Signum Crucis
Sign of the Cross
|
|
The Sign
of the Cross is not only an action, but a statement of faith itself. In this
simple gesture one is not only making a sign of our redemption, the Cross,
but is also expressing faith in the Blessed Trinity. It was with this simple
action that the faithful of the early Church fortified themselves despite
difficult times. Tertullian, writing in the third century, tells us that
Christians made the Sign of the Cross upon rising, as they were dressing,
upon entering or leaving their houses, on going to the bath, on sitting down
at the table, on lighting their lamps, in fact, at the beginning of every
action. St. Augustine tells us that "It is by the sign of the Cross that
the Body of the Lord is consecrated, that baptismal fonts are sanctified, that
priests and other ranks in the Church are admitted to their respective
orders, and everything that is to be made holy is consecrated by the sign of
our Lord's cross, with the invocation of the name of Christ." (Serm.
LXXXI).
The
original Sign of the Cross was likely a "mini-cross" made by
tracing a cross on the forehead, lips, or breast with the thumb, much like
the custom today of doing so before the Gospel is read. It is difficult to
determine exactly when the current custom of blessing oneself with a large
cross going forehead to breast and then from shoulder to shoulder came about.
Historical records in this regard are open to multiple interpretations and
Church historians have divergent views on the subject. That the written
record is unclear on the subject is to be expected, since such a custom would
more likely be taught by example than by written instruction. It is likely
that this large cross was first used in formal blessings by the clergy
starting sometime during the Arian controversy of the fourth century and then
eventually adopted by the laity. Clearly written instructions for using the
large cross form to bless oneself appear by the 12/13th century, by which
time it is also clear that the custom had been in use in some form or another
for a long time, possibly since the 8th century.
As noted
by various Medieval authors, this large Sign of the Cross is rich in
symbolism. When Christ came to redeem the world, He descended from the
Father, was born of the Virgin Mary, died, was buried, and descended to the
dead. He then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He sits at
the right hand of the Father. Thus when making the Sign of the Cross, one
uses the right hand, which symbolizes Christ who sits at the right hand of
the Father. Starting at the forehead, which symbolizes the Father, the
Creator and source of all things, one then descends to the lower chest. This
symbolizes the Incarnation, for Christ came down from heaven from the Father
and became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
In the
West, one then proceeds from the left shoulder to the right shoulder to
finish the Sign of the Cross. The left in this case is usually associated
with death and darkness, while the right symbolizes truth and light. Thus the
action represents the transition from misery to glory, from death to life,
and from hell to paradise. As Christ passed from death to life and sits at
the right hand of the Father (left to right), so too may we pass from death
to life in Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. In Eastern
Christian traditions, the opposite direction is taken. One proceeds from the
right to the left, so the symbolism is somewhat different.
A
partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly make a sign of the
cross.
"Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19)
|
IN nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
|
IN the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
|
Doxologia Minor
Glory Be
|
|
A short
expression of praise to the Trinity from the very early Church. Authors such
as Hippolytus (d. 235) and Origen (ca 231) use very similar phrases in praise
of the Trinity. The form became fixed to what we have today by the time of
the Arian controversies of the 4th century. It is used extensively in the
Mass, the Divine Office, and also many other devotions such as the Rosary.
|
GLORIA Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut
erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
|
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
|
The Lords Prayer (Our Father aka Pater Noster)
This
prayer was given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself when the apostles
asked Him to teach them how to pray (Mt 6:9-13) and thus the prayer has been
a part of the Church since the very beginning. The Didache (1st-2nd century)
commends the prayer to be recited by the faithful three times during the day.
In the latter part of the 4th century it became an official part of the Mass
and was recited after the breaking of the bread. Later, Pope St. Gregory the
Great, influenced by St. Augustine, moved it to just before the breaking of
the bread where it has been ever since. Today, the Didache's tradition of
reciting the prayer thrice daily continues in the Church with the Lord's
Prayer being recited at Mass and then twice more during the Liturgy of the
Hours, at Lauds and Vespers.
Prior to
the Protestant Reformation, the Our Father was universally recited in Latin
in the West by clergy and laity alike. The rather curious English translation
we have today is due to Henry VIII's efforts to impose a standard English
version across his realm. Catholics, not wishing to be overly conspicuous in
a place very hostile to the Catholic Church at the time, adopted the
translation in order to remain inconspicuous.
|
PATER
NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur
nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in
terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita
nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
|
OUR
FATHER, who art in heaven, hallowed be
Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. Amen.
|
Ave Maria (Hail Mary )
The Ave
Maria is perhaps the most popular of all the Marian prayers. It is composed
of two distinct parts, a Scriptural part and an intercessory part. The first
part, the Scriptural part, is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke and joins
together the words of the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Lk 1:28)
together with Elizabeth's greeting to Mary at the Visitation (Luke 1:42). The
joining of these two passages can be found as early as the fifth, and perhaps
even the fourth, century in the eastern liturgies of St. James of Antioch and
St. Mark of Alexandria. It is also recorded in the ritual of St. Severus (538
AD). In the west it was in use in Rome by the 7th century for it is
prescribed as an offertory antiphon for the feast of the Annunciation. The great
popularity of the phrase by the 11th century is attested to in the writings
of St. Peter Damian (1007-1072) and Hermann of Tournai (d.c. 1147). Later,
probably by Pope Urban IV around the year 1262, Jesus' name was inserted at
the end of the two passages.
The
second half of the prayer (Holy Mary..) can be traced back to the 15th
century where two endings are found. One ending, Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora
pro nobis peccatoribus, is found in the writings of St. Bernardine of Siena
(1380-1444 AD) and the Carthusians. A second ending, Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis nunc et in hora mortis nostrae, can be found in the writings of
the Servites, in a Roman Breviary, and in some German Dioceses. The current
form of the prayer became the standard form sometime in the 16th century and
was included in the reformed Breviary promulgated by Pope St. Pius V in 1568
|
AVE
MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta
Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis
nostrae. Amen.
|
HAIL
MARY, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of
our death. Amen.
|
Apostles' Creed
The
present form of the Apostles' Creed first appears in the 6th century in the
writings of Caesarius of Arles (d 542). However, it can be traced in one form
or another back to Apostolic times. For more details see the entries in
the Symbola (Creeds)
section. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite the
Symbolum Apostolorum.
|
CREDO in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli
et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui
conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio
Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad inferos, tertia die
resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris
omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum
Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem
peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen.
|
I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven
and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by
the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He will come
to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic
Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment