Lesser sign of the cross

Last updated

A Catholic cleric demonstrating the lesser sign of the cross performed at the reading of the Gospel.

The lesser, [a] small or little sign of the cross is a variant of the sign of the cross. Its use has been documented in early Christianity by Tertullian, an Ante-Nicene Church Father, who wrote in AD 204 in De Corona ("On Crowns"): "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before retiring to sleep we form on our foreheads the sign of the cross." [2] [3]

Contents

As a liturgical gesture, it made by members of certain Christian denominations, especially Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. The ancient gesture is made with the thumb of the right hand on the forehead, lips, and breast (heart). It is commonly made by the celebrant and the attending worshipers before the reading of the Gospel during celebrations of the Eucharist. The lesser sign of the cross is made on the forehead during the rites of baptism and the anointing of the sick in these denominations. [4] [5]

In the Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal traditions of Christianity, the lesser sign of the cross is often made on the forehead of the recipient during ordinations, anointing of the sick and deliverance prayers. [6] [7]

Christians of various denominations have traced the lesser sign of the cross onto doors or windows of their dwellings as a house blessing. [8] [9] [10] The lesser sign of the cross is additionally used during certain observances, such as during the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, in which ashes are marked on the forehead of a believer in the lesser sign of the cross. [11] [12] [13]

Description

Visualisation of the lesser sign of the cross Kleines.Kreuzzeichen.png
Visualisation of the lesser sign of the cross

The lesser sign of the cross is made before the reading of the Gospel at Eucharist with the thumb of the right hand on the forehead, on the lips and on the breast, just over the heart. [14] In Western Christianity, the horizontal line is done from the left to the right. [15] Before doing the lesser sign of the cross during Eucharist, the celebrant usually makes a cross with his thumb on the Bible. [14]

History

Tertullian (AD 155–220), an Ante-Nicene Church Father, enjoined the following: "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before retiring to sleep we form on our foreheads the sign of the cross." [2] Steven Tsichlis explicates this:

He talks about making the sign of the cross on one’s forehead, that Christians, before they do anything, when they wake up in the morning, they make the sign of the cross on their foreheads; before they eat, they make the sign of the cross; before they take any journey, before they do any work, they make the sign of the cross. But he’s very specific that Christians made the sign of the cross on their foreheads. [16]

According to the German theologian Klemens Richter  [ de ] the crossing of the congregation when the Gospel is announced is "one of the oldest folk customs attached to the Eucharistic celebration". He traces the origin of crossing forehead, lips, and breast to the 11th century and sees it as "common practice since the 12th century". [17] He references Jean Beleth (fl. 1135–1182), who said that he was "not ashamed of the gospel [whereby the forehead is regarded as the locus of shame]; I confess it with my lips and my heart." [17] Fellow Catholic theologian Valentin Thalhofer shares this view and references Sicard of Cremona (1155–1215) and Durandus of Saint-Pourçain (1275–1332/1334) as further evidence for the firm establishment of this practise in the 12th century. [18]

Valentin Thalhofer additionally references Sicard of Cremona and his work Mitrale as evidence for the – now abolished – practise of using thumb, middle and index finger for making the lesser sign of the cross in Western Christianity in the Middle Ages. [15] This practise was used to signify the trinity. [15] That the right hand was always used for making the lesser sign, Thalhofer sees confirmed by Pseudo-Justin. [19]

Interpretation

Richter gives two interpretations of the small sign of the cross: He explains that medieval commentators referenced Luke 8:12 and thus saw the crossing as a form of protection against the devil who tries to take away the word of God from the hearts of the believers. [17] A more modern interpretation referenced is that given by Josef Andreas Jungmann (1889–1975), a Jesuit liturgist: Having in mind Romans 1:16 ("For I am not ashamed of the gospel"), the small sign of the cross is seen as a courageous confession of faith. [17]

Michael Johnston, an Episcopalian rector, connects the sign to laying tefillin, denoting that the word of God will take residence within the person making the sign. Furthermore, he connects it with the prayer that God will be "in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart". [20] The Anglican theologian Claude Beaufort Moss (1888–1964) sees the lesser sign as an "ancient practice, signifying that we belong to Christ". [21] Valentin Thalhofer provides an interpretation that linkts the lesser sign with the trinity: God the Father is invoked by signing the forehead, Jesus by signing the lips and the Holy Spirit by signing the breast (heart). [22]

