WHY DO CATHOLICS STILL HAVE JESUS ON THE CROSS?

By Kathy Schley

In my past debate I was accused of holding up Jesus to shame by displaying Him on the
Cross. In other past debates with other non-Catholics I've also been falsely judged as being a
worshipper to a "dead" God, rather a worshipper to a RISEN God. And if Catholics aren't
accused of worshipping a "dead" God, then they are accused of worshipping an "idolatrous
image" (the Crucifix). It's sad that a Crucifix to some non-Catholic professing Christians is a
"dead" God and an "idolatrous image." But what is a Crucifix to a Catholic? Why do
Catholics still have Jesus on the Cross?

Jesus says, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends" (John 15:13). Jesus displayed on the Cross displays Jesus' unconditional passionate
endless love and His infinite mercy He has for all of us, who He also considers us to be His
friends. Although Jesus is no longer on the Cross, His passionate unconditional endless love,
and offering Himself to all of us as our Merciful Savior, continues to this day.

Jesus also says we cannot be His follower (a Christian) unless we pick up our cross to
follow Him (Matthew 16.24). Jesus never promised His followers a Christian life free from
sufferings and trials. He promised us the very opposite. He promised we too would have a
cross to carry; and unless we endure our sufferings and trials in faith for Him as He has done
for us we cannot be His follower. St. Paul says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. CONSIDER HIM WHO
ENDURED SUCH OPPOSITION FROM SINFUL MEN, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT
GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART." (Hebrews 12:2). Here St. Paul says Jesus is our
example in enduring the Cross and we fix our eyes on the Cross of Jesus so we too do not
grow weary and lose heart. How then can we be followers of Christ carrying our cross without
fixing our eyes on the Cross of Jesus?

One of the false allegations made by some non-Catholics is, Catholics downplay Jesus'
Resurrection by putting too much emphasis on Jesus' Crucifixion. Their false allegation
implies Catholics reject the risen Christ and worship the "dead" Christ. Their allegation is not
only totally false, but also totally absurd. Catholics worship both the Jesus who died for their
sins and also the Jesus who rose from His sacrificial death for their sins. At Mass Catholics
profess, "Jesus has died, JESUS IS RISEN, Jesus will come again." For non-Catholics
to falsely assert that Catholics do not profess Jesus is RISEN apparently has never been to a
Mass and know Catholicism. Their so-called knowledge of Catholicism comes from other
sources other than the Catholic Church herself. According to these non-Catholics Jesus'
Crucifixion is a past event only, and displaying Jesus on a Cross supposedly suggests
Catholics want to keep Jesus dead or continually dying as if they want to deny His
Resurrection. Catholics do not deny Jesus' Resurrection. If they did, there wouldn't be
church on Sundays to commemorate Jesus' Resurrection, nor the celebration of Easter!
Although Jesus is risen and no longer on the Cross, what Jesus gave us on the Cross 2000
years ago He continues to give us this day. Jesus gives us His passionate unconditional
endless love, His infinite mercy, His shed blood and salvation, His friendship, and new life in
God. We cannot rise in Christ to new life without first dying with Christ on the Cross.
Everything Jesus gives to us is through the Cross. In our Christian journey on the way Home
to the Lord, we, like Jesus our Merciful Savior and Role Model to faith in God, carry our
cross. Catholics not only preach Christ Risen, but also Christ Crucified. The heart of the
Gospel message is Jesus, our promised Messiah, died for our sins for the salvation of our
soul.

St. Paul preached Jesus' Crucified and tells us, "WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a
stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles, but those who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1Corinthians 1:23-24). He again
says, "When 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" (1Corinthians 2:1-2). True, our Christian faith is in vain without
the Resurrection of Jesus (1Corinthians 15:17), but it was the CRUCIFIXION of Jesus that
paid for our sins. We cannot preach Jesus' Resurrection without also preaching Jesus'
Crucifixion. For the Resurrection to have happened had to begin with the Crucifixion. How
can we worship the risen Jesus without also worshipping the Jesus who died for our sins?
Jesus also does not want us to look at His Crucifixion as only a past event. When He
appeared to the apostles after His Resurrection and in His glorified risen Body He
showed them His wounds from His Crucifixion (Luke 24:39-40 & John 20:20). Why
would Jesus keep those wounds from His Crucifixion if He didn't want us to remember His
Crucifixion and everything He gives to us through His Cross such as His passionate
unconditional endless love and infinite mercy? What would some of these non-Catholic
Christians say to Jesus if Jesus appeared to them in His glorified risen body and showed them
His wounds? Would they say, "Your Crucifixion is of the past, so why should we look at
your wounds?"

Another false allegation that is made is the Crucifix is an "idolatrous image for Catholics to
worship." This is another allegation that is totally false and absurd. It's not the image itself that
is worshipped, but the PERSON the image represents. When Catholics genuflect before the
Crucifix at church, they are genuflecting before the Person Jesus who died for their sins. The
venerated Crucifix represents what took place on the original Cross. The accusation that has
been thrown at me by non-Catholic Christians in past debates about worshipping this "so-
called idolatrous image" is totally false and absurd. It makes me wonder how anyone can be
so ignorant and judgmental that they really believe they can read a person's heart and know
what's taking place between that heart and God. I also find it ironic that the same non-
Catholic Christians who absurdly assert that the Crucifix is an "idolatrous image for Catholics
to worship" also have Crosses (without the Body, of course) displayed at their churches and
also around their necks. Using their logic does this mean they too are guilty of "idolatrous
images and worshipping them"? Go figure! I've also been asked why I need a Crucifix to be
reminded of Jesus' passionate love and self-giving sacrifice for me. So I ask the same
question to non-Catholic Christians. Why do you need empty Crosses in your church and
around your neck? Do you Christians need the empty Cross to remember Jesus'
Resurrection?

Personally I wear a Crucifix to publicly preach Jesus' Crucified. The heart of the Gospel
message is Jesus DIED for our sins and conquered death. St. Paul also says, "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" (1Corinthians 1:18). I'm proud to wear my Crucifix. The Crucifix displays God's
passionate unconditional endless love and His infinite mercy for us. It is sad that some
people, especially professing Christians, are offended when they see a Crucifix and have this

need to criticize it.