Parting

What do fingers mean at baptism. When we are baptized the sign of the cross

when we are baptized, that is, we overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross, we receive great power capable of driving away any evil and saving from demonism. After all, touching with the right hand the forehead (illumination of the mind), abdomen (illumination of inner feelings), right and left shoulder (illumination of our bodily forces), we depict a cross on ourselves. And he, as you know, is a symbol of Christ's victory over sin and death.

we are called Christians because we believe in God as the Son of God Himself, our Lord, taught us to believe Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ not only taught us to believe in God correctly, but also saved us from the power of sin and eternal death.

The Son of God, Jesus Christ, out of love for us sinners, descended from heaven and, like a simple man, suffered instead of us for our sins, was crucified, died on the cross and on the third day resurrected.

So the sinless Son of God with His cross(that is, by suffering and death on the cross for the sins of all people, the whole world) conquered not only sin, but also death itself - rose from the dead and made the cross the instrument of His victory over sin and death.

As the conqueror of death - resurrected on the third day - He also saved us from eternal death. He will resurrect all of us who have died, when the last day of the world comes, will resurrect for a joyful, eternal life with God.

Cross there is tool or banner of Christ's victory over sin and death.

That is why, in order to express our faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, we wear a cross on our body, and during prayer we depict the sign of the cross on ourselves with our right hand, or we overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross (we are baptized).

For the sign of the cross, we fold the fingers of the right hand like this: we put the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with the ends exactly, and bend the last two (ring and little fingers) to the palm.

The first three fingers folded together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as the Consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His descent to earth, being God, became a man , that is, they mean His two natures - Divine and human.

The sign of the cross gives us great power to drive away and overcome evil and do good, but we must only remember that the cross must be placed right and leisurely, otherwise there will be no image of the cross, but a simple waving of the hand, which only demons rejoice at. By negligently making the sign of the cross, we show our disrespect for God - we sin, this sin is called blasphemy.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, and also, when approaching everything holy: when we enter the temple, when we kiss the cross, the icon, etc. You need to be baptized and in all important cases of our life: in danger, in sorrow, in joy, etc.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen", thereby expressing our faith in Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God.

The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross before prayer, entering the temple, during worship, before and after eating food, before and after finishing work. The sign of the cross testifies to our faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity, as well as our submission to the Lord's will.

By bowing our heads and bowing during prayer, we express our humility and obedience to God in relation to God.

Sign of the Cross:

1. In the name of the Father - the forehead

2. and the Son - the stomach

3. and Saint - right shoulder

4. Spirit - left shoulder

Amen - pronouncing this word, which means - so be it! - drop hand

and bow our heads.

So we fold our fingers for the sign of the cross - they should be folded, according to the picture, together.

Three fingers symbolize the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit.

Two fingers symbolize two natures in Jesus Christ: Divine and human.

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

Sign of the Cross- cross-shaped overshadowing of oneself or someone. In the Orthodox Church, when making the sign of the cross, it is customary to put together a large, index and middle fingers, and press the ring and little fingers to the palm of your hand. The sign of the cross is made by touching successively the forehead, stomach, right and left shoulders with folded fingers.

The doctrine of the liturgical use of the cross and the meaning of the sign of the cross is one of the traditions "accepted in secret." By virtue of the unwritten apostolic institution, the sign of the cross formed the basis of the liturgical life of all the Sacraments celebrated. Blessed Augustine wrote: "If the sign of the cross is not used either on the foreheads of the faithful, or over the water by which they are reborn, or by the anointing with which we were anointed, or over the holy sacrifice by which we are nourished, then everything is fruitless." The sign of the Cross opens the gates through which the grace of the Holy Spirit pours out on the believers, transforming the earthly into the heavenly in souls, casting away sin, conquering death and crushing barriers that are invisible to the sensual eye, separating us from the knowledge of God. The cross would never have had such liturgical significance if it had served only as a reminder of Golgotha, and did not express the actual participation of the forces of the Holy Cross in all the power of its revelation. In many Orthodox prayer books, the connection between the Holy Spirit, the Mother of God and the Holy Cross is clearly visible. The world is sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the sign of the Cross. The cross is the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. "From the time of the Cross, the Comforter Spirit came and moved into Christians" (Philokalia, vol. 1, p. 8).

