The Sign of the Cross by #1 (Religion Paper)

Last updated on: August 22, 2014 at 3:53 pm by Rebecca Frech

The Sign of the Cross by #1 (Religion Paper) 2014-08-22T15:53:05-05:00 Rebecca Frech

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We, as Catholics, profess our faith in many ways. We profess it through word, deed, and through the Sign of the Cross. When we profess it through word, we answer as Peter did when he was asked by Jesus: “Whom do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.” When we profess it through deed, we assist at mass, receive the Sacraments, genuflect, and fold our hands in prayer.

We use the Sign of the Cross to profess our faith because it expresses two of the mysteries of Christianity, the Blessed Trinity and the Passion and Redemption of Jesus Christ. The Sign of the Cross, when made devoutly, helps to protect us against the snares of the devil. It arouses thoughts of Faith, Hope, and Charity within us; it helps us to rise above human respect, and draws the blessings of Heaven down upon us.

When we make the Sign of the Cross, we say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. We are professing that we believe in and accept the Blessed Trinity. We also make a cross on ourselves, symbolizing the cross that Jesus was crucified upon and his glorious Resurrection.

We should make the Sign of the Cross when we rise, when we go to bed, before and after prayers, before all important events, and in all temptations and dangers. We also make the Sign of the Cross on our forehead, mouth, and heart at the reading of the Gospel, so that we may through the grace of God, understand the Gospel with our minds, profess it with our mouths, and to love it with our hearts.

Cardinal Newman said that whenever he made the Sign of the Cross, he started thinking good thoughts, and courage awoke within him. That it helped him when he suffered and encouraged him to do good things. He also said that whenever he forgot to make the Sign of the Cross, he saw evil spirits that threaten and torment poor souls, and it scared him.

People did not always the Sign of the Cross like they do now. They used to make it only on their foreheads with the right thumb, but then it evolved into touching the forehead, the lower chest, the heart, or the stomach, and the shoulders. We still use the old way, as previously stated, before the reading of the Gospel, but we cross over our hearts and our mouths as well. There are several other ways that it is done, but this is the way that we as Catholics do it.

The Sign of the Cross is used in other religions as well, such as Lutheranism and Methodism, but many others have rejected it because it goes against their beliefs. It is absent from religions such as Mormonism, for they do not believe in the revealed mystery of the Blessed Trinity. But we, as Catholics, should use it frequently and reverently, to profess our faith, to accept God’s grace, and to open our hearts to Him.

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