Do You Bleed

Contemplating crucifixes and learning about Good Friday

04/02/2021

Isaiah 52:13—53:12 See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him -- so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man-- so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

Everyone knows the most distinctive symbol of Christianity is the cross. But do you know the difference between a “cross” and a “crucifix”? I would suggest to you that it is equivalent to the difference between Protestants and Catholics. How so? Well, a cross is a geometrical figure of two intersecting lines, perpendicular to each other, making the shape of a “plus sign.” A crucifix, by contrast, is a cross that has the body of Jesus on it, called a “corpus,” which is Latin for “body.” When you walk into most (not all) Protestant churches you will find a “cross” without the corpus. But you are probably in a Catholic church if you see a cross with the corpus, Jesus’ body in his final agony. Why is that?

Well, I believe our Protestant brothers and sisters want to emphasize that Jesus has risen and is no longer on the Cross. Hence, the cross without the corpus; Jesus’ body is glorified in heaven. Catholics, on the other hand, want to remember how much Jesus suffered and died to save us. “Crucifix” is an abbreviation of the word “crucifixion.” Now, I don’t want to overstate this point, because Protestants still sing about Jesus’ saving death, and Catholics regularly reflect on his resurrection; the cross and the crucifix are not mutually exclusive. Still, both theological traditions want to highlight different aspects of the one Paschal Mystery: Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.

I believe we Catholics are fond of crucifixes more than mere crosses because they teach us why Good Friday is so “good.” Have you ever wondered why we call this day so “good,” the day we killed the King of kings? But I believe crucifixes teach that lesson in three ways. First, the crucifix shows us that Jesus’ love is not talk but action, and his specific action is suffering. We prove that we really love someone by doing something hard for them, not by doing something easy. Even God shows us he loves us by doing something extremely hard, namely, by suffering and dying on the cross.

A small child once asked Jesus, “How much do you love me?” And Jesus answered, “This much!” and he stretched out his arms wide and was nailed to the cross. We Catholics are like little children always asking that question: “Jesus how much do you love us?” And we find great comfort when hear his answer: “I love you this much!” That is why Catholics want to behold a crucifix with our Lord’s arms stretched out in love for the world. That is why Good Friday is called “good.”

Secondly, when we see how much Jesus’ suffered on the cross we see how human he became. Did you see the movie “Batman versus Superman”? Don’t worry, I saw it! One of the best lines was when Batman menacingly asked Superman: “Do you bleed?” What he was asking was “How human are you?” Nothing proves our humanity like when we bleed. Bleeding shows we are simple men, not Supermen. Therefore, when Jesus’ bled on the cross, he highlighted his humanity every bit as much as becoming a Baby in Bethlehem.

A crucifix underscores that Jesus was fully human at the Crucifixion as well as at the Incarnation; when his clothes became dazzling white on Mt. Tabor as well as when his clothes became crimson red on Mt. Calvary; when the crowds stood spell-bound during his Sermon on the Mount as well as when they listened to his “Seven Last Words,” our Lord’s last sermon while mounted on the pulpit of the Cross. To the question, “Do you bleed?” – are you really human? – every crucifix gives a resounding “Yes!” That is why Good Friday is called “good.”

And thirdly, the crucifix shows us a powerful way we can be a little more like Jesus. You know, it’s hard to be as smart and wise as Jesus; he knows more than Google. It is impossible to be as holy and sinless as Jesus; he perfect and impeccable. We will never come close to being as prayerful or spiritual as Jesus; he always beheld the Face of his Father. But in one area of life we can imitate our Lord, namely, in our suffering. One of my favorite Bible verses is Colossians 1:24, where St. Paul writes – which incidentally, he wrote from prison – “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, the church.” In other words, my suffering makes me like my Savior.

On Good Friday Catholics are called to fast from food and to abstain from eating meat. Why? Simple: so our suffering makes us more like our Savior. Every crucifix tells us that every Christian can imitate Christ: when we lose our job, when our marriage fails, when our children abandon their faith, when we feel alone and misunderstood, when we fail to overcome our sins, when we suffer from cancer or chronic illnesses, we feel like Jesus did on the cross. Suffering may make us feel far from others, but it can also make us feel very close to Christ. That is why Good Friday is called “good.”

Catholics love crucifixes more than crosses because they teach us why Good Friday is called "good." But crosses are good too.

Praised be Jesus Christ!