The Tau looks like a very simple letter. It has one stroke that rises and another that opens out to the sides. It can be made of wood, drawn on paper, or traced with a finger on the palm of your hand. Its very simplicity means it does not seek to draw attention to itself. It points to something greater: the cross of Jesus and a life that longs to belong to the Gospel.
Many Franciscans wear the Tau around their necks. Yet it is not an amulet. The wood does not prevent problems, bring good luck, or make anyone better than others. A Christian sign has meaning only when it reminds us of God and changes the way we treat people. If we wear a Tau but continue to humiliate, lie, or close our eyes to those who suffer, the sign has remained on the outside and has not yet reached the heart.
To pray with the Tau is to let a small shape ask a great question: what part of my life needs to be brought closer to Jesus today? Perhaps it is an aggressive word, a wounded friendship, care for someone who has been forgotten, or the courage to begin again.
Where does this path come from?
The shape of the Tau corresponds to the final letter of the ancient Hebrew alphabet and also appears as the Greek letter tau. In chapter 9 of the book of Ezekiel, a sign is placed on the foreheads of those who do not accept the evil being committed in the city. Centuries later, the Tau became especially dear to Francis and the Franciscan family as a sign of salvation, conversion, and remembrance of the cross.
The Order of Friars Minor continues to give Tau-shaped crosses as a sign of belonging and mission. This helps us understand their use: it is not a magical object but a visible reminder of a choice. That choice is to follow Christ with humility, do good, and begin again when we fail.
The prayer below is an original prayer by this portal, inspired by Franciscan spirituality. It was not written by Saint Francis and does not seek to imitate an ancient text. The practice of praying while holding or tracing the Tau is also our own pastoral proposal, developed from the Christian and Franciscan meaning of this sign.
Prayer before the Tau
Jesus, poor and humble,
receive my life as it is.
I hold this Tau
without seeking good luck or magical protection.
I wish only to remember
that I belong to you.
In the stroke that descends,
teach me to come down from my pride,
to remain close to the lowly,
and to serve without seeking applause.
In the stroke that opens out,
open wide my arms and my heart:
may I welcome those who are alone,
share what I have received,
and not turn differences into walls.
Mark my thoughts with your truth,
my words with your gentleness,
my eyes with your mercy,
and my hands with your care.
When I do wrong,
do not let me hide my mistake.
Give me the humility to ask forgiveness,
make amends where I can,
and begin again.
May this Tau not be an empty ornament,
but the remembrance of a life offered.
Make me, today,
a small sign of your love.
Amen.
An original prayer by Portal São Francisco, inspired by the Christian and Franciscan meaning of the Tau.
How to pray with the Tau
If you have a Tau, place it on a table or hold it gently. It can be made of wood, fabric, stone, or paper. If you do not have one, trace its shape with a finger on the palm of your other hand. The material does not make the prayer. What matters is being present before God.
First, observe the vertical stroke. Move your finger slowly from top to bottom and say: “Jesus, take me out of the center.” Think of a proud attitude you need to leave behind. Do not search for an enormous fault; perhaps it is simply the need to win every argument or always have the last word.
Then follow the horizontal stroke from one side to the other. Say: “Jesus, open me to my brothers and sisters.” Remember someone who needs care. It may be someone at home, at school, on the street, or someone you avoid.
Read the prayer. When you finish, choose an action that turns the sign into life: give thanks without being reminded, share something, pick up a piece of litter, listen without looking at your phone, or apologise sincerely. Leave the Tau somewhere visible during the day. When you pass it, do not make a new request. Simply remember the action you chose.
When wood becomes a reminder
Imagine an ordinary piece of wood. Perhaps it was a forgotten part of a tree, marked by rain and by someone’s work. A person draws a Tau on it. The wood remains wood. The drawing acquires no powers. The person who looks at it is the one who can change.
Signs help because we forget. We forget the promise we made, the gratitude we felt, the forgiveness we received. A small object can call the heart back. It is like a family photograph: the paper does not replace the people, but it awakens love and memory.
The Tau also holds the shape of the cross. On the cross, Jesus did not choose to dominate; he gave himself out of love. Wearing the Tau therefore means accepting a direction: less vanity, more service; less possession, more sharing; less vengeance, more courage to build peace. That direction cannot fit entirely within a necklace. It must become visible in life.
When you touch the Tau, ask: “What will my stroke of love be today?” One stroke may seem small. But a faithful life is drawn in just this way, action by action.
Sources and further reading
- Ezekiel 9 — USCCB Bible — presents the sign placed on the foreheads of those who grieve over evil; it is one of the biblical roots associated with the Tau.
- Galatians 6 — USCCB Bible — Saint Paul closes the letter by speaking of the marks of Jesus and of boasting only in the cross of Christ.
- Order of Friars Minor — conclusion of the Under Ten Chapter — records the presentation of wooden Taus as a sign of salvation, remembrance of Francis, belonging, and mission.
- Order of Friars Minor — Prayers of Saint Francis — brings together authentic sources of Franciscan prayer and describes Francis as a contemplative and a lover of the poor and crucified Christ.