In July of 2000 Pope John Paul II promulgated the revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Article 2 of this instruction reaffirmed that the Mass is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and quoted from the Second Vatican Council: “At the Last Supper our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood, by which he would perpetuate the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until he should come again, thus entrusting to the Church, his beloved Bride, the memorial of his death and resurrection.” Article 308 stated: “There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations.”

In the cross is our salvation: “He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24.) While Baptism and sacramental confession apply this forgiveness to us, the central sacrament making the dying and rising of Christ present to us is the Eucharist. Christ instituted the Mass at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion, precisely in order to allow us to enter into this mystery of salvation: “Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28.) The next day he did indeed shed his blood on the cross as foretold.

The bread and wine consecrated at Mass become the same Body of Christ that was crucified and the same Blood of Christ that was shed. We cannot appreciate the Mass apart from loving our Savior crucified out of love for us. By receiving Holy Communion in the state of grace (free from all mortal sin), we unite ourselves to Christ in the fullest way possible on this earth. “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). In the Mass we anticipate and prepare for total unity with God in Heaven, won for us on the cross.

In a word, the cross is near the altar to remind us of the total self-emptying love of our Lord made present to us on the altar.

What Does This Particular Crucifix Express?

This crucifix is a unique artistic expression of the simultaneous suffering and victory of Christ. The suffering is seen in the tension of every muscle as Jesus hangs in pain on the nails through his hands and feet. Jesus will die, but will not be conquered. He freely gives himself: “I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.” (John 10:17-18.)

Note that there is no wound in Christ’s side, as seen in many crucifixes. His side was pierced after he died (John 19:33-34). This crucifix portrays Jesus before dying, his final handing himself over to the Father. We see his legs painfully extended as, near suffocation and the end of his strength, Jesus lifts himself on his nailed feet for a breath and looks toward Heaven: “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit’; and when he had said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46). In his suffering he takes on himself all our sin and suffering, and conquers in our name. No matter what we endure or how weak we become, we are never alone. In our deepest pains and hurts and loneliness, our God comes to suffer with us, and to offer hope and victory to us. If we unite our sufferings with the cross of Christ, they become redemptive. We rise with him triumphant to a new and glorious life.

What Does the Sign at the Top of the Cross Signify?

“Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.’ Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.” (John 19:19-20; parallels are Mt 27:37; Mk 15:26; Lk 23:38.) The ancient Latin translation for this is: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, and hence the acronym “INRI” on the sign. The Greek in the original Gospel is: ΙΗΣΟΥΣ Ο ΝΑΖΩΡΑΙΟΣ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ (transliterated Iesous ho Nazaraios ho Basileus ton Ioudaion), and hence “INβ I” on the sign. The Hebrew was probably: Yeshua Notzri Melekh Yudeaos, and hence: “ ימני”, the letters Yod Nun Mem Yod written from right to left. The initials for “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews” in Hebrew, Latin and Greek thus appear on the sign:

י מ נ י
I N R I
Ι Ν β Ι

Such was the charge for which Jesus was crucified, for claiming to be a king. In fact he declared that his kingdom was not of this world, and that he had come into this world to bear witness to the truth. Under pressure from the crowds, Pilate issued the sentence. (See John 18:28-40.) When the chief priests insisted that the sign should say instead “He said ‘I am King of the Jews,’” Pilate refused to change it (John 19:21-22). The sign of condemnation bears witness to the profound truth that Jesus Christ is King of the Universe and of every heart that listens to his voice speaking the truth. All are invited to belong to his universal and eternal kingdom of justice, peace, and self-giving love.

Why Was the Crucifix Hung Over the Altar?

