Best of Week, As then-Cardinal Ratzinger once described it, the Sign of the Cross as the “summing up and re-acceptance of our baptism.”. In Revelation 7, John witnesses four angels at the four corners of the earth, holding back storm winds ready to wreak havoc on the earth and sea. The Sign of the Cross is a ritual gesture by which we confess two important mysteries: the Trinity and the centrality of the Cross. The sign of the cross was made simply with the fingers (the index or the thumb) on the forehead or lips or breast (as Latin-rite Catholics do at the beginning of the Gospel lesson) or with the whole hand over the torso. Though the NT does not specifically mention the “Sign of the Cross”, there is scriptural warrant for such a gesture. The pre-Christian cross was used as a religious symbol and as an ornament among the Egyptians, Syrians, Greeks, Persians, Europeans, and in some parts of Afric… STEVE RAY HERE: The biggest difference is that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus 2000 years ago and the other “denominations” are break-offs, protest groups that are of recent origin. Copyright © 2000–2020 Stephen K. Ray. This has nothing to do with salvation as with faith and baptism through last 2,000 years. Those so marked would be saved from the destructed that was to be visited upon the sinners. All Rights Reserved. Catholic Bibles today continue to affirm the cross-imagery hidden in Ezekiel 9:4. It is the secret and power of a Christian's life. Over the centuries, this interpretation of Ezekiel 9:4 has been taken seriously by saints and scholars alike. Bible verses about Sign Of The Cross. All this is to say that the Sign of the Cross is indeed a distinctly Catholic (and Orthodox) practice, but it is also one that is deeply rooted in both the Old and New Testaments. Meaning of cross in Easy English – Two pieces of wood that people have fixed together. Cross, the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. However, even Martin Luther in his Taufbuechlein retained the Sign of the Cross in the baptismal service and used the Sign of the Cross as one of his last gestures before death (H. Grizar, Luther, 3:435). Sacramentals, such as the Sign of the Cross, are not superstitious practices but are sacred signs by which various things in life are rendered holy through the effectual and sacramental grace of God. (1) Extra-Scriptural. The practice has developed over time and is now a regular practice for over a billion people around the world. It is the most common and visible means by which we confess our faith. Thus the solutions to our problems center in the cross of Christ. This seems to be a special situation in a unique period of trial and tribulation at the end of time where certain of God's people are for that unique period marked so at to preserve them. The cross is thus a sign of both Christ himself and of the faith of Christians. Ghezzi writes that at its heart, the sign of the cross is "a simple gesture and … a simple prayer." There is reason to believe that the Jewish Christians used the Sign of the Cross prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70. Over time, Christians have imbued this small, simple gesture with volumes of theological meaning. Although often translated as sealed, the Greek word in these three texts is the same as the one used in Revelation 7:3, sphragizō, which one biblical concordance defines as to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal for a number of purposes, including security from Satan and to prove one’s testimony to a person that he is what he professes to be. Grizar citation: Luther, Hartmann Grizar, B. Herder Book Co., 1919, vol. Tertullian: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff, ed., Eerdmans, 1980, vol. It's a symbol of death, but so much more. Around 1,000 BC—a few hundred years before the writing of Ezekiel—it still had a cross-shape but was more like St. Andrew’s Cross. It could be a similar sign to the one God gave to Cain after he killed his brother able to preserve his life in Genesis 4:15. Often these words contain they letter they are naming. The practice is already well established in the 2nd century as attested to by Tertullian (ad c. 160-c. 225). Raised as an evangelical Protestant, he is a convert to Catholicism. All of our problems stem from sin--from our own sin or from the sin of others against us (and our sinful reaction to it) or from the fallen world in which we live. The meaning of the Last Letter is very plain; Jews and Christians have agreed about it from the beginning. Can i please adopt it to my parish newspapper ? Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity.It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. There is nothing in the Greek of the [New Testament] even to imply two pieces of timber.” (Mark 15:26) - "And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS." St. Paul writes, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2), and “may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14). His areas of interest include Eastern Christianity, Marian and Eucharistic theology, medieval history, and the saints. Only the most reactionary of anti-Catholic prejudices would see in this gesture something to be argued against. Next post: What Does the Word Catholic Mean? It is not the equivalent of a ‘cross.’” The word xyʹlon, used at Acts 5:30, is “simply an upright pale or stake to which the Romans nailed those who were thus said to be crucified.” Pustet & Co., 1885, vol. (For example, see the Haydock Bible Commentary here and Scott Hahn’s book Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots.). People commit horrible crimes and get off with a slap on th… Though Protestantism jettisoned this practice, along with the crucifix during the Reformation, the Catholic and Orthodox traditions faithfully continue this age old practice handed down from the age of the Apostles. Only the most reactionary of anti-Catholic prejudices would see in this gesture something to be argued against. 