Christ with the Cross and Christ without the Cross

Much emphasis on the resurrection, which certainly must made always as one of the most important truths of our Christian faith, has had an unfortunate downside to it. This is what is termed, “The Christ without the Cross” mentality.

We find this unfortunate and erroneous mentality among those who preach what they call, “Prosperity Gospel”. This teaching over-emphasizes material abundance as a result of new life effected by the resurrection of Jesus to the exclusion of voluntary pain and suffering symbolized by the Cross.

The error of excluding the Cross in Christian life is distorting the meaning of the Paschal Mystery which is the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. When this is done, material prosperity and abundance can stifle the soul and the spirit and degenerate into materialism, secularism, and atheism. These 3 isms are foundations of marxism, leninism, and mao-zedong-thought. This what the CPP/NPA/NDF are promoting.

Solid Catholic teaching has to emphasize that salvation in and by Jesus Christ was carried out through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection which Catholic theology calls the Paschal Mystery. “Paschal” indicates Christ’s Passover or transition from death to new life which every Christian must realize in his/her daily life. This is the purpose of baptism or christening. Henceforth Christian life must happen in terms of transition: from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from weakness to strength, from decay to growth, etc. This is to confirm Jesus’ words in the gospel that for one to be His follower and disciple one has to carry his/her cross daily and follow Him. Therefore there is no authentic Christianity without the Cross. Or, simply, there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday.