We look to the fulfillment of grace that promises us eternal life:

We look to the fulfillment of grace that promises us eternal life:

It is always the thought of forgiveness that should be our guidance to hold dear the Passion of Christ that seems to evade the desires of so many people.  A good way to keep the reality of grace is to look at the crucifix daily.  This is why the Catholic Church holds to this symbol as something that reminds us of our salvation and without it we would be wandering in a quagmire of confusion.  Watching TV and the number of women who are on as TV anchors that wear crosses is a sign of Christian adherence.  But many of those who wear them do not have crucifixes which would be the better sign of what the cross at Calvary really means.

I do not want to put down the symbolic adherence of what they believe in and it is an exciting period of proof that more people are picking up on the Passion that Christ went through for our salvation.  Perhaps the murder of Charlie Kirk has developed a movement that should wake people up who still believe in Christ and our forgiveness of sins.  

There is a thought that many denominations use explaining since Christ rose from the dead he no longer needs to be nailed on a cross anymore.  However, it isn’t the idea that Jesus is still on the cross but that our salvation didn’t come about by an empty tree that was an execution product to kill criminals.  It’s very sign of the mercy that the Father of Jesus wanted us to remember how much he loved each of us and this visible crucifix still holding the image of his Son shows his everlasting concern.  If removing the body of Christ from the cross should then look to remove the wounds on his body.  When Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, he said to doubting Thomas; “Peace be with you.”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”  (Jn 20: 26b - 27).  

No, removing the corpus from the cross would be like Christ appearing without the actual wounds of the nails and the soldier’s lance into his side would be an anomaly.  He was brutally wounded by the nails and even after he was dead signs of Baptism and Eucharist became a reality of his death/resurrection as one complete event that gives us a passage into heaven with the Holy Trinity.

This is the one reality that the Crucifix continues to strike into the hearts of mankind that God kept his word of eternal forgiveness to those who will believe and continue to spread this truth.  We couldn’t be on the cross with Jesus, but our belief of feeling the pain he suffered should also become our own way of somehow becoming a living adherence to what sin has caused Christ and our own shame of putting him there.  If for no other reason than reminding us why he went to Calvary for our redemption, it should also reflect the manner we didn’t have to endure as well.

Ralph B. Hathaway