2. In the Sign of the Cross, we profess the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith: the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--and the saving work of Christ on the Cross on Good Friday. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. The Bible teaches that there was a crucial event, the event of the cross. Wouldnt it be too easy to be saved then? Many place the symbol of the cross upon their Bibles, pulpits, steeples, and car bumpers. (1 Corinthians 2:2) Everything else, he considered rubbish. Learn more about the history and symbolism of the cross. And, in Revelation 22:4, while an angel is leading John on a tour of the New Jerusalem that descended out of heaven, he is told that the servants of God who live in the celestial city will have God’s name on their foreheads. In crucifixion a person was either tied … Yet most Protestants reject the idea of placing the sign of the cross upon themselves. sign of the Cross, Stephen Beale is a freelance writer based in Providence, Rhode Island. Now, in Ezekiel 9, the mark was to be put on the foreheads of those who grieved and lamented the idolatry and abominations of their fellow Israelites. 7, p. 432. . Contrary to what some Protestants would have you think, the Sign of the Cross dates back to the earliest times. In the verse as quoted above, that interpretation is inserted where an ellipsis reads above. A regular plus sign (+) looks way too much like a cross, and is carefully … None of the above verses offer specifics. Few actions so clearly distinguish a person as a Catholic in our culture as the Sign of the Cross. The truth must always be told and the Catholic Church will always do just that. Symbolical Uses of the Cross: (1) Extra-Scriptural. We live in a day of loose justice at best. (Philippians 3:8) Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, let us keep our eyes on the cross and all its richness. sin ('oth "a sign" "mark" mopheth, "wonder"' semeion, "a sign," "signal," "mark"): A mark by which persons or things are distinguished and made known. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. Hi guys. Chapel, ed., Fr. STEVE RAY HERE: Thanks Edward, good point. The Church has given us wonderful customs and traditions to mark ourselves and to acknowledge our participation in the whole continuity of the Church and the work of Christ. 3. It means to put Jesus and other people first in your life. In the Sign of the Cross, we profess the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith: the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--and the saving work of Christ on the Cross on Good Friday. All three verses are clearly describing the sacrament of baptism, according to the Haydock Bible Commentary. STEVE RAY HERE: In this case it appears to be a literal sign. The sign of the cross was well known in the symbolics of various ancient nations. The Easton Bible Dictionary provides the following definition, meaning and emblem for the Cross Christian Symbol in the Bible. The sign was originally placed upon the forehead with the thumb and later extended to the whole upper body. In the New Testament the cross was the instrument of crucifixion, and hence used for the crucifixion of Christ itself (Eph. He also writes, “At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign. One of the first questions we might ask is, Who decided that the cross was to be the sign of Christianity? { 7 comments… read them below or add one }. The writings of the Fathers, as authentic witnesses to the apostolic teaching in the early Church, are replete with references to the Sign of the Cross. cross, The cross is now the sign of the church of Christ. The Sign Of The Cross 5 Days Praying the Sign of the Cross traces its origins back to the very early Christians marking a cross on their foreheads. Ed. Catholic Exchange is a project of Sophia Institute Press. That God sent Christ to bear our sins means that God does not just shrug off our sin. So, for example, the last letter in our alphabet is Z, but the word for Z is actually zee. In the Douay-Rheims translation, the name of the letter, thau, is offered. Then I saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. There are slight differences in how it is made between the various rites of … There, the word for mark is tav (that’s the transliterated spelling; a phonetic spelling would be tāw or thau). It is used as an integral part of many actions (e.g., at Baptism, Confirmation, prayer, to begin and end Mass, etc.). In Israeli schools, writing the “plus” sign is frowned upon, because it looks too much like a cross. Thank you. (It might help, before proceeding further, to recall that languages have words for the letters in their alphabets. The three bars of the cross most likely represent the three realms of the Pope's authority: the church, the world, and heaven. In third century, Tertullian wrote, “At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.” A number of other Church Fathers also attest to the use of the Sign of the Cross early on, including St. John Chrysostom and St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Amen." At its heart is Calvary, the place where Jesus died so we could be forgiven. He has appeared on Fox News, C-SPAN and the Today Show and his writing has been