When the Sign of the Cross is dismissed by the Rev. Thomas Quinlan as a "meaningless action," it is worth recalling the sacrifice of the Jesuit brother St. Rene Goupil, proto-martyr of North America, tomahawked for teaching a child to cross himself.

Or consider this account of the martyr St. Isaac Jogues from the Jesuit Relations, circa 1646:

"...Father Jogues blessed the food and himself with the Sign of the Cross. 'Stop that', the old [Iroquois] chief snapped at him. 'That gesture is no good. The Dutchmen have told us of it....They hate these ceremonies of yours, and we hate them also. It is the making of that sign which caused the death of your comrade [St. Rene Goupil]; and it will be the cause of your death if you continue to form it among us.'

'That doesn't make any difference to me,' Jogues answered. 'I shall continue to form this Sign of the Cross, since the Author of our lives commands it. Let the people do whatever they please about it.'"

(Via Antoninus at Free Republic)

For more on the North American Martyrs, see:

Accounts of miracles and relics at the Martyrs Shrine in Ontario;

Biographical sketches of the Jesuit martyrs of New France here and here and here (midpage);

A reflection on the North American Martyrs by Jesuit iconographer Rev. William Hart McNichols;

A 17th-century print, Torture of the Jesuit Martyrs.