From the very first centuries, Christians used a simple gesture to remind themselves who they belonged to. They traced a cross on their bodies.
It goes back even further, to the prophet Ezekiel. He saw a vision of people chasing money, power, and pleasure – and ignoring God. But those who stayed faithful were marked on the forehead with the Hebrew letter T – shaped like a cross. That mark became a sign of belonging, a sign of God’s protection.
When we make the sign of the cross today – forehead, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder – we are saying the same thing: I belong to Christ. His love covers my whole being – my mind, my heart, my strength.
It’s not just about words. Worship is something we do with our whole selves – we stand, sit, kneel, sing, listen, speak. The sign of the cross is another way of praying with the body.
That’s why, when you see the red cross in a circle printed in this booklet, it marks a moment when you may want to make that sign. You don’t have to, but for many Christians it is a small but powerful act of faith.
And every time we do it, we join in a story stretching back through centuries – a story of loyalty, prayer, and belonging to Christ who gave himself for us on the cross.