published in the Washington Times, Providence Journal, the National Catholic Register and on MSNBC.com and ABCNews.com. And, even a Protestant commentator in the same century, British Methodist theologian Adam Clarke, lends it some credence. St. Jerome’s cross-centered view of Ezekiel 9:4 has continued to be taken seriously since then. Defenders of the Catholic Faith | Hosted by Stephen K. Ray. crossing self, 12:2; 1 … I hope the image inspires him to make the sign of the cross mindfully and devoutly. Jesus died in this way. The addition symbol we use here in Israel looks like this: ﬩ , like an upside down ‘T’. Only recently, since the Reformation, has the Sign of the Cross (along with the Crucifix, holy water and other visible signs) been rejected as idolatrous by many Protestant traditions. A native of Topsfield, Massachusetts, he graduated from Brown University in 2004 with a degree in classics and history. The sources that were readily available, like the Haydock Bible Commentary and others, don’t elaborate, but it’s clear where he got the idea by taking a look at the Hebrew text for Ezekiel 9:4. My subject today--”The Meaning of the Cross”--may strike you as being a bit theological and impractical. Ezekiel provides precedence for a sign upon the forehead of believers (Ezek 9:4; 17:9–14) as does Revelation (Rev 7:3; 9:4; 14:1). If, for these and other such rules, you insist upon having positive Scripture injunction, you will find none. The sign of the cross reflects biblical reality. The cross has a long central staff and then three horizontal bars cross it near the top, in diminishing order of length. St. Augustine: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1st series, Philip Schaff, ed., Eerdmans, 1983, vol. Commentators, both Catholic and Protestant, have seen Revelation 7:3 as an allusion back to Ezekiel 9:4, where we read God’s instructions to a linen-clad man in one of the prophet’s visions: “Lord said to him: Pass through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark … the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced within it.”. The Sign of the Cross is made by touching the forehead with the fingers of the right hand, then the breast and then the left and right shoulders. The cross is thought to have originated from the ancient Babylonians before its spread to other parts of the world such as Syria, Egypt, Greek, Latin, India, and Mexico. I have printed it and posted it on my fridge at eye-level for my seven-year-old son who has just begun serving Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Over time, Christians have imbued this small, simple gesture with volumes of theological meaning. Christian Cross Symbols. Among the Egyptians it is said to have been the symbol of divinity and eternal life, and to have been found in the temple of Serapis. image: Hill of Crosses, Lithuania/Shutterstock, Tagged as: The combination of the words and the action are a creed—a statement of belief. In this form a "new standard, called the Labarum, was accordingly made, and" borne by the Roman armies. But does the Sign of the Cross go back as far as the Bible? rosʹ, according to Crucifixion in Antiquity, means “a pole in the broadest sense. What is the Meaning of the Cross? 2:16; Heb. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we learn: “The Christian begins his day, his prayers and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Specifically, St. Jerome says the mark was shaped like the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which, in its earliest forms had a cross-like shape. 786). This is not only a personal gesture, as a form of prayer but also a public witness and a sign of participation in the life of Christ and the Church. A vast body of evidence shows that the cross was used centuries before the birth of Christianity. Origen (ad c. 185-c. 284) wrote, “This [letter Tau] bears a resemblance to the figure of the cross; and this prophecy [Ezek 9:4] is said to regard the sign made by Christians on the forehead, which all believers make whatsoever work they begin upon, and especially at the beginning of prayers, or of holy readings” (Selections in Ezekiel. He writes of the wife who “signs” her bed and body (To His Wife 5). The Romans fixed a person to a cross to die as a punishment. As we read the Scriptures, we see that the cross symbolizes . The combination of the words and the action are a creed—a statement of belief. The Sign of the Cross is a ritual gesture by which we confess two important mysteries: the Trinity and the centrality of the Cross. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites (Revelation 7:2-4, New American Bible, Rev. Sinal da Cruz – Apologistas da Fé Católica, Exploring Prayer: The Rosary | En Via Christum, What Does the Word Catholic Mean? This rejection fails to recognize that the sign of the cross is an ancient and scriptural help to Christians. https://www.christianity.com/.../why-do-catholics-use-the-sign-of-the-cross.html The idea of a sign or a seal marking members of the Church as God’s own also surfaces elsewhere in the New Testament. The Cross is a great contradiction. 