Faith of the Mountain
The Catholic Catechism
for the Maronite Church
God Is Love
Alleluia!
With the Cross we bless ourselves for Christ’s protection,...
for the Holy Cross is mighty and defends us.
On this day we raise it up in exaltation.
Alleluia! The Cross is our light!
(Entrance Hymn for the Season of the Holy Cross, Book of Offering)
Why do you think the Cross is important to Christians?
Where do you see crosses?
What is the Sign of the Cross?
♰
A simple wood cross above Wadi Qadisha, the Holy Valley of Lebanon.
Jesus, like a seed, died and was buried, but he rose again on the third day to bring new life to all of us. He once said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
(John 14:13-14)
The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Syriac Maronite Rabbula Gospels.
From the Gospel according to Saint John
Jesus said:
“In this way, God loved the world so that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe in Him will not be lost, but will have life forever. God did not send His Son into the world to judge, but so He could give life that never ends through His Son.”
(John 3:16-17)
The Cross on top of the bell tower of a Maronite Church in Lebanon as the sun rises.
We bless ourselves and the people we love and the things we think are most precious using the Sign of the Cross and calling on God as we make the Sign of the Cross.
This button leads to a video about how to make the Sign of the Cross.
In English:
♰
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In Arabic:
♰
بِٱسْمِ ٱلأَبِ وَٱلِابنِ وَٱلرُّوحِ ٱلْقُدُس، ٱلإِلٰهِ ٱلْوَاحِد. آمِين
In Syriac:
♰
ܒܫܶܡ ܐܰܒܳܐ ܘܰܐܒܪܳܐ ܘܪܽܘܚܳܐ ܩܰܕܺܝܫܳܐ، ܚܰܕ ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ. ܐܰܡܺܝܢ
Christians wear crosses to show their love for God, for the Church and for each other. They make the Sign of the Cross as a promise to follow Jesus and to try to love all people as God loves all people.
Over the years many pilgrims have carved crosses in the Chapel of the Holy Cross In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The church was built over the place where Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Draw the Sign of the Cross yourself, along with these ancient Christians.
The reference below each statement links to the official English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
© 2020, Saint Maron Publications,
the publishing house of the Eparchies
of the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Catholic Church
in the United States of America.
