Life is moving at break-neck speed. The kids are crabby today. You have a very stressful meeting you have to attend. Things are just not going how you planned. So many times we know we need to pray but either we feel rushed or the words evade us. Did you know that the Sign of the Cross is a very powerful (and quick) prayer that you can send up to God at a moments notice? I learned at a homeschool conference talk that this is a great, quick prayer for busy moms to add to their arsenal. It's so important that St. Frances de Sales even wrote a book about it!
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I told my kids about that when I got home and my daughter's response was, "How thick could that book be?" It doesn't look thick, but seeing as how it's written by St. Francis de Sales, I'm sure it packs quite a punch.
Canon Talarico from the Institute of Christ the King gave a wonderful talk about the Blessed Trinity and then explained how the Sign of the Cross is such a powerful prayer. Some of the nuggets of wisdom that I wrote down include:
- True charity cannot fail to bring about joy
- Perfect motherly love is without self-will
- God's grace will always make up for our deficiencies
- Pray away fear
- Make the Sign of the Cross often during the day
The Sign of the Cross Explained
First off, Canon explained, according to St. Francis, how the Sign of the Cross is to be made properly. He emphasized that, while it is a quick prayer, it should not be done quickly. Here's how he explained it:
- The sign of the Cross is always made with the right hand because scripture and tradition says that the right hand is more worthy. For example, Jesus sits at the right hand of God. He apologized to those who are left-handed 🙂
- All 5 fingers are to be used to remind us of the 5 wounds of Christ (didn't know that!)
- Touch the forehead first because God the Father is the head
- Next, touch the stomach area because the Son proceeds from the Father into the womb of Mary (fascinating!)
- We go from the left shoulder to the right shoulder because that direction signifies moving from sin to salvation, dark to light.
The Perfect Quick Prayer for Busy Moms
He then went on to point out how this is a great prayer for busy moms to say all day long. The kids are fighting and you're losing your cool? Make the Sign of the Cross. How about when you're stuck in traffic and you are going to be late for an appointment? That's a great time to make the Sign of the Cross.
Really, any situation throughout the day is an appropriate time to call upon the Blessed Trinity. It's quick and effective. You don't even need to formulate words to go along with it (although a good, heartfelt "Lord, help me" wouldn't hurt either!).
If you swear or yell, making the Sign of the Cross over your lips, like we do at Mass, is a great way to make reparation.
When we are driving around and we see a Catholic church, someone says "Praise be Jesus Christ" and the other people in the car respond "Now and forever" and we all make the Sign of the Cross.
Mary, Our Perfect Mother
In addition to calling upon the Trinity, Canon reminded us that Mary is great to call upon throughout the day for all our motherly needs. He said, "Pray to Mary, she will never fail us."
What a comfort to know that, no matter how busy we are, we have a few quick prayers, and powerful ones at that, that we can use to invoke the aid of those in Heaven.
Do you make the Sign of the Cross during the day?