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Sign of the cross

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refer to caption
The steps for making the large sign of the cross in Latin Catholic and Protestant rites

Making the sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging their belief in the triune God, or the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. There are three variants of the sign of the cross, including a large sign of the cross made across the body, a small sign of the cross traced on the forehead or objects, as well as a lesser sign of the cross made over the forehead, lips and heart.[1]

The use of the sign of the cross traces back to early Christianity, with the third-century treatise Apostolic Tradition directing that it be used during the minor exorcism of baptism, during ablutions before praying at fixed prayer times, and in times of temptation.[2]

The large sign of the cross is made by the tracing of an upright cross or Greek cross across the body with the right hand, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the Trinitarian formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (or traditionally in English, Holy Ghost). Amen."[3] The movement is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one's own body, echoing the traditional shape of the cross of the crucifixion of Jesus. Where this is done with fingers joined, there are two principal forms: one—three fingers (to represent the Trinity),[4] right to left—is exclusively used by Christians who belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of the East, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Catholic Churches in the Byzantine and Syriac Christian traditions; the other—left to right to middle, other than three fingers—used by Christians who belong to the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Oriental Orthodoxy. The large sign of the cross is used in some denominations of Methodism and within some branches of Reformed Christianity.

The use of the small sign of the cross has been documented in early Christianity by Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father, who wrote in 204 CE in De Corona ('On Crowns'): "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before retiring to sleep we form on our foreheads the sign of the cross."[5] Tertullian attested to the Christian practice of tracing this small sign of the cross on objects, such one's bed before sleeping.[6] It is traced on the forehead, or objects, with the thumb (sometimes using holy water or anointing oil).[7] The small sign of the cross is made on the forehead during the rites of baptism and the anointing of the sick in Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism.[8] In the Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal traditions of Christianity, the small sign of the cross is often made on the forehead of the recipient during ordinations, anointing of the sick and deliverance prayers.[9][10] Christians of various denominations have traced the small sign of the cross onto doors or windows of their dwellings as a house blessing.[11] The small sign of the cross is additionally used during certain observances, such as during the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, in which ashes are marked on the forehead of a believer using the small sign of the cross.[12]

Many individuals use the expression "cross my heart and hope to die" as an oath, making the sign of the cross, in order to show "truthfulness and sincerity", sworn before God, in both personal and legal situations.[13]

Origins

The small sign of the cross was originally made in some parts of the Christian world with the thumb of the right hand, being used on the forehead to bless oneself, along with being used to bless various objects, as attested by Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father.[6][14] In other parts of the early Christian world it was done with the whole hand or with two fingers.[15] Around the year 200 in Carthage (modern Tunisia, Africa), Tertullian wrote: "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross."[6][16] He documented that Christians would trace the sign of the cross on their beds prior to sleeping.[6] In the 4th century, the small sign of the cross was applied to various parts of the body.[6] The 6th century saw the development of the large sign of the cross as a "four-point movement traced across the chest or in the air".[17]

Hippolytus of Rome, in his Apostolic Tradition, recommends sealing oneself the forehead in times of temptation, with it being described as the "Sign of the Passion". Vestiges of this early variant of the practice remain: in the Masses of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches and the Anglican Churches, the celebrant makes this gesture on the Gospel book and—together with the congregation—on his forehead, lips, and on his heart at the proclamation of the Gospel (known as the lesser sign of the cross);[14][18] on Ash Wednesday the small sign of the cross is traced in ashes on the forehead; chrism is applied, among places on the body, on the forehead for the Holy Mystery of Chrismation in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[14]

Large sign of the cross

Gesture

The actual motion of the large sign of the cross is heavily disputed; the Eastern Orthodox state that the right to left motion to be the more ancient way whereas writings by Bar Salibi and other Syriac prose writers show that the left to right motion predates the right to left signage.[19] Western Catholics (the Latin Church) and Western Lutherans have made the motion from left to right, while Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Lutherans and Eastern Catholics (Byzantine rite) move from right to left.[20][21]

In the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Lutheran and Byzantine Catholic (Eastern Catholics) churches, the tips of the first three fingers (the thumb, index, and middle ones) are brought together, and the last two (the "ring" and little fingers) are pressed against the palm. The first three fingers express one's faith in the Trinity, while the remaining two fingers represent the two natures of Jesus, divine and human.[22][23] This gesture was also used in Western Europe into the high Middle Ages.[24] Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' Ephraim accused the Latin Church of using five fingers to make the sign of the cross in 1050s.[25]

Motion

The large sign of the cross is made by touching the hand sequentially to the forehead, lower chest or stomach, and both shoulders, accompanied by the Trinitarian formula: at the forehead "In the name of the Father" (or In nomine Patris in Latin); at the stomach or heart "and of the Son" (et Filii); across the shoulders "and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost" (et Spiritus Sancti); and finally: "Amen".[26]

There are several interpretations, according to Church Fathers:[27] the forehead symbolizes Heaven; the solar plexus (or top of stomach), the earth; the shoulders, the place and sign of power. It also recalls both the Trinity and the Incarnation. Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) explained: "The sign of the cross is made with three fingers, because the signing is done together with the invocation of the Trinity. [...] This is how it is done: from above to below, and from the right to the left, because Christ descended from the heavens to the earth".[28]

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 top of the stomach. It may also be accompanied by the recitation of a prayer (e.g., the Jesus Prayer, or simply "Lord have mercy"). In some Catholic regions, like Spain, Italy and Latin America, it is customary to form a cross with the index finger and thumb and then to kiss one's thumb at the conclusion of the gesture.[29]

