The Power of the Sign of the Cross

(18th Sunday after Pentecost) (Luke 5:1-11)

St. Justina was born to parents who were pagans; her father was a pagan priest. Her search for the truth led her to visit the local churches, and, through them, came to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. In turn, she led her mother and father to faith as well, and all were baptized by the bishop of Antioch.

A pagan youth, attracted by St. Justina’s beauty, desired that she fall in love with him. When his advances were declined, he turned to a local magician, asking him to cast a spell on her to make her yield herself to him. The magician was the man who would become St. Cyprian. Cyprian invoked evil spirits, one after another, trying to inflame St. Justina to lust for the man who desired her, but she defeated every attempt by prayer and the sign of the Cross. By her victories, Cyprian came to see the power of God, and also came to the Orthodox faith, and was baptized. He became a priest, and then a bishop. Both St. Cyprian and St. Justina were later seized by the idolaters, sent to trial in Damascus, and tortured and beheaded in Nicomedia at the end of the third century.

Notice, if you will, the power of the sign of the Cross, which gave St. Justina victory over the demons. That same power is available to us who in faith yield ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and identify ourselves with Him through the sign of the Cross. As such, we should not take such a powerful privilege lightly or disrespectfully. Let’s take a moment and consider what we are doing when we cross ourselves. First, there is the way we hold our fingers. We put the thumb and tips of the first two fingers together. This reminds us of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We lay the other two fingers against our palm, side by side – a reminder of the two Natures of our Lord Jesus Christ, human and divine joined together. When we cross ourselves, we begin by touching our forehead with the tips of the thumb and fingers held together. Then we lower our hand to touch our lower abdomen, around the area of our navel. Then we reach up to touch our right shoulder; and then reach across our body to touch our left shoulder. When we have done so, we make a bow. All of these movements should be made respectfully, with dignity, and not in a rushed manner. We should not wave our hand around in a rapid or flapping manner; and we should do our best, according to our mobility, to reach to lower abdomen and shoulders, and not fall short for the sake of convenience, or because of carelessness. We should not bow before we have finished the movement of our hands. Think of bowing before finishing as “breaking the plane” – which is, in effect, a breaking of the cross, breaking its power. Such carelessness pleases only the demons.

In addition to the power of the Cross to help us when we are tempted or troubled, notice also the power of a holy life. St. Justina was able, by God’s grace, to bring her parents to faith in Christ; to victory over the demons; to help win St. Cyprian from sorcery and idolatry to a holy life; and finally to come to a martyr’s reward. Think about it. By prayer, and fasting, and giving, and struggling; through love for Christ, and so loving those for whom He gave Himself, and through the power of the Cross, she led at least three other people to find salvation; one of whom became a leader of the Church, and a martyr as well. When we come to Christ, we acknowledge our need for His help and deliverance. When we make the sign of the Cross, we repeat this acknowledgement. In a way, we are saying, as St. Peter said to our Lord following the miraculous catch of fish, which we heard about today in the reading from the Gospel according to St. Luke, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man.” What does our Lord tell him in reply? “Fear not. Henceforth, I will make you fishers of men.” So it was for St. Justina; and so it can be for us, as well.

Brothers and sisters, let us give thanks to God, Who is wondrous in His saints, for the life and testimony of the martyrs Cyprian and Justina. Let us follow their example, and dedicate our lives to God. Let us live a holy life, that our Lord may be glorified, and that He may be shown forth to the world through us, in the hope that others may also come to see Him as Lord and Savior, and so accept Him in their lives – to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls.