Throughout its history the sign of the cross has been seen as a mark of Christian identity. From this perspective it is performed so that the sign may be seen by others. This was the case especially in earlier Christian centuries, as well as during times when Christianity became threatened.
According to the sign's other meaning, which has become more prominent in the last twelve centuries, the gesture of the cross is also a self-blessing, a gesture that imitates and reflects the sacramental blessing of the priest.
As both interpretations suggest, it is not directed towards God - unlike the gesture of the outstretched arms. In the first case, as the mark of Christian identity, it is directed at someone else. And in the second case, as a gesture of blessing, the sign is turned toward the self. In both cases, since it is traced over the body, its conceptual start is the most graspable sense of the self, which is the body. Where the gesture of the outstretched arms formed an invocation, the inward direction of the sign of the cross creates a gesture of profession of and acceptance of the faith. Both the sign of the cross and the gesture of the outstretched arms signify prayer, but the direction, and therefore the meaning of the prayer formed by the gesture, is different in each case.
Lifting the hands is something we do when we address God in heaven. This form of address works similarly to the way we communicate among oursleves. We speak, and our words are sent, offered toward and heard by the other person. Tracing the sign of the cross over one's body is different. We gesture the sign of the cross when we invite God to talk to us, to accept and clean our body and our entire being, so that our body becomes a temple for God to dwell in. This kind of prayer is more contemplative in nature. It starts with the self and is directed to God in heaven through an inward journey.
Andreas Andreopoulos
The Sign of the Cross: The Gesture, The Mystery, The History
Paraclete Press, 2006
pp 72-73
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