My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE SIGNING OF THE CROSS BY
THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN IS
AN OPEN OPEN CONFESSION OF
FAITH IN THE HOLY TRINITY.
The Orthodox Christian often crosses himself, inscribes the sign of the Cross on his body. The devotional act is as ancient as the Church and may be considered: (a) A CONFESSION OF FAITH IN THE HOLY TRINITY; (b) A SILENT DECLARATION OF FAITH IN CHRIST AS THE SAVIOR AND REDEEMER OF MANKIND; (c) AS A PRAYER.
It is a confession of faith in the Holy Trinity because as we cross ourselves we say: "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It is a silent prayer, because by inscribing it on our bodies we bring to mind the fact of the Crucifixion of Christ rom which springs up the power of salvation.
The Orthodox Christian makes the sign of the Cross to begin and end his private devotions, when he or she enters the church, venerates the holy icons, the Holy Gospel, or the Holy Cross. He makes the sign of the Cross when the name of the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God, and the Saints is pronounced during the Divine Liturgy or any Divine Service. Finally, he/she makes the sign of the Cross at prayers before and after meals, and at any appropriate time as an act of piety.
Saint Kosmas Aitolos, concerning the sign of the Cross, writes the following: "Listen, my brethren, how the sign of the Cross is made and what it means. First, just as the Holy Trinity is glorified in heaven by the Angels, so should you join your THREE FINGERS OF YOUR RIGHT HAND. And being unable to ascend into heaven to worship, raise your hand to your head (because the head means heaven) and say: "Just as the Angels glorify and worship the Holy Trinity in heaven, so do I, as a servant glorify and worship the Holy Trinity. And as the fingers are three seperate, and are together, so is the Holy Trinity three Persons but ONE GOD." LOWERING your hand to your stomach, say: "I worship you and adore you, my Lord, because you condescended and took on flesh in the womb of the Theotokos for my sins." Place your hand on your right shoulder and say: "I beg you, my God, to forgive me and to put me on your right with the righteous." Placing your hand again on your left shoulder say: "I beg you, my Lord, do not put me on the left with the sinners." Christians began to use two fingers (around the 4th century) to make the sign of the Cross, each finger representing one of the Natures of Christ- fully God and fully Man. Historians believe they made the sign this way to guard against the heresy of Monophysitism which rejected the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) and claimed that Christ had only one Divine Nature. Around the 9the Century, the practice of using THREE FINGERS became prevalent in most of the Orthodox East and West. By the 12th century, most Churches in the East (with the exception of the Russian Church, which accepted the practice in the 1600s) adopted the practice of making the sign of the Cross with three fingers.
Whenever the Orthodox Christian makes the sign of the Cross it must be made with faith, conviction, humility and devotion. It must NEVER be done in a hurry or without belief and reverence. As the instrument our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose to bring about His Ever-Memorable and Life-Giving death, the Cross holds a sacred place in the heart of all Orthodox Christians. We make the sign of the Cross to affirm what we believe about our Lord Christ as the Incarnate Son of God and all that He did for us. By making the sign of the Cross we invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit Who illumines our hearts and souls and we faithfully and obediently surrender our will to the will of God. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
There are no limitations when and how often an Orthodox Christian may make the sign of the Cross. The Cross is the protector of the oecumene, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the strength of the Christian, the Cross is the wounding of the devil. No matter what the circumstance, the Orthodox Christian signs the Cross upon himself inviting God’s blessing, protection, enlightenment, inspiration, power, and grace.
How to make the Sign of the Cross:
1. Join the thumb, index, and middle fingers of
your RIGHT hand. [Symbolic of the Holy Trinity)
2. Rest the other two fingers of your right hand
down against your palm. (Symbolic of the Two Natures of Christ, Divine and Human.)
3. Take that hand and touch your joined
fingertips to your forehead. (Let your fingers rest there for a moment)
4. Then bring your fingertips down to your
abdomen. (Again, let your fingers rest here a moment)
5, Move your fingertips to touch the front of
your right shoulder.
6. Finally, touch your fingertips to the front of
your left shoulder.
Again making the sign of the Cross for the Orthodox Christian is an absolute and most important spiritually. It is a way also of identifying ourselves to those around us and letting them know fearlessly that we are servants of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. By making the sign of the Cross we express our profound faith and agape (love) for Him. By making the sign of the Cross we are reminded of our Lord’s words: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY and follow Me" [Luke 9:23). For the Orthodox Christian the Cross is a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ. Self-denial is for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, for a better life; it is not a punitive end in itself.
_____
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 