Finally, A Contemporary Cross I Can Live With

Last updated on: March 20, 2024 at 7:07 am by Julie Nichols

Finally, A Contemporary Cross I Can Live With 2024-03-20T07:07:34-05:00 Julie Nichols

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Finally, I found a contemporary cross I can live with considering how it’s been used for political gain in recent years. This is the Sacred Heart of Jesus which is common in Latino Catholic culture just like Our Lady of Guadalupe. With the heart being bigger than the cross, it reminds me that God’s love is meant for everyone regardless of their skin color, their beliefs, their background, walk of life, sexual orientation, gender identity, or abilities.

Since the cross has been used for political gain in recent years, I just wasn’t able to wear one at all, so I wore a Chi Ro with Mary instead. Right now, with the cross being used as a political weapon in the United States and other countries where the threat of fascism is growing, it was just too difficult to wear a cross for a while. So, I at least temporarily switched out my cross for a Chi-Ro symbol combined with Mary. Our youngest son, who is a Church history buff in some ways, reminded me of the pre-Constantinian Christianity before it jumped in bed with Emperor Constantine, like parts of American Christianity have jumped in bed with Donald Trump and the right-wing of the Republican party. Pre-Constantinian Christianity took care of the widows, the orphans, and children left to die. It was radically-inclusive and cared for the most vulnerable and also cared for gender and sexual minorities. Do we see this in modern Christianity today? In many ways, I see the opposite.

Today in our post-modern world, many articles, books, and other publications are being written about The Age of Deconstruction. Deconstruction and examining my faith have been absolutely essential to surviving the current melded explosion of the Church and State. For the Catholic, doctrine cannot be discarded, but it can be applied in healthier and life-giving ways. This is why I am now heavily leaning on all tenets of Catholic Social Teaching, especially the Sanctity of Life and the Dignity of the Human Person. This is why I am leaning on the love of early Christianity. From what we know about the earliest Christians, they gave life and honored the marginalized unconditionally.

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching

So as one who identities as a pre-Constantine Catholic now after six years of deconstruction, there are no conditions for someone to receive ministry, service, love, and acceptance from me. And now I can wear a cross again but only where the heart is bigger than the cross to show that God’s love encompasses all of humanity.

As Pope Francis says, “todos, todos, todos” which means everyone, everyone, everyone. God doesn’t make mistakes.

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