In a discourse from August 13, 1843, as reported by Willard Richards, Joseph Smith taught
Doctrine
Election.—— sealing. <of the sevats [servants] of our god> on their
the top of their heads.— tis the not the cross as the catholi[c]s would have
it. doctrine of Electi[o]n to Abraham was in the relation to the Lord
In the Joseph Smith Papers series,
we read the following in a footnote to the above:
In
Roman Catholicism, the sign of the cross is a ritual gesture used in connection
with prayers and blessings and as part of sacraments. The sign has been associated
with the redemptive death of Jesus Christ on the cross as well as with the Holy
Trinity and is accompanied by reciting the Trinitarian formula: “In the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sign is used by
individuals as part of personal religious practice, as well as by priests and
congregants as part of liturgical practice. The sign is used prominently as
part of the Mass, including to begin the service and bless the Eucharist.
Similar to the sense of election as used by JS in the discourse featured here,
two of the meanings of the sign for Catholics are “the sign of Christ impressed
like a seal on the body of the catechumen indicating the person signed belongs
wholly to Christ” and “a profession of unswerving faith in Christ.” (“Sign of
the Cross,” in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 4:382; “Sign of the Cross,” in
Catholic Encyclopedia, 13:785-787). (The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents
Volume 13: August-December 1843, ed. Christian K. Heimburger et al. [Salt
Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2022], 35 n. 225)
My friend, Mordan Aldous, however, takes exception with the interpretation of Joseph's comments in the above note:
I think the footnote writer misunderstands what Joseph is referring to. Since the Prophet specifically referred to the sign of the cross as a seal on the forehead in connection with Catholicism, I would think he's referring to the reception of ashes at the beginning of Lent.