The sign of the cross is made with the right hand. To do this, we connect the first three fingers together, and bend the other two - the ring and little fingers - to the palm of your hand. With three joined fingers, we touch the chest, the womb, the right, and then the left shoulder, depicting the Cross on ourselves, and, lowering our hand, we bow. The union of three fingers means our faith in the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; two bent fingers mean our faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ: that He has two natures - is God and Man, and for the sake of our salvation came down from heaven to earth. We put the sign of the cross on the forehead in order to sanctify our mind and thoughts, on the womb - to sanctify the heart and feelings, on the shoulders - in order to sanctify the bodily forces and invoke blessing on the deeds of our hands. The sign of the cross symbolizes the invocation of the name of God and the glorification of God, therefore it is usually performed with the words "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" or with any other beginning of prayer, and the words "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Just as it is not proper to call on the name of God in vain, that is, unnecessarily and irreverently, so sign of the cross one should not create often and hastily, and even more so carelessly, turning it into a meaningless movement of the hand. When the priest blesses, saying "Peace to all," one must bow without making the sign of the cross; while being overshadowed by the cross, we make the sign of the cross upon ourselves.

The meaning of the Sacraments is deification, therefore, the basis of all cult actions is the cross. The clergy themselves receive the power and strength to perform the Sacraments from the moment of ordination, when the bishop calls the Holy Trinity with the threefold sign of the Cross, so that “the most abundant descent of the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the initiate” (New Tablet) takes place. A newly built church turns into a temple of God only after its throne and walls are cross-anointed with chrism. The priest makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Lamb. This is one of the most mysterious moments

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, not even all believing Christians - Orthodox and Catholics - know how to be baptized correctly, from right to left or left to right, so often when entering a church, you can notice how adults cross themselves incorrectly.

How should one be baptized? Before going to church, in order not to get confused in the movements of the fingers and hands, it is important to learn how to be baptized, which hand to make the sign of the cross on yourself, how many times to do it correctly.

Any believer should be baptized correctly not only in church, but also at home: during joy, sorrow, in the morning after waking up, in the evening before going to bed, as well as before and after meals. During the re-baptism, you need to pronounce the words: "In the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Each existing religion has its own laws and rules, according to which the sign of the cross or the sign of the cross is distinguished from each other by the movement of the hands and the addition of the fingers.

In close acquaintance with two ...

See "Churching for Beginners" Priest Alexander Torik

The sign of the cross is a bodily expression of Christian dogmas, a confession of the Christian faith in the Holy Trinity and the God-man Jesus Christ, an expression of love and gratitude to God, protection from the actions of fallen spirits.

For the sign of the cross, we fold the fingers of the right hand like this: we put the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with the ends evenly, and bend the last two (ring and little fingers) to the palm of our hand ...

The first three fingers put together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are divine and human.

It is necessary to make the sign of the cross slowly: put it on the forehead (1), on the stomach (2), on the right shoulder (3) and then on the left (4). Lowering right hand you can do a belt ...

ABOUT THE SIGN OF THE CROSS AND THE CROSS

Why is it important to make the sign of the cross over ourselves?

- Performing the sign of the Cross on himself, a Christian, firstly, brings to mind that he is called to follow the footsteps of Christ, enduring in the name of Christ sorrows and hardships for his faith; secondly, he is strengthened by the power of the Cross of Christ to fight evil in himself and in the world; and thirdly, he confesses that he is waiting for the manifestation of the glory of Christ, the Second Coming of the Lord, which itself will be preceded by the appearance in heaven of the sign of the Son of Man, according to the Divine words of the Lord Himself (Matt. 24:30): this sign, according to the unanimous understanding of the Fathers Church, there will be a majestic appearance in the sky of the Cross.

- According to the tradition currently accepted by the Russian Orthodox Church for making the sign of the cross, partsy can be folded in two ways:

1) Three-fingered - the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) of the right ...

To be baptized, or to cross oneself, means to make the sign of the cross with the hand. There are many turns of speech that describe this prayer gesture: to cross oneself with the cross, to make or impose the sign of the cross, and others. The sign of the cross, or sign of the cross, is present in many Christian denominations and is distinguished by the addition of fingers and the movement of the hand. It can be applied in a variety of life situations, at home and in the temple, during emergency events and daily activities.

