The
holy Sign of the Cross is the most important prayer and symbol of our Christian
faith. It is at once the image of Christ's passion, the sign of the redemption
of all mankind, the awesome testament of the destruction of the power of the
devil and of his kingdom on earth. The resurrection is the promise and seal and
guarantee of eternal life which consummated the work of the Cross.
Christians rejoice and the demons tremble to see the Sign of the Cross
emblazoned everywhere as proof of Christ's victory over the world. Christ said
"all power is given to me in heaven and on earth" and the Cross is the seat of
that power. There is no place on earth where a person who makes the Sign of the
Cross is not immediately recognized as a Catholic, and there is no miracle that
has not been worked under this sign. It is the "nuclear bomb" of prayers and
with it the faithful can clear away all enemies and temptations with the
simplest of wordless gestures. Msgr. Gaumé has compiled a magnificent collection
of history and commentary from the saints and fathers and doctors, as well as
his own meditations and exhortations regarding this most powerful prayer. All
Catholics should avail themselves of this information and make it fruitful in
their own lives.