Saint's Relics

[bcullum]

Just yesterday I was in Rome near the Spanish Steps and came across a small Chapel from a side street (I am one of those folks who like to stick my head in and just say hello to our Lord). Upon entering the side door I noticed a very old (mummified) head behind a glass case (it was none other than my Confirmation name Saint John the Baptist). Being a convert from Southern Baptist 6yrs ago I was quite moved. Since being in italy I have learned a bit about the incorruptibles and find it absolutely amazing…that I had never heard of this before in my faith journey. My wife a cradle Catholic was quiet about the whole encounter and I felt a kind of disbelief in her actions. When i asked her she said how do we know that it is actually him…doesn’t it seem like there would be lights or signs saying here lies the head of John the Baptist…I understand that in Rome there are many great saint but she made a good point…the Church was quite small and to be honest the Chapel where the relic was didn’t impress me so much as say St Peters or some of the other Marian Cathedrals in the area.

Is there a book or something I can get which explains the understanding of relics and how the church venerates and protects them. Or how we as Catholics have protected them for the 2000yrs… When I speak of the bodies laying out on display or relics under alters a lot of my friends and family look at me like I am crazy (especially my protestant ones) most just laugh it off as “those silly Catholics” its all a gimmick.

I was even told the other day by a friend that if miracles truly happened now days it would be all over the news… so he just didn’t believe it when i told him about Fatima, Lourdes, Eucharistic miracles (Assisi, Bologna, ect ect…). He honestly thought that miracles could happen on that scale, however, in the same breath he said he did believe in miracles such as a child surviving from a car reck or something like that.

thanks for any assist.

 

[thistle]

Just yesterday I was in Rome near the Spanish Steps and came across a small Chapel from a side street (I am one of those folks who like to stick my head in and just say hello to our Lord). Upon entering the side door I noticed a very old (mummified) head behind a glass case (it was none other than my Confirmation name Saint John the Baptist). Being a convert from Southern Baptist 6yrs ago I was quite moved. Since being in italy I have learned a bit about the incorruptibles and find it absolutely amazing…that I had never heard of this before in my faith journey. My wife a cradle Catholic was quiet about the whole encounter and I felt a kind of disbelief in her actions. When i asked her she said how do we know that it is actually him…doesn’t it seem like there would be lights or signs saying here lies the head of John the Baptist…I understand that in Rome there are many great saint but she made a good point…the Church was quite small and to be honest the Chapel where the relic was didn’t impress me so much as say St Peters or some of the other Marian Cathedrals in the area.

Is there a book or something I can get which explains the understanding of relics and how the church venerates and protects them. Or how we as Catholics have protected them for the 2000yrs… When I speak of the bodies laying out on display or relics under alters a lot of my friends and family look at me like I am crazy (especially my protestant ones) most just laugh it off as “those silly Catholics” its all a gimmick.

I was even told the other day by a friend that if miracles truly happened now days it would be all over the news… so he just didn’t believe it when i told him about Fatima, Lourdes, Eucharistic miracles (Assisi, Bologna, ect ect…). He honestly thought that miracles could happen on that scale, however, in the same breath he said he did believe in miracles such as a child surviving from a car reck or something like that.

thanks for any assist.

Whoever it is it certainly is not the head of John the Baptist (the cousin of Jesus).

 

[ProVobis]

Is there a book or something I can get which explains the understanding of relics and how the church venerates and protects them. Or how we as Catholics have protected them for the 2000yrs… When I speak of the bodies laying out on display or relics under alters a lot of my friends and family look at me like I am crazy (especially my protestant ones) most just laugh it off as “those silly Catholics” its all a gimmick.

And how do we know all of these relics were preserved when the churches started demolishing the altars?

 

[bcullum]

Ok, I googled it and found out the name of the basilica church…San Silvestro in Capite

This signal relic, in whole or in part, is claimed by several churches, among them Amiens, Nemours, St-Jean d’Angeli (France), S. Silvestro in Capite (Rome).
newadvent.org/cathen/08486b.htm

San Silvestro in Capite is a basilica church in Rome, in Piazza San Silvestro. A second Roman church dedicated to Saint Sylvester is San Silvestro al Quirinale. The Latin words “in capite” refer to a fragment of the head of St. John the Baptist, putatively kept as a relic, in a chapel to the left of the entrance. (the fragmented head is actually the whole scull, minus the lower jaw)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Silvestro_in_Capite

 

[bcullum]

Whoever it is it certainly is not the head of John the Baptist (the cousin of Jesus).

How are you know it is certainly not the head?

If the Church has protected scripture and the teachings (traditions) why would it not protect relics and preserved them for us to venerate.

 

[bcullum]

And how do we know all of these relics were preserved when the churches started demolishing the altars?

Not certain I understand you when you say “when the churches started demolishing the altars” Not certain the churches demolished the altars but those against the church…the church protected the treasures ie relics, sacred writings ect ect…

 

[thistle]

How are you know it is certainly not the head?

If the Church has protected scripture and the teachings (traditions) why would it not protect relics and preserved them for us to venerate.

The Church has NOT said we must believe that is the head (or part thereof) of John the Baptist. If it so declared I would believe it but it hasn’t so I don’t.
The followers of John the Baptist hardly had heard of Jesus at the time of John’s execution and they buried him in an unmarked spot. How then would a follower of Christ get his hands on his head. It makes no sense.

 

[bcullum]

John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him “the Lamb of God,” among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John’s preaching. If John the Baptist believed that Jesus was the Lamb of God and recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized him" I would have to believe he certainly would have geared his teachings to support that because he understood “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand” and he wanted to preach the truth about the Messiah certainly converting many to Christianity.
catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=152

As far as relics go and specifically the head, I don’t know how they would have gotten their hands on it. I suppose the same way the early Christians got their hands on St Peter’s, St Paul’s, St Mark’s, St. John, St Christopher, St Catharine (Siena) and the many, many more. Maybe we are not 100% certain but I think that if we thought the bones and relics held miraculous properties (which is what I understand why relics are under the altar of many churches and why early Christians conducted Mass on top of their graves in the catacombs). My faith does not reside on the relics having to be what they are alleged to be; however, mother church certainly has an abundance of treasure…why wouldn’t it have the saints themselves?

As far as the church not saying one way or the other…I suppose this was my purpose for the initial post… what relics have the church declared as true or are they all declared as tradition past down from early Christians or as someone once said when describing the house of Mary in North Italy “legend has it” angles brought it to the area…

thanks and sorry for the length.