Doesn't Christianity celebrate the Resurrection?Q: I had a friend ask me why Catholics have crucifixes in our churches —don’t we believe Jesus has risen? Why do we keep Him on the cross?
A: First of all, you would want to check out 1stCorinthians, chapter 1, verse 23. Paul says, “…but we preach Christ crucified…” Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn’t he know Jesus has been raised from the dead? Of course he does! But, he knows that it is through the power of the crucified Christ on the cross that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As he says in verse 24, Christ crucified is the “power of God.”
1 Cor 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Again, didn’t Paul know that Jesus had risen from the dead? Of course he did.
Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the “power of God”. So, we “keep Jesus on the cross” because we too preach Christ crucified. And the crucifix reminds us of not only of God’s power, but also His love for us – giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.
Also, here in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross; after all, we must take up our cross daily if we are to follow Jesus, as it says in Lk 9:23.
And, we must die with Christ in order to live with Him as Romans 6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The crucifix serves to remind us of these things.
One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” Did you catch that? Jesus was publicly portrayed, before their “eyes”, as being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a crucifix, doesn’t it?
John Martignoniis a nationally-known Catholic apologist and Bible scholar. He is the Founder and President of theBible Christian Society,where you can find lots of free apologetics materials —CD's, mp3 downloads, e-newsletters, and more,and host of EWTN’s “Open Line” airing on Mondays at 3 p.m. EST. He is also Director of the Office of the New Evangelization in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama.
FAQs
On the cross is a body - it is a reminder of the fact that the eternal Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
Why do protestants reject transubstantiation? ›
Lutherans explicitly reject transubstantiation believing that the bread and wine remain fully bread and fully wine while also being truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Why is it important to remember the cross? ›
It represents the original cross where Jesus died—the place where our sin intersected with His holiness. There God allowed His perfect Son to die for the sake of every wrong thing we have ever done, said, or thought. On the cross, Jesus finished the work that was required to save us from the death we deserve (Rom.
Why is Jesus always on the cross? ›
God planned the cross. In fact, this was the only plan He had! He planned to provide for our salvation through the death of His Son on the cross. There's only one plan and that plan says that lost sinners are saved by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior!
Why did they choose to put Jesus on the cross? ›
They dragged him before Pilate to be tried for blasphemy—for claiming, they said, to be King of the Jews. And they pressured Pilate, the only one with power to impose a death sentence, to call for his crucifixion.
When did the Catholic Church start using the crucifix? ›
In his book De Corona, written in 204, Tertullian tells how it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads the sign of the cross. The crucifix, a cross upon which an image of Christ is present, is not known to have been used until the 6th century AD.
What's wrong with transubstantiation? ›
It causes a metaphysical rift in the sacrament. We do not have the substance of Christ with the appearances (accidents) of bread; to the contrary, we have the substance of Christ under the appearances of bread.
When did the Catholic Church start believing in transubstantiation? ›
In Roman Catholicism and some other Christian churches, the doctrine, which was first called transubstantiation in the 12th century, aims at safeguarding the literal truth of Christ's presence while emphasizing the fact that there is no change in the empirical appearances of the bread and wine.
Why can't Protestants take communion at Catholic Church? ›
St. Paul teaches that it may harm the soul who receives it in an unsuitable way. The Eucharist is a great gift of Christ to his Church. Protestants believe differently than us, and so sadly we are not able to share Communion.
What does the Bible say about praying in private? ›
Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.”
The resurrection amounts to the Father's clear signal that Jesus is the powerful Son of God who has conquered death and reigns as Lord of all (Romans 1:4; 4:25). The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus' “blood of the new covenant” saves His people from their sins.
Does the cross have anything to do with Jesus? ›
cross, the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the faith of Christians.
Why do Catholics pray to Mary? ›
Catholics do not pray to Mary as if she were God. Prayer to Mary is memory of the great mysteries of our faith (Incarnation, Redemption through Christ in the rosary), praise to God for the wonderful things he has done in and through one of his creatures (Hail Mary) and intercession (second half of the Hail Mary).
Why do Catholics confess to a priest? ›
Confession is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ providing a means for those who fall into sin after Baptism to be restored into God's grace. It involves the admission of one's sins made to a duly approved Priest in order to obtain absolution.
Why does the Catholic Church cover the cross? ›
“The interpreters of the liturgy tell us that this ceremony of veiling the crucifix during Passiontide, expresses the humiliation to which our Saviour subjected Himself, of hiding Himself when the Jews threatened to stone Him, as it was related in the Gospel of Passion Sunday which was formerly read [John 8:46-59, They ...
Why did God put Jesus on the cross? ›
By sending his son Jesus to die for our sins, God is working to restore the radiance of his own glory shining in and through us.
