The new crucifix

Our parish just put a new crucifix behind the altar, replacing the Risen Christ on the Cross that had been there before, and today was the first time we saw it during Sunday Mass. I'd never given it much thought, but I was struck by what a difference it made to have a crucifix as a central focus point. Even with two rambunctious girls, a priest that barely spoke English, and a terrible case of stage jitters through most of Mass (even though my violin part wasn't until AFTER communion), every time I looked at Christ on the cross I was able to refocus my thoughts on what was happening up on the altar. It was the first mass in months in which I felt I was actually present, and not merely sitting in the pew trying to suppress the shrieks of Noogs and Babs.

And as we walked out of church, we saw the figure of the Risen Christ suspended above the baptismal font in the rear. Very apropos.