Why do Catholics make the sign of the cross?

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Tommy999

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Hello everyone,
I am a protestant who would like to know on what occasions Catholiics are supposed to make the sign of the cross.

My main exposure to people making the sign of the cross has been through watching sports on TV like baseball or soccer where I will occasionally see an athlete (usually a Latin American or European athlete) make the sign of a cross and then kiss the cross before going to bat in baseball or before entering the soccer game, like I saw in the World Cup.

I was mainly interested in knowing whether it is akin to a good luck gesture or asking for the Lord’s help or what the exact meaning is.

I assume that Catholics do it at other times as well, and I was curious as to what are customary occasions for Catholics to make the sign of the cross besides participating in sports.
 
There are a few “official” times when it’s called for. For example, at the beginning and end of Mass and at the beginning and end of prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours.

I always make the Sign of the Cross when the priest says the words in a blessing or during absolution ("…and I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit").

People usually dip their fingers in the holy water and make the Sign of the Cross when entering a church – that’s a remembrance of baptism.

Catholics also usually begin and end prayers with the Sign of the Cross. It marks off the time of prayer and reminds us again of baptism, that we belong to Christ.

Beyond that there’s piety and personal custom. I can’t quite imagine making the Sign of the Cross when trying to make a putt or after scoring a touchdown, but I will assume that people are either asking for God’s help or thanking him.

I do tend to make the Sign of the Cross when I hear an ambulance or pass an accident – basically to ask God to help the victims and responders. It’s kind of a quick prayer on their behalf.
 
Thanks for the explanation, SuscipeMeDomine. That helps fill in the gaps for me some.
I wasn’t aware of its ties to baptism. Sounds like it is defintely more than just a good luck symbol or asking for the Lord’s favor.
 
It is a gesture that accompanies a prayer: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It calls to mind that what ever comes after (or before) is for God whether it be a prayer or an act.
 
SuscipeMeDomine basically summed it up above. But, I also wanted to mention that the Sign of the Cross is a short prayer in an of itself that is used to begin and end our prayers, showing that we are invoking the Name of the Blessed Trinity, the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Three Divine Persons in the One and only God. It also reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the Cross.
 
Besides it’s connection to our baptism and being a prayer itself it is also a marking of our belonging to Our Lord and our following Christ. See Revelation 7:2-4.
 
It is a sign of our faith… it is a blessing and a prayer… all that above and more… We bless ourselves with the holy water and make the sign of the cross in remembrance of our baptismal vows.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
There are a few “official” times when it’s called for. For example, at the beginning and end of Mass and at the beginning and end of prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours.

I always make the Sign of the Cross when the priest says the words in a blessing or during absolution ("…and I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit").

People usually dip their fingers in the holy water and make the Sign of the Cross when entering a church – that’s a remembrance of baptism.

Catholics also usually begin and end prayers with the Sign of the Cross. It marks off the time of prayer and reminds us again of baptism, that we belong to Christ.

Beyond that there’s piety and personal custom. I can’t quite imagine making the Sign of the Cross when trying to make a putt or after scoring a touchdown, but I will assume that people are either asking for God’s help or thanking him.

I do tend to make the Sign of the Cross when I hear an ambulance or pass an accident – basically to ask God to help the victims and responders. It’s kind of a quick prayer on their behalf.
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Well stated.
 
Does anyone know the origins of the sign of the cross? It is not found in the Bible. We don’t see Peter or Paul doing it. Who started the custom?
 
The Sign of the Cross is used in many Christian traditions, not just Catholics. Wikipedia has a detailed article on the Sign of the Cross.

Superstitious practices, such as “good luck gestures,” are contrary to the Catholic faith.
 
praestat_fides said:
Does anyone know the origins of the sign of the cross? It is not found in the Bible. We don’t see Peter or Paul doing it. Who started the custom?
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The Catholic Encyclopedia’s article on the Sign of the Cross gives some of the earliest explicit mentions of Christians using it, as well as its probable Scriptural origins from Ezekiel 9:4 (of the mark of the letter Tau); Exodus 17:9-14; and especially Revelation 7:3, 9:4 and 14:1. It was apparently a very common practice in Tertullian’s day, about 200, to sign one’s forehead with the sign of the cross.
 
praestat_fides said:
Does anyone know the origins of the sign of the cross? It is not found in the Bible. We don’t see Peter or Paul doing it. Who started the custom?
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Read through the prophecy of Ezechiel at chapter 9, particularly vs.4, where the mark on the forehead Tau is spoken of as marking the one to be spared. This mark, resembling ‘t’ or ‘x’ was later identified by Early Church Fathers are belonging properly to Jesus’s defeat of the Cross at Calvary. Marking oneself with the Sign of the Cross was written of by fathers during persecutions of the early Church.

One account is that, while Diocletian was initially tolerant of Christians, one cause (or maybe event) was that during a feast where his augers (pagan high-priests) were examining the livers of sacrificed animals to see if the gods would favor their upcoming battle, they complained at not being able to read the spots. The Christians who had been in attendance had marked themselves with the SoTH, as was their custom, and the augers blamed them for angering the pagan gods by their sacrilege against them. The decision was soon made that to tolerate the Christians was not in the best interest of the success of the Roman Empire and they needed to be dealt with.
 
I think it would be more interesting to know why the early protestant reformers stopped doing it. I can’t imagine what possible reason to abandon the practice.
 
