I went to a Catholic mass a few weeks ago – a first! As a member of the protestant, or evangelical church, I’ve never had a reason to visit a Catholic church except on tourist duty in France, but that’s another story…
The funny thing was that I went to mass for a college assignment (write a report on your visit to a church that’s different to your own church background). And I say funny, because “I’m here on an assignment” was the answer I gave the priest when we shook hands at the end of the service – he asked questions about whether I was new and why I was visiting. I’m sure you’re supposed to make up another answer in such circumstances, but hey, everyone must have noticed me scrawling away in my notebook, failing to say the right thing at the right time, and missing all the cues to bend down on one knee at appropriate times. So I’d already figured the game was up!
Anyway, I took away two lasting impressions. Firstly, I felt much more comfortable than I thought I would – we are, after all, all Christians despite our different perspectives.
Secondly, hung high on the wall at the front of the church was a wooden cross with Jesus affixed, head bowed, and a crown of thorns fastened firmly on his head with little trickles of blood on his forehead.
Back in class the following week, the subject of crosses came up (funny that, given we’re at college…but anyway). Other students remarked on the cross in the Catholic churches the visited too. I wasn’t sure what had intrigued me until our lecturer (& Tabor founder) Barry Chant observed that Catholic churches typically depict Jesus on the cross, while protestant churches depict an empty cross. BINGO!
I’d grown up looked at an empty cross. The significance? The bible says Jesus died on the cross, died, was buried, and rose again. The empty cross symbolises the fact that he did not remain on the cross. The Catholic church has a different perspective in that they choose to focus on Jesus’ suffering – he’s symbolically still on the cross in their eyes.
Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m trying not to make a judgement call either way. But this line of thinking is an extension of an earlier post where I asked about your image of God. Is He the fire and brimstone God, or the loving and kind God? I’m amazed at variety of perspectives that have emerged from a single, incredible, event in history.
