November 23, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Since we’re celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King this weekend, I thought I would take the chance in this space to answer one of the most common questions I get: what does the “INRI” at the top of the cross at St Thomas mean? And it’s not just us: when you look at holy cards and images of the Crucifixion, you’ll see those seemingly mysterious letters hanging over the Lord. To answer, it’s probably best to explain first that when the Romans crucified someone, they would include a sign saying what their crime was. Today’s Gospel, Luke 23:38, gives us part of what that sign said in Jesus’ case: “Above him, there was a sign that read, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” If you look over at St John’s account of the crucifixion, in John 19:19-20 we read that the sign said, “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews,” and that it was written in three languages: Latin, the administrative language of the Roman government; Greek, the language of culture and commerce in most of the Empire; and Hebrew, the sacred language of the Jewish people. Basically, Pontius Pilate wanted to make sure that everyone could understand the sign that hung over Jesus on the cross. So what about those letters? The Latin phrase for “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews” is “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum,” which in paintings and sculptures of the Cross is usually abbreviated by its first initials: “INRI.” If you’re in an Eastern Catholic church, you’ll often see it abbreviated as “INBI”, which is the Greek version of the same thing (the word for “king” in Greek starts with B). And amazingly, the abbreviation for that phrase in Hebrew is the sacred name of God himself! There’s a lot of wonder packed into those four letters. We have that sign above our crucifix at St Thomas are a reminder that even when he hung on the Cross for us, Jesus was still lord and king. He has power over even the most difficult things in our lives. Even when we feel the cross of trial and difficulty in our own lives, Jesus reigns as king and lord and God, from the cross right next to us. As we come to the holiday season, I am deeply grateful that St. Thomas is a place where so many people have come to experience the love of Christ our King. Thank you for showing that love to everyone who walks through our doors. Through the prayers of the Blessed Mother and our patron St. Thomas, may we live each day in light of eternity, proclaiming with our lives that Jesus Christ is King. And a happy Thanksgiving to everyone this week! God bless,

Father Jantz