The history of the sign of the cross in Orthodoxy

In the Orthodox faith, the sign of the cross has a very great importance. It expresses faith in God, Jesus Christ, who suffered on the cross for the sins of the whole world, who turned the cross into a weapon and a banner of victory over sin and death. Orthodox Christians wear a cross on their bodies and overshadow themselves with the banner of the cross, showing their belonging to the faith, love for Christ, obedience to His will.

To make the sign of the cross...

rite of the cross is a sacred sign. All Orthodox people depict on the fingers the symbol of the crucifixion of Christ. Thus, they attract the attention of the holy spirit, the Lord God. However, not all people mentally perceive this ritual rite. Many of them, when they come to a church or cathedral, perform the rite of the cross, because others also perform this sacred ritual. But true believers understand the essence of the great sign.

The sacred sign has the power of God's grace. Because the death of Christ is a great sacrifice for the sake of love for all people on earth. Jesus put all his sacred power into overcoming the devil. The rite of the cross must be performed competently with love and faith in the Lord God. Therefore, adults should teach their young children this ritual.

Many people are interested in the question of how to properly perform the sacred ceremony of baptism? Rumor has it that if it is wrong to perform the ceremony in ...

Watching people who, as usual, make the sign of the cross near the temple, there was a desire to learn more about this rite and, accordingly, the history of its occurrence. If the sign of the cross is performed by Christians, is there any mention of this ceremony in the Bible?

So what is the sign of the cross? This rite is usually explained in the following way. The first three fingers put together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are divine and human. An excellent explanation, but it is important for Bible-trusting Christians to have biblical evidence for this ceremony.

Carefully researching Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we do not find a single mention of the sign of the cross. Every time we read that people were baptized, or John the Baptist and the apostles...

It is necessary to make the sign of the cross slowly: put it on the forehead (1), on the stomach (2), on the right shoulder (3) and then on the left (4). And only lowering the right hand, make a bow in order to involuntarily prevent blasphemy by breaking the cross laid on oneself.

About those who mark themselves with the whole five, or bow before they have finished the cross, or wave their hand in the air or in their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: “Demons rejoice at this frantic waving” ....

About the sign of the cross and pectoral crosses (answers to questions)

Answers to readers' questions about the sign of the cross and the pectoral cross ...

Silver pectoral crosses 1990s - early 2000s

How to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross?

- For the sign of the cross, the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) of the right hand are folded together, and the last two (ring and little fingers) are pressed to the palm.

Making the sign of the cross, the fingers folded like this are placed first on the forehead - to sanctify the mind, then on the womb (stomach) - to sanctify the inner feelings, then on the right and left shoulders - to sanctify the bodily forces. Lowering the hand, make a bow. In this way they portray Calvary Cross and worship him.

It is impossible to put the lower end of the cross on the chest, since in this case an inverted cross is obtained (its lower end becomes shorter than the upper one). The sign of the cross must be made...

The first three fingers folded together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as the Consubstantial and Inseparable Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His descent to earth, being God, became a man , that is, His two natures, divine and human, signify.

Signing ourselves with the sign of the cross, we place our fingers folded like this on our foreheads - to sanctify our mind, on the womb (stomach) - to sanctify our inner feelings, then on the right and left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily forces.

The sign of the cross gives us great power to drive away and overcome evil and do good, but only we must remember that the cross must be placed correctly and slowly, otherwise there will be no image of the cross, but a simple waving of the hand, which only demons ...

The sign of the cross is a small sacrament. By doing it, the Christian imposes on himself the image of the cross - the very sacred symbol, the instrument of death of Jesus Christ, which gave people hope for salvation from sinful slavery. Every detail of this action is full of deep meaning.

three-fingered

Initially, when making the sign of the cross, the fingers were folded in the form of two fingers: the index and middle fingers were connected, the rest were bent and closed. Such a gesture can still be seen on ancient icons. In this form, the sign of the cross was borrowed from Byzantium.

