Why do we venerate the bones of saints?

[Insomniac]

A friend of mine is apparantly “freaked out” because Catholic Churchs possess, and individual Catholics venerate, the bones and body parts of saints. I didn’t know how to explain this practice to her… so I would love some help in understanding this.

 

[DeFide]

Insomniac:

A friend of mine is apparantly “freaked out” because Catholic Churchs possess, and individual Catholics venerate, the bones and body parts of saints. I didn’t know how to explain this practice to her… so I would love some help in understanding this.

Do a search for “relics”, and you’ll have tons of stuff to print out and show to your friend:

catholic.com/library/relics.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9306fea1.asp

 

[Liberian]

Insomniac:

A friend of mine is apparantly “freaked out” because Catholic Churchs possess, and individual Catholics venerate, the bones and body parts of saints. I didn’t know how to explain this practice to her… so I would love some help in understanding this.

Insomniac,

The practice or relics is quite Biblical. Mark 5:27 and surrounding verses recount the story of the woman with a hemorrhage who was healed by touching Jesus’ cloak. Acts 5:15 tells of people bringing sick people out to the street as Peter passed so that his shadow would fall upon them and Acts 19:11-12 mentions that cloths that Paul touched were carried to sick people and they were cured. I appreciate that these weren’t body parts, but they were definitely relics.

• Liberian

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Insomniac:

A friend of mine is apparantly “freaked out” because Catholic Churchs possess, and individual Catholics venerate, the bones and body parts of saints. I didn’t know how to explain this practice to her… so I would love some help in understanding this.

Because those whose bones they were, have been the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit of Christ, through Whose grace they have been conformed to Christ in a particularly excellent degree. They are not just saints - for all Christians are that: they are Christ-like saints: which some of us are not.​

And, the body is particularly important in Christianity - for when God came among men, He came embodied as a man. The Resurrection of Christ is the unshakeable proof that the dead will be raised, and their bodies will be conformed to His Glorious Body. In the Saints, this is beginning to happen: their holiness is a foretaste of the glory of the Resurrection.

So these are not just bits of stiffs - they are the mortal remains of Christ-like children of God. Of themselves, they are nothing, and are without value: there is no inherent power in them at all. All their value comes from their having been made holy by God; for this reason, they are worth more than any amount of gold. It is appropriate to honour them,* not* because they are bones, but because they are made holy by and for Christ Christ has effects on what He saves - He created all things, including the human body, and the overflowing of His holiness from the souls of men into their bodies, is evidence of His saving power. ##

 

[NotWorthy]

During the persecutions, early Christians often had to celebrate Mass in secret. Sometimes they had to gather in the catechombs and cemetaries, literally standing on the bones of the martyrs that died before them. During the Mass, when heaven and earth join together to celebrate the Eucharist, they were sharing the Mass with these same martyrs. Think about it, when they joined the choirs of angels and saints in singing the “Holy, Holy, Holy”, they were celebrating with some of the same saints whose bones were at their feet!!!

In the same way, we celebrate Mass with the saints and martyrs that came before us when we have a relic in the altar. Yet another reason why I just LOVE my Church!!!

Notworthy

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note 2 Kings 13:20-21 where contact with the bones of dead Elisha restores life to a dead man.

 

[Contarini]

Insomniac:

A friend of mine is apparantly “freaked out” because Catholic Churchs possess, and individual Catholics venerate, the bones and body parts of saints. I didn’t know how to explain this practice to her… so I would love some help in understanding this.

Does she believe in the resurrection of the body, or does she think that we are souls trapped in bodies?

Edwin