Believers often resort to crossing themselves when entering a church.
Crossing is the act and result of crossing oneself : that is, making the sign of the cross . This sign , meanwhile, represents the cross on which Jesus Christ died .
It is also important to know that this word has its etymological origin in Latin. Exactly it derives from the verb "persignare", which was formed by joining the prefix "per-", which means "completely"; the noun "signus", which is synonymous with "sign", and the suffix "-are", which is used to form verbs.
What is persignation
It can be stated that the sign of the cross is a ritual shared by various branches of Christianity . According to the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), signing or crossing involves making the sign of the cross over something or someone .
The idea of crossing oneself can also refer to a specific way of crossing oneself : making, with the crossed thumb and index fingers of the right hand or only with the thumb, three crosses: the first is made on the forehead, the second on the mouth and the third in the chest area, praying to God to drive away the enemies.
Crossing carries various symbolism and meanings.
an invocation
When the person traces a cross on their body with their right hand, accompanying the movement with an invocation to the Holy Trinity ( "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen" ), what they do is cross themselves . Thus, the believer touches his forehead ( "In the name of the Father" ), then his chest ( "of the Son" ) and then his left and right shoulders ( "and of the Holy Spirit" ), ending at his mouth ( "Amen" ). » ).
In some cases a distinction is made between signing oneself (the action mentioned above simply as crossing oneself) and crossing oneself (the process that includes signing oneself and immediately afterwards, crossing oneself). In this case, the cross is used on specific occasions, such as the Stations of the Cross or the beginning of the rosary . Colloquially, in any case, the crossing of the cross is usually referred to when someone makes the sign of the cross over themselves.
In the same way, it is interesting to know that the extended version of the cross is carried out while the following words are pronounced: «By the sign of the holy cross, deliver us from our enemies, Lord, our God. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Crossing as a ritual
It is curious to know, furthermore, that with this gesture the intention is also to ask the divinity not to have bad thoughts, which is why it requires touching the forehead, and not to say bad words either, hence the hand is also directed towards the mouth. . Not to mention that it is also requested not to have bad feelings, which is why one chooses to make one of the gestures in the heart.
Likewise, we cannot ignore the fact that the cross, although associated with religion, has also become an act related to superstition. A good example of this is that there are people who, when faced with certain situations, choose to cross themselves before them.
An example of the above could be the following: Carmen always crosses herself when she gets in the car to take a trip. It has become their ritual after loading luggage.