Why are prayers answered through relics

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Why does God sometimes answer prayers through relics or sacred objects ie belt of Mary , instead of the person simply praying at home?
 
It is always God answering prayers not a relic. I think using a relic is just an other way to ask for a special intercession or to show a particular devotion but there is nothing ‘ magic’ about the relic itself.
 
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Perhaps it is to draw attention to the holiness of the saint whose relic it is, and that in turn would increase in us the desire to draw closer to the Lord.
 
Maybe at some point the saints whose relics He uses heard our prayer and prayed for us too and changed His mind so He wants to show us which Saint helped us so we can thank them somehow.
 
A hypothetical situation in which a man gets cured of a cancer after venerating a relic. God cures him because he is in command of all his saints.
 
It’s always always always God.

Even if you are praying before the “belt of Mary” it’s still just Mary praying for you and God answering the prayer or not.

And, God hears your prayers at home just as well as he hears them elsewhere, but to venerate the relic is a further act of faith. It has merit.
 
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anon91549587 said:
Why does God sometimes answer prayers through relics or sacred objects ie belt of Mary , instead of the person simply praying at home?
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What makes you think prayers of “the person simply praying at home” are given less consideration by God than prayers associated with sacramentals? In my opinion, I don’t think the assertion is true.
 
I think my question needs rephrasing . I do know God the giver of life and healer does the work , i seek theological understanding as to why through relics and not merely seeking intercession without relics. There have been countless stories of miracles that happen during pilgrimages or venerating an icon .
 
anon91549587 said:
i seek theological understanding as to why through relics and not merely seeking intercession without relics. There have been countless stories of miracles that happen during pilgrimages or venerating an icon .
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“Thy faith hath made you whole.”

Praying before the relic is an act of faith just as going to Lourdes, wearing a sacramental, or seeking the intercession of the Saints
 
anon91549587 said:
i seek theological understanding as to why through relics and not merely seeking intercession without relics.
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The main reason God would allow a cure to happen when a particular saint’s relic is used is to build our faith by underscoring the holiness of the associated saint and his/her ability to intercede for us.

For example, when seeking to canonize a person as a saint, it is necessary to have a miracle through that person’s intercession. Using the relic is a way to emphasize the intercession of the sainthood candidate. Having said that, there are many cases where no relic was used and the person just said, “Cardinal Newman help me” or whatever and then received the miracle. They will have to prove when they submit the miracle to the Vatican that they definitely prayed to Cardinal Newman for his intercession, and didn’t ask Cardinal Newman and about 10 other saints.
 
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Jesus healed the woman with a hemorrhage when she simply touched His robe. Scripture doesn’t just tell stories with no meaning. If Jesus could heal others who simply touched His garment --without Him even SEEING them do so–and if He gave His disciples and followers the power to do ‘these and even greater things’ as He tells us, then God answering a prayer by using the relic of a saint is simply a continuation and affirmation of what Jesus did and what we his followers can do as well. . .that’s what I think.
 
Thank you very much for answering .
Any idea if the saint does do something that we cant see , or do they just pray and God does the work ?
 
God does everything. The saint just intercedes.

No saint would ever, ever take it upon himself or herself to say that s/he does something rather than God doing it.

Some saints did cure people (like in Acts 3, Peter heals the lame beggar) but it was because of God working through them.
 
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Would you think this enforces the school of thought that God does not compete with army of friends? That the flame can exist with the bush and not burn it . That God wants us to be co-heirs and share some of his power if he wills it . In contrast to protestant thinking that God is a jealous God and solely wants the spot light…shredding out a guiar solo at 1000bpm.
 
Many miracles have happened without the person having a relic at hand. In fact, these days it is very hard to get one’s hands on any relic. I saw a documentary where the Church where padre Pio is buried ‘lends’ the bloody cloths he used (he had the stigmata) sometimes but I suspect that was decades ago and nowadays one cannot get a hold of them. I would love to hold one of those even if for a few seconds though.
 
Hey Dan , im referring in particular to a visit to where the relic is , for example john the baptist in egypt.
 
That is debatable whether the true relic is there. Just visiting is not considered first class relic anyway. Not sure what ‘class’ that would be.
 
Dan_Defender said:
I saw a documentary where the Church where padre Pio is buried ‘lends’ the bloody cloths he used (he had the stigmata) sometimes but I suspect that was decades ago and nowadays one cannot get a hold of them. I would love to hold one of those even if for a few seconds though.
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Padre Pio’s relics (gloves and cloths with blood) are all over the place in New York and Philadelphia. Most of them are in the hands of shrines and monasteries but there’s definitely no shortage as there are millions of Italians here who all love Padre Pio and a lot of them managed to get a glove or a piece of a glove. Usually when you are blessed with said gloves, they are kept in a case though, you don’t get to touch the actual fabric unless you are buddies with whoever owns the relic or it’s a very special situation.
 
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Not only is it something the Church has lived and witnessed throughout her history… it’s right in Scripture. In the Old Testament we see a dead man coming into contact with Elisha’s bones and being raised from the dead. In the New Testament, in the Acts, we see the sick healed through St Paul’s handerkerchiefs.
 
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