Sequence

Cyril of Jerusalem (315–386)[30] wrote in his book about the lesser sign of the cross:

Many have been crucified throughout the world, but by none of these are the devils scared; but when they see even the Sign of the Cross of Christ, who was crucified for us, they shudder. For those men died for their own sins, but Christ for the sins of others; for He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. It is not Peter who says this, for then we might suspect that he was partial to his Teacher; but it is Esaias who says it, who was not indeed present with Him in the flesh, but in the Spirit foresaw His coming in the flesh.[31]

For others only hear, but we both see and handle. Let none be weary; take your armour against the adversaries in the cause of the Cross itself; set up the faith of the Cross as a trophy against the gainsayers. For when you are going to dispute with unbelievers concerning the Cross of Christ, first make with your hand the sign of Christ's Cross, and the gainsayer will be silenced. Be not ashamed to confess the Cross; for Angels glory in it, saying, We know whom you seek, Jesus the Crucified. Matthew 28:5 Might you not say, O Angel, I know whom you seek, my Master? But, I, he says with boldness, I know the Crucified. For the Cross is a Crown, not a dishonour.[31]

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 on 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 rise up; when we are in the way, and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He triumphed over them in it, having made a show of them openly Colossians 2:15; for when they see the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the gift; out for this the rather honour your Benefactor.[31]

John of Damascus (650–750) stated:[32]

Moreover we worship even the image of the precious and life-giving Cross, although made of another tree, not honouring the tree (God forbid) but the image as a symbol of Christ. For He said to His disciples, admonishing them, Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven Matthew 24:30, meaning the Cross. And so also the angel of the resurrection said to the woman, You seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified. Mark 16:6 And the Apostle said, We preach Christ crucified. 1 Corinthians 1:23 For there are many Christs and many Jesuses, but one crucified. He does not say speared but crucified. It behooves us, then, to worship the sign of Christ. For wherever the sign may be, there also will He be. But it does not behoove us to worship the material of which the image of the Cross is composed, even though it be gold or precious stones, after it is destroyed, if that should happen. Everything, therefore, that is dedicated to God we worship, conferring the adoration on Him.[33]

Herbert Thurston indicates that at one time both Eastern and Western Christians moved the hand from the right shoulder to the left. German theologian Valentin Thalhofer thought writings quoted in support of this point, such as that of Innocent III, refer to the small cross made upon the forehead or external objects, in which the hand moves naturally from right to left, and not the big cross made from shoulder to shoulder.[14] Andreas Andreopoulos, author of The Sign of the Cross, gives a more detailed description of the development and the symbolism of the placement of the fingers and the direction of the movement.[34]

Use

Catholicism

Within the Roman Catholic Church, the sign of the cross is a sacramental, which the Church defines as "sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments"; that "signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church"; and that "always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism)."[35] Section 1670 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, "Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ."[35] Section 1671 of the CCC states: "Among sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father 'with every spiritual blessing.' This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ."[35] Section 2157 of the CCC states: "The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.' The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties."[36]

John Vianney said a genuinely made Sign of the Cross "makes all hell tremble."[37]

The Catholic Church's Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the priest and the faithful make the Sign of the Cross at the conclusion of the Entrance Chant and the priest or deacon "makes the Sign of the Cross [i.e the lesser sign of the cross] on the book and on his forehead, lips, and breast" when announcing the Gospel text (to which the people acclaim: "Glory to you, O Lord").[38]

The sign of the cross is expected at two points in the Mass: the laity sign themselves during the introductory greeting of the service and at the final blessing; optionally, other times during the Mass when the laity often cross themselves are during a blessing with holy water, when concluding the penitential rite, in imitation of the priest before the Gospel reading (small signs on forehead, lips, and heart), and perhaps at other times out of personal devotion.

Eastern Orthodoxy

In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, use of the sign of the cross in worship is far more frequent than in the Western churches.[39] While there are points in liturgy at which almost all worshipers cross themselves, Orthodox faithful have significant freedom to make the sign at other times as well,[39] and many make the sign frequently throughout Divine Liturgy or other church services.[40][41] During the epiclesis (the invocation of the Holy Spirit as part of the consecration of the Eucharist), the priest makes the sign of the cross over the bread.[42] The early theologian Basil of Caesarea noted the use of the sign of the cross in the rite marking the admission of catechumens.[43]

Old Believers

In the Tsardom of Russia, until the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century, it was customary to make the sign of the cross with two fingers. The enforcement of the three-finger sign (as opposed to the two-finger sign of the "Old Rite"), as well as other Nikonite reforms (which alternated certain previous Russian practices to conform with Greek customs), were among the reasons for the schism with the Old Believers whose congregations continue to use the two-finger sign of the cross (other points of dispute included iconography and iconoclasm, as well as changes in liturgical practices).[44] The Old Believers considered the two-fingered symbol to symbolize the dual nature of Christ as divine and human (the other three fingers in the palm representing the Trinity).[45]

Lutheranism

Among Lutherans, the use of the sign of the cross is normative and widespread. For example, Luther's Small Catechism states that it is expected before the morning and evening prayers. The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) states that "The sign of the cross may be made at the Trinitarian Invocation and at the words of the Nicene Creed 'and the life of the world to come.'"[46] In the present-day, the sign of the cross is customary throughout the Divine Service.[47][48] Rubrics in contemporary Lutheran worship manuals, including Evangelical Lutheran Worship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Service Book used by LCMS and Lutheran Church–Canada, provide for making the sign of the cross at certain points in the liturgy.[49][50] The sign of the cross is made with three fingers, starting with touching the head, touching the chest (heart) and then going from the left shoulder to the right shoulder.[20]