In the 13th century in the Greek Church there was a change in the prayer gesture, and in the 17th century. Patriarch Nikon led the Russian church tradition in accordance with the changed Greek. So the tripartite was introduced, and until now Orthodox Christians are baptized in this way.

When making the sign of the cross, the thumb, index and middle fingers are connected, this symbolizes unity and inseparability ...

I think everyone will agree with me that the first prayer of a Christian is the sign of the cross.
Many of us knew how to make the sign of the cross before we learned the first verbal prayers. And this happens in every nation and tribe. The gesture precedes the word. Because of the richness of Christian traditions, many ways have arisen to make the sign of the cross. Very often, priests are forced to answer a seemingly simple question: “Why are Orthodox people baptized with a three-fingered addition, and Catholics with the whole palm?”, “How is it right to make the sign of the cross?”, “Which fold of fingers is older?” etc. In fact, the history of the sign of the cross is much more complicated than it seems at first glance.

In Christianity, five types of the sign of the cross are known:

- one-fingered

- duodenal

- tripartite

- heroic

- whole hand.

1. It seems that one-finger addition is the oldest, although it is impossible to say this one hundred percent. Catholic Church…

The sign of the cross (Church Slavonic “sign of the cross”) in Christianity is a prayer gesture, which is an image of a cross with a movement of the hand. The sign of the cross is performed in different occasions, for example, when entering and leaving the temple, before or after saying a prayer, during worship, as a sign of confession of one's faith and in other cases; also when blessing someone or something. There are several phraseological phrases denoting the action of a person making the sign of the cross: “make the sign of the cross”, “make the sign of the cross”, “make the sign of the cross”, “(re)baptize” (not to be confused with the meaning “to accept the sacrament of Baptism” ), as well as “nominate (s)”. The sign of the cross is used in many Christian denominations, differing in the options for adding fingers (usually in this context, Church Slavonic word"fingers": "addition of fingers", "composition of fingers") and the direction of movement of the hand.

Stoglavy Cathedral of the Russian…

How to be baptized? (About the sign of the cross). Cross sign. It is correct to be baptized: from the bottom up, otherwise baptism is invalid and God will not accept. So how to be baptized, and how to be baptized correctly, how are the Orthodox baptized?

Three fingers are used by all Orthodox people, and the priests, blessing, fold their fingers into a nominative finger composition.

In the Orthodox Church, there are two types of the sign of the cross: two-fingered and three-fingered. Three folded fingers together are a symbol of the Holy Trinity. In order to properly baptize, the hand that depicts the cross first touches the right shoulder.

Unfortunately, many today still do not know how to be baptized correctly, despite the fact that everything more people began to turn their eyes to God again, to walk in Orthodox churches and monasteries, thereby returning to the faith.

Very often one has to see - believers who have been attending services for many years, are baptized completely incorrectly ... One waved his hand ...

1 HOW IS IT CORRECT TO SIGN YOURSELF WITH THE SIGN OF THE CROSS?
- For the sign of the cross, the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) of the right hand are folded together, and the last two (ring and little fingers) are pressed to the palm.

2 WHAT IS THE SIGN OF THE CROSS?
- The sign of the cross, which is placed on oneself or depicted on oneself with a movement of the hand, is a silent, but at the same time loud, for open, confession ...

Elena Terekhova

The sign of the cross - protection from demons

sign of the cross expresses the essence of Christian dogmas, the confession of faith in the Trinity and Jesus Christ, who took on a human form in order to save the world from hell. The sign also protects us from fallen spirits. In order to make the sign of the cross on yourself, you need to put the first, index and third fingers together, and press the ring and little fingers to the palm of your hand. The first folded three fingers mean faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which are the indivisible Trinity. The last two, pressed to the palm, fingers mean the dual nature of God - human and divine.

The sign of the cross must be applied to oneself without haste. First on the forehead, then on the stomach, then on the right shoulder, on the left, and do waist bow. We put our fingers to the forehead in order to sanctify our mind, to the stomach - to sanctify our inner feelings and heart, to the right and left shoulders we bring folded fingers to sanctify the bodily forces.

It happens that some believers cross themselves with five fingers, bow not low to the waist, put their fingers not to the stomach, but above. The holy fathers speak of such actions as waving, which demons rejoice at. At the time when we are baptized attentively, reverently, we receive mercy from God.

