A month or two into the religious ed year, one of our first graders came up to me very proudly and said ‘Father, I know how to make the sign of the cross.’ And with great sincerity, care, reverence and pride he showed me that indeed he did know how to make it. It was a job well done by one of our little ones. And I think it’s exactly the lesson we all need on this Trinity Sunday.
The wisdom of that First Grader teaches us the core of everything we ever really need to know about the faith. Summed up in those 16 words and simple actions, the sign of the cross is an expression of the intimate communion of life and love that we are all called to in God. Yet, how little we tend to sincerely engage in that most profound of all prayers.
Let’s be honest, when we make the Sign of the Cross we tend to rush through it like we are brushing away flies or something. But I think if we actually spent some time with that prayer and entered into it especially in the course of our daily lives, we would be much more attuned and faithful to the life God calls us to.
Imagine if the first thing we did before we got out of bed in the morning, maybe after some grumbling, was to pray the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And in that, to ask that our whole day become oriented to God – that every thought word and action of ours, no matter what that day might hold for us, might all be for His greater glory. Not a bad way to start the day.
Then in the course of our day, when we have that seemingly inevitable encounter with the person or persons who drive us nuts. Imagine if in that moment we stopped and said, In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And invited God into the midst of our frustration and our trial.
Imagine in the moments of joy and happiness and all the times we laugh and smile in our day, if we invited God into the midst of our joy – gave Him the glory for it, placed our gratitude at His feet – In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Imagine if before every meal, even after every meal – every time we pass by a Catholic Church or a Cemetery – every time we had that awful or sinful thought – every time we see a police or fire or emergency vehicle – every time we are lost and struggling or alone and afraid – every time we send our kids off to school or to go play – and then before we close our eyes every night – If in all of those moments, and so many others, we let God into our lives, we placed our lives continually in His care – if we actually surrounded ourselves with His grace, and allowed his grace to intimately permeate every part pf ourselves – every part.
My brothers and sisters, this Trinity Sunday, let us pray for the grace, the enthusiasm, the faith of that first grader – to not simply make the sign of the cross, but to pray it – to live it – with all sincerity and reverence to welcome God into every possible moment of our lives. God help us all. +
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