Letters

The Sign of the Cross

Dr Arnold Jago

Contents - Apr 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Passion of the Christ: 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' - Michael Gilchrist National Church Life Survey: church-going declines further - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Riccardo Piol of Communion and Liberation makes an impact in Victoria - AD2000 Report Books: Archbishop Hart launches new book on Dr Mannix - Daniel Mannix: Wit and Wisdom - Archbishop Dennis Hart Film Review: Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ': a contemporary masterpiece - David Schütz Events: Adore 2004 Youth Eucharistic Congress - Nicole Osmak God 'number one' in East Timor - Paul Russell Events: Chesterton conference to be held in Melbourne - Tony Evans Theology: Fr Aidan Nichols to lecture on von Balthasar in Melbourne - Tracey Rowland Whatever happened to reverence at Mass? - Matthew Greene The Salesians in East Timor: progress report - Br Michael Lynch Letters: Church architecture Letters: Catholic schools Letters: Jehovah's Witnesses Letters: Corrections - Fr Timothy Deeter Letters: The Sign of the Cross - Dr Arnold Jago Letters: Life under threat - Brian Harris Letters: Taking a stand in the culture war - Robert and Carmel Garrett Letters: Easter greetings from India - Fr S. John Joseph Poetry: Two Poems on the Passion - Marion Craig and Brian Mulligan Books: The Catholic Revival in English Literature 1845-1961, by Ian Ker - Francis Phillips (reviewer) Books: An apology for the revival of Christian Architecture, by Augustus Welby Pugin - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Priestly Fraternity of St Peter - Holy Week 2004 Books: AD Books - More new titles for 2004 Reflection: Right is right, even if nobody does it (G.K. Chesterton) - Fr F.E. Burns

The hand traces a cross, from forehead to chest, from shoulder to shoulder, with the words, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

A recent book, The Sign of the Cross (Loyola Press, 2004), tells how its author, Bert Ghezzi, made a resolution to do the Sign of the Cross more thoughtfully and reverently.

To his surprise, his life changed, with many practical consequences - it felt like "tapping into a powerful divine energy".

His book says the Sign of the Cross should be:

(1) a sign of the Christian belief that God is a Trinity, three Persons in one divine Nature;

(2) a public declaration of being a follower of Christ;

(3) a reminder that suffering is a normal part of Christian life.

ARNOLD JAGO (DR)
Mildura, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 3 (April 2004), p. 15