2157; see also CCC, no. When you combine Roman Catholic/ Orthodox/ Anglican and Lutheran together then most Christians make the sign of the cross in prayer or as a pious gesture. For unless that sign be applied, whether it be to the foreheads of believers, or to the very water out of which they are regenerated, or to the oil with which they receive the anointing chrism, or to the sacrifice that nourishes them, none of them is properly administered” (Tractates on John 118). Central to that biblical message is the cross, which is also a central feature of the logo. I need to know what is the biggest difference between the modern Christianity and Catholic religions? In 1215, Pope Innocent III opened the Fourth Lateran Council with a rousing sermon on Ezekiel 9. The addition symbol we use here in Israel looks like this: ﬩ , like an upside down ‘T’. The book makes two more references to a “sign” on the forehead. The sign of the cross is the supreme sacramental. Its foundation is the Bible, the Word of God, shown open because its message should be read and put into practice. He is a former news editor at GoLocalProv.com and was a correspondent for the New Hampshire Union Leader, where he covered the 2008 presidential primary. 3, p. 435. (Click here for the full definition.). But I think it’s only the higher liturgical Lutherans that use it but the conservative evangelical Lutherans do not. © Copyright 2020 Catholic Exchange. A History of the Word “Catholic”. The Catholic Church has always seen outward gestures as means of expressing and actuating internal spiritual realities. The Sign of the Cross simply affirms in gestures the core of the creed—the existence of the Trinity and the crucifixion of Jesus. The problem is, should we think it was a literal mark on the forehead that Ezekiel and the book of Revelation was saying? Making the sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. The Papal Cross is the official symbol of the Catholic pope in Rome and may be used only by the Pope. A regular plus sign (+) looks way too much like a cross, and is carefully avoided in the Israeli school system as … The Easter story, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, has made the cross likely the most recognized icon on earth. Specifically, around 2,000 BC the letter was shaped like St. George’s Cross. The sign of the cross is the supreme sacramental. Bible verses about Sign Of The Cross. The article has a minor error – it was not abandoned by Protestants. … To divide event revelation from propositional revelation is to leave us with a story without an interpretation. There are slight differences in how it is made between the various rites of the Church, but they are all legitimate. It’s the same idea with Hebrew. Centuries later, in the early 1800s, the noted Catholic commentator George Haydock cites it. For Catholic Christians reading the Old Testament, it’s all just too much of a coincidence that the Hebrew word mark is also the Hebrew word for a letter of its alphabet that was shaped like a cross—the instrument with which salvation is offered to all men. For that, we have to go deeper into the Scriptures. Above the cross and the open Bible is a burning flame that represents the Holy Spirit, the messenger of … The manger was planned. From about the 6th century BC until the 4th century AD, the cross was an instrument of execution that resulted in death by the most torturous and painful of ways. Or should we see it as something symbolic, not an outward sign, but rather a spiritual seal(Ephesians 1:13)? ), Now, what was so exciting for St. Jerome and others is that in its ancient forms the letter tav looked like a cross. While the Bible does not instruct us to cross ourselves, the sign of the cross is not without biblical symbolism. A number of commentators, most notably St. Jerome, have concluded that the mark was cross-shaped. Amen.’ The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. There has never been a time in the flow of historic Christianity that the Sign of the Cross has not been devoutly practiced. Learning a lot about our church. The sign of the cross has enormous power as a sacramental; it does not cause the spiritual thing it signifies but draws on the prayer of the Church to affect us in our lives. The New American Bible—recognizing that most readers don’t know what a thau is, much less what it looks like—instead says that God instructed the linen-clad man to “mark an X on the foreheads.” Either way, St. Jerome’s interpretation still carries water today in Catholic exegetical circles. It sounds like the kind of thing that theology professors may enjoy discussing, but not the sort of thing that will help you work out problems in your marriage or raise your kids or pay your bills or overcome personal problems. John 2:11 - This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Through Christs death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin. What was written on the sign that was hung on the cross above the head of Jesus? He welcomes tips, suggestions, and any other feedback at bealenews at gmail dot com. In Israeli schools, writing the “plus” sign is frowned upon, because it looks too much like a cross. Cross, the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. But it just so happens that there is compelling biblical evidence that supports this practice. 3, p. 424. and even the most wicked ungodly blasphemous person can spare himself of the judgments in those passages so long as he makes this sign on his forehead? To carry your cross means not to think about yourself first. This tradition of wearing a cross does not come from the Bible or the practices of the New Testament Church. The Sign of the Cross is made by touching the forehead with the fingers of the right hand, then the breast and then the left and right shoulders. How Can Beauty & Culture Save the World? At its heart is Calvary, the place where Jesus died so we could be forgiven. