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Why Most People Make the Sign of the Cross Wrong, and What Each Movement Means
What the video says
The speaker says most people make the sign of the cross the wrong way: too fast, only halfway, or as a small wave in front of the chest. He explains this happens because nobody told them what the gesture means. He shows the hand position: three pressed fingers stand for the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God.
The two folded fingers stand for Jesus, fully God and fully man, and point down because He came down to us. He then explains the movement: forehead means giving God your mind, the stomach your heart, and the shoulders your strength, everything you do. Knowing this, he says, you cannot rush anymore, because you are giving your whole self to God, mind, heart, and strength, in three seconds.
He closes by asking how viewers were taught to make the cross, or whether they were taught at all.
Key moments
- Most people make the sign of the cross too fast, halfway, or as a small wave in front of the chest, because nobody told them what they are doing.
- The three pressed fingers stand for the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God.
- The two folded fingers stand for Jesus, fully God and fully man, and point down because He came down to us.
- Forehead: giving Him your mind; down to the stomach: your heart; right and left shoulders: your strength, everything you do.
- Knowing the meaning, you cannot rush anymore, because you are giving your whole self to God, mind, heart, and strength, in three seconds.
- The speaker asks viewers how they were taught to make the cross, or whether they were taught at all.
The speaker says most people make the sign of the cross incorrectly: too fast, only halfway, or as a small wave in front of the chest. He traces the problem to a simple cause: nobody told them what the gesture means. He then explains the hand position. The three pressed fingers stand for the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons and one God.
The two folded fingers stand for Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, and they point down because He came down to us. Next he explains the movement itself. Touching the forehead means giving God your mind. Moving to the stomach means giving Him your heart. Touching the shoulders means giving Him your strength, everything you do.
Once a person knows this meaning, he says, rushing becomes impossible, because in those few seconds you are giving your whole self to God: mind, heart, and strength. He closes by asking viewers how they were taught to make the sign of the cross, or whether they were ever taught at all.
Main points
- Most people make the sign of the cross too fast, halfway, or as a small wave, because nobody explained what they are doing.
- The three pressed fingers stand for the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, one God.
- The two folded fingers stand for Jesus, fully God and fully man, and point down because He came down to us.
- Forehead means giving God your mind, the stomach your heart, the shoulders your strength and everything you do.
- Knowing the meaning, you cannot rush anymore: you give your whole self to God, mind, heart, and strength, in three seconds.