The crucifixion scene on the side wall of the sanctuary mosaic is not the same as a crucifix and is not in close proximity to the altar. A processional cross could not be made large enough to be clearly visible the entire length of our church. The arrangement of the steps, tabernacle and twelve pillars (representing the twelve apostles at the Last Supper) simply allow for no fitting place to stand a crucifix near the altar. If placed on the back wall or on a stand behind the tabernacle, a crucifix would not be as closely associated with the altar and visually would interfere more with the artistry of our sanctuary mosaic. It was thus decided that to hang the crucifix over the altar, right where the Body and Blood of Christ become present, would best fulfill the Church’s desire in our sanctuary. This placement is also more independent of the mosaic. It’s placement and even that of the thin cables holding it do not cross the line of sight of any of the three mosaic figures. Cables previously used to hang banners have been removed.

What Was the Process for Doing All of This?

Since early 2001 thought was given to obtaining a crucifix for the sanctuary to comply with the Holy Father’s new General Instruction. Having failed to find a satisfactory option after multiple attempts with religious supply stores and artists from Tijuana and Croatia, an inquiry in late September of 2002 to the talented sculptor Thomas Marsh of Sonoma was promptly greeted with a drawing showing that he could produce what we would want. His price for a six foot wood carved corpus was far higher than what we imagined. On 10/1/02 the idea, design, price and other possibilities were presented to the Parish Council for opinions. They thought the concept and design was beautiful, but considering the cost they asked for a month to think about the project before offering reactions. After that Mr. Marsh presented the option of using painted gypsum cement for about half the price of wood carving.

On 10/16/02 the idea was presented to the Oblate Provincial at his council meeting and he also asked for more consideration. We inquired with Mr. Marsh about marble materials. He said that he could mix marble dust with gypsum cement and leave it unpainted for a stone look. This could also be done on a processional cross, but weight and danger of damage would certainly be issues. Fr. Gallemore of the diocesan liturgy office was also consulted. He said that in his understanding a large permanent crucifix over the altar was in keeping with the diocesan manner of interpreting the Church’s intent, as exhibited also in the new churches that have been constructed in the diocese.

On 11/6/02 the agenda item for the parish council was brought up to date. After discussion and consideration the council unanimously voted as follows:
1. A different processional cross was not desirable because it would not be large enough to be clearly visible, because there is no adequate place to locate it near the altar in a way that would look harmonious, because there would be a weight problem necessitating a change in our system of altar servers, and because there could be a theft problem from leaving such a nice item permanently in church.
2. The crucifix should be warmer looking than the marble of the sanctuary and more than anything else should stand out for its warm communication of the passion of the Lord, sacrificed on the altar. For this reason it should be a painted corpus on a wood cross, rather than a stone looking crucifix with a mono-color corpus.
3. Mr. Marsh should do the crucifix, in preference over the less expensive options which would not have the beauty and distinctiveness desired.
4. We should use painted gypsum cement rather than the wood carving, since this would cost only about half as much.

The Finance council approved the project at its quarterly meeting, 12/11/02. The Oblate Provincial approved the project at his council meeting of12/18/02. Bishop Steinbock gave his approval on 1/15/03 and subsequently signed a contract with the artist.

Mr. Marsh formed the stunning corpus in clay, which we enthusiastically approved on 8/4/03. From that he made a series of molds to cast the corpus shell in gypsum cement on an iron armature. He then painted it and did the finishing touches, such as the nails and the thorns attached to the crown. The wood of the cross is three by nine inch from the historic flume from the mountains to Madera; it was graciously donated by Jim Massetti. The cross was delivered to us on 11/21/03. The somewhat complex installation was generously donated by Dave Berry and completed on 12/3/03, with the helpful coordination of Bill Pitman, and the engineering of Tim Gudgel, using 1/8 inch stainless steel cables. Bishop Steinbock blessed the crucifix at the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, 12/6/03.

We are most grateful to all who gave large and small contributions which helped to cover a major portion of the expenses. Most of all we are grateful to God for this unique gift to our parish, inspiring us and many generations to come to appreciate ever more deeply the mystery of the Mass in which we experience the infinite love of our Savior given up to death on the cross in order to save us and give us hope and life.

Hail, Holy Cross, Our Only Hope

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