Why Catholic Devotion to Relics?

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I’m a cradle Catholic and it’s something I don’t get either. On the one hand the Church says that if someone is cremated, the ashes have to be interred together, not scattered, to provide a dignified burial. And then we turn around and split the remains of saints, sending some on tour while others may be separated among many places.

Catholicism is a big tent and what appeals to some does not necessarily appeal to others.
 
I’ve also seem comments this can be more of a cultural/regional thing. It seems odd to me, too; I would think dignity of the body (keeping it intact) would make more sense. Is it possible that this practice is more of an antiquated custom? But then when Mother Theresa was canonized, her blood was contained in her icon.
 
Dlee said:
I’ve also seem comments this can be more of a cultural/regional thing.
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I don’t know. I’m in the U.S. According to the article in the OP, Padre Pio’s heart visited here for a few days too.

It’s not only body “parts” that I wonder about, but even the veneration of the intact bodies of saints. I remember a few years ago my wife was excited about the fact that a saint (sorry, can’t remember who) was actually “on tour.” Her body was being taken around the country for people to see. When we got to the cathedral there was a HUGH line of people waiting to get in to view the body of this saint. Not meaning any disrespect to those who find some meaning in this practice, but honestly, this just strikes me as really weird.
 
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"Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!" 2 Kings 13:21

This is why Catholics venerate the bodies (and parts) of the saints. God works His miracles through these bodies.
 
Also, these customs started many centuries ago when people were not as prissy and squeamish as we are about death.
 
From the 19th century there are these ideas about the uncreated energies from the Holy Spirit that touched the body of people who were revealed to be saints (hence the incorruption etc).
Getting closer to these bodies is said to help you get healed physically or spiritually, or simply “borrow” part of the saint’s charisma to help you in your relationship with God.
The tradition of respecting saints’relics dates from the Early Church not the 19th century. But in the 19th century in the East and the West there was this discussion about the energies and this theology is something appealing to many people since it’s something you can easily understand. Plus there are many signs documented to have happened around the bodies of saints so we shouldn’t despise this practice even if from the distance it looks superstitious and not deep enough.

If God allows signs around the bodies of saints why critic this practice?

Not everyone who is trying to find salvation has a Phd in Theology and Jesus Christ allows so many little miracles around His Church so that everyone can find their place in Her and soothe their needs.
 
Mary888 said:
Not everyone who is trying to find salvation has a Phd in Theology and Jesus Christ allows so many little miracles around His Church so that everyone can find their place in Her and soothe their needs.
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Absolutely. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Many miracles have been wrought through the relics of our wonderful saints.
 
It looks like the trend in relics is to just use blood from the deceased. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think we are seeing body parts cut out.
 
Feanor2 said:
It looks like the trend in relics is to just use blood from the deceased. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think we are seeing body parts cut out.
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Tell that to Padre Pio whose heart is traveling the world without him.
 
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