The Sign of the Cross is not just the way Catholics begin their prayers. It is itself a powerful prayer—one that’s rooted in Scripture and one that the earliest Christians often turned to for strength in spiritual battle and protection from all harm and evil. In fact, Christians in the first centuries of the Church prayed the sign of the cross throughout their days, when the rose in the morning and went to bed at night, when they left the house and when they returned, when they began a project or began a meal. They especially found strength in this prayer when facing times of temptation and suffering. What did the early Christians see in the Sign of the Cross that we often miss? In this week’s podcast, Edward Sri unpacks the Biblical foundations of this prayer, walking through the Old Testament prophetic foreshadowings of the great sign of the cross to the early Christian practice with this prayer. Discover how the Sign of the Cross can be a source of strength to face the spiritual battles we face each day—battles against discouragement, fear, anger, anxiety, impurity and pride.