{"id":5976,"date":"2026-04-22T17:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/?p=5976"},"modified":"2026-04-22T17:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:35:28","slug":"if-christ-has-already-risen-why-do-we-still-have-the-tabernacle-and-the-cross-in-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/if-christ-has-already-risen-why-do-we-still-have-the-tabernacle-and-the-cross-in-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"If Christ Has Already Risen\u2026 Why Do We Still Have the Tabernacle and the Cross in the Church?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A theological, historical, and deeply relevant reflection to understand the heart of the Christian mystery<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1. A very current\u2026 and very ancient question<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a world that values what is immediate, visible, and \u201calready overcome,\u201d this question arises with force:
If Christ has risen, if He has conquered death\u2026 why does the Church still place at the center a Cross \u2014 a sign of suffering \u2014 and a tabernacle \u2014 seemingly silent and hidden?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, it might seem like a contradiction. But in reality, this apparent tension is one of the greatest treasures of the Christian faith. Understanding it not only enlightens our minds but transforms our spiritual lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

2. The Cross is not a memory of the past\u2026 it is a living presence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For many, the Cross is simply the instrument of Jesus\u2019 death. A historical fact. Something that \u201calready happened.\u201d However, from a Catholic theological perspective, the Cross is not merely a past event: it is an eternal mystery that is continually made present.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saint Paul expresses this with striking force:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles\u201d (1 Corinthians 1:23)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why preach Christ crucified if He has already risen?
Because the Resurrection does not erase the Cross; it glorifies it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cross is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The place where God\u2019s total love is revealed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The supreme act of redemption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The bridge between human sin and divine mercy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Without the Cross, the Resurrection would be incomprehensible. And without the Resurrection, the Cross would be a tragedy without meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    3. The Resurrection does not eliminate the Cross: it transforms it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The risen Christ does not erase His wounds<\/strong>. In fact, He appears to the apostles showing them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cLook at my hands and my feet; it is I myself\u201d (Luke 24:39)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    This is deeply significant. The wounds remain, but they no longer cause pain: they have been transfigured.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here lies the spiritual key for our lives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Suffering does not automatically disappear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • But in Christ, suffering can be redeemed, transformed, and filled with meaning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      That is why the Church continues to keep the Cross at its center:
      not as a symbol of defeat, but as victory achieved through sacrificial love<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      4. The tabernacle: Christ not only rose\u2026 He stayed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If the Cross speaks to us of love carried to the extreme, the tabernacle speaks to us of something even more astonishing: the permanence of that love in time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Christ did not only die and rise.
      Christ chose to remain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      At the Last Supper, He instituted the Eucharist with words that leave no room for purely symbolic interpretations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cThis is my body\u2026 this is my blood\u201d (Matthew 26:26\u201328)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      And even more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cI am with you always, to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:20)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      The tabernacle is the concrete answer to that promise.
      It is not a symbol. It is not a memory.
      It is a real, true, and substantial presence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      5. A living history: from the early Christians to today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      From the earliest centuries, Christians reserved the Eucharist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • To bring it to the sick.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • To adore it during times of persecution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • To live in constant communion with Christ.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Over time, this developed into the practice of the tabernacle as we know it today: a worthy, central, silent place\u2026 where Christ waits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It is no coincidence that many churches are built around it.
        The tabernacle is the heart that beats within the temple.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        6. Cross and tabernacle: two sides of the same mystery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Here is the theological core:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • The Cross<\/strong> \u2192 shows us the sacrifice of Christ<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • The tabernacle<\/strong> \u2192 makes that same sacrifice present in a sacramental way<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          At every Mass, the Cross is not \u201crepeated,\u201d but rather made present in an unbloody manner<\/strong>, the one and only sacrifice of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It is the same Jesus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • who died on Calvary<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • who rose in glory<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • who gives Himself to us in the Eucharist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Everything is united.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n\n\n\n

            7. Why is this so important today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            We live in a culture that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Avoids suffering<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Seeks quick solutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Reduces faith to emotions or ideas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              In contrast, the Cross and the tabernacle teach us something radically different:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              a) True love involves self-giving<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              There is no love without sacrifice. The Cross proves it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              b) God is not distant<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              The tabernacle breaks the idea of an abstract God.
              Christ is there. Waiting. In silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              c) Life has meaning even in suffering<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              In Christ, nothing is lost. Everything can be redeemed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n\n\n\n

              8. Practical applications for daily life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              This mystery is not only to be understood\u2026 it is to be lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Return to the Cross in difficult moments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              When suffering comes, do not immediately flee.
              Ask yourself: how can I live this united with Christ?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2. Rediscover the tabernacle<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              Enter a church, even if only for a few minutes.
              Remain in silence. Without words.
              Simply be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              3. Live the Eucharist deeply<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              Not as routine, but as a real encounter with the living Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              4. Offer small daily crosses<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              Difficulties, fatigue, frustrations\u2026
              Everything can be offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n\n\n\n

              9. A spiritual synthesis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              The initial question contains only an apparent paradox:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Christ has risen, yes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • But His crucified love remains the path.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • And His Eucharistic presence remains the nourishment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                The Church preserves the Cross because the love that saves passes through it<\/strong>.
                The Church keeps the tabernacle because Christ has chosen to remain with us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n\n\n\n

                10. Conclusion: it is not just a \u201cwhy\u201d\u2026 it is a \u201cfor what\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                It is not only about understanding why they are there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                It is about discovering what they are there for<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • The Cross, to teach us how to truly love.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • The tabernacle, so that we are not left alone on that path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  And in the end, everything converges in a simple and deeply consoling truth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Christ did not only conquer death\u2026
                  Christ continues to accompany our concrete life, here and now.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  A theological, historical, and deeply relevant reflection to understand the heart of the Christian mystery 1. A very current\u2026 and very ancient question In a world that values what is immediate, visible, and \u201calready overcome,\u201d this question arises with force:If Christ has risen, if He has conquered death\u2026 why does the Church still place at …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,37],"tags":[648,203],"class_list":["post-5976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-catechism-of-the-catholic-church","category-doctrine-and-faith","tag-cross","tag-tabernacle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5978,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5976\/revisions\/5978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicus.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}