Today is Trinity Sunday in the Christian faith. As many of you know, I am a practicing Catholic who enjoys sharing the why behind the what. The “what” of this week has to do with my favorite number, the number three and, more specifically; the Holy Trinity, the human trinity, the three human actions and the sign of the cross.
The sign of the cross in the Roman Catholic Church is much more than just an act that we do in remembrance of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for the world. It is really an amazing prayer with much meaning.
It starts with the right hand touching the forehead while saying “In the name of the Father”. We start the cross at the top of the body because we are acknowledging that God, the Father, is the head of the universe; the creator of all that is good, including our body which is a temple in service to Him. The human head is also where our mind is and the beginning of all of our thoughts. The Holy Trinity begins with the Father, the human trinity begins with the mind and the mind is where the first human action begins, our thoughts.
From the forehead the right hand drops to the chest as we say, “the Son”. The chest is where our heart is found. The heart is the center of our being and is associated with the virtue of love. Jesus, the son of God, is the center of the universal church. He was made man to conquer our sins through his teachings of love. Our heart also gives life to our body, which is the second part of the human trinity. Without the heart we have no life within us and without Jesus in our heart, we have no share in the eternal life. We also recognize that without a body we cannot read, write or speak the second of the human action, words. Jesus was also known as the Incarnate Word; the Word made flesh.
We then bring our hand to our left shoulder and begin to say “and the Holy Spirit” while bringing the hand back across the chest to touch the right shoulder; ending with the acknowledgement of Amen. The movement from left to right represents the breadth of the entire body, from shoulder to shoulder. This brings to mind that the Holy Spirit is everywhere and flows like the wind from one side of the world to the other. Jesus told us that He would send the Holy Spirit to strengthen us so that we could share the good news with the entire world. It is our shoulders that bear the weight of the crosses that we are asked to carry through the hardships of life. At the same time we realize that our soul, the third entity of the human trinity, is guided by the Holy Spirit from our conception. It is the human spirit or soul that acts as our conscience which in turn directs the third human action, our deeds.
The Holy Trinity is three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit but only one God.
The human trinity is the manifestation of man in God’s image. One body but three parts; the mind, body and soul.
Finally we have the three human actions that allow mankind to serve God, neighbor and self with the love of Jesus Christ; our thoughts, words and deeds.
Bless be to God for the Power of the Wisdom of Three!
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”
Nicely done. Enjoyed your post today.
Thank you John. I am glad I can touch your heart my brother. Feel free to share with the hearts of others.
Great article Tony. It helped me to see things in a different light. I enjoy being able to see beyond and below the surface of things and I will add your descriptions to my own when sharing pieces of my faith.
I do have an interesting fact about myself that many people may not be aware of. When making the sign of the cross, I have always crossed from my right shoulder to my left shoulder. This may be opposite of 99% of Catholics but that is how I learned it back when I was a young child. I mimicked my priest and every other person I saw. From my perspective, I mirrored their actions and never thought anything about it. Here I am, nearly 50 years later and I still do things “backwards” but I think He understands.
Thank you for sharing a bit of yourself Carlos. In the Byzantine Church they too make the sign of the cross as you do. They do it so that the cross ways motion flows from East to West. Vivat Jesus my brother.
A wonderful description of the action of the Cross and the connection to the Trinity. I always greatly appreciated your tying up “3s”.
Much as the sign of the cross is the designation of the death(resurrection) of jesus , I keep in mind that he said “do this in memory of me” not “in memory of what’s going to happen to me tomorrow” so the sign of the Cross has to be connected to the Passover which reminds us to live in imitation of him ; he died to so many cultural values that allowed him to touch lepers, speak to Romans and Cananite women, and have women as part of his inner circle. The Cross and Passover are integral.
So rich with wisdom. Thank you my brother.
Tony,
This is such a powerful and inspirational article! Thank you for sharing it with me. It paints a cohesive tapestry of the majesty and grace contained in a simplistic prayer!
The prayer begins, “In the Name of …”
It is the pronouncement of to whom we are praying (addressing). And into what kingdom and court we are entering. – the Name above all other names. The name of mercy and grace.
The Name of creation’s unbreakable covenant with the great “I Am!” A covenant fashioned perfectly by the Father , Son, and Holy Spirit for our redemption and in fellowship with perfect Love incarnate!
May I share this on my text ministry?
Blessings in aboundance,
Bill
Bill, Thank you for the gracious praise of the article. I am humbled by the fact that you, a prayerful man, were inspired by my thoughts on paper. Please feel free to share it with whomever you wish but because it is copyrighted for one of my next books the publisher says it have to carry my name as a tag line.