Usage

Gospel reading

The small sign of the cross is used in Catholic and Lutheran traditions of Christianity. The Roman Missal, the primary Roman Rite liturgical book for celebrating Mass, expounds in its general instruction that the lesser sign of the cross should be made before the Gospel reading:

134. At the ambo, the Priest opens the book and, with hands joined, says, The Lord be with you, to which the people reply, And with your spirit. Then he says, A reading from the holy Gospel, making the Sign of the Cross with his thumb on the book and on his forehead, mouth, and breast, which everyone else does as well. The people acclaim, Glory to you, O Lord. The Priest incenses the book, if incense is being used (cf. nos. 276-277). Then he proclaims the Gospel and at the end pronounces the acclamation The Gospel of the Lord, to which all reply, Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. The Priest kisses the book, saying quietly the formula Per evangelica dicta (Through the words of the Gospel).

— The Roman Missal, 3rd edition, p. 47 (recital 134)

In Anglicanism, the lesser sign of the cross is also used before the reading of the Gospel. While its use is widespread within the Episcopal Church, an Anglican denomination in the United States, making the sign is purely a matter of custom and personal piety and – as all signs of the cross in the Episcopal Church – not liturgically prescribed to the congregation by the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. [23]

Anointing of the sick

During the Christian rite of the anointing of the sick, practiced liturgically in Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, the lesser sign of the cross is traced on the forehead of the individual being anointing. [5] [24]

By tracing the sign of the cross on the forehead during the anointing, the priest indicates that all divine favors come to us through the salvific power of Christ, Who continues to be present with His Church, since “Christ is among us!” (Mt. 18, 20) And the faithful, in turn express their faith in Christ’s presence and assistance by answering, “He is and He shall be.” [25]

Exorcism and Deliverance Prayers

An infant being baptized in a Lutheran church. Lutheran baptism.jpg
An infant being baptized in a Lutheran church.

In the minor exorcism used in the Christian sacrament of Baptism, the Catholic Roman Missal (1911), Lutheran Baptismal Booklet (1526) and Book of Common Prayer (1549) enjoin the lesser sign of the cross. [26] [27]

The Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal led by Roman Catholic exorcist Stephen Joseph Rossetti provides Deliverance Prayers for the Laity. [28] Among these is the Prayer for Cleansing the Faculties and Senses, which enjoins the use of the lesser sign of the cross on several parts of the body using holy oil or holy water: [28]

Lord Jesus, I ask you to pour out over me (him/her) your precious blood. May it pour out over my (his/her) mind, washing away all evil and darkness from my thoughts, memories, dreams, imagination, and all faculties of the mind. May your precious blood cleanse all my senses, washing away all evil.
With the thumb, the individual traces the sign of the Cross on his/her own following parts of the body, preferably using blessed oil or holy water. The laity may also pray this prayer over their spouses or children (who are still minors), invoking their natural law authority over them.
Signing the brow: I sign the brow + that I (you) may accept the Cross of the Lord.
Signing each ear: I sign the ears + that I (you) may hearken to the divine precepts.
Signing each eye: I sign the eyes + that I (you) may see the grandeur of God.
Signing each nostril: I sign the nostrils + that I (you) may perceive the sweet fragrance of Christ.
Signing the mouth: I sign the mouth + that I (you) may utter the words of life.
Signing of the chest: I sign the chest + that I (you) may believe in God.
Signing each shoulder: I sign the shoulders + that I (you) may take up the yoke of His service.
Then trace the sign of the Cross before the entire body, without touching it, saying:
I sign my (your) entire being in the name of the Father +, and of the Son+, and of the Holy + Spirit, that I (you) may have life everlasting and may live forever and ever.

