The Sign of the Cross

 I was at Mass in Knock last weekend. I could not help but notice one of the Ministers of Holy Communion taking great care blessing herself after she received the Eucharist. The reverence that she used when blessing herself was lovely. It left me pondering. So often at Mass I see people quickly blessing themselves by making the sign of the Cross after receiving Holy Communion. More often than not they do it in a rushed manner. But why the rush? Why do people not bless themselves with care and purpose? 

When we bless ourselves, making the sign of the Cross, we say, 'In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.' We bless ourselves as a sign of reverence and for protection. We do it in the name of the Trinity, three persons in one. We are asking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be with us and protect us. I do feel that care should be taken when blessing ourselves. It should be an intentional act not a rushed action done out of habit. If you ever notice how the priest gives the final blessing at Mass he does it with care and purpose. Or the Bishop making the sign of the cross as he blesses the congregation as he processes after Mass, it is done slowly. Why shouldn't we do the same when we bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross? We do not need to rush it. Afterall, it is a prayer, calling on the Trinity to protect and stay with us. Blessing ourselves is a sign of our relationship with God. Slow down and do it with reverence. As you bless yourself think of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And 'Amen' as bringing the three together. Think of how blessing yourself with the Sign of the Cross unites you with God. In a world where we are always rushing, let us slow down with this simple act. Whether you are doing it at the start or end of Mass, after receiving the Eucharist or as you pass a Church, don't rush it, bless yourself with intention. 

I remember seeing a video on TikTok a while ago where the poster was telling people how to bless themselves. He said that 'The Son', the second action, should be at your belly button. That is very low and I disagree. However, as I write this and think about it, he had a point. When we bless ourselves we are making the sign of the Cross, so forehead down to stomach makes sense, the long part of the Cross. But I would say the top of the stomach. Personally I try go to the bottom of the breast bone. You are still making the sign of the Cross this way as you come back up to your shoulders for the 'Holy Spirit'. If we go to the centre of the chest the shape is not a Cross as the chest is more in line with the shoulders. If we bless ourselves with intention we will notice how we do it and be more aware of making a Cross.