This Christian sign is a very ancient one, mentioned by the early Fathers of the Church as being a habitual practice by the second century. Tertullian (155-240? AD) recounts that 'in all our travels in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross.'
On this Good Friday, we are still unable to come together as a community of believers, and so we turn to prayer. We can discover more deeply this Good Friday how our personal daily prayer leads us to take our part with greater fruitfulness in the Cross, and how in its turn this participation can enrich our personal prayer.
Prayer must be at the heart of our Christian life. Prayer is our window open to God. This day is above all a time of prayer to the One who loves us and calls us to the joy of His friendship. Today we focus our attention on the image of the Cross and how we can learn more fully the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice, and how to imitate His example.