The Horror of the Cross

04/26/2019 • View profile

Photo By: Flickr/Saint-Petersburg Theological Academy

We watched Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" on Good Friday evening. We invited a few people over that night and some didn't come. They said that they couldn't watch that movie, it is too horrific or it upsets them too much. I thought these interesting comments. I totally agree with them, the movie is difficult to watch and it is upsetting. That is exactly why we must watch it!

We are a people that so easily dismiss the difficult, the challenging and the cross. The things that are difficult to do in this life are probably the very things that we should be doing and should be embracing. Yes, the Passion is messy, horrific and absolutely terrifying. But we cannot fully embrace and celebrate the resurrection unless we truly appreciate and understand the crucifixion.

Protestant "churches" don't have crucifixes, they have crosses and the way that they choose to worship embraces this sentimental notion of our salvation. Faith alone without the sacrifice. It is why so many leave the Catholic Church, they want the sentimental nice feelings without the sacrifice and commitment hat truly being a Catholic requires. It's why so many carve out their own various forms of catholicism, picking which teachings and dogmas they will choose to believe and which ones they will reject, because their wills are more important than our Heavenly Father's. The cross represents Christs total commitment to that will, he agonized over the death he would suffer, yet succumbed and totally obeyed the Father's will in every way.

That is what we are called to do as well. Obey and follow the Father's will. We are called to follow and embrace the Faith and the Church that Christ founded and left us, with all its sacrifice, difficult teachings, and crosses. We are not called to sentiment feel good celebrations with trendy music, promises of temporal prosperity and enthusiastic motivational speakers. The Catholic Church is the true Church, the One, Holy and Apostolic Church, and whoa to those who walk away for inferior, false alternatives. We are called to a life of sacrificial love, to follow in the steps of the crucified Jesus, that is the only way we can obtain what the cross yields for us, an eternity with the Risen Jesus.

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About the Author

Lorrie McNickle

I am a wife and mother of two grown sons. Although I am Cradle Catholic, I experienced a profound reversion to the True faith several years ago that motivated and inspired me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the Church and Her teachings, and why She has these teachings and where they come from. Surprisingly, for me, the more I read and discovered, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings became. This certainly is a journey that doesn't end, and so as I uncover more amazing facts about our Faith and Church, I just can't help but want to share what I'm learning. So, I began writing for Catholic 365.

I have recently served for a year and a half as the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati. God is so good and does answers prayers, even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. The pro life cause is paramount to our times, I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience and opportunity to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful to God, for allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. We go where God seeminly calls us, and for me, that was a return to corporate America. I currently work as a recruiter and sales onboarding specialist where I am helping a Franchising company open and support small businesses that serve seniors and the elderly, giving them opportunities to age in place and live thier final chapters with dignity. It is the other end of the pro life spectrum and such an amazing endeavor!

I love being able to share this great faith of ours and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and this effort has truly become a wonderful way to connect with all of you- my brothers and sisters in Christ!

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The Horror of the Cross

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