The Universal Church sets aside Sunday in Ordinary Time to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, celebrated yearly on September 14. This will be a great day to honor the cross (crucifix) in your home with flowers or a candle. As we’ve been promoting here at Corpus Christi for several weeks, next weekend if you bring your crucifix from home, or have recently purchased one for your home, we will offer a blessing during all our weekend Masses.
Why have a crucifix in your home?
Some of you might find this surprising but I get asked this question quite a lot by Catholics, not just my Protestant friends! Here are some reasons why I feel it is important that a crucifix should be in your home, and not just a cross. There is a vast difference. A cross is a simple reminder of the instrument the Romans used to execute criminals. A crucifix is a cross with a corpus, or body, of Jesus on it. By the way, we should all know those Latine words: Corpus Christi = Body of Christ.
We should have a crucifix in our homes because the saints set this example for us. Prayer in front of a crucifix is encouraged as a means of focusing contemplation on Christ. Many of the saints practiced this, both in everyday prayer and also when they were suffering. Catherine of Siena was known to look upon a crucifix for hours each day and when Joan of Arc was martyred, she asked a member of the clergy present to hold a crucifix before her.
The crucifix reminds us not to run from the difficulties. Jesus relied on his 12 apostles for so much. The night before He died, He begged them to stay with him throughout the night, and they all fell asleep. On the day when He needed them most, only John stayed with Him, choosing to remain with the Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross. John didn’t leave, and neither should we run from our crosses in life.
Our home is a “domestic church,” and it is a holy place. The Christian home is inhabited by people who belong to God through baptism, are confirmed in the Holy Spirit, sanctified through the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage and fed with Christ’s Body and Blood. It is a place where forgiveness is taught and sought, where our faith is passed on from one generation to the next and Christ’s love is exemplified (though imperfectly.) Our home should reflect all of this with a prominent sign of Christ’s sacrificial love: the crucifix.
The crucifix is a constant reminder that Christ has conquered sin and death and ultimately conquered evil. We are surrounded by evil. Sometimes, it seems as if evil has the upper hand, but if we have a crucifix to gaze upon in our homes this could strengthen us for battle! If you’ve never had a crucifix in your home, consider getting one. Ask me to bless it (it only takes a moment!). If you do have a crucifix, consider putting more in your home: in the bedrooms, for example. The crucifix is a sign of God’s overwhelming love for us; who doesn’t need a constant reminder of that?
The crucifix is a visual reminder of the Eucharistic sacrifice we participate in when we come together in communion to celebrate Mass. When we participate in the Eucharist, we are witnessing the very same sacrifice that Jesus made for us 2,000 years ago – the very same! It is as if we are transported, each time we go to Mass, to be standing with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John watching Jesus’ suffering – just in a different form.
So next week, we sing “Life High the Cross” to show our prayers of exaltation, and we “Behold the Cross” as a sign of Christ’s victory over sin and the battle against evil.
God bless,
