Okay then. You have cited an example. Please give details of that one.
The Church does not define the nature of, nor regulate third-class relics, as you noted earlier. There is a great deal of latitude in the practice at the discretion of individual Christians.
There is no reference online to the miracle I mentioned above, though I learned about it at the shrine of the Venerable in question (see
marytheresadudzik.org/english/cause/cause.php – it is the miracle from 2003)
Below are two examples of what I was referring to.
Here is the first example, albeit from Wikipedia - note that dipping an object in water in which a relic had earlier been dipped is getting pretty remote from direct contact with a first-class relic!
“The importance of relics in the Byzantine world can be seen from the veneration given to the pieces of the True Cross, believed to have been discovered by Helena, mother of Constantine I in the fourth century. Other significant relics included the girdle worn by the Virgin, and pieces of the body or clothing of saints. Such relics were, however, scarce and did not provide most believers with ready access to proximity to the holy. The growth in the production and popularity of reproducible contact relics in the fifth and sixth centuries testifies to the need felt for more widespread access to the divine. These contact relics usually involved the placing of readily available objects, such as pieces of cloth, clay tablets, or water then bottled for believers, in contact with a relic. Alternatively, such objects could be dipped into water which had been in contact with the relic (such as the bone of a saint). These relics increased the availability of access to the divine but were not infinitely reproducible (an original relic was required), and still usually required believers to undertake pilgrimage or have contact with somebody who had.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Iconoclasm
And…
Another famous example, involving oil simply burning in the lamp in front of the altar above which repose the relics of St. Philomena in a large reliquary:
“A Mother of a blind child took some oil from the lamp burning besides the tomb of ST Philomena and rubbed it against the eyes of the child and the child regained his lost vision.”
reachjesus.blogspot.com/2012/05/saint-philomena-young-virgin-and-martyr.html
I hope that helps. Third-class relics and the entire practice of venerating relics and holy objects associated with them is a wonderful way to stay close to the Lord through his saints. Let’s be as generous as possible in our use and encouragement of them
