By making the sign of the Holy Cross, we confess our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.

– When we sign ourselves with the Holy Cross, are we also making a confession of faith?

– Without a doubt. By making the sign of the Holy Cross, we confess faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One crucified on the Cross, and faith in one God in three hypostases. Indeed, when we make the sign of the Holy Cross, pronouncing the names of the three hypostases: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we confess one God in three divine faces; and the sign of the Cross reminds us that the Son of God, made man, saved us by crucifying Himself on the Cross. Therefore, the sign of the Holy Cross is, in a way, a brief teaching of the Christian faith. The Church honors the Holy Cross with great devotion: three days a year (September 14, the third Sunday of Lent, and August 1) are dedicated to the honoring of the Holy Cross.

The Cross, made of wood or metal, beautifully crafted and decorated, is never missing from any holy table, from any church where the Holy Liturgy is served. It is also never missing from the top of church steeples and bell towers, and in our cemeteries, the deceased await the resurrection of the dead under the protection of the Holy Cross. The vessels and consecrated chambers of churches are adorned with crosses; many churches are built in the image of the cross, and church books are full of all kinds of hymns in honor of the Holy Cross. In many places, the Cross is placed at drinking fountains and at crossroads. Finally, and a very significant fact: the second coming of the Savior, when He will come to judge the living and the dead, will be foretold by the appearance of the sign of the Son of Man in heaven (Matthew 24:30), that is, of the Cross.