Veneration of Christ Crucified

Devotions

The Good Friday rite of approaching and honoring the Cross, and the Lenten piety that leads the faithful toward it.

Veneration of Christ crucified, within the Church’s liturgical year, refers above all to the solemn moment on Good Friday when the faithful come forward to kneel, bow or kiss the Cross after hearing it proclaimed, “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.” It is supported through Lent by related popular customs, including the veiling of crosses and images in the final weeks before Easter in places that keep this custom, and by the ordinary devotional practice of honoring a crucifix at home throughout the year. This page treats Christ’s crucified image as it is venerated within the rhythm of Lent and the Triduum specifically; the broader Catholic theology of honoring the crucifix as a sacred image is treated on its own page.

Quick Facts

  • Category: Liturgical Year — Lent & Holy Week
  • Origin: Historic popular piety accompanying the Roman liturgical year, centered on the Good Friday liturgy
  • Observed: Good Friday especially, prepared for through Lent (movable, tied to the date of Easter)
  • Church status: Recognized/encouraged popular piety, harmonized with the Good Friday liturgy of the Passion
  • Private revelation: Not dependent on private revelation

What Is This Devotion?

On Good Friday, after the reading of the Passion and the Solemn Intercessions, a cross is unveiled or brought forward before the assembly with the invitation, “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world,” to which the people respond, “Come, let us worship.” The faithful then approach individually to venerate the Cross, most often by a simple genuflection, a bow, or a kiss, before Communion is distributed from hosts reserved the previous evening.

This liturgical high point is prepared for throughout Lent by simpler, ordinary acts of piety directed toward the crucified Christ: pausing before a crucifix in prayer, tracing the Sign of the Cross with particular attention, and, in places that observe the custom, veiling crosses and sacred images in the church for the final weeks of Lent until they are unveiled again at the Easter Vigil or during the Good Friday rite itself.

Origin and History

Devotion to the Cross intensified from the fourth century onward, especially after the finding of relics of the True Cross in Jerusalem, traditionally associated with St. Helena, and the subsequent development of a Good Friday veneration rite in Jerusalem described by the pilgrim Egeria in the late fourth century, where the faithful came forward to kiss a relic of the Cross. This Jerusalem practice spread to Rome and the wider Latin Church over the following centuries and, simplified to the veneration of a cross rather than a relic, became a fixed part of the Good Friday liturgy still celebrated today.

The custom of veiling crosses and images in the final weeks of Lent developed later in the medieval West as a way of heightening anticipation for Holy Week; where it continues, the Roman Missal leaves the practice to the discretion of the local conference of bishops rather than treating it as a universal law.

Catholic Theology

The Church carefully distinguishes the veneration shown to the Cross from the adoration owed to God alone: the honor given passes through the wood to Christ crucified himself, whose total self-gift the Cross represents, so venerating it is never treated as an act directed at an object for its own sake (CCC §§1674-1676). Good Friday’s veneration rite places the assembly bodily before the instrument of the world’s redemption, inviting each person to a personal, physical response — kneeling, bowing or a kiss — to what the Passion reading has just proclaimed in words.

How to Practice It

  • Take part in the Good Friday liturgy and come forward, according to local custom, to venerate the Cross.
  • Where a large congregation makes individual approach impractical, join in the simpler communal forms of veneration the celebrant may use, such as raising the Cross for a moment of silent adoration by all present.
  • Throughout Lent, pause deliberately before a crucifix at home or in church, uniting personal prayer to the season’s penitential character.
  • Observe local custom regarding the veiling of crosses and images in the final weeks of Lent, where this remains in use.

Associated Prayers

When It’s Observed

The formal veneration of the Cross belongs specifically to the Good Friday liturgy, a movable date tied to Easter. The Lenten customs that prepare for it, such as the veiling of images, extend across the final weeks of Lent where a diocese has chosen to retain them; the Roman Missal treats these preparatory customs as optional rather than obligatory throughout the universal Church.

Church Status

Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday is a fixed part of the Church’s official liturgical books, not merely popular piety layered onto the liturgy, while the surrounding Lenten customs of veiling and personal devotion before a crucifix are recognized and encouraged popular practice that supports, without replacing, the liturgy itself.

Common Misconceptions

“Kissing or bowing to the Cross on Good Friday is a form of idol worship.”

It is not. The Church’s constant teaching is that honor shown to the Cross passes to Christ crucified, whom it represents, not to the wood itself; this is the same principle that governs the veneration of any sacred image. Good Friday’s rite makes this honor deliberately public and communal, but the theology behind it is the same ordinary Catholic teaching on sacred images taught throughout the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the words used when the Cross is presented on Good Friday?

The minister sings or says, “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world,” typically three times with increasing solemnity, and the people respond each time, “Come, let us worship.”

Do all Catholics have to individually kiss the Cross on Good Friday?

No specific gesture is obligatory for the individual believer; genuflecting, bowing, or touching the Cross are all recognized ways of venerating it, and in large congregations the celebrant may lead a single, simple communal act of veneration instead of an individual procession.

Why are some crosses and images veiled during Lent in certain parishes?

The custom aims to heighten anticipation for Holy Week by temporarily removing familiar sacred images from view, so that their unveiling at the Easter Vigil or during the Good Friday liturgy carries greater impact. The Roman Missal leaves this practice to the discretion of bishops’ conferences rather than requiring it everywhere.

Sources

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