Why They Use Relics in Worship
NAPLES, Italy. Imagine that you are there in the early years of the 18th century of our Common Era. In its cathedral, Irish philosopher George Berkeley stands before a famous religious relic. He views with skepticism the apparent liquefying of the blood of “San Gennaro,” the Catholic “saint” Januarius.
Naples has changed little in this respect. For instance, despite bad weather on one occasion in recent years, the church was again teeming with people, and an apparent miracle had taken place. The relic and a procession led by the cardinal archbishop were greeted with warm applause. Yes, this was another of the many times that the blood of “San Gennaro” appeared to liquefy. Miracles involving this religious relic had reportedly been taking place since the 14th century.
According to Catholic tradition, a relic (from the Latin relinquere, meaning “to leave behind”) is an object left by a person considered to be a saint. As the Dizionario Ecclesiastico points out, relics are “in the strict sense of the word, the body or part of the body and the ashes of the Saint, in a broader sense the object that came into contact with the body of the saint and which is therefore worthy of devotion.”
Papal Endorsement
Doubtless, many give reverential treatment to religious relics because of apparent miracles associated with them. Papal endorsement is evidently another factor in their popularity.
At least four popes in the last 70 years have given special attention to relics. A Catholic periodical reveals that like his predecessor Pius XI, Pope Pius XII “kept relics of the saint of Lisieux on his person.” Paul VI “kept a finger of the apostle [Thomas] on the desk in his study,” and John Paul II “keeps, in his own apartment, fragments of the . . . mortal remains” of “Saint Benedict” and “Saint Andrew.”—30 giorni, March 1990, page 50.
In view of such papal endorsement, it is not surprising that the demand for relics for both private and public devotion is increasing. But does devotion to religious relics please God?
[Picture on page 3]
A reliquary, a container in which religious relics are preserved
[Credit Line]
Courtesy of The British Museum