A little insight into this Christian practice, provided by (IMO) the world’s greatest living theologian.
**“The most basic Christian gesture in prayer is and always will be the sign of the cross. It is a way of confessing Christ crucified with one’s very body … To seal oneself with the sign of the cross is a visible and public Yes to him who suffered for us; to him who in the body has made God’s love visible, even to the utmost; to the God who reigns not by destruction but by the humility of suffering and love, which is stronger than all the power of the world and wiser than all the calculating intelligence of men. The sign of the cross is a confession of faith: I believe in him who suffered for me and rose again; in him who has transformed the sign of shame into a sign of hope and of the love of God that is present with us. The confession of faith is a confession of hope: I believe in him who in his weakness is the Almighty; in him who can and will save me even in apparent absence and impotence. By signing ourselves with the cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the cross, hold it in front of us like a shield that will guard us in all the distress of daily life and give us the courage to go on. We accept it as a signpost that we follow … The cross shows us the road of life — the imitation of Christ. . .Whenever we make the sign of the cross, we accept our Baptism anew; Christ from the cross draws us, so to speak, to himself. . .We make the sign of the cross on ourselves and thus enter the power of the blessing of Jesus Christ. We make the sign over people to whom we wish a blessing … Through the cross, we can become sources of blessing for one another.”

Pope Benedict XVI **
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AndyP2010 said:
I think it would be more interesting to know why the early protestant reformers stopped doing it. I can’t imagine what possible reason to abandon the practice.
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I found this on a very anti-Catholic website. It does not reflect my personal views

The “sign of the cross” is actually the sign of Baal. Try it and find out! Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your chest, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT like the cross Christ was crucified on is it? It is depicting a cross of BAAL instead.

If the Roman Catholic “sign of the cross” were a Christian cross, you would have to make it thusly… Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your groin, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT what the Roman Catholic church demands. They are actually having their congregation make the sign of BAAL on their bodies and NOT a cross that depicts the cross Christ was crucified on.

In essence, every Catholic that makes this “sign of the cross” is showing their allegiance to Satan and Baal at the same time. Fact is, Baal is just another name for Satan.
 
praestat_fides said:
I found this on a very anti-Catholic website. It does not reflect my personal views

The “sign of the cross” is actually the sign of Baal. Try it and find out! Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your chest, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT like the cross Christ was crucified on is it? It is depicting a cross of BAAL instead.

If the Roman Catholic “sign of the cross” were a Christian cross, you would have to make it thusly… Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your groin, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT what the Roman Catholic church demands. They are actually having their congregation make the sign of BAAL on their bodies and NOT a cross that depicts the cross Christ was crucified on.

In essence, every Catholic that makes this “sign of the cross” is showing their allegiance to Satan and Baal at the same time. Fact is, Baal is just another name for Satan.
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I guess I will address this, though it hardly seems worthy of address. In order to make the sign of Baal, Baal would have to have asign. I have never heard of pagans making a sign of Baal, and the above quote gives no source or proof of such. Secondly, the RC does not demand we make the cross. You can be Catholic and never make the sign of the cross. Third, what makes touching your groin more valid than touching your chest? A silly unsubstantiated argument. If it’s because Christ’s whole body was on the cross, why not touch your feet? Lastly, if we were showing our allegiance to the devil, why would our primary aim be to know and love God, and to do His will? In the sacrament of confirmation we verbally renounce Satan and all his ways. If the above is indicating that Catholics are ignorant of the hidden meaning of this sign, well, how can that be allegiance? Allegiance must include the intent and assent of the heart. If I pledge allegiance to America by saluting the flag, but I’m actually a spy or a terrorist, obviously my gesture is meaningless because it doesn’t illustrate my true feelings.
 
praestat_fides said:
I found this on a very anti-Catholic website. It does not reflect my personal views

The “sign of the cross” is actually the sign of Baal. Try it and find out! Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your chest, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT like the cross Christ was crucified on is it? It is depicting a cross of BAAL instead.

If the Roman Catholic “sign of the cross” were a Christian cross, you would have to make it thusly… Place your hand on your forehead… now place it on your groin, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT what the Roman Catholic church demands. They are actually having their congregation make the sign of BAAL on their bodies and NOT a cross that depicts the cross Christ was crucified on.

In essence, every Catholic that makes this “sign of the cross” is showing their allegiance to Satan and Baal at the same time. Fact is, Baal is just another name for Satan.
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I don’t believe that at all, praestat_fides. I trust that the sign of the cross it is a legitimate Catholic faith expression and is on the up-and-up and has nothing to do with anything sinister.
 
Re athletes making the :signofcross::byzsoc: after scoring a touchdown, basket, or goal, CAC members are supposed to be thanking God for their talents, and promising God to do their part in the mission & ministries that are placed on the shoulders of those with such talents.
 
Tommy999 said:
I don’t believe that at all, praestat_fides. I trust that the sign of the cross it is a legitimate Catholic faith expression and is on the up-and-up and has nothing to do with anything sinister.
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I’m not saying that I necessarily believe it either but perhaps this is what the reformers were thinking?
 
EvagrianBridge said:
Re athletes making the :signofcross::byzsoc: after scoring a touchdown, basket, or goal, CAC members are supposed to be thanking God for their talents, and promising God to do their part in the mission & ministries that are placed on the shoulders of those with such talents.
Click to expand...
Hi EvagrianBridge,
The athletes I saw who did the sign of the cross most often did it just prior to participating in the activity and not afterwards as a celebration, although some may do that as well. It was mainly just as they were getting ready to “join the fray”, so to speak.
 
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