Nope, the Image of Jesus on the cross reminds us what He did for us. An empty cross is merely an object used for torture.
Look around yourself, we are still suffering — in fact for many members of mankind, rich or poor, life can be almost unbearable.
My Church teaches me, and I believe it, that we are members in the Body of Christ. If the cross was good enough for Christ, it is certainly good enough for me. Many of my brothers and sisters experience deep distress in this life.
The Corpus reminds me that mankind hangs on that cross and I am a member of it.
Those who depict Christ on that cross miss the victory. The empty cross is a sign of Christ’s victory over death. If that cross were not empty that victory is incomplete.
Well, I suppose it depends on how you look at it.
That image of Jesus hanging on the cross that adorns Catholic churches is WAY too sanitized. If you really want to know what Jesus did, watch The Passion and realize that it was even worse than that.
It’s Jesus’ death and resurrection that brings us salvation. Sin was atoned for and death was conquered by Him dying, not by His suffering.
And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:14-15