Fr Anthony Mellor explains that the sign of the cross is truly foundational for Catholics, expressing both the heart of our faith and our identity as followers of Christ. This ancient gesture, rooted in Scripture and tradition, reminds us that we belong to God, having been marked as His own since baptism. When Catholics make the sign of the cross, we recall the central mystery of the Trinity and affirm our belief in God’s love, revealed through Jesus’ sacrifice. Pope Francis had said, this simple act is like an embrace from God, enveloping us in His love and drawing us deeper into the divine life.
Transcript
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We Christians take that sign, that gesture for granted, but it really is the foundation of our faith. The sign of the cross, which is really the story of Jesus death and resurrection in our life, in our world, in the whole of creation. And that becomes very personal and communal when we make the sign of the cross for ourselves. We’re touching our heads, our minds, and we’re asking God to enlighten our minds so that we might see His life and His presence everywhere, in us, in others, in the world around us, indeed, in the whole cosmos. We’re asking that our minds might be enlightened by the power of the cross, Christ’s death and His resurrection. We touch our hearts, in baptism God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Spirit. And we pray that that love may continue to grow within us, so that in our hearts we might return to God the love that God has poured into our own hearts. And we might be a sign of God’s love to all, particularly those in need, those in distress, those who are vulnerable. We ask that our own hearts might enlarge to reflect the heart of God. And then we touch our shoulders, our arms. We’re praying that our minds and our hearts might be put into service. To use our bodies, our hands, our arms, in service, to reach out to others so that we might encounter Christ in the other. And so the sign of the cross is a very powerful gesture even though we take it for granted. We might start our day and finish our day with that sign. What we are doing is making God’s claim upon us. Claims of our mind, our hearts, and our very bodies, our hands in service. So as we make that sign, may it be a powerful witness to us. The love, the God that’s in our minds, a love poured into our hearts, a love put into the service of all. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.