The Sign of the Cross
(For Trinity Sunday)

Dear Crusaders,

St. Agnes was a 13 years old girl when she went before a judge who was tried to flatter her and make her renounce to the Catholic Faith.  Agnes was not moved at all by these foul words and the judges got mad at her. They threatened her with the worst punishment if she wouldn’t do the will of the emperor by offering a sacrifice to the pagan gods.  Nothing could make Agnes change her mind.   The judge then took her to a pagan temple, before the statue of an idol, where coals were burning.  He unbound Agnes’ hands and asked her to drop some grains of incense in honour of the idol.  Far from following the judge’s orders, Agnes used her hands to make the sign of the cross on her forehead.

This is like the day of our baptism when the priest made two Signs of the Cross while saying: “Receive the sign of the cross on your forehead and within your heart.” From then, God has been the master of our lives.  The Sign of the Cross of St. Agnes meant that God was her master, and she couldn’t serve another master.

Dear children, on the day of your baptism, you, too, have been marked twice with the Sign of the Cross.  You belong to God, indeed!  The Father created you, the Son redeemed you with His most Precious Blood, The Holy Ghost is sanctifies you!  Your soul and body became forever God’s property and you are not allowed to give them to a false god.

St. Agnes knew that she could not offer sacrifice to any other god, but only to the True God.  She confessed her faith in One God by making the sign of the cross on her forehead.

The sign of the cross was again made on your forehead later on in life by the bishop, “I sign thee with the sign of the cross and I confirm thee with the Chrism of salvation.”  By this Sacrament, you were made perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. 

St. Agnes knew that the judge was going to be mad at her.  Like a lamb (Agnus means lamb in Latin), Agnes was standing before a pack of wolves.  She had nothing in her hands to defend herself, but she found herself strong because of the Sign of the Cross.  She had to suffer much more, but the Sign of the Cross gave her the strength to bear all these cruel sufferings until death, and it finally obtained for her the reward of heaven. 

Here is one example of the power of the Sign of the Cross.  St. Benedict made the Sign of the Cross over a cup of a poisoned wine.  Instantly, the cup was shattered into pieces, and the deadly drink disappeared into the ground.

Dear children, make frequent use of the Sign of the Cross.  It is prayer and a profession of faith.  Make it well, and God will protect you.

                                                                    Father Dominique Boulet
                                                                

E-mail address: EucharisticCrusade@sspx.ca

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