Forgotten Rubrics: The Sign of the Cross

Forgotten Rubrics: The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is the simplest and most universal of Catholic gestures, and yet one of the most neglected in its depth and meaning. From the earliest centuries, Christians marked themselves with the Cross upon waking, before prayer, at meals, when leaving home, at the approach of danger, and at the hour of death. Tertullian testified: “At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign” (De Corona, c. 3).

In the Roman liturgy, the Sign of the Cross is everywhere. The Mass begins and ends with it. It is made repeatedly by the priest in blessing, consecration, absolution, and dismissal. The faithful are expected to make it at the words Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini; before the Gospel; at the Confiteor and absolution; when receiving blessings and Sacraments; and privately at moments of devotion. And yet, outside of liturgy, many Catholics today either neglect it or perform it hastily, without reverence.

The older rubrics of the Missal preserve forgotten details about how the Sign of the Cross was to be made. Priests were instructed to trace it distinctly, not perfunctorily, and to pronounce the accompanying words audibly when required. In certain rites, the Sign of the Cross was to be made upon specific objects—the chalice, the host, the communicant’s head, the water, the oil—so as to indicate that Christ’s victory over sin and death extends through every element sanctified by the Church.

Spiritual writers insist on its significance. Goffine explains: “By this holy sign we openly profess the chief mysteries of our faith: the unity of God in the Trinity, and the Redemption of mankind by the Cross of Christ” (Explanation of the Epistles and Gospels, p. 748). Dom Gueranger calls it “the most simple, the sublimest of Christian prayers,” noting that it is both profession and invocation—profession of the Faith, and invocation of the Divine power (Liturgical Year, Vol. 4).

There is also an ascetical dimension. The Sign of the Cross sanctifies the body as well as the soul. St. John Chrysostom preached: “Never leave your house without making the Sign of the Cross. It will be to you a staff, a weapon, a safeguard. Not only in times of persecution, but in every occasion, let it be to you as a shield, as an armor” (Hom. in Matt. 54).

The manner of the Cross
The earliest witnesses show that Christians of both East and West made the sign with three fingers, touching forehead, breast, right shoulder and then left. This was the common way of professing the Trinity and the Redemption, and it remains the Orthodox practice to this day. Only later did the Latin Church develop the custom of moving from left to right, largely through imitation of the priest’s blessing as seen by the faithful. Both manners are legitimate and express sound doctrine, yet the Eastern usage retains greater continuity with the most ancient tradition. For Catholics, the essential point is not the direction but the reverence and faith with which the sign is made.

Pastoral guidance
Priests and catechists should carefully instruct both children and converts in the proper manner of making the Sign of the Cross—forehead, breast, shoulders—pronounced with the full formula, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” Parents should reinforce this at home, ensuring children begin and end the day with it, use it before meals, and in times of fear or temptation. The faithful should be taught to make it slowly, reverently, and consciously, recognising it as both prayer and protection.

The recovery of this rubric begins in the family, is reinforced in catechesis, and is sanctified in the liturgy. To make the Sign of the Cross with care is to re-immerse oneself constantly in the mystery of Baptism, to be clothed again with the power of the Passion, and to affirm publicly the hope of Resurrection. Forgotten in its depth, the rubric of the Cross is a continual catechesis, a safeguard against the world, and a proclamation of faith.