[Seeing me make three crosses, my husband] asked me what I was doing, and I responded eagerly, “Oh it’s this Catholic thing! They do it before the Gospel is read at Mass. I’m asking for God’s word to be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”
My husband’s question prompted self-reflection: Why had I carried this tradition with me for so long? Where does it come from? How did it become part of Mass? What is its true meaning?
My research yielded this beautiful interpretation of the practice: “We cross our forehead so that the Word of God may be in our thoughts and purify our minds. We cross our lips so that our speech may be holy and incline us to share the Gospel with others. And we cross our hearts to invite God to strengthen our love for him and others. All of this is so that we might know, proclaim, and love Jesus Christ all the more.”
The three cross prayer reminds me that encountering God is not a solitary activity. When I make that gesture, I am not the first, the last, or the only person praying for God’s word to be on my mind, lips, and heart. Instead, I am joined by believers around the world and throughout the generations in our collective desire to know God. And even if we have different skin tones or customs, wear different clothes or speak different languages, we are united as God’s children. We are not alone, and we truly are more alike than we are different.
--Alyson Rockhold
Image source: https://pilgrimatthecrossroads.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/the-calling-of-isaiah-isaiah-61-8/
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