Introductory Rites: The Sign of the Cross

The highlight of today's Mass is fifteen words which begin our Mass, the Sign of the Cross. "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" is not simply a way to begin praying. It is itself a powerful prayer meant to pour out tremendous blessings on our lives. It is a sacred tradition that goes back to the early centuries of Christianity when this ritual was understood to be a source of divine power and protection. Early Christians marked themselves with the sign of the cross throughout the day. They also saw the sign as marking God's faithful people.

What did these early Christian’s routine mean to them and why do we in today's world use the sign which we sometimes perform carelessly? The first aspect of the sign of the cross is the shape of the cross itself. According to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, the sign was a symbol of divine protection which distinguished the righteous from the wicked. The righteous received a mysterious mark in the shape of an X or Cross on their foreheads. In the New Testament, the book of Revelations depicts the saints in heaven as having a seal upon their foreheads. Even today, the sign of the cross is meant to express our desire to be set apart from the corrupt ways of the world. We are invoking God's protection from all harm and evil.

The second aspect of the sign of the cross is the words we recite. We call on God's name, In the name of the Father, to worship Him and to invoke His presence and His power. When we mention Jesus, we acknowledge Him to be on par with the holiness and power of God. Yet in the sign of the cross we do not focus only on the first two; we call upon all three – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – echoing Jesus' commission: “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So, as we begin today's Mass with the sign of the cross, let us remember that we are invoking God's presence and inviting him to bless us, assist us, and guard us from all harm.

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