<P> The Cross is a symbol representing Christ's victory over sin and death . The sign of the cross was originally made in some parts of the Christian world with the right - hand thumb across the forehead only . In other parts of the early Christian world it was done with the whole hand or with two fingers . Around the year 200 in Carthage (modern Tunisia, Africa), Tertullian wrote: "We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross". Vestiges of this early variant of the practice remain: in the Roman Rite of the Mass in the Catholic Church, the faithful make this gesture on the forehead, on the lips, and on the heart at the proclamation of the Gospel; on Ash Wednesday a cross is traced in ashes on the forehead; holy oil (called chrism) is applied on the forehead for the sacrament of Confirmation (called the Holy Mystery of Chrismation in the Eastern Orthodox Church, as Orthodox call the Sacraments by the name "Holy Mystery"). By the 4th century, the sign of the cross involved other parts of the body beyond the forehead . </P> <P> The open right hand is used in Western Christianity . The five open fingers are often said to represent the Five Wounds of Christ . This symbolism was adopted after the more ancient gesture of two or three fingers was simplified . Though this is the most common method of crossing by Western Christians, other forms are sometimes used . The West also employs the "Small Sign of the Cross" (+). The primary use for this is immediately before the reading of The Gospel during the Mass . Using the right thumb, a small cross is traced over the forehead, lips, and heart of the individual while whispering or silently praying the words "May Christ's words be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart ." The Small Sign is also used during the majority of the Sacraments . </P> <P> In the Roman or Latin Rite Church it is customary to make the full Sign of the Cross using holy water when entering a church . The first three fingers of the right hand are dipped into the font containing the holy water and the Sign of the Cross is made on oneself . This gesture has a two-fold purpose: to remind one of their baptism and the rights and responsibilities that go with it and to also remind one that they are entering a sacred place that is set apart from the world outside . </P> <P> In the Eastern Orthodox (including the Russian Orthodox) and Eastern Catholic Churches, the tips of the first three fingers (the thumb, index, and middle ones) are brought together, and the last two (the "ring" and little fingers) are pressed against the palm . The first three fingers express one's faith in the Trinity, while the remaining two fingers represent the two natures of Jesus, divine and human . </P>

Bless the father the son and the holy spirit