℟. Amen [28]

Ash Wednesday

A woman receives a cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday outside an Episcopal church (2015) Ashes to Go at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.jpg
A woman receives a cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday outside an Episcopal church (2015)

On Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent in Western Christianity), the lesser sign of the cross is made by the celebrant on the faithful during the ceremony of the imposition of ashes; this takes place in Latin-Rite Catholicism, Lutheranism, Moravianism, Anglicanism, as well as in a number of Reformed (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist), Methodist, Anabaptist, and Baptist churches, among others. [11] [12] [13]

House blessing

Christians of various denominations mark doors, windows and lintels of their house with the lesser sign of the cross using holy anointing oil for a house blessing. [8] [9] [10] Prayers such as the following are used for the same: [8]

With the sign of this cross I am making a declaration that this house belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ that no sickness, death, thief or evil can enter this home. This oil is a symbol of the blood of Jesus Christ. No weapons that are formed against us or this property shall prosper and any destruction must pass over us, in Jesus name. We are safe and protected under the blood of Jesus. [8]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ There seems to be no commonly used English name for the gesture. This article therefore follows the practice of the Encyclopædia Britannica calling it the "lesser sign of the cross". [1]

Citations

  1. ↑ Zeidan, Adam, Sign of the cross at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. 1 2 Crock, Clement Henry (1938). Discourses on the Apostles' Creed. Joseph F. Wagner. p. 16.
  3. ↑ "Why Bonhoeffer made the sign of the cross". Ortho Christian. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  4. ↑ Naumann, Edward (31 March 2021). "Anointed for Burial". The Lutheran Witness . Retrieved 6 March 2025. During the rite of Baptism, Christians may receive a bodily anointing, when the forehead is anointed with oil in the sign of the cross. This bodily anointing likewise signifies our incorporation into Christ.
  5. 1 2 "Order for the Blessing of the Sick". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . Retrieved 6 March 2025. 394 A lay minister traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of each sick person and says the following prayer of blessing.
  6. ↑ "Anointing Oil". Alfred Street Baptist Church. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "An Order for the Celebration of Holy Communion in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Home Visits" (PDF). Methodist Church of New Zealand. p. 2. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Anointing oil". Missionaries Of Prayer. 18 September 2020. ...take the anointing oil and over every window and door to your house just put the sign of the cross in the corner of it.
  9. 1 2 "How to Bless and Anoint Your Home/Property". Melchizedek Church of God. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 Stephen Joseph Rossetti (1 January 2024). "7 Powerful Sacramentals of the Church for Spiritual Warfare". Catholic Ace. Retrieved 6 March 2025. Then I took exorcized oil and made a sign of the cross on the door, windows, and lintels.
  11. 1 2 "The Liturgical Calendar". Reformed Church in America. 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  12. 1 2 Lipin, Bridget (27 February 2017). "Lenten Reflections: Ash Wednesday". American Baptist Churches USA.
  13. 1 2 "The Significance of Lent". Methodist Church in Singapore. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024. Over the last 25 years, more and more Methodist local conferences have been observing Lent, the 46 days before Easter.
  14. 1 2 Johnston 1998, pp. 147–148.
  15. 1 2 3 Thalhofer 1883, p. 635.
  16. ↑ "Orthodoxy Live". Ancient Faith Ministries. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Richter 1990, p. 133.
  18. ↑ Thalhofer 1883, p. 630.
  19. ↑ Thalhofer 1883, p. 634.
  20. ↑ Johnston 1998, p. 148.
  21. ↑ Moss 1959, p. 158.
  22. ↑ Thalhofer 1883, p. 638.
  23. ↑ Slocum & Armentrout 2000, p. 484.
  24. ↑ Gusmer, Charles W. (5 May 2017). And You Visited Me: Sacramental Ministry to the Sick. Liturgical Press. p. 39. ISBN   978-0-8146-6325-7.
  25. ↑ "MIROVANIJE: THE ANOINTING WITH HOLY OIL: A Traditional Custom of the BYZANTINE RITE". Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh . Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  26. ↑ Senn, Frank C. (2012). Introduction to Christian Liturgy. Fortress Press. p. 162. ISBN   9781451424331.
  27. ↑ Bradshaw, Paul F. (April 2013). New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. p. 41. ISBN   9780334049326.
  28. 1 2 3 Stephen Joseph Rossetti. "Cleansing the Faculties and Senses" . Retrieved 6 March 2025.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.