Serve the Lord

Why Catholics Make the Sign of the Cross

HISTORY
We find it from the Fathers of the Church as early as the 2nd century (thousands of years before any other denominations were born). In the 4th century, St Basil said that the apostles 'taught us to mark with the sign of the cross those who put their hope in the Lord.' At first the cross was traced on the forehead and later evolved to include marking the breast and each shoulder as well. It was Pope Leo IX in the mid 9th century that gave instruction on making the practice what it still is today.

WHY WE DO IT?
It is far from just a gesture or worse, a superstition. Each time we sign ourselves with the Cross (the symbol of our salvation), we are asking for God's blessing and remembering our baptismal promises. (Matthew 28:19  Go, therefore...  baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.)

CATHOLICS DID NOT INVENT SIGNS & SYMBOLS
Outward signs are important to human beings. The use of symbols and signs is innately human. This is why spouses exchange gifts on Valentine's day as a sign/symbol of their love/affection; why children give gifts on Mother's/Father's day, birthdays etc. For Catholics, the ultimate reality we encounter--the mystery of God--is intangible. And so, Catholics turn toward outward signs as a tangible means of encountering the intangible God.

In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's companions each sought something that was intangible: For Scarecrow intelligence, Tin Man compassion, Lion courage. When they met the Wizard, he presented them tangible items of the intangible realities they sought: A diploma, heart-shaped clock and medal of courage, respectively. By virtue of these tangible signs, each was able to experience a more real way the intangible qualities they sought and in fact already possessed to some extent. They simply needed to gain awareness of the qualities that were already present. 

References:
A Minute in the Church by Gus Lloyd
Practice Makes Catholic by Joe Paprocki