Q: We have a Cross at home and on the upper bar there is a little metal plate that has the letters I.N.R.I inscribed upon it. What do these letters signify or stand for?

A: When someone was condemned and executed on the cross, an description of their crime was always posted above their head so that all who passed by could see the charges against the criminal, such as murder, theft, treason, etc. In the case of Christ, however, since Pontius Pilot found Jesus guilty of no crime, our Lord's inscription simply bore the words, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19-20), which was written in Greek, Latin, and Aramaic. The letters on your cross, therefore, stand for the Latin translation, which is, "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum."

Fr. John