Simply doing so, protects us from evil, protects us from the attacks of the devil and makes us earn precious grace from God.
At the end of the fourth century, a large crowd gathered around a pine tree waiting with trepidation the epilogue of an exciting stage. Bishop San Martino di Tour had a pagan temple enveloped and decided to cut the pine near the room and the object of idol worship. Many pagans opposed it and launched a challenge: they agreed to cut down the "sacred tree" if the Saint, as proof of his faith in Christ, was willing to remain bound under it, while they cut themselves
So it is done. And the zealous blow of the hatchet in a short time began to hang the trunk ... in the direction of the head of the man of God. The pagans rejoiced in this, while the Christians looked with sorrow to their holy bishop. He made the sign of the cross and the pine, as if blown by a strong wind, fell on the other side against some of the most ironic enemies of the Faith. On this occasion, many were converted to the Church of Christ.
Back to the time of the Apostles
According to tradition, corrected by the Church Fathers, the sign of the cross dates back to the time of the Apostles. Some say that Christ himself, during his glorious Ascension, blessed the disciples with the symbol of his Redemptive Passion. The Apostles and more of the disciples, therefore, spread devotion to their missions. In the second century, Tertullian, the first Latin-language Christian writer in Latin, counseled: “For all our actions, when we go in or out, when we dress or bathe, sit at a table or light a candle, when we sleep or sit down, at the beginning of our work, let us make the sign of the cross. ”This blessed sign is an occasion for grace both in the most important and the most ordinary moments of the Christian life. It is shown to us, for example, in various ways. sacraments: at Baptism, when the one who possesses him is marked by the cross of Christ, at Confirmation, when we receive the holy oil on our foreheads, or again, at the last hour of our lives, when we are forgiven we are in the Anointed One.We do the sign of the Cross at the beginning and at the end of prayers, passing in front of a church, receiving the blessing of the priest, at the beginning of a journey, etc.
A devotion full of meaning
The sign of the cross has countless meanings, of which the following are particularly noteworthy: an act of consecration to Jesus Christ, a revival of Baptism, and an expression of the fundamental truths of our Faith: the Holy Trinity and Redemption.
The way to do this is also rich in symbolism and has suffered some changes over time.
The first of these seems to be the result of a controversy in the Monophysite sect (XNUMX century), which made the sign of the cross with just one finger, meaning that the person of Christ is holy and man is united in one nature. . In opposition to this false doctrine, Christians passed to make the sign of the cross by joining three fingers (thumb, index and middle finger), to emphasize their worship of the Holy Trinity, and to place others fingers on the palm of the hand, to symbolize the double nature (divine and human) of Jesus. Moreover, throughout the Church, Christians today have made the sign of the cross in the opposite direction that is used today, that is, from right shoulder to left.
Innocent III (1198-1216), one of the greatest popes of the medieval period, gave the following symbolic explanation of this method of making the sign of the cross: "The sign of the cross was to be made with three fingers, since it is done by invading the Holy Trinity.
The way must be from top to bottom and from left, because Christ descended from Heaven to earth and passed from Jew (right) to Gentile (left) ”Currently this form is continues to be used only in Eastern Catholic rituals.
At the beginning of the XNUMX century, some faithful, imitating the priest's way of giving blessings, began to make the sign of the cross from left to right, using a flat hand. The Pope himself gives the reason for this change: "There are some, at this moment, who make the sign of the cross from left to right, which means from suffering (left) we reach glory (right), as it happened with Christ ascending to Heaven. (Some priests) do it this way and the people try to imitate them. ”This form ends up being customized throughout the Church in the West, and it remains until on this day.
Beneficial effects
The sign of the cross is the most ancient and basic sacrament, a term meaning, a "sacred sign", which, as imitation of the sacraments, "is mainly the spiritual effects meant by the submission of Church "(CIC, may. 1166). It protects us from evil, protects us from the attacks of the devil, and makes God's grace our pursuit. Saint Gaudentius (set IV) proves that, in all circumstances, it is "an invincible weapon of the Christians".
For the faithful who are troubled or tempted, the Fathers of the Church counsel the sign of the cross as a remedy with guaranteed efficiency.
Saint Benedict of Norcia, after living three years as a hermit in Subiaco, was sought by a group of monks living near him, who asked him to accept that they were their best. Some monks, however, did not share this plan, and attempted to kill him, offering him poisoned bread and wine. When St. Benedict who signed a cross on food, a glass of glass, and a crow flew on the bread, took it and carried it. This fact is still remembered today in the "Medal of St. Benedict".
Greetings, oh Cross, our only hope! In the Cross of Christ, and only here, we must trust. If it supports us, we will not fall, if it is our refuge, we will not be discouraged, if it is our strength, what can we be afraid of?
Following the counsel of the Fathers of the Church, we should never be ashamed of our part in doing so in public or neglecting to use this effective sacrament, for it will always be our refuge and protection.