ASK A CATHOLIC: Why Crucifixes, Not Crosses?

Why do Catholics have crucifixes in the church and not crosses?  Don't they believe that Jesus has risen?  Why keep Him on the cross?  First of all you would want to check out 1 Corinthians 1:23.  St. Paul says "...But we preach Christ crucified..."  Why does Paul preach Christ crucified?  Doesn't he know that He has risen?

Of course he does!  But he also knows that it is through the crucified Christ that the bonds of sin and death are broken.  As he says in verse 24: Christ crucified is the "power of God."  1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Doesn't he know that Jesus is risen?  Again, 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 Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God."  This is why "we keep Jesus Christ on the cross" because we, too, preach Christ crucified and we too recognize the symbol of crucifix as God's power.

The crucifix not only reminds us of God's power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten son up in suffering and death (St. John 3:16).  Also, 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 crosses daily if we are to follow Jesus (St. Luke 9:23).  And we must die with Christ if we are to live with Him (Romans 6:8).  Where did Jesus 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 portrayed, before their "eyes", as being crucified.  Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a crucifix, doesn't it?