Q: As we begin to prepare for the Lenten Season and Sacred Triduum in our parish the question concerning the use of the cross for the Good Friday liturgy. I have seen a cross used at some churches and a crucifix at other churches. Is there a good theological reason to use one rather than the other?
A: I treated this in my book Glory in the Cross. In a nutshell, you can make a case for either a cross or a crucifix. The pope uses a crucifix. I prefer a cross. The liturgical texts invite us to behold “the wood of the cross” and to come and adore it. The wood of the cross is the sacramental, not the image of Christ. The bare cross fits the view that the entire Triduum is about both the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus – even Good Friday.