Signs On Our Heads

The second part of my series on surviving secular college is up and and can be read here. The topic is the need for a good Newman Center, though I suppose one could include the presence of an orthodox campus ministry in this as well. Have a look and, as always, if you like what you see here or there follow me!

In the Mass, when the Gospel is about to be proclaimed by the priest or deacon we make the sign of the cross on our foreheads, over our lips  and over our hearts. We do this to as a sign of the inward prayer in our hearts. In doing so we ask that the Gospel always be in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. Any Catholic is familiar with this concept but it does bear repeating occasionally because these things we do in the Mass can feel like rote repetitions with no real purpose if we fail to remind ourselves of their meaning from time to time.

But this shouldn't be the only use of this sign of the cross. The sign of the cross can be a powerful blessing upon ourselves or a subtle request for assistance in times of struggle. Have you had bizarre thoughts burst into your head? Be they sexual, judgmental, or just drifting off into la-la land, making the same sign of the cross on your head as done during the Gospel Acclamation can be a powerful way to restore mental order. This is due in large part to this being a moment of prayer.

Turning to prayer in these moments of weakness can be our most powerful response to moments of weakness. We're told often to turn to prayer when faced with mortal sin but obviously this is easier said than done. When the mind wanders into troubling areas such as sexual fantasies, dwelling on personal slights, or anything that reflects the pride that resides in virtually all of our hearts, turning to prayer can be hard if we are in a public setting. How do you make the normal sign of the cross while riding a bus or sitting in a restaurant or in a meeting at work?

This is why I turn to the sign from the Gospel Acclamation. The sign of the cross has been my most power weapon, when even a micro prayer is included, in keeping my mind clear of debris and spiritual landmines. We must always turn our minds and hearts in prayer to Christ when we are faced with the near occasion of sin, even when it's the hardest thing in the world to do. The sign from the Gospel Acclamation is a subtle way of doing so when you wish to be discrete and silent in your prayerful appeals to the Lord for help.

Is there any support in Scripture for doing this? We see the faithful in both the Old and New Testaments has bearing signs on their foreheads marking them as the elect (Exodus 17:9-14 and Revelation 7:3; 9:4; 14:1). We also know that in the early Church the sign of the cross was commonplace. Tertullian writes "In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross" (De corona, 30). This sign reminds us of the Holy Trinity, that doctrine of doctrines that separates Christians from other Abrahamic faiths, and invokes the Trinity to be with us in prayer. When turning in appeal to prayer for overcoming dangerous situations the sign of the cross, either the full sign or the Acclamation sign, can be a powerful weapon for overcoming temptation.