whenever all three persons of the Trinity are addressed as well when approaching an icon.
Some Christians will make the Sign of the Cross in a way that may seem idiomatic: for example, if a person is exposed to blasphemy, he or she may cross themselves (suggesting that an offence has been committed). Others sign themselves as a way of calling down God's blessing before or during an event e.g. a long journey, examination, operation, job interview, scoring a goal, or playing a sport on a professional basis.
Clergy may make the Sign of the Cross over a person or object which is to be blessed: a home, a car or a religious item such as an icon. Roman Catholic bishops make the Sign of the Cross three times when they are blessing a large group of people. It is made once at the Name of the Father, a second time at naming the Son and one last time at the naming of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps the essential element of the Sign is that it is a physical act which indicates the relevance of the Cross, of the Sacrifice of Jesus, in the life of Christians who use their bodies to affirm what is believed. In Latin countries it is common to see people signing themselves in public; it is an act which is second-nature to many people.
In very traditional societies, the Sign of the Cross is employed during everyday activities e.g. the spoon crosses the newly poured mixture before stirring, the housewives bless food when placing it in the oven, the potter blesses the clay before creating a vessel and the father of a family crosses the bread with the knife before cutting it into slices, since bread is paralleled with the body of Christ.

Low-Church attitudes

Although the Sign of the Cross dates to early Christianity, it was generally rejected by the Reformers, and is mostly absent from Protestantism. Since the Reformation, it has generally been rejected by Protestants in general and some Low-Church Anglicans as being a Catholic practice.

Lutheranism

Many Lutherans never abandoned the practice. In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for example, it is expected before the morning & evening prayers in the catechism.^[2]

Methodism

Since The United Methodist Church is, generally speaking, a product of the Protestant Reformation, it has a piety that tends to be iconoclastic—that is rejecting statues, icons, and many other practices perceived to be typically Roman Catholic.^[3] Currently, the sign of the cross is used by a small portion of Methodists on a regular basis, but on Ash Wednesday, it is almost always applied by the elder on the laity.^[4]
However, the usage of the sign of the cross is predicted to become more accepted in the near future, due to the ecumenical movement, and a greater understanding of the sacrament of Baptism.^[5]

Origins of the sign of the cross

The Christian custom of gesturing the sign of the cross was originally with the right hand thumb and across the forehead only. The custom originated during the second century.
Vestiges of this earliest gesture still exist when Christians sign a cross on their forehead to hear the Gospels during Mass, when their foreheads are marked with ash on Ash Wednesday, when applying the holy oil (called chrism) on the forehead for the sacrament of Confirmation. Around year 200 in Carthage (modern Tunisia, Africa), Tertullian says: "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross". It is thought that, by the end of the second century Christians signed the cross on their forehead before taking any risk, such as embarking on a journey.
By the fourth century, the sign of the cross involved other parts of the body beyond the forehead. By the sixth century, these variations of smaller signs across the body became the one larger sign used now.

Double-cross

The English-language expression "double-cross" has led to some fake etymology: There was a period in the Middle Ages when some Venetian merchants would cross themselves in the Western fashion when meeting with Westerners, and in the Eastern fashion when meeting with Easterners. This duplicity supposedly led to the coining of the phrase "double crosser" to mean someone who professes to be aligned with one party, but in reality is aligned with an opposing party or with no party.
The actual origin of the expression "double-cross" which dates in English from only 1834, has to do with "fixing" a horse-race in a pre-arranged swindle that is almost certainly unconnected with the Sign of the Cross.

See also

★ Christian cross

★ Christian symbolism

★ Prayer

★ Veneration

★ Genuflection

★ Trinitarian formula

References

1. ''Prayer Book'', edited by the Romanian Orthodox Church, several editions (''Carte de rugăciuni'' - Editura Institutului biblic şi de misiune al Bisericii ortodoxe române, 2005),
2. Why Do Lutherans Make the Sign of the Cross?
3. Can United Methodists use the sign of the cross?
4. What is the significance of ashes being placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?
5. This Holy Mystery

External links

★ The Sign of the Cross - entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia

★ Why Do Lutherans Make the Sign of the Cross? - from the ELCA website

★ Sign of the Cross - from the LCMS website

★ The Sign of the Cross - from the Episcopal Church's website

★ The Power of the Sign of the Cross - (Ukrainian church)

★ The Sign of the Cross - a Traditional Catholic perspective

★ Significance of the Sign of the Cross

★ How to Make a Sign of Cross Correctly (Eastern Orthodox)

★ On making the Sign of The Cross (Old Believers)

★ Sign of the Cross (Old Believers)

★ The Church Council of the Hundred Chapters(1551) (Old Believers)