Spiritual Toolbox: The Sign of the Cross

[Originally posted 8/5/09, this update contains significant upgrades to the links and has added commentary]

The Sign of the Cross is one of the most basic prayers in the Catholic Church. For many of us, it may have been the very first prayer we learned. The simplicity of the prayer speaks to the perfect simplicity of the Holy Trinity. Proclaiming the name of God is a powerful prayer in itself.

SaintsSQPN describes the prayer this way:

The most important of the sacramentals. It is a symbol of our deliverance from Satan, and an emblem of God‘s mercy as manifested through the crucifixion of Our Saviour. It consists in making a movement with the hands, or with some object, in the form of a cross. 

[T]he words and the action form a summary of the Catholic faith in God and the Redemption. We say “In the name” – expressing the unity of God; we mention the three Persons of the Trinity; the cross itself, made with the hand, manifests our belief in the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Our Saviour, and shows that we regard Him not only as God but as man – for otherwise He could not die. The use of this sign goes back probably to the days of the Apostles. 

Here are some resources explaining the origin of the Sign of the Cross and why we make this gesture with the prayer.

Catholic Encyclopedia

Early Explanation

Interview with Bert Ghezzi on Catholic Online

Karl Keating (link to audio has expired)

The Sign of the Cross, Bert Ghezzi (the book featured in the picture)