The Sign of the Cross

Did you know Byzantine Catholics make the sign of the cross from right to left? Which shoulder do you touch first? They also use their hand to teach themselves about the Trinity. Want to know more? Well, look no further. I’m your host Shalone Cason, and let’s begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A prayer with your whole body

the Christian professes faith in the Most Holy Trinity

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

When we make the Sign of the Cross, we say who God is: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is a prayer we say with our words and with our hands.

Right shoulder first

from the forehead to the breast and from the right shoulder to the left

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

Byzantine Catholics touch their forehead, then their chest, then the right shoulder, then the left. We trace the cross of Jesus, who died and rose for us!

Three fingers

Joining the first three fingers of our hand is a sign of our profession of faith in the Holy Trinity

— Christ – Our Pascha 626

Three fingers together are for the Trinity. The last two fingers bend down to the palm, for Jesus: he is God and also truly human.

Different, but equal

of equal right and dignity

— Catechism 1203

Roman Catholics touch the left shoulder first. Neither way is wrong. It is the same cross and the same God, and the Church loves both ways.

And that was the sign of the cross, in the Byzantine Rite, in a nutshell. It is a prayer that uses your whole body. You touch your right shoulder first and use three fingers to represent the Trinity. Thanks for learning with us. I’ve been your host, Shalone, and until next time, stay holy, my friends.