4 comments on 5 Things You Didn’t Know About The Crucifix

1. Andrea says:

   July 13, 2021 at 5:37 pm

   Hi guys,
   I see the crucifix every day as I say the rosary daily. There is no other representation of the crucifix in my home.

   Cedar, pine and cypress made up the wood of the cross. RS says that legend has it Seth, Adam’s third son, brought the seeds from the Garden of Eden to Adam’s grave at the time of his death. How can 3 separate tree seeds become one tree? Or, were there three trees used and how were they identified? Where were they located? Some oral traditions or legends do not hold up under scrutiny unless you want to say it was a miracle from beginning to end. Miracles are supernatural in nature and I can wrap my head around them because I have heard of so many in my lifetime and experienced a few myself.

   INRI is the title of the cross and an anagram short for Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews. RS says that according to research the cross Jesus carried probably weighed 220 pounds! I agree that Jesus was most likely quite robust as he was a laborer, but still. Thank you Ryan Scheel for all your research on this. It is certainly interesting and Jesus carried that cross through the streets until Simon of Cyrene was conscripted to help Him. Then they both had to go up a hill.

   Everyone has their own cross to bear and the weight of it grows spiritually as our burdens increase over our lifetime. There are people I know who bear the full weight of Jesus’ cross because they have so much going on in their lives that is tragic. I don’t know how they do it. Some survive with their humanity intact and a smile on their face as they go through life. Others seem to be overwhelmed and beaten down to just a speck of their former self and are filled with hate for their situation. Some share their burden with others, like a spouse. Or friends, or family. This depends upon the nature of the burden at hand. Sometimes we are strictly on our own.

   I would prefer a plain cross like the Protestants do but Catholics want to be reminded of the sacrifice every time they look at the cross so they want to view the crucified Christ. I understand the reasoning but I don’t like it as I can’t look at Jesus on His cross without getting upset about His sacrifice for us. The amount of physical pain and horror He went through from start to finish sickens and disgusts me. I know the answer to why He did this but still have to ask. I also ask myself if I believe this or not. One of the basic foundations of our religion in addition to the establishment of the Eucharist. Do I believe in Jesus or don’t I is the question I ask myself. Most days the answer is I do.

   Then I think of how God wanted to experience the human condition but Jesus, like his mother, would be in a state of grace and not sinful. He would overcome temptation and spiritual warfare assaults made upon him by the devil. Given our human thought process that we go through during the course of a 24 hour day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime, I can’t comprehend any human being, even Jesus, not sinning at some point or thinking about committing a sin. He would have to be filled with grace! Grace enough to last a lifetime or 33 years! This is a miracle in itself for the Christ and for the Blessed Mother.

   Thank you for the prayer before the crucifix.

   Take care,
   Andrea

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   1. Butch Hill says:

      July 24, 2021 at 11:31 pm

      Enjoyed your comment

      Reply
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3. FHL says:

   July 27, 2021 at 9:27 am

   My great grandfather was Sicilian, my grandfather born in Canada in 1901, my father in 1930. We have a blessed Crucifix in every room in our home. This sacramental reminds me throughout the day to be aware of Christ Crucified, to wear Him around my neck, as an act of Adoration, of Faith, of Hope, of Charity. The legacy of my father’s family is what I hand on to my own children. Having never met my grandfather, the funeral card of his death in 1960, with the Prayer Before a Crucifix written in Latin, snug in my Holy Bible RSVCE, is my most treasured possession. My dad took me to those Fridays of Lent, 6wks each year, without missing any of those first 18yrs. Even if I did not fully understand those Partial and Plenary Indulgences at the time, my dad did, and by his authority, mine were entirely valid. I cannot thank these men enough, who led their families by example, for giving me the strongest roots in Christ, wrapped around the Rock of Peter. Both my grandmother and my own mother were converts to the Faith on their wedding days. Praise be God for my parents, their 55yrs together, now resting side by side in our Catholic cemetery, alongside my grandparents, great grandparents, my great uncle and great aunt. The peace of that place, for me, cannot be matched.
   May the divine assistance remain always with us and may the souls of the Faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.

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