The Sign of the Cross “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14)

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The Sign of the Cross The Cross is a sign of our Beloved Jesus Christ and His love to us. The Cross is also a sign of His sufferings.

The Sign of the Cross Once upon a time there was a queen her name was Queen Helena. She wanted to find the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, she asked her son King Constantine to let her go to Jerusalem where the Lord was crucified to find the cross. So, King Constantine ordered soldiers to go with her to Jerusalem and help her find the cross.

The Sign of the Cross She went to Jerusalem and was looking everywhere for the cross but could not find it. She asked everybody about the cross of Jesus Christ but no one could tell her. Finally, she found an old man whose name was Judas who told her where was the cross.

The Sign of the Cross The bad people were trying to hide the cross so they were covering it with papers and garbage. Queen Helena went and removed the big mountain of paper and finally found three crosses under it. Queen Helena did not know which one of the three crosses is the one that Jesus Christ was crucified on.

The Sign of the Cross So, she put a dead man on the first cross and nothing happened. Then she put the dead man on the second cross and nothing happened. But when her soldiers put the dead man on the third cross, the dead man rose so they knew, that was the cross of Jesus Christ. They knew that this is the cross of our Lord. Queen Helena was very happy that she finally found the cross and she sent and told her son king Constantine about what she found. She built a big nice church and put the cross in it.

How to Make the Sign of the Cross The sign of the Cross is made using the thumb, the index and the middle finger of the right hand. The other two fingers are bent down into the palm of the hand. The three joined fingers are raised to the forehead, drawn down to the lower chest. That reminds us that God has come down from heaven downward to our earth.

How to Make the Sign of the Cross (cont.) Then from the left shoulder to the right shoulder. That reminds us that God has transported people from the left side to the right side, from obscurity to light, and from death to life. We do not make the sign of the Cross on ourselves in a silent manner, but we say with that: In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Coptic Cross The Coptic Cross fits into a circle, which symbolizes eternity. Each arm of the Cross has three branches for Trinity. The 12 Branches (4 Arms X 3 Branches) represent the number of disciples.

The Feast of the Cross Our Coptic Church celebrates the feast of the Cross on The 17th of Tute, (27th or 28th of September), the day of the apparition of the Cross to the Emperor Constantin (the son of St. Helen), and The 10th of Baramhat (19th of March), the day when Queen Helen found the Holy Cross.

Remember that: The sign of the cross gives us strength, power and peace. The cross protects us from every evil and comforts us when we are afraid. All of us must cross ourselves before undertaking our daily work.

Quiz STMARYCOMPUTERCENTER, EASTBRUNSWICK, NJ, Sunday School Computer Program© 2006

Q1- Who did discover the Cross? Next

Q2- We make the sign of the Cross by our: Next

Q3- The 12 Branches of the Coptic Cross represent_____ Next

Q4- When we move our hand from the forehead to the chest we remember the ______ Next

Q5-How many times we celebrate the feast of the Cross each year? Next

STMARYCOMPUTERCENTER, EASTBRUNSWICK, NJ, Sunday School Computer Program© 2006