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The practice has developed over time and is now a regular practice for over a billion people around the world. The evidence is hidden in a book whose very name suggests the unveiling of concealed concealed—a book so filled with tales of beasts, a seven-headed dragon, horse-like locusts, and a two hundred million-strong army of fire-breathing steeds that you might have missed where it talks about anything like the Sign of the Cross: the Book of Revelation. Luke 1:26-38 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. What did this sign or seal look like? Same with Anglicans and Methodists if I’m not mistaken. We mark ourselves as Christians through the Sign of the Cross. Ghezzi writes that at its heart, the sign of the cross is "a simple gesture and … a simple prayer." There is wisdom of the highest level in the Cross. Through this Bible study we will explore the practice of the prayer and also the enormity of the mystery of the Trinity and the sacrifice of our ever-loving God. That’s also the Hebrew word for the last letter of its alphabet (according to these language sites here and here). The sacramental imagery is unmistakable: it is through baptism that our membership in the Church is “sealed.” And it is in baptism that we receive the “first installment,” if you will, of graces to come through life in the Church—particularly through frequent prayer and reception of the other sacraments. Rather, the Bible is seen as a witness to revelation that takes place in events. The meaning of each Letter derives from its name, position in the Alphabet, grammatical function and associated KeyWords. St. Augustine (354–430 AD) wrote: “What else is the sign of Christ but the cross of Christ? Even the highly educated Apostle Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ crucified. Miracles have been performed with this simple gesture and parliaments and councils have opened under its sign. The theme of God’s redemptive plan runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The sign of the cross was well known in the symbolics of various ancient nations. | R. Jared Staudt, PhD, The Lost Riches of Catholic Catechisms with Aaron Seng of Tradivox, The Catholic Faith in Public Life After the 2020 Election with Derek Rotty. A History of the Word “Catholic”. St. Francis, who attended the council, was reportedly so inspired that he embraced the tau (the Greek letter that is the counterpart to the Hebrew letter tav) as the emblem of his order, according to historian Warren Carroll. As noted on page 21 of the BW book, its name (Tav) is a common Hebrew word that denotes a mark, sign, or cross. A simple upright post with a transverse bar used crucifixion. We Lutherans still practice it. Well written and very concise. The sign of the Cross shows the transformation of each man and his friendship with God. The simplest and most common Christian cross is the Latin cross, also … Demons are apostates, the enemies of God. In Scripture used generally of an address to the senses to attest the existence of supersensible and therefore divine power. (See below illustration.). Such baptismal language strengthens the connection with the Sign of the Cross, which is accompanied by the words, “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”—the same words with which we are baptized. 2. Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19 (Matthew 27:37) - "And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." Charles Stanley. For Catholics, the Sign of the Cross does not need to be explicitly recorded in the Scriptures in order to justify its use. But it just so happens that there is compelling biblical evidence that supports this practice. Praying the Sign of the Cross traces its origins back to the very early Christians marking a cross on their foreheads. Tradition will be held forth to you as the originator of them, custom as their strengthener, and faith as their observer” (The Chaplet 3, 4). Among the Egyptians it is said to have been the symbol of divinity and eternal life, and to have been found in the temple of Serapis. In 2 Corinthians 1:22, Paul writes that, “the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.” Similar language is used in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30, in which Paul talks about how Christians have been “sealed” with the Holy Spirit. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/StephenBeale1, The Advent Mysteries of Annunciation & Incarnation. The sign of the cross was made simply with the fingers (the index or the thumb) on the forehead or lips or breast (as Latin-rite Catholics do at the beginning of the Gospel lesson) or with the whole hand over the torso. Great reading. By this sign thou shalt conquer, and that" on the following night Christ himself appeared and ordered him to take for his standard the sign of this cross. The word for its last letter is tav which is also the word for mark. Luke 1:26-38 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Likewise, our word for the letter B is bee, which happens to also be the name for a certain type of insect. The theme of God’s redemptive plan runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Sign of the Cross simply affirms in gestures the core of the creed—the existence of the Trinity and the crucifixion of Jesus. Great article ! Origen: The Faith of Catholics, Rev. Learn more about the history and symbolism of the cross. 3, p. 94–95. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with the right hand, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the trinitarian formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. c. ix). The demons fear the sign of the Cross and cannot stand to even see it traced in the air because they know that the Cross is the sign of friendship between mankind and God. 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