The Sterility of the Empty Cross

If you walk into any Catholic church, you will see the anguished, bloody, broken body of Christ hanging from a cross for people to contemplate and grieve. Wander around any cathedral and you will discover provocative artwork hanging on the walls that depict the colorless, lifeless body of Jesus being peeled off the cross by the embrace of St. John and the women who had loved and been loved so deeply by Christ. Perhaps one of the unintended consequences of the historical schism between Catholics and Protestants has been a lost Christian practice of regularly gazing at the dying or dead body of Jesus. Much of American Christianity proclaims a Christ-less cross. While there are theological reasons for the empty cross, I wonder if our churches are ironically avoiding an invitation to behold the crucifixion of Jesus, distorting our capacity to see and love the suffering of the world.