I loved the look of this penal cross, which comes both in sterling silver and in bronze, it has an almost Egyptian feel with the symbols of crucifixion reminding a little of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
It is a copy of a wooden Irish penal cross dating back to 1722, the original to be found in the Hunt Museum in Limerick, Ireland.
Penal Crosses typically had short arms as they were held in the palm for concealment because of the religious persecution of the times, and longer arms tended to break off.
They tended to be one-decade beads, with a ring to slip from finger to finger to keep track of the decade being said. I am shortly going to make some of these one-decade rosaries.
For me it is important that in praying with a penal cross one remembers the words of Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do'. Also, the Our Father contains the words: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.'
My intention in offering rosaries with a penal cross is that they be used with forgiveness in mind. I certainly do not want to encourage anyone to hold on to old bitterness which has a corrosive effect on the soul. I think the stunning sizzling colour of the carnelian helps to underling the positive uplifting intention.
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