In the Lutheran Churches, the lesser sign of the cross is made by the celebrant on the Gospel Book and on his/her forehead, lips, and breast when announcing the Gospel text (to which the people acclaim: "Glory to you, O Lord"). The faithful trace the lesser sign of the cross on their foreheads, lips, and hearts while praying "May the Word of the Lord be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart".[18]

Anglican and Episcopal traditions

The English Reformation reduced the use of the sign of the cross compared to its use in Catholic rites. The 1549 Book of Common Prayer reduced the use of the sign of the cross by clergy during liturgy to five occasions, although an added note ("As touching, kneeling, crossing, holding up of hands, and other gestures; they may be used or left as every man's devotion serveth, without blame") gave more leeway to the faithful to make the sign.[51] The 1552 Book of Common Prayer (revised in 1559) reduced the five set uses to a single usage, during baptism.[51] The form of the sign was touching the head, chest, then both shoulders.[52]

The use of the mandatory sign of the cross during baptism was one of several points of contention between the established Church of England and Puritans, who objected to this sole mandatory sign of the cross,[51][52] and its connections to the church's Catholic past.[52] Nonconformists refused to use the sign.[52] In addition to its Catholic associations, the sign of the cross was significant in English folk traditions, with the sign believed to have a protective function against evil.[52] Puritans viewed the sign of the cross as superstitious and idolatrous.[52] Use of the sign of the cross during baptism was defended by King James I at the Hampton Court Conference and by the 1604 Code of Canons, and its continued use was one of many factors in the departure of Puritans from the Church of England.[51]

The 1789 Prayer Book of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America made the sign of the cross during baptism optional, apparently in concession to varying views within the church on the sign's use.[51] The 1892 revision of the Prayer Book, however, made the sign mandatory.[51] The Anglo-Catholic movement saw a resurgence in the use of the sign of the cross within Anglicanism, including by laity and in church architecture and decoration;[53] historically, "high church" Anglicans were more apt to make the sign of the cross than "low church" Anglicans.[54] Objections to the use of the sign of the cross within Anglicanism were largely dropped in the 20th century.[51] In some Anglican traditions, the sign of the cross is made by priests when consecrating the bread and wine of the Eucharist and when giving the priestly blessing at the end of a church service, and is made by congregants when receiving Communion.[55] More recently, some Anglican bishops have adopted the Roman Catholic practice of placing a sign of the cross (+) before their signatures.[53]

Methodism

The sign of the cross can be found in the Methodist liturgy of the United Methodist Church.[56] John Wesley, the principal leader of the early Methodists, in a 1784 revision of The Book of Common Prayer for Methodist use called The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, instructed the presiding minister to make the sign of the cross on the forehead of children just after they have been baptized. (This book was later adopted by Methodists in the United States for their liturgy.)[56][57] Wesley did not include the sign of the cross in other rites.[56]

By the early 20th century, the use of the sign of the cross had been dropped from American Methodist worship.[56] However, its use was subsequently restored, and the current United Methodist Church allows the pastor to "trace on the forehead of each newly baptized person the sign of the cross."[56] This usage during baptism is reflected in the current (1992) Book of Worship of the United Methodist Church, and is widely practiced (sometimes with oil).[58] Making of the sign is also common among United Methodists on Ash Wednesday, when it is applied by the elder to the foreheads of the laity as a mark of penitence.[56][59] In some United Methodist congregations, the worship leader makes the sign of the cross toward congregants (for example, when blessing the congregation at the end of the sermon or service), and individual congregants make the sign on themselves when receiving Holy Communion.[56] The sign is also sometimes made by pastors, with oil, upon the foreheads of those seeking healing.[60] In addition to its use in baptism, some Methodist clergy make the sign at the Communion table and during the Confession of Sin and Pardon at the invocation of Jesus' name.[61]

Whether or not a Methodist uses the sign for private prayer is a personal choice, although the UMC encourages it as a devotional practice, stating: "Many United Methodists have found this restoration powerful and meaningful. The ancient and enduring power of the sign of the cross is available for us to use as United Methodists more abundantly now than ever in our history. And more and more United Methodists are expanding its use beyond those suggested in our official ritual."[56]

Reformed tradition (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist)

In some Reformed churches, such as the Church of Scotland and Presbyterian Church (USA), the sign of the cross is used on the foreheads during baptism and the Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant.[62] It is also used at times during the Benediction, the minister will make the sign of the cross out toward the congregation while invoking the Trinity.

Armenian Apostolic

It is common practice in the Armenian Apostolic Church to make the sign of the cross when entering or passing a church, during the start of service and at many times during Divine Liturgy. The motion is performed by joining the first three fingers, to symbolize the Holy Trinity, and putting the two other fingers in the palm, then touching one's forehead, below the chest, left side, then right side and finishing with open hand on the chest again with bowing head.[63][64]

Assyrian Church of the East

The Assyrian Church of the East uniquely holds the sign of the cross as a sacrament in its own right. Another sacrament unique to the church is the Holy Leaven.[65]

Small sign of the cross

The small sign of the cross has been documented in early Christianity by Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father, who wrote in 204 CE in De Corona ('On Crowns'): "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before retiring to sleep we form on our foreheads the sign of the cross." Tertullian attested to the Christian practice of tracing this small sign of the cross on objects, such one's bed before sleeping. It is traced on the forehead, or various objects, with the thumb (sometimes using holy water or anointing oil).[66]

Anointing of the sick

During the Christian rite of the anointing of the sick, practiced liturgically in Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, the small sign of the cross is traced on the forehead of the individual being anointed.[67][68]

