Selene
New Member
I'll put this in the form of a question--- Why does the Catholic religion venerate the remains of deceased Catholic "Saints"? Some time after the "Saint" dies, the dead Saint's remains are dug up and put in glass see through caskets, to be viewed and venerated. Sometimes it is a small box with just a skull, or a finger of the dead Saint. Please do not think that this just happens in some remote places around the world---this is being done in many places, for it is a Catholic practice to do this.
These two videos are only a few minutes in length. They show Catholic veneration of relics. WARNING! These videos are graphic pictures of decayed "Saints." I warn you before hand that they can be disturbing, yet, many Catholics, even their children, are brought to "venerate" the remains of the Catholic saints.
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Bizfmv202U0
http://www.youtube.c...sXdX27XU8k&NR=1
The Bible tells us the things of this world will be burned up, we are to live by the Spirit. So why then do Catholics practice the veneration of death and decay?
Yes, the Bible tells us that the things of this world will burn up, but that has nothing to do with the veneration of relics. As long as this world still exists, God can use us and the things of this world to carry out His Will. The veneration of relics is seen explicitly as early as the account of Polycarp’s martyrdom written by the Smyrnaeans in A.D. 156. In it, the Christians describe the events following his burning at the stake: "We took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom."
Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John, and as you can see from history, the Early Church has practiced this. The reason we unbury them is because the Catholics look for miracles. If a miracle is found in any one of those relics, they are kept in a special place because the miracle indicates that God has used the relic to perform the miracle. In other words, the Church just says that relics may be the occasion of God’s miracles, and in this the Church follows Scripture.
The use of the bones of Elisha brought a dead man to life: "So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet" (2 Kgs. 13:20-21). This is an unequivocal biblical example of a miracle being performed by God through contact with the relics of a saint!
One of the most moving accounts of the veneration of relics is that of the very body of Christ itself. Rather than leaving his body on the cross, to be taken down and disposed of by the Romans (as was the customary practice), Joseph of Arimathea courageously interceded with Pilate for Christ’s body (Mark 15:43, John 19:38). He donated his own, newly hewn tomb as Christ’s resting place (Matt. 27:60). Nicodemus came and donated over a hundred pounds of spices to wrap inside Jesus’ grave clothes (John 19:39), that amount of spices being used only for the most honored dead. And after he was buried, the women went to reverently visit the tomb (Matt. 28:1) and to further anoint Christ’s body with spices even though it had already been sealed inside the tomb (Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1). These acts of reverence were more than just the usual courtesy shown to the remains of the dead; they were special respect shown to the body of a most holy man—in this case, the holiest man who has ever lived, for he was God Incarnate.
Similar are the cases of the woman cured of a hemorrhage by touching the hem of Christ’s cloak (Matt. 9:20-22) and the sick who were healed when Peter’s shadow passed over them (Acts 5:14-16). "And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them" (Acts 19:11-12).
If these aren’t examples of the use of relics, what are? In the case of Elisha, a Lazarus-like return from the dead was brought about through the prophet’s bones. In the New Testament cases, physical things (the cloak, the shadow, handkerchiefs and aprons) were used to effect cures. There is a perfect congruity between present-day Catholic practice and ancient practice. We understand from Scripture that God not only uses people, but also objects to perform miracles. And Catholics do not worship the people nor the objects in which God uses to perform His miracles. We recognized that it was God who performed the miracles. I hope that answers your question.