The Sign of the Cross
“At that time, there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress…..” I wonder which Michael he was talking about?
+ In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
If you were to ask a non-Catholic to play a word association game and you said the word “Catholic”, many, if not most of them would picture someone doing what we just did. The sign of the cross. The symbol of our belief in the Triune God. One God in three persons………(+ slowly)…..Father…..Son…..Holy Spirit.
Or, if you were to play a game of charades with them and you did this (+), you know what they would say…………... “Catholic!”
We’ve been using the sign for a long, long time. Tertulian wrote of it in the second century. The early Christians probably used the small cross, made with the thumb on the forehead. Doing the large cross, as we do today, would have made them too much of a target for persecution.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the earliest reference to the large cross, similar to what we do today, was in the fourth or fifth century. St. Nino is said to have cured the queen’s illness by making the sign over her body with a crucifix. Aparently the larger sign was adopted because of the belief that two fingers should be used to signify the two natures of Christ. In the Icons of the Eastern Church, Christ is always shown with two fingers extended, like this. So, two fingers seened like a good idea, but it’s very difficult to do the small cross on the forehead using two fingers, unless you have a forehead as large as mine. (example) So the bigger sign became the norm.
The sign of the cross is something that we do that visually signifies that we are indeed Catholic. Athletes, especially Hispanic athletes, regularly make the sign before and during sporting events. Baseball players sign themselves before they bat, soccer players do it before a game, especially goalies.
I wonder why it is that people of Hispanic and Mediterranean cultures have no inhibitions about showing their faith in public, but many Americans seem almost ashamed? (pause) But, that’s another homily.
Of course, everyone is familiar with the Holy Father blessing the crowds (mimic Pope’s motion). We bless ourselves with holy water as we enter church to remind ourselves of our baptism and many, but unfortunately not all, Catholics make the sign of the cross before eating each meal.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us at section 2157. "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."
So, what exactly is this “trinity” that we profess to believe in when we make this most Catholic of gestures? We express our belief in the Creed. We believe in one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We even go on to elaborate on our belief by describing each of the three persons.
The Father is maker of heaven and earth.
The son is one in being with the Father. He came down from heaven, suffered, died, was buried and rose again, ascending into heaven where He sits at his Father’s right hand. He will come again.
The Holy Spirit is the Lord, the giver of life. He has spoken through the prophets.
Did you realize that you’re saying all of that when you make this simple sign? (+)
At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour, not the angels in heaven, not even He knows when the time will come. Only the Father knows.
Aren’t the Father and the Son one? Shouldn’t Jesus be in on His Father’s plan. After all, he is playing a pretty important part in the whole thing.
I think his point in telling the Apostles that only the Father knows, is to reinforce their belief in the Trinity. There is only one God, but he most certainly exists in three persons. By saying that even He doesn’t know all of the details of the Father’s plan, he is giving a pretty strong testimony to the reality of the Trinity.
This is a core concept in our Christian faith. Jesus statement in today’s Gospel is a very concrete example, and one that must have had an impact on the Apostles. Remember, at this time, they still didn’t understand everything that was about to happen. But, as we know, the time was getting very short. This is the 24th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. There are only 28 chapters.
In just a moment, we will be joining together in the Creed. When you say the words, do you think about what you’re saying, or is it something you do mechanically? Today, I’d like to challenge you to really think about what you’re saying as you recite the creed. I’d also like for you to be very conscientious about making the sign of the cross this week, whenever it’s appropriate…….and really mean it. Think about the three persons. The Father who made you. The Son who saves you. And the Holy Spirit who is with you every moment of every day if you will just acknowledge His presence and take the time to listen to what he’s telling you. Because, remember, no one knows the hour or the day, not the angels and not even the Son of God.
(+) (very slowly) In the name of the father…………..and the Son…………….and the Holy Spirit, amen.
+ In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
If you were to ask a non-Catholic to play a word association game and you said the word “Catholic”, many, if not most of them would picture someone doing what we just did. The sign of the cross. The symbol of our belief in the Triune God. One God in three persons………(+ slowly)…..Father…..Son…..Holy Spirit.
Or, if you were to play a game of charades with them and you did this (+), you know what they would say…………... “Catholic!”
We’ve been using the sign for a long, long time. Tertulian wrote of it in the second century. The early Christians probably used the small cross, made with the thumb on the forehead. Doing the large cross, as we do today, would have made them too much of a target for persecution.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the earliest reference to the large cross, similar to what we do today, was in the fourth or fifth century. St. Nino is said to have cured the queen’s illness by making the sign over her body with a crucifix. Aparently the larger sign was adopted because of the belief that two fingers should be used to signify the two natures of Christ. In the Icons of the Eastern Church, Christ is always shown with two fingers extended, like this. So, two fingers seened like a good idea, but it’s very difficult to do the small cross on the forehead using two fingers, unless you have a forehead as large as mine. (example) So the bigger sign became the norm.
The sign of the cross is something that we do that visually signifies that we are indeed Catholic. Athletes, especially Hispanic athletes, regularly make the sign before and during sporting events. Baseball players sign themselves before they bat, soccer players do it before a game, especially goalies.
I wonder why it is that people of Hispanic and Mediterranean cultures have no inhibitions about showing their faith in public, but many Americans seem almost ashamed? (pause) But, that’s another homily.
Of course, everyone is familiar with the Holy Father blessing the crowds (mimic Pope’s motion). We bless ourselves with holy water as we enter church to remind ourselves of our baptism and many, but unfortunately not all, Catholics make the sign of the cross before eating each meal.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us at section 2157. "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."
So, what exactly is this “trinity” that we profess to believe in when we make this most Catholic of gestures? We express our belief in the Creed. We believe in one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We even go on to elaborate on our belief by describing each of the three persons.
The Father is maker of heaven and earth.
The son is one in being with the Father. He came down from heaven, suffered, died, was buried and rose again, ascending into heaven where He sits at his Father’s right hand. He will come again.
The Holy Spirit is the Lord, the giver of life. He has spoken through the prophets.
Did you realize that you’re saying all of that when you make this simple sign? (+)
At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour, not the angels in heaven, not even He knows when the time will come. Only the Father knows.
Aren’t the Father and the Son one? Shouldn’t Jesus be in on His Father’s plan. After all, he is playing a pretty important part in the whole thing.
I think his point in telling the Apostles that only the Father knows, is to reinforce their belief in the Trinity. There is only one God, but he most certainly exists in three persons. By saying that even He doesn’t know all of the details of the Father’s plan, he is giving a pretty strong testimony to the reality of the Trinity.
This is a core concept in our Christian faith. Jesus statement in today’s Gospel is a very concrete example, and one that must have had an impact on the Apostles. Remember, at this time, they still didn’t understand everything that was about to happen. But, as we know, the time was getting very short. This is the 24th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. There are only 28 chapters.
In just a moment, we will be joining together in the Creed. When you say the words, do you think about what you’re saying, or is it something you do mechanically? Today, I’d like to challenge you to really think about what you’re saying as you recite the creed. I’d also like for you to be very conscientious about making the sign of the cross this week, whenever it’s appropriate…….and really mean it. Think about the three persons. The Father who made you. The Son who saves you. And the Holy Spirit who is with you every moment of every day if you will just acknowledge His presence and take the time to listen to what he’s telling you. Because, remember, no one knows the hour or the day, not the angels and not even the Son of God.
(+) (very slowly) In the name of the father…………..and the Son…………….and the Holy Spirit, amen.
posted by Mike at 12:15 PM
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