By tracing the sign of the cross on the forehead during the anointing, the priest indicates that all divine favors come to us through the salvific power of Christ, Who continues to be present with His Church, since "Christ is among us!" (Mt. 18, 20) And the faithful, in turn express their faith in Christ’s presence and assistance by answering, "He is and He shall be."[69]

Exorcism and deliverance prayers

In the minor exorcism used in the Christian sacrament of Baptism, the Catholic Roman Missal (1911), Lutheran Baptismal Booklet (1526) and Book of Common Prayer (1549) enjoin the sign of the cross to be traced on the forehead of the baptismal candidate.[70]

The Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal led by Roman Catholic exorcist Stephen Joseph Rossetti provides deliverance prayers for the laity.[71] Among these is the Prayer for Cleansing the Faculties and Senses, which enjoins the use of the sign of the cross to be traced on several parts of the body using holy oil or holy water.[71]

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent in Western Christianity), the sign of the cross is made by the celebrant on the forehead of believers during the ceremony of the imposition of ashes; this takes place in Latin Church Catholicism, Lutheranism, Moravianism, Anglicanism, as well as in a number of Reformed (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist), Methodist, Anabaptist, and Baptist churches, among others.[72]

House blessing

Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father, attested to a Christian woman making the sign of the cross on her bed before sleeping.[6] Christians of various denominations mark doors, windows and lintels of their house with the sign of the cross using holy anointing oil for a house blessing.[73] Prayers such as the following are used for the same:[74]

With the sign of this cross I am making a declaration that this house belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ that no sickness, death, thief or evil can enter this home. This oil is a symbol of the blood of Jesus Christ. No weapons that are formed against us or this property shall prosper and any destruction must pass over us, in Jesus name. We are safe and protected under the blood of Jesus.[74]

See also

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Sign of the Cross — A term applied to various manual acts, liturgical or devotional in character, which have this at least in common: that by the gesture of tracing two lines intersecting at right angles they indicate symbolically the figure of Christ's cross.

Most commonly and properly the words "sign of the cross" are used of the large cross traced from forehead to breast and from shoulder to shoulder, such as Catholics are taught to make upon themselves when they begin their prayers, and such also as the priest makes at the foot of the altar when he commences Mass with the words: "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti". (At the beginning of Mass the celebrant makes the sign of the cross by placing his left hand extended under his breast; then raising his right to his forehead, which he touches with the extremities of his fingers, he says: In nomine Patris; then, touching his breast with the same hand, he says: et Filii; touching his left and right shoulders, he says; et Spiritus Sancti; and as he joins his hands again adds: Amen.) The same sign recurs frequently during Mass, e.g. at the words "Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini", at the "Indulgentiam" after the Confiteor, etc., as also in the Divine Office, for example at the invocation "Deus in adjutorium nostrum intende", at the beginning of the "Magnificat", the "Benedictus", the "Nunc Dimittis", and on many other occasions.

Another kind of sign of the cross is that made in the air by bishops, priests, and others in blessing persons or material objects. This cross recurs also many times in the liturgy of the Mass and in nearly all the ritual offices connected with the sacraments and sacramentals.

A third variety is represented by the little cross, generally made with the thumb, which the priest or deacon traces for example upon the book of the Gospels and then upon his own forehead, lips, and breast at Mass, as also that made upon the lips in the "Domine labia mea aperies" of the Office, or again upon the forehead of the infant in Baptism, and upon the various organs of sense in Extreme Unction, etc.

Still another variant of the same holy sign may be recognized in the direction of the "Lay Folks Mass Book" (thirteenth century) that the people at the end of the Gospel should trace a cross upon the bench or wall or a book and then kiss it. It was prescribed in some early uses that the priest ascending to the altar before the Introit should first mark a cross upon the altar-cloth and them should kiss the cross so traced. Moreover it would seem that the custom, prevalent in Spain and some other countries, according to which a man, after making the sign of the cross in the ordinary way, apparently kisses his thumb, has a similar origin. The thumb laid across the forefinger forms an image of the cross to which the lips are devoutly pressed.

Of all the above methods of venerating this life-giving symbol and adopting it as an emblem, the marking of a little cross seems to be the most ancient. We have positive evidence in the early Fathers that such a practice was familiar to Christians in the second century. "In all our travels and movements", says Tertullian (De cor. Mil., iii), "in all our coming in and going out, in putting of our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupieth us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross". On the other hand this must soon have passed into a gesture of benediction, as many quotations from the Fathers in the fourth century would show. Thus St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his "Catecheses" (xiii, 36) remarks: "let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in every thing; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in goings; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are travelling, and when we are at rest".

The course of development seems to have been the following. The cross was originally traced by Christians with the thumb or finger on their own foreheads. This practice is attested by numberless allusions in Patristic literature, and it was clearly associated in idea with certain references in Scripture, notably Ezech., ix, 4 (of the mark of the letter Tau); Ex., xvii, 9-14; and especially Apoc., vii 3; ix, 4; xiv, 1. Hardly less early in date is the custom of marking a cross on objects — already Tertullian speaks of the Christian woman "signing" her bed (cum lectulum tuum signas, "Ad uxor.", ii, 5) before retiring to rest-and we soon hear also of the sign of the cross being traced on the lips (Jerome, "Epitaph. Paulæ") and on the heart (Prudentius, "Cathem.", vi, 129). Not unnaturally if the object were more remote, the cross which was directed towards it had to be made in the air. Thus Epiphanius tells us (Adv. Hær., xxx, 12) of a certain holy man Josephus, who imparted to a vessel of water the power of overthrowing magical incantations by "making over the vessel with his finger the seal of the cross" pronouncing the while a form of prayer. Again half a century later Sozomen, the church historian (VII, xxvi), describes how Bishop Donatus when attacked by a dragon "made the sign of the cross with his finger in the air and spat upon the monster". All this obviously leads up to the suggestion of a larger cross made over the whole body, and perhaps the earliest example which can be quoted comes to us from a Georgian source, possibly of the fourth or fifth century. In the life of St. Nino, a woman saint, honoured as the Apostle of Georgia, we are told in these terms of a miracle worked by her: "St. Nino began to pray and entreat God for a long time. Then she took her (wooden) cross and with it touched the Queen's head, her feet and her shoulders, making the sign of the cross and straightway she was cured" (Studia Biblica, V, 32).

