{"id":2362,"date":"2008-03-15T15:01:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-15T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html"},"modified":"2008-03-15T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2008-03-15T15:01:00","slug":"why-the-crucifix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html","title":{"rendered":"Why the crucifix?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This coming week, countless Catholics around the world will venerate the cross with a kiss — and we will be reminded again of the powerful place this instrument of death holds over our imagination, and in our Catholic culture. <\/p>\n

Even more compelling is the crucifix<\/i>: the cross with the body of Christ displayed upon it, in agony, dying. <\/p>\n

A lot of our Protestant friends don’t understand that — and columnist Patrick Madrid in The Pilot<\/a>, the Catholic paper of Boston, explains: <\/p>\n

<\/a>Many non-Catholics have an aversion to crucifixes. While they have no problem [with] an \u201cempty cross,\u201d some Protestants, for example, object to the crucifix because it depicts Christ dying on the cross. \u201cChrist isn\u2019t on the cross anymore,\u201d they say. \u201cHe\u2019s reigning gloriously in heaven. So why emphasize his death?\u201d This is a reasonable question that deserves a reasonable answer.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by recognizing that Catholics emphasize both the crucifixion and the resurrection, not minimizing or downplaying the importance of either. In our manger scenes, stained glass windows, and statues, we also depict the Lord as a baby in the manger, as a toddler in his mother\u2019s arms, and as a young man teaching the rabbis in the Temple. Each of these stages of the Lord\u2019s life are worthy of depiction. But the focal point and purpose of Christ\u2019s Incarnation and ministry is his death on the cross. As he himself said, \u201cFor this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth\u201d (Jn 18:37).<\/p>\n

Archbishop Fulton Sheen summarized the reason for using a crucifix instead of an empty cross when he said, \u201cKeep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it true that when you see an empty cross, your mind automatically \u201csees\u201d Christ there? After all, we recognize that the cross only has meaning because Christ died on it for our salvation. Catholics use crucifixes to avoid what St. Paul warned about, that the cross be \u201cemptied of its power\u201d (1 Cor 1:17).<\/p>\n

Christ\u2019s supreme act was to die on the cross as atonement for our sins. His resurrection was proof that what he did on the cross worked — he conquered death — and it demonstrated beyond any doubt that he was who he claimed to be: God. The crucifixion was the act that changed history. The resurrection demonstrated of the efficacy of that act.<\/p>\n

By his death on the cross, Christ conquered sin and death, redeemed the world, opened the way of salvation for all who would receive it, and reconciled his people with the Father (cf. Eph 2:13-18; Col 1:19-20). That is why the crucifix is such a potent reminder for us of what he did on our behalf that dark afternoon on Calvary<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus told his disciples, \u2018If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me\u2019\u201d (Mt 16:24; cf. Mt 10:38). True, resurrection and glory await all those who follow Christ faithfully, but we will only arrive there by traveling the way of the cross.<\/p>\n

St. Paul emphasized the crucifixion saying, \u201cWhen I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified\u201d (1 Cor 2:1-2).<\/p>\n

And in 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 he said, \u201cFor the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, \u2018I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.\u2019 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Galatians 6:14 he proclaimed: \u201cBut far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

And lest anyone imagine that the early Christians did not focus their minds on Christ\u2019s death on the cross, consider what St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26, where he again emphasizes the crucifixion: \u201cFor as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord\u2019s death till he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recall the scene of the crucifixion Some in the crowd that was present at Calvary shouted at Christ as he was dying: \u201cCome down off your cross!\u201d (cf. Mt 27:40; Mk 15:30). What a strange and sad echo those words sometimes find today in the arguments of those who object to the crucifix as a reminder of Christ\u2019s sacrifice.<\/p>\n

We Catholics should strive to emulate St. Paul\u2019s [words] to \u201cknow nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified\u201d (1 Cor 2:2; cf. 1 Cor 1:17-18). <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He has more to say the The Pilot link<\/a>, so stop by for more. It’s a worthy meditation during Holy Week. <\/p>\n

Image: crucifix in the Conquistador Chapel, Santa Fe. The corpus has human hair. Photo from Father John’s Sabbatical<\/a> web log. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This coming week, countless Catholics around the world will venerate the cross with a kiss — and we will be reminded again of the powerful place this instrument of death holds over our imagination, and in our Catholic culture. Even more compelling is the crucifix: the cross with the body of Christ displayed upon it,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links-r-us","category-liturgy"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the crucifix? - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the crucifix? - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This coming week, countless Catholics around the world will venerate the cross with a kiss — and we will be reminded again of the powerful place this instrument of death holds over our imagination, and in our Catholic culture. Even more compelling is the crucifix: the cross with the body of Christ displayed upon it,…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-03-15T15:01:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/R9wehsj7-RI\/AAAAAAAACKE\/Nv_tL-rdt2Y\/s320\/crucifix.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"deacon greg kandra\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why the crucifix? - The Deacon's Bench","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why the crucifix? - The Deacon's Bench","og_description":"This coming week, countless Catholics around the world will venerate the cross with a kiss — and we will be reminded again of the powerful place this instrument of death holds over our imagination, and in our Catholic culture. Even more compelling is the crucifix: the cross with the body of Christ displayed upon it,…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html","og_site_name":"The Deacon's Bench","article_published_time":"2008-03-15T15:01:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/R9wehsj7-RI\/AAAAAAAACKE\/Nv_tL-rdt2Y\/s320\/crucifix.jpg"}],"author":"deacon greg kandra","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html","name":"Why the crucifix? - The Deacon's Bench","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/R9wehsj7-RI\/AAAAAAAACKE\/Nv_tL-rdt2Y\/s320\/crucifix.jpg","datePublished":"2008-03-15T15:01:00+00:00","dateModified":"2008-03-15T15:01:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/052b8cd86cc713feaccdc8282b03cf10"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/R9wehsj7-RI\/AAAAAAAACKE\/Nv_tL-rdt2Y\/s320\/crucifix.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/R9wehsj7-RI\/AAAAAAAACKE\/Nv_tL-rdt2Y\/s320\/crucifix.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/03\/why-the-crucifix.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why the crucifix?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/","name":"The Deacon's Bench","description":"Where a Roman Catholic Deacon Ponders the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/052b8cd86cc713feaccdc8282b03cf10","name":"deacon greg kandra","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/a4e\/a4e07ce6fde3f10d4d9753243fd48d45x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/a4e\/a4e07ce6fde3f10d4d9753243fd48d45x96.jpg","caption":"deacon greg kandra"},"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/author\/deacon-greg-kandra"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/365"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}