Holy Week in a time of pandemic

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic we are all tired and want it over.  And now we have a war in Ukraine which is causing oppression, suffering and world-wide sadness. However, history has a way of repeating itself and can teach us how Christianity has handled such suffering and disease in the past.  

The early Christians did not make crucifixes because the sight of them caused so much shame and horror.  They lived in an oppressive Roman world that still used crucifixion to carry out the death penalty.  The first-century Jewish historian Josephus called it the “most wretched of deaths.”  St. Paul best expressed the inspired meaning of the cross for Christians.  It was both a sign of the power of evil, Jesus’ torture and death, as well as of divine love: “For in him (Christ) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:19-20).

There is a strong tradition that the true cross was found before 350 and was venerated by pilgrims in Jerusalem, as is attested to by St. Cyril at the end of the fourth century.  On Sept. 13, 335, Constantine’s Basilica of the Resurrection was dedicated in Jerusalem.  The next day, the relic of the true cross was solemnly venerated in the basilica.  From the earliest Christian times the faithful made the sign of the cross on themselves as an expression of faith.  This was often mentioned by St. Augustine, who lived from 354 to 430.

There is an interesting cycle in the history of the veneration of the cross that reveals something about the meaning of Lenten devotions and the liturgies of Holy Week.  Because of their revulsion at its use in Roman capital punishment, early Christians emphasized the “Crux Gemmata,” (“jeweled cross”) without the body of Christ.  This emphasized the victorious Lord of the Resurrection who gained victory over sin, suffering and death.  

“The early Christians did not make crucifixes because the sight of them caused so much shame and horror.  They lived in an oppressive Roman world that still used crucifixion to carry out the death penalty.”

The first evidence of the crucifix – the cross with the body of Christ on it – appeared around the sixth century.  Later, the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) and the realistic art of the early Renaissance made devotion to the crucifix very popular.  The crusaders had brought back with them from the Holy Land the devotion of the Way of the Cross.  This “morality play” accentuated the crucifix, which served very well as an instrument of catechesis for an oral, unlettered culture.

The crushing impact of the Black Death firmly established the crucifix as the sign of the follower of Christ.  People needed to see that Jesus had suffered on Calvary just as they were suffering.  A suffering God made human pain bearable and gave them hope.  During a period of 50 years (1350-1400), a third of Europe perished.  “Plague Crosses” appeared everywhere, leaving us imperishable works of art such as those of Albrecht Durer.  Jesus’ words were remembered: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it” (Mk 8:34-35).

As the danger of plague receded, a mood of real resurrection was felt.  It ushered in the age of baroque music, art and architecture (1600-1750).  The glory of the cross and its power of salvation was sung in Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Passion of St. Matthew” and Handel’s “Messiah.”  The baroque period with its overdecorated architecture expressed the celebratory mood of a people who had finally escaped the plague and felt free to live again.  Now, plague monuments in the town squares of Europe, especially Germany, celebrate freedom from the plague, replacing plague crosses.     

With the restoration of the Easter Vigil and the whole liturgical reform of Vatican II, a balanced emphasis has been created on both the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus.  Both are a part of the reality of life; both are part of our redemption.  Life has been born out of the grave.  In St. Paul’s words, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he might be the first-born of many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8:29).  Easter is our story too, and it will live forever.

May you be blessed by all the events commemorated in the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter.      

Father Carville is a retired priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and writes on current topics for The Catholic Commentator. He can be reached at johnny
[email protected].