It appears on the whole probable that the general introduction of our present larger cross (from brow to breast and from shoulder to shoulder) was an indirect result of the Monophysite controversy. The use of the thumb alone or the single forefinger, which so long as only a small cross was traced upon the forehead was almost inevitable, seems to have given way for symbolic reasons to the use of two fingers (the forefinger and middle finger, or thumb and forefinger) as typifying the two natures and two wills in Jesus Christ. But if two fingers were to be employed, the large cross, in which forehead, breast, etc. were merely touched, suggested itself as the only natural gesture. Indeed some large movement of the sort was required to make it perceptible that a man was using two fingers rather than one. At a somewhat later date, throughout the greater part of the East, three fingers, or rather the thumb and two fingers were displayed, while the ring and little finger were folded back upon the palm. These two were held to symbolize the two natures or wills in Christ, while the extended three denoted the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. At the same time these fingers were so held as to indicate the common abbreviation I X C (Iesous Christos Soter), the forefinger representing the I, the middle finger crossed with the thumb standing for the X and the bent middle finger serving to suggest the C. In Armenia, however, the sign of the cross made with two fingers is still retained to the present day. Much of this symbolism passed to the West, though at a later date.

On the whole it seems probable that the ultimate prevalence of the larger cross is due to an instruction of Leo IV in the middle of the ninth century. "Sign the chalice and the host", he wrote, "with a right cross and not with circles or with a varying of the fingers, but with two fingers stretched out and the thumb hidden within them, by which the Trinity is symbolized. Take heed to make this sign rightly, for otherwise you can bless nothing" (see Georgi, "Liturg. Rom. Pont.", III, 37). Although this, of course, primarily applies to the position of the hand in blessing with the sign of the cross; it seems to have been adapted popularly to the making of the sign of the cross upon oneself. Aelfric (about 1000) probably had it in mind when he tells his hearers in one of his sermons: "A man may wave about wonderfully with his hands without creating any blessing unless he make the sign of the cross. But if he do the fiend will soon be frightened on account of the victorious token. With three fingers one must bless himself for the Holy Trinity" (Thorpe, "The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church" I, 462). Fifty years earlier than this Anglo-Saxon Christians were exhorted to "bless all their bodies seven times with Christ's rood token" (Blicking Hom., 47), which seems to assume this large cross. Bede in his letter to Bishop Egbert advises him to remind his flock "with what frequent diligence to employ upon themselves the sign of our Lord's cross", though here we can draw no inferences as to the kind of cross made. On the other hand when we meet in the so-called "Prayer Book of King Henry" (eleventh century) a direction in the morning prayers to mark with the holy Cross "the four sides of the body", there is a good reason to suppose that the large sign with which we are now familiar is meant.

At this period the manner of making it in the West seems to have been identical with that followed at present in the East, i.e. only three fingers were used, and the hand traveled from the right shoulder to the left. The point, it must be confessed, is not entirely clear and Thalhofer (Liturgik, I, 633) inclines to the opinion that in the passages of Belethus (xxxix), Sicardus (III, iv), Innocent III (De myst. Alt., II, xlvi), and Durandus (V, ii, 13), which are usually appealed to in proof of this, these authors have in mind the small cross made upon the forehead or external objects, in which the hand moves naturally from right to left, and not the big cross made from shoulder to shoulder. Still, a rubric in a manuscript copy of the York Missal clearly requires the priest when signing himself with the paten to touch the left shoulder after the right. Moreover it is at least clear from many pictures and sculptures that in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Greek practice of extending only three fingers was adhered to by many Latin Christians. Thus the compiler of the Ancren Riwle (about 1200) directs his nuns at "Deus in adjutorium" to make a little cross from above the forehead down to the breast with three fingers". However there can be little doubt that long before the close of the Middle Ages the large sign of the cross was more commonly made in the West with the open hand and that the bar of the cross was traced from left to right. In the "Myroure of our Ladye" (p. 80) the Bridgettine Nuns of Sion have a mystical reason given to them for the practice: "And then ye bless you with the sygne of the holy crosse, to chase away the fiend with all his deceytes. For, as Chrysostome sayth, wherever the fiends see the signe of the crosse, they flye away, dreading it as a staffe that they are beaten withall. And in thys blessinge ye beginne with youre hande at the hedde downwarde, and then to the lefte side and byleve that our Lord Jesu Christe came down from the head, that is from the Father into erthe by his holy Incarnation, and from the erthe into the left syde, that is hell, by his bitter Passion, and from thence into his Father's righte syde by his glorious Ascension".

