The meaning of the Tau cross

Editorial Staff

While going into church some time ago I saw a young priest speaking with a lady and showing her the little wooden cross that he wore around the neck: this cross is called the Tau and he explained its meaning saying that “it was much more than a symbol of the cross”. I could not hear all his explanation but what I did hear left me very curious.

A.F.

Saint Francis sealed the letters he sent with the sign of the tau, at first this cross was the symbol of the Mknights and of the Hospital Brothers of the Antonian congregation (under the patronage of Saint Anthony the Hermit) founded in 1095 in Vienne (France). It was then adopted by the Templars. Actually the Tau is nothing but a cross without the upper part that can usually be seen in images of the crucifixion. The form of the Tau resembles the Cross on which Christ was sacrificed for the salvation of the world but it is also the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet symbolically used in the Old Testament. It was written in the Book of Ezekiel: The Lord said to a mysterious character: “Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over the abominations…” (Ez. 9:4). The Tau is the sign placed upon the foreheads of the poor of Israel, it saves them from extermination. This means that the faithful must resist to the end by persevering in the trial and without giving in to any form of idolatry by cultivating good and rejecting evil. This spiritual fight is only possible if we believe that the Lord will keep his promise and will fulfil every desire of good. Wearing the Tau means to remember our desire of being good disciples of the Gospel and to work on helping people in need along the path of good. It is a wonderful and engaging task. If you want, you too can wear this symbol of protection and of commitment.