The sign of the cross does not mean only part of the rite, first of all, it is a weapon from evil spirits. By the power of the sign of the cross, the apostles performed miracles. Saint Anthony the Great warned us not to be deceived when angels come to us at night. In such a situation, you need to overshadow yourself with a cross and look at the reaction of the vision.

If these are really the messengers of God, it will become clear to you, and if the evil demons have been transformed, then they will be afraid of the sign and disappear. Once Saint Dorotheus drank water from a well in which a snake lived. The disciple of Dorotheus was upset and said that now death would overtake them. In response, the abba only smiled modestly and said that what was overshadowed by the sign of the cross could not pose a danger to the life of a Christian.

The first Christians imposed sign of the cross with one finger, showing by this their faith in the one God. In 325, after the Council of Nicaea, it was decided to be baptized with two fingers, thus emphasizing the dual nature of Jesus Christ. In the 11th century, in contrast to the heresies that arose that denied the Holy Trinity, it was customary to be baptized with three fingers, which meant faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Take it, tell your friends!

Symbolism of the cross banner

In Orthodoxy, all actions are filled deep meaning and always have a symbolic meaning. And, of course, the sign of the cross in particular. Orthodox Christians, along with representatives of some other Christian denominations, believe that by signing themselves with the cross, they drive away all unclean spirits and protect themselves from evil.

How to be baptized

In order to cross yourself, you need to fold the three fingers of your right hand into a pinch, and press the remaining two fingers to the inside of the palm. This position of the fingers is not accidental - it tells us about the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, of his own free will, suffered for the salvation of every person. Three folded fingers together - this is the trinity of God in the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). The Trinity is one, but at the same time it has three separate incarnations. Two fingers pressed to the hand testify to the dual origin of Christ - he is both God and man.

In order to cross correctly, a person first brings his hand to his forehead and says “In the name of the Father”, then the hand falls on the stomach with the words “And the Son”, then comes the right shoulder “And the Holy One” and the left shoulder “Spirit”. At the end, a bow is made and the word "Amen" is pronounced.

This formulation, again, reveals the nature of God. All three hypostases of the Holy Trinity are mentioned, and the word "Amen" at the end affirms the truth of the Divine Trinity.

In itself, the imposition of the sign of the cross on a person symbolizes the Cross of the Lord, on which he was crucified. By His crucifixion, death and resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ made the instrument of shameful execution an instrument for the salvation of human souls. That is why Orthodox Christians have long used this gesture as a symbol of participation in the death of the Lord, and then His resurrection.

About the Lord Jesus Christ:

History reference

The banner of the cross has been used by Christians from the very beginning of the birth of faith. After the Resurrection of Christ, the first confessors of the faith put on themselves the symbol of the instrument of his execution with one finger, as if wishing to show their readiness to be also crucified for the Lord.

Later, in different periods time, there were customs to be baptized with several fingers, as well as with the whole palm. At the same time, they touched the eyes, lips, forehead - the main human senses, in order to sanctify them.

Important! With the spread Orthodox faith among Christians, it has become customary to cross with two fingers of the right hand, overshadowing the forehead, stomach and shoulders.

Around the 16th century, the practice of covering the chest instead of the stomach spread, since it is in the chest that the heart is located. A century later, the rule was formed and consolidated to be baptized with three fingers of the right hand, putting them again on the stomach, instead of the chest. It is this method that is used by the Orthodox to this day.

Interesting! Adherents of the old rite church service(Old Believers) to this day practice two-toed application.

Where and how to use the sign of the cross

Everyone who considers himself a believing Christian should treat the banner of the cross with great reverence. Apart from great help, it also carries a deep spiritual meaning. By overshadowing himself with the cross, a person shows his will to be a partaker of our Lord Jesus Christ in his death, and then in the Resurrection.

sign of the cross

Based on this, one should always be baptized attentively and with prayer. If this happens at a service in a church, all prayers and significant parts of the service begin and end with the sign of the cross. It is also customary to be baptized at the mention of the names of the Lord God, Holy Mother of God, saints.

It is necessary to make the sign of the cross slowly: put it on the forehead (1), on the stomach (2), on the right shoulder (3) and then on the left (4). Lowering the right hand, you can make a waist or bow to the ground.