The manual act of tracing the cross with the hand or the thumb has at all periods been quite commonly, though not indispensably, accompanied by a form of words. The formula, however, has varied greatly. In the earlier ages we have evidence for such invocation as "The sign of Christ", "The seal of the living God", "In the name of Jesus"; etc. Later we meet "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth", "In the name of the Holy Trinity", "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost", "Our help is in the name of the Lord", "O God come to my assistance". Members of the Orthodox Greek Church when blessing themselves with three fingers, as above explained, commonly use the invocation: "Holy God, Holy strong One, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy on us", which words, as is well known, have been retained in their Greek form by the Western Church in the Office for Good Friday.

It is unnecessary to insist upon the effects of grace and power attributed by the Church at all times to the use of the holy sign of the cross. From the earliest period it has been employed in all exorcisms and conjurations as a weapon against the spirits of darkness, and it takes its place not less consistently in the ritual of the sacraments and in every form of blessing and consecration. A famous difficulty is that suggested by the making of the sign of the cross repeatedly over the Host and Chalice after the words of institution have been spoken in the Mass. The true explanation is probably to be found in the fact that at the time these crosses were introduced (they vary too much in the early copies of the Canon to be of primitive institution), the clergy and faithful did not clearly ask themselves at what precise moment the transubstantiation of the elements was effected. They were satisfied to believe that it was the result of the whole of the consecratory prayer which we call the Canon, without determining the exact words which were operative; just as we are now content to know that the Precious Blood is consecrated by the whole word spoken over the chalice, without pausing to reflect whether all the words are necessary. Hence the signs of the cross continue till the end of the Canon and they may be regarded as mentally referred back to a consecration which is still conceived of as incomplete. The process is the reverse of that by which in the Greek Church at the "Great Entrance" the highest marks of honour are paid to the simple elements of bread and wine in anticipation of the consecration which they are to receive shortly afterwards.

Thalhofer, Liturgik, I (Freiburg, 1883), 629-43; Warren in Dict. Christ. Antiq. s.v.; Church Quart. Rev., XXXV (1893), 315-41; Beresford-Cooke, The Sign of the Cross in the Western Liturgies (London, 1907); Gretser, De Cruce Christi (Ingolstadt, 1598); Stevens, The Cross in the Life and Literature of the Anglo-Saxons (New York, 1904).

