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Danquayle76
Guest
Well even by the traditional story of how Saint Helena found the True Cross you can’t say its 100% she found the True Cross.
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ora_pro_nobis
Guest
At the moment the British Museum has an exhibition called Treasures of Heaven, focusing on reliquaries and the relics they contained (or still do in some cases).
The craftsmanship is amazing - from an intricately carved ivory box from the Roman period (we don’t know what relics it would have contained) featuring the Passion of Our Lord, to the most amazing bejewelled and gilded head shaped casket containing fragments of the skull of St Eustace, these artefacts show what great reverence was shown to relics in the past.
My own parish church has a relic of the True Cross, which we venerate on Good Friday and on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in September. It does indeed come with a certificate of authenticity, stating that it is a fragment from the cross that St Helena found and had transported to Rome. Whether she actually found the cross that Our Lord was crucified on doesn’t matter. The relic is important for what it symbolises, and gives us a way to express our faith.
The craftsmanship is amazing - from an intricately carved ivory box from the Roman period (we don’t know what relics it would have contained) featuring the Passion of Our Lord, to the most amazing bejewelled and gilded head shaped casket containing fragments of the skull of St Eustace, these artefacts show what great reverence was shown to relics in the past.
My own parish church has a relic of the True Cross, which we venerate on Good Friday and on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in September. It does indeed come with a certificate of authenticity, stating that it is a fragment from the cross that St Helena found and had transported to Rome. Whether she actually found the cross that Our Lord was crucified on doesn’t matter. The relic is important for what it symbolises, and gives us a way to express our faith.
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TrueLight
Guest
Gotcha.
But for those who travel long distances to see and venerate a relic. Would they do it if they didn’t believe it to be a “true” relic?
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Marie5890
Guest
(only voicing my own limited understanding of the topic. very limired understanding)
Pilgrimages to various holy places, shrines, relics etc, often come with indulgences for those who seek those indulgences. Even going on one of the Crusades (or “taking the Cross” as they were originally called…the word “crusade” came much later) would have indulgences attached to them.
With all of that in mind, would and do people travel great distances to see and venerate a relic even if it weren’t authentic? Yes. The intentions of one’s heart does matter
and indulgences matter to many people
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TrueLight
Guest
Ah I see. That makes sense then.(only voicing my own limited understanding of the topic. very limired understanding)
Pilgrimages to various holy places, shrines, relics etc, often come with indulgences for those who seek those indulgences. Even going on one of the Crusades (or “taking the Cross” as they were originally called…the word “crusade” came much later) would have indulgences attached to them.
With all of that in mind, would and do people travel great distances to see and venerate a relic even if it weren’t authentic? Yes. The intentions of one’s heart does matter
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CatholicLife
Guest
A deacon at my parish carries a relic of the True Cross with him at all times. He uses it for blessings and the people are invited to venerate the relic on Thursdays , when the parish prays the rosary together.I have about 30 relics of various saints including Saint Maria Goretti,Saint Therese of the Child Jesus , and many others.
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JaMc
Guest
I always thought Calvin’s quote was something to the effect that, if you gathered together all the supposed relics of the True Cross, you’d have enough wood to rebuild Noah’s Ark…
But, anyway, is there a 100% foolproof way to prove that a relic of the True Cross is authentic? Probably not, at least not without taking the risk of destroying the relic in the process of scientific testing, and, even then, all that would do is put the wood sample at the right time and part of the world. However, there’s always a chance that it could be an authenic relic. What the Cross stands for is what’s really important in any event.
But, anyway, is there a 100% foolproof way to prove that a relic of the True Cross is authentic? Probably not, at least not without taking the risk of destroying the relic in the process of scientific testing, and, even then, all that would do is put the wood sample at the right time and part of the world. However, there’s always a chance that it could be an authenic relic. What the Cross stands for is what’s really important in any event.
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