Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent

We pray through a Lenten reflection on the Sign of the Cross, tracing its scriptural roots, its meaning in the Mass, and how a small gesture can shape a faithful life. We challenge ourselves to pray short prayers with attention and to make a public, reverent sign.

• the Sign of the Cross as a compact creed and witness
• biblical roots in the Great Commission, Ezekiel 9, and Revelation 7
• meaning of “The Lord be with you” and “And with your spirit”
• calling for reverence and focus in brief prayers
• courage to make the sign publicly
• consecration through the heart of Mary and petitions to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Guadalupe

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Cristeros.org

Transcript

Opening Prayers Of Lent

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Tuesday in the second week of Lent, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. The sign of the cross and greeting. The sign of the cross is the Catholic calling card. You know immediately that to some degree someone belongs to our family of faith when you see them make this gesture. It is a marvelous summary of our faith. While invoking the name of the Trinity, we sign ourselves with the mark of Christ, by which we are reminded of his incarnation and of his saving passion, death, and resurrection. Our whole faith is summed up in just a few seconds. This is reason enough to make the sign of the cross well and not make it seem as though we are swatting flies. There are, of course, biblical roots for this. The words associated with this gesture come from Jesus before his ascension. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The sign itself comes naturally from the cross of Christ, whereby he redeemed us, but it also has roots in Ezekiel 9 and Revelation 7. In these chapters, the people of God are sealed and marked on their foreheads with a Hebrew letter Tau. This would have appeared as a cross and signified that those marked with it belonged to God and were to be protected from the enemies of God and the destroying angels. When we make this sign upon ourselves, we are showing to all in sundry that we belong to Christ and are under his protection. After the sign of the cross, the priest greets the people, often with, The Lord be with you. While simple, the priest is asking that the Almighty God and Lord be with his people, and then they pray the same in return for their priest, and with your spirit. That is quite a powerful prayer given its brevity, for in it we ask for each other, that God in all his goodness, power, wisdom, strength, justice, mercy, and all the rest be with us, poor, mortal creatures struggling along in this fallen world. What a great way to start Mass! By asking that this be true for all and for each of us. Do you pray these short prayers with attention, or are they usually distracted? Do you make the sign of the cross with reverence and devotion, both at Mass and in personal prayer? Do you make the sign of the cross publicly? Let no one be ashamed of the cross. All that I have, and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Christeros.org.