Signing ourselves with the sign of the cross, we touch our forehead with three fingers folded together to sanctify our mind, to the stomach - to sanctify our inner feelings (heart), then to the right, then left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily forces.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen,” thereby expressing our faith in the Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God.

The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

Hshould a Christian who overshadows himself with the sign of the cross be aware and experience?

Unfortunately, we do a lot of things in the temple mechanically or stupidly, forgetting that this is supreme remedy spiritual life changes.

The sign of the cross is our weapon. In the solemn, victorious prayer to the Cross - “May God rise again and scatter His enemies ...” - it is said that the Cross has been given to us “to drive out every adversary.” About what adversary in question? The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:11-13 writes: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world rulers of the darkness of the age. this, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. For this, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and, having overcome everything, to stand.
The world that the Lord gave us, in which He gave us to live, is, of course, beautiful. But immersed in sin. And we ourselves are damaged by sin, our nature is distorted by it, and this allows the fallen spirits to tempt us, torment us, lead us along the path of death. A person leading a spiritual life, as a rule, understands that he cannot change himself - he needs to seek help from Christ. When we make the sign of the cross, we first of all call on Him to help us.

Of course, the sign of the cross cannot be understood as a kind of magical gesture that ensures a result. The cross marks the Sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ, brought in the name of love for us. By crossing ourselves with the cross, we testify that His sacrifice was made for us, and that He is the main thing in our life for us. At the same time, bodily, physical movement is the prayer of the body, the communion of the body as a component of our human being to this life in Him: Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's. This is also the Apostle Paul, First Epistle to the Corinthians (6:19-20). The body is just as redeemed by the Sacrifice of the Cross, as is the soul. With the sign of the cross, we try to crucify the lusts of the soul and the lusts of the body. And it is a misfortune that, due to our negligence, the sign of the cross becomes too familiar for us and is performed by us without reverence. Here we need to remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah: Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord negligently (Jer. 48, 10). This movement must be done very seriously, with deep feeling. Why don't we think about putting our fingers together for the sign of the cross? After all, this is a word embodied in action: this, in essence, is the confession of the Holy Trinity.

The sign of the cross is a responsible act - when we make it, we must feel and see the Cross of Christ, His suffering, remember the price that was given to atone for our sins, and the height to which we ascend through the cross. The cross connects us to heaven, the cross connects us to each other, because the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified not for me alone, but for all.
Both as a priest and as a Christian, I have noticed more than once that people who know how to pray deeply and not for show make the sign of the cross very beautifully. What exactly is beauty is difficult to convey in words, because it is a reflection of their beauty. spiritual world. And when a person is baptized either for show, or simply because it is supposed to be, this is also visible, and causes rejection ... and pity. This is how different internal states of a person are expressed in the same movement. In the first case, this is the fruit of spiritual labor, in the second - the emptiness hiding behind the gesture.

As we make the sign of the cross in difficult times, we seek Christ's help. After all, it is difficult for us not only from external causes, but also from incomprehensible horror and despair that have accumulated somewhere in the depths. When we are tempted, we make the sign of the cross on ourselves to drive away the temptation. Satan has the ability to influence us to the extent that sin is developed in us. Once he tempted Christ in the desert, offering Him all the kingdoms of the world (see: Luke 4:5-8). How could he, a nonentity who cannot and does not live, offer the Son of God what he fallen angel, do not belong? Could, because the world belongs to him - through sin. That is why he is called the prince of this world - the changed, sinful world. But Christ overcame him. Then, in the Judean desert, the victory was expressed in the rejection of temptation. But finally it was secured by suffering on the cross, by the sacrifice on the cross. Therefore, we overshadow ourselves with a cross in order to overcome any temptation from Satan. With the cross we hit and drive him away, do not give him the opportunity to act.
Let us remember how the evil spirits were always afraid and how angry when the hermit came to an empty place and put a cross on it: “Go away! This is our place!" Until there was a man with a prayer and a cross, they had at least some illusion of power here. Of course, evil spirit can defeat a person if a person succumbs to him, but a person can always defeat Satan. Satan can be burned because a person is attached to Christ's victory - the Sacrifice of the Cross.