References

  1. Back to citation Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-89869-701-8. “The BCP directs that the celebrant at baptism will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate for baptism (using chrism if desired), saying "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever" (BCP, p. 308). In the form for Ministration to the Sick the BCP directs that if the sick person is to be anointed, the priest dips a thumb in the holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead (BCP, p. 456). The BOS provides that at the admission of catechumens, each catechumen is presented by name to the celebrant who marks a cross on the forehead of each with a thumb, saying "Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead and in your heart, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."”; Lang, Jovian (1989). Dictionary of the Liturgy. Catholic Book Publishing Company. pp. 585–586. ISBN 978-0-89942-273-2; Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. “It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body”; Guzman, Sam (22 October 2013). "Spiritual Weapons: The Sign of the Cross". The Catholic Gentleman. Retrieved 16 April 2025. “A small sign of the cross can be traced on the forehead of a child or upon an object which you wish to bless.”; Dalmais, Irénée Henri; Martimort, Aimé Georges (1987). Principles of the Liturgy. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-1363-4. “As early as the beginning of the third century in Africa and at Rome, the making of a sign of the cross on the forehead during the rites of initiation seems already to be a traditional way of showing that the person belonged to Christ and to be regarded as a kind of invisible seal; Christians also made the sign of the cross on themselves rather frequently. It was then extended to the various senses and became an exorcistic gesture. Another form of the sign of the cross is the gesture of blessing, made either with all the fingers extended and joined or with some fingers extended and the others closed; the manner varied according to the practice of different Churches and different periods, and was also influenced by allegorical considerations; Easterners have often been accustomed to giving a blessing while holding a cross. Finally, the large sign of the cross (forehead to breast to shoulders) that is familiar to modern believers seems of relatively late origin”; Ballmann, Matthew (13 September 2023). "The Triumph of the Holy Cross". Trinity San Antonio Lutheran Church. “The identity and relevance of Christianity are both irrevocably tied up with the crucified Christ. The Cross — because of what it represents — is the most potent and universal symbol of the Christian faith. It has inspired both liturgical and private devotions: for example, the Sign of the Cross, which is an invocation of the Holy Trinity; a processional cross as the centering piece to the Divine Service; the "little" Sign of the Cross on head, lips and heart at the reading of the Gospel; or praying the Stations (or Way) of the Cross during the Lenten season.”
  2. Back to citation Hippolytus. "Apostolic Tradition" (PDF). St. John's Episcopal Church. pp. 8, 16, 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  3. Back to citation Dalmais, Irénée Henri; Martimort, Aimé Georges (1987). Principles of the Liturgy. Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-1363-4. “As early as the beginning of the third century in Africa and at Rome, the making of a sign of the cross on the forehead during the rites of initiation seems already to be a traditional way of showing that the person belonged to Christ and to be regarded as a kind of invisible seal; Christians also made the sign of the cross on themselves rather frequently. It was then extended to the various senses and became an exorcistic gesture. Another form of the sign of the cross is the gesture of blessing, made either with all the fingers extended and joined or with some fingers extended and the others closed; the manner varied according to the practice of different Churches and different periods, and was also influenced by allegorical considerations; Easterners have often been accustomed to giving a blessing while holding a cross. Finally, the large sign of the cross (forehead to breast to shoulders) that is familiar to modern believers seems of relatively late origin”; Miller, John Desmond (7 January 2002). Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4411-1689-5. “The large sign of the cross made over the body, as we make it today, originated in the East between the fifth and eighth centuries, but there is no satisfactory evidence of its use in the West until the thirteenth century.”; "The Prayer of the Veil". Encyclopedia Coptica. 2011. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
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  5. Back to citation Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. “It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body”; Crock, Clement Henry (1938). Discourses on the Apostles' Creed. Joseph F. Wagner. p. 16; "Why Bonhoeffer made the sign of the cross". Ortho Christian. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Back to citation occurrence 6.2 Back to citation occurrence 6.3 Back to citation occurrence 6.4 Back to citation occurrence 6.5 Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. “It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body”
  7. Back to citation Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-89869-701-8. “The BCP directs that the celebrant at baptism will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate for baptism (using chrism if desired), saying "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever" (BCP, p. 308). In the form for Ministration to the Sick the BCP directs that if the sick person is to be anointed, the priest dips a thumb in the holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead (BCP, p. 456). The BOS provides that at the admission of catechumens, each catechumen is presented by name to the celebrant who marks a cross on the forehead of each with a thumb, saying "Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead and in your heart, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."”; Cavalletti, Sofia; Coulter, Patricia; Gobbi, Gianna (15 May 2021). The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, Revised and Updated. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 978-1-61833-456-5. “There is another gesture done at our Baptism, one that we know very well. [The catechist makes a small sign of the cross with her thumb on the forehead at each child.] (The children readily recognize the cross). At our Baptism the priest and also our parents and godparents make this sign on us. They use their thumb, the strongest finger to make this sign on us to show that this is meant to go deep into our heart. This sign marks us as a sheep of the Good Shepherd.”; Guzman, Sam (22 October 2013). "Spiritual Weapons: The Sign of the Cross". The Catholic Gentleman. Retrieved 16 April 2025. “A small sign of the cross can be traced on the forehead of a child or upon an object which you wish to bless.”; Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. “It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body”
  8. Back to citation Cavalletti, Sofia; Coulter, Patricia; Gobbi, Gianna (15 May 2021). The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, Revised and Updated. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 978-1-61833-456-5. “There is another gesture done at our Baptism, one that we know very well. [The catechist makes a small sign of the cross with her thumb on the forehead at each child.] (The children readily recognize the cross). At our Baptism the priest and also our parents and godparents make this sign on us. They use their thumb, the strongest finger to make this sign on us to show that this is meant to go deep into our heart. This sign marks us as a sheep of the Good Shepherd.”; Naumann, Edward (31 March 2021). "Anointed for Burial". The Lutheran Witness. Retrieved 6 March 2025. “During the rite of Baptism, Christians may receive a bodily anointing, when the forehead is anointed with oil in the sign of the cross. This bodily anointing likewise signifies our incorporation into Christ.”; Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-89869-701-8. “The BCP directs that the celebrant at baptism will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate for baptism (using chrism if desired), saying "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever" (BCP, p. 308). In the form for Ministration to the Sick the BCP directs that if the sick person is to be anointed, the priest dips a thumb in the holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead (BCP, p. 456). The BOS provides that at the admission of catechumens, each catechumen is presented by name to the celebrant who marks a cross on the forehead of each with a thumb, saying "Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead and in your heart, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."”; "Order for the Blessing of the Sick". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 6 March 2025. “394 A lay minister traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of each sick person and says the following prayer of blessing.”
