How to do the Sign of the Cross in the Syriac Maronite Tradition?
Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-457AD) gives a good description:
"This is how to bless someone with your hand and make the sign of the cross over them. Hold three fingers, as equals, together, to represent the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. These are not three gods, but one God in Trinity. The names are separate, but the divinity one. The Father was never incarnate; the Son incarnate, but not created; the Holy Ghost neither incarnate nor created, but issued from the Godhead: three in a single divinity. Divinity is one force and has one honour. They receive on obeisance from all creation, both angels and people. Thus the decree for these three fingers.
You should hold the other two fingers slightly bent, not completely straight. This is because these represent the dual nature of Christ, divine and human. God in His divinity, and human in His incarnation, yet perfect in both. The upper finger represents divinity, and the lower humanity; this way salvation goes from the higher finger to the lower. So is the bending of the fingers interpreted, for the worship of Heaven comes down for our salvation. This is how you must cross yourselves and give a blessing, as the holy fathers have commanded."
Therefore, in such manner we go from our forehead to our chest, and from our left shoulder to our right.
The left to the right movement, represents Christ's Second Coming from the East to the West, as described in the Gospel of Matthew (Mat. 24:27), when He shall judge the living and the dead (Mat. 16:27 and the Creed). It also represents the Light of Christ coming from Sheol, on the Great Saturday of Light, and then into the world of the living, on the Great Sunday of the Resurrection. This Light of the Victorious Good News (the Gospel), was spread by the holy Apostles and Disciples to the four corners of the world.
This way of doing the Sign of the Cross is ancient, and can be seen in Syriac Maronite iconography, such as is found in our famous Gospel of Rabboula.
{Please see the attached images, that show the hand gesture}
