Why I Cross Myself
I was raised and conditioned to have such a negative view of Catholicism that I, like many Protestants, came to assume anything Catholic came directly from the devil. The way Catholics make the sign of the cross was no exception. I never imagined that now, at 27 years old, I would find myself crossing myself every time I pray, before I start my work for the day, as I go to sleep, and throughout other activities throughout the day. What changed? I began to read church history and the writings of the early Christians.
I’m not sure when the practice of making the sign of the cross completely faded away in mainstream Protestantism but there is evidence that part of it can be attributed to John Calvin’s influence on the development of Protestantism (the Catholic saint Francis De Sales has a beautiful work titled The Sign of The Cross directed specifically to Calvinists who were against the practice among other customs practiced by Catholics). The older the Christian tradition/denomination is and the closer it keeps its ties with the early church, however, the more the practice of making the sign of the cross is seen. In the West, for example, it is common to see Lutherans, Anglicans, and Episcopalians practicing the habit of making the sign of the cross while in the East the practice is kept in the Orthodox and Coptic churches. What I thought to be pure superstition and Catholic invention turned out to be Christian practice that can be traced back on paper as early as the time of Tertullian. If those of us who grew up Protestant understood the history of Christianity better instead of falsely attributing everything we don’t practice as pure Catholic invention that we thankfully did away with we would find no problem in bringing this practice back into our daily lives. We might even find the practice enriching our lives as we practice this outward proclamation of our faith every time we pray or go about our days.
Some of the earliest Christian writings show evidence that the practice of signing oneself consisted of making a small cross on the forehead. Tertullian, for example, writing around 250 AD in De Corona states “In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross” (De corona, 30). It is possibly the earliest evidence of the practice of signing oneself found in written form. This practice later evolved into crossing oneself starting from the forehead and then extending it to the chest followed by making a motion from the right shoulder to the left shoulder around the 5th century, which is the method still practiced by Orthodox Christians, and then further evolved in the west around the 1200’s during the papacy of Innocent III into what the Catholics currently do followed by further developments by some protestant denominations such as the Lutherans, Anglicans, and Episcopalians.
I was surprised to find out that Martin Luther wrote about the sign of the cross in his Small Catechism, for example, stating that “In the morning, when you rise, you shall make the sign of the holy cross, and you shall say: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Then, kneeling or standing, you shall say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer”; similarly, at the day’s end, “In the evening, when you go to bed, you shall make the sign of the holy cross, and you shall say: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Then, kneeling or standing, you shall say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer.” (“Prayers for Daily Use,” The Small Catechism). The famous martyr and Protestant theologian Diedrich Bonhoeffer wrote about the practice saying, “I’ve found that following Luther’s instruction to ‘make the sign of the cross’ at our morning and evening prayers is . . . most useful,” and that “…there is something objective about it….” (Letters and Papers from Prison). How does one make the sign of the cross though? Two methods are covered below.
Catholicism
Catholics cross themselves with their hands open (five fingers out) to symbolize the five wounds of Christ during the crucifixion. They begin by touching their forehead and move down to touch either their chest or stomach and then move their hand to touch their left shoulder and end by touching their right shoulder. The statement “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen” is said during the process. The motion along with the trinitarian statement goes as follows: “In the name of the Father (touch forehead), and of the son (touch chest/stomach), and of the Holy Spirit (touch left shoulder followed by the right shoulder), amen”. This method is believed to have developed sometime in the 1200’s during the time of Pope Innocent III. A video example of how Catholics cross themselves is listed here.
Orthodoxy
Orthodox Christians have a more antique method of crossing themselves than the Catholics. The Orthodox practice of making the sign of the cross is to put the thumb, index, and middle fingers together to symbolize the trinity while closing the pinky and ring finger along the palm to symbolize the two natures of Christ (human and divine). The Orthodox will move the right hand from the forehead down to the chest/stomach and then from the right shoulder to the left shoulder. The same statement is said along with the trinitarian statement “In the name of the Father (forehead), and of the Son (chest/stomach), and of the Holy Spirit (right shoulder to left shoulder), amen”. When this method was developed is also unknown but is attributed to be older in practice than the Catholic method. An example of it is shown here.
Why make the sign of the cross though? The answer is best said by Francis De Sales in his work The Sign of the Cross stating “The Sign of the Cross has great power against the enemy for two reasons: the one is that it represents the death of the Savior, who abased and subjugated him, which this proud being hates and fears in the extreme; the other is that the Cross is a brief and powerful invocation of the Redeemer that can be employed on every occasion suitable for prayer”.
Given the brief historical description of the practice of making the sign of the cross I take no shame in making it in the morning when I awake and when I pray. If any Christian looks down on me for doing it then shame on them for looking down on such a simple and visual declaration of the Christian faith that has been handed down from the times of the early Church. I gladly cross myself and proclaim with the rest of the Church what was so beautifully written by St. Cyril of Jerusalem,"Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Let the Cross be our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are on the way and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the poor's sake; without toil, for the sick, since its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of evils; for He has triumphed over them in it, having made a mockery of them openly; for when they see the Cross, they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, Who has bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the Gift; but for this rather honor thy Benefactor".
Kyrie Eleison, Amen.