The Idea Behind The Veneration of Relics - Research Paper Example

? 7 February Relics Introduction to relics The term “relic” is assigned different means depending upon the context and situation. In everyday language as well as according to the modern connotation, people commonly use this term in the figurative sense when they mean that somebody is old or antiquated. However, the term “relic” has a different meaning in the Catholic sense. Most people see it as a fuzzy concept with no definitive boundaries. The Catholic meaning of “relic” is an object or a part of it which was either possessed or touched by a saint. It is like preserving the belongings of the saint in an attempt to keep his/her memories alive forever. The concept emerges from the anxiety of separation. The concept of relics finds origin in the religious literature. According to the New Testament, an old woman who had been suffering from hemorrhage for quite a while found a way out. “Seeing Jesus in the crowds, she told herself "I only need to touch the hem of his garment, then I will be healed" and Jesus, who felt the power leave from him, turned to the woman and told her that her faith had healed her” (“The origin of relics”). Relics are present in almost every religion. Christians, Muslims and Hindus have their own relics that have huge significance in the historic literatures of these religions. Muslims consider the Holy Water of Zam Zam as sacred. It is also considered as an antidepressant. Hindus bathe in the River of Ganges because they believe that doing so would make them free of their sins and would purify their souls. People believe relics to be solutions for their problems as human beings. Relics are considered as the blessings of God Almighty. They are not just objects, but are actually means of spiritual revival and enlightenment. For example, the Holy Water is thought to have many positive effects upon the people who drink it. The veneration of relics People have a huge regard for the relics as they are the belongings or in some way connected to the people they revere. People who possess relics show respect for them in many ways, which include placing the relic at an elevated place in the house and decorating the relic in beautiful and costly frames. Most people feel honored and blessed to have a relic while others are ready to pay any cost to attain one. The veneration of relics has sustained through history as a custom, which originally encouraged people to visit the martyrs’ graves in the reign of the apostles. It was and is still believed that God shows miracles related to the relics. “In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint and his cooperation in God’s work; at the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind a faith-filled life” (Saunders cited in “What is a Relic?”). However, some people go so ahead in their veneration for a relic that they overlook the significance of the Creator, whose obedience gave the saint the status that his relics are being preserved by people, and give the relic more importance. This makes it rather a sin. Types of relics First class relics First class relics are composed of a saint’s physical body. It could also be the physical body of any individual whose sainthood cause is meant to be fostered. First class relics can be a range of features in the physical body that include but are not limited to a hair, fragment of a bone or dust collected from the coffin of the saint or the individual. The relic is held in place with the help of melted wax. “Any relic related to Our Lord is also considered first class. A splinter of the True Cross upon which Our Lord died is an example. The Eucharist is considered the highest first class relic but it is never housed in a theca” (“First, Second, & Third”). Rather it is offered as Holy Communion to the people who practice religion. Second class relics Second class relics are mainly the possessions of the saint or the individual. It may be a thing or a part of it that was previously his/her property. A potential example of the second class relics are the pencils displayed at St. Katharine Drexel’s shrine in Pennsylvania. These pencils were once possessed by her. The dirt gathered from the saint’s grave is also an example of the second class relic. Likewise, the holy water that is collected from the Grotto is a second class relic. Thus, anything as a whole or in part that was ever in possession of the saint becomes a second class relic. Third class relics Third class relics are objects that are indirectly placed into the category of relics. This can be achieved by bringing any object in touch with a first class relic or a second class relic. Most often, a small piece of cloth is touched with relic of the first or the second class. Common practice is to touch a small white piece of cloth cut from a much larger fabric with the grave of the saint. After this, the cloth is placed in a medal so that it becomes a medal of third class relic. The main difference between the third class relic and the other two is that it can be made while the other two have to be retrieved. There is no limit to the number of third class relics that can be made. Often, people that visit the shrine of a saint happen to receive a third class relic for free. These are cloth pieces affixed to a prayer card that has a picture of the saint on it whose shrine is visited. Significance and collection of relics Collection of the relics provides an individual with a means to get into physical contact with the history. People collect different types of relics for different purposes. Some have a deep affection and association with the saints while others want to collect relics as a hobby like the hobby of collecting stamps or coins. “It is a neat experience to read on a certain aspect of Civil War history and then be able to hold or own an item that was actually there. Indeed, how many a collector has spent some time looking at their collection and afterward felt as though they had just taken a trip back into time!” (“Civil War Relic”). Many people collect a relic for much the same reason for which they collect pictures; to save memories. Relics are collected so that a person may have a physical connection with the saint, even though he/she has departed from the materialistic world. While a connection between a deceased and an alive person is not possible otherwise, relics provide a platform to people to emotionally or spiritually revisit the ones they loved and cared for. Other people collect relics because they may be of huge significance, if not to them, to at least the people who placed immense confidence and faith in the saints. A relic particularly of the first or the second class can be of a huge financial significance in the future as people crave to acquire at least a bit of the saint. The value of a relic can be conceptualized as the value of a mummy placed in the museum, which is not only historically significant but also ensembles a whole perished culture into it. Works Cited: “Civil War Relic.” n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. . “First, Second, & Third Class Relics.” n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. . “The origin of relics.” n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. . “What is a Relic?” 2003. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. . Read More