The sign of the cross is a reminder that I belong to God, that I am His precious child.
It is a prayer, an acknowledgment of trust and commitment to God and His will. It is a symbol of our confidence in Him. Signing yourself with the cross signifies our devotion to God, our willingness to put Him first. It is a statement: that one believes in God, the Father of all, God almighty, omniscient, benevolent, God who is love; that one believes in Jesus, His Son, the eternal Word through whom all of creation was made (“through him, with him and in him”); that one believes in the Holy Spirit and in toto three persons who constitute one divine being, God; that one believes in the Church Jesus instituted, in her sacraments necessary for our salvation, in the importance of prayer; that one believes in the community of saints: those in heaven, those in purgatory being cleansed of the residue of sin and those in this life struggling to remain faithful to God and his commandments.
In a nutshell, the sign of the cross is a sign recognizing the totality of truths revealed to us by God for our salvation. It teaches us a fundamental form of prayer: submitting humbly to God. It is a promise of salvation for those who embrace it and strive to perfect themselves as God is perfect. It is an act of love, pledging ourselves to the One who made us for Himself. Our “amen” is an affirmation of all we believe revealed to us by this divine being; as though we commit ourselves once again to the faith by which we have been blessed.
The sign of the cross is a humble reminder of what Jesus suffered on the cross to free us from eternal death. Praise to our wonderful God of love!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.