The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross

Submitted by Thomas Stidl

         We do it every time we begin formal prayer.  So I begin this discourse in the Name of The Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

         Just what is the significance of this beginning?  First, we affirm the belief of the Trinitarian Presence in our lives and the world.  We offer worship to the Father who is the Creator of the universe, cosmos, and every person, animal and plant within it.  We worship Jesus, the Son of God, who is our redeemer, teacher, savior, friend, and the human being who is also God incarnate.  We worship the Holy Spirit who is our consoler and counselor.  The Holy Spirit also represents the love between the Father and the Son besides being his own person.  The sign of the cross signifies our belief, faith, hope, and love of the one true God in Three Divine Persons.

         Second, the sign of the cross helps us to remember the depth of suffering that Our Lord Jesus passed through to redeem our wretched sins.  Yes, the first sin was the sin of Adam and Eve.  That was only the beginning.  The weakness that the first sin gave to our human nature makes it very easy to be tempted by the snares of the devil.  Many times, we succumb to these temptations and sin.  The bible tells us that where sin abounds, so does grace abound in a greater proportion.  We need these actual graces to avoid temptations and ultimately sin.  If we avoid sin, we can then sing about the amazing grace that saves wretches like ourselves.

         Third, the sign of the cross is also a reminder of the suffering we must endure due to our fallen nature as human beings.  The day-to-day insults and diseases that strike our human body and mind are prime examples of this.  We must also watch our dearest relatives and friends die.  We feel the grief and the pain of separation.  Let’s not forget the fact that we too must die physically.  Our souls return to God and experience his just judgment.  This is how we eventually experience Paradise.  Saint Paul writes, “absent from the body, present with the Lord.”  To make our judgment easier, let us practice living in the presence of the Lord now!  This means being more faithful in keeping the commandments and loving God with our entire being and our neighbor as our self.  Every thought, word and deed should reflect this philosophy.  The only people who will not experience physical death are those who survive to see Jesus on the clouds of Heaven.  He will then make our mortal bodies like his own in glory.  However, the sufferings of those last days will be intense, but there is one blessed assurance of the promise of Jesus, that He will be with us until the end of the age.

          Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe.  Deo Gratias.  Gloria Tibi Domini.  Praise be to God.  See you in Paradise.