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  44. Back to citation Peter T. De Simone, The Old Believers in Imperial Russia: Oppression, Opportunism and Religious Identity in Tsarist Moscow (2018), pp. 13, 54, 109, 206; Gary M. Hamburg, Russia's Path Toward Enlightenment: Faith, Politics, and Reason, 1500-1801 (Yale University Press, 2016), p. 179; Peter Hauptmann, "Old Believers" in The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Vol. 3 (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company/Brill: 2003).
  45. Back to citation Gary M. Hamburg, Russia's Path Toward Enlightenment: Faith, Politics, and Reason, 1500-1801 (Yale University Press, 2016), p. 179.
  46. Back to citation The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941. Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, page 4.
  47. Back to citation "Why Do Lutherans Make the Sign of the Cross?". Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
  48. Back to citation "Sign of the Cross". Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Archived from the original on 20 September 2005. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  49. Back to citation Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006
  50. Back to citation Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis: Concordia, 2006
  51. Back to citation occurrence 51.0 Back to citation occurrence 51.1 Back to citation occurrence 51.2 Back to citation occurrence 51.3 Back to citation occurrence 51.4 Back to citation occurrence 51.5 Back to citation occurrence 51.6 Colin Buchanan, Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd ed.: 2015), pp. 533-35.
  52. Back to citation occurrence 52.0 Back to citation occurrence 52.1 Back to citation occurrence 52.2 Back to citation occurrence 52.3 Back to citation occurrence 52.4 Back to citation occurrence 52.5 Louis P. Nelson, The Beauty of Holiness: Anglicanism and Architecture in Colonial South Carolina (University of North Carolina Press: 2009), p. 152.
  53. Back to citation occurrence 53.0 Back to citation occurrence 53.1 Colin Buchanan, The A to Z of Anglicanism (Scarecrow Press: 2009), pp. 126-27.
  54. Back to citation Corinne Ware, What Is Liturgy? Forward Movement Publications (1996), p. 18.
  55. Back to citation Marcus Throup, All Things Anglican: Who We Are and What We Believe (Canterbury Press, 2018).
  56. Back to citation occurrence 56.0 Back to citation occurrence 56.1 Back to citation occurrence 56.2 Back to citation occurrence 56.3 Back to citation occurrence 56.4 Back to citation occurrence 56.5 Back to citation occurrence 56.6 Back to citation occurrence 56.7 "Why don't we make the sign of the cross?". United Methodist Church. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  57. Back to citation John Wesley's Prayer Book: The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America with introduction, notes, and commentary by James F. White, 1991 OSL Publications, Akron, Ohio, page 142.
  58. Back to citation The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 91
  59. Back to citation The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 323.
  60. Back to citation The United Methodist Book of Worship, Nashville 1992, p. 620.
  61. Back to citation Neal, Gregory S. (2011). "Prepared and Cross-Checked". Grace Incarnate Ministries. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  62. Back to citation J. Dudley Weaver Jr., Presbyterian Worship: A Guide for Clergy (Geneva Press: 2002), pp. 86-87.
  63. Back to citation "Making the Sign of the Cross (Khachaknkel)". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  64. Back to citation "In the Shadow of the Cross: The Holy Cross and Armenian History". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  65. Back to citation Royel, Mar Awa (2013). "The Sacrament of the Holy Leaven (Malkā) in the Assyrian Church of the East". In Giraudo, Cesare (ed.). The Anaphoral Genesis of the Institution Narrative in Light of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari. Rome: Edizioni Orientalia Christiana. p. 363. ISBN 978-88-97789-34-5.
  66. Back to citation Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. Church Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-89869-701-8. “The BCP directs that the celebrant at baptism will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate for baptism (using chrism if desired), saying "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever" (BCP, p. 308). In the form for Ministration to the Sick the BCP directs that if the sick person is to be anointed, the priest dips a thumb in the holy oil and makes the sign of the cross on the sick person's forehead (BCP, p. 456). The BOS provides that at the admission of catechumens, each catechumen is presented by name to the celebrant who marks a cross on the forehead of each with a thumb, saying "Receive the sign of the Cross on your forehead and in your heart, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."”; Couchman, Judith (5 March 2010). The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life. InterVarsity Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8308-7917-5. “It's generally accepted that unitl the fourth century, Christians traced a small sign of the cross on their foreheads. Either boasting or lamenting Tertullian attested, "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross." However, Tertullian also revealed the practice of "signing" the cross on objects like the woman who made the sign of the cross on her bed before retiring at night. By the fourth century the small sign extended to several parts of the body”; Crock, Clement Henry (1938). Discourses on the Apostles' Creed. Joseph F. Wagner. p. 16; "Why Bonhoeffer made the sign of the cross". Ortho Christian. Retrieved 6 March 2025; Guzman, Sam (22 October 2013). "Spiritual Weapons: The Sign of the Cross". The Catholic Gentleman. Retrieved 16 April 2025. “A small sign of the cross can be traced on the forehead of a child or upon an object which you wish to bless.”; Cavalletti, Sofia; Coulter, Patricia; Gobbi, Gianna (15 May 2021). The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, Revised and Updated. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 978-1-61833-456-5. “There is another gesture done at our Baptism, one that we know very well. [The catechist makes a small sign of the cross with her thumb on the forehead at each child.] (The children readily recognize the cross). At our Baptism the priest and also our parents and godparents make this sign on us. They use their thumb, the strongest finger to make this sign on us to show that this is meant to go deep into our heart. This sign marks us as a sheep of the Good Shepherd.”
  67. Back to citation "Order for the Blessing of the Sick". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 6 March 2025. “394 A lay minister traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of each sick person and says the following prayer of blessing.”
  68. Back to citation Gusmer, Charles W. (5 May 2017). And You Visited Me: Sacramental Ministry to the Sick. Liturgical Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8146-6325-7.
  69. Back to citation "MIROVANIJE: THE ANOINTING WITH HOLY OIL: A Traditional Custom of the BYZANTINE RITE". Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  70. Back to citation Cavalletti, Sofia; Coulter, Patricia; Gobbi, Gianna (15 May 2021). The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, Revised and Updated. Liturgy Training Publications. ISBN 978-1-61833-456-5. “There is another gesture done at our Baptism, one that we know very well. [The catechist makes a small sign of the cross with her thumb on the forehead at each child.] (The children readily recognize the cross). At our Baptism the priest and also our parents and godparents make this sign on us. They use their thumb, the strongest finger to make this sign on us to show that this is meant to go deep into our heart. This sign marks us as a sheep of the Good Shepherd.”; Senn, Frank C. (2012). Introduction to Christian Liturgy. Fortress Press. p. 162. ISBN 9781451424331; Bradshaw, Paul F. (April 2013). New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. p. 41. ISBN 9780334049326.
  71. Back to citation occurrence 71.0 Back to citation occurrence 71.1 Stephen Joseph Rossetti. "Cleansing the Faculties and Senses". Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  72. Back to citation "The Liturgical Calendar". Reformed Church in America. 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018; Lipin, Bridget (27 February 2017). "Lenten Reflections: Ash Wednesday". American Baptist Churches USA; "The Significance of Lent". Methodist Church in Singapore. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024. “Over the last 25 years, more and more Methodist local conferences have been observing Lent, the 46 days before Easter.”
  73. Back to citation "Anointing oil". Missionaries Of Prayer. 18 September 2020. “...take the anointing oil and over every window and door to your house just put the sign of the cross in the corner of it.”; "How to Bless and Anoint Your Home/Property". Melchizedek Church of God. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2025; Stephen Joseph Rossetti (1 January 2024). "7 Powerful Sacramentals of the Church for Spiritual Warfare". Catholic Ace. Retrieved 6 March 2025. “Then I took exorcized oil and made a sign of the cross on the door, windows, and lintels.”
  74. Back to citation occurrence 74.0 Back to citation occurrence 74.1 "Anointing oil". Missionaries Of Prayer. 18 September 2020. “...take the anointing oil and over every window and door to your house just put the sign of the cross in the corner of it.”
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