Plenty of eyebrows would undoubtedly have been raised upon hearing in mid-September that the right forearm of 16th century Spanish missionary, St Francis Xavier was commencing a three-month national tour of Australia. A large number of those eyebrows would have been Catholic.
A Google search of ‘relic’ produces responses such as “grotesque”, “mediaeval”, “idolatry”, “superstitious” and even “satanic” from both secular critics, other Christian denominations and even from some Catholics.
So why does the Church continue to approve the visitation of bits and pieces of saints – and what is the point?
The veneration, or honouring, of relics, it should be noted, did not begin with Christianity.
Five centuries before Christ, the remains of Oedipus and Theseus were honoured by ancient Greeks and around the same time the relics of Buddha were distributed throughout the Far East immediately after his death.
Even earlier it is believed that the bones of the Persian Zoroaster were treated with deep veneration.
The word “relic” comes from the Latin, “relinquo”, literally meaning, “to leave” or “I abandon”. Within the Catholic faith, relics are divided into three classes.
First class relics include parts of a saint’s body, second-class relics include items of a saint’s clothing or something used by the saint while third-class refers to an object that has been touched to a first-class relic.
We can connect the fascination with relics back to the Old Testament when the people of Israel were hurriedly burying a dead man in the grave of the prophet Elisha and, after touching Elisha’s bones, the body “came back to life and rose to his feet” (2 Kings 13:20– 21).
In the Acts of the Apostles, we also read of the miracles worked through items belonging to St Paul.
“When handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them” (Acts 19:11–12).
One of the earliest recordings of the veneration of relics can be traced back to the year 156 through a letter describing the aftermath of St Polycarp’s martyrdom:
“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”.
The following centuries produced a consistent flow of Church leaders and theologians such as St Augustine, St Ambrose, St Gregory of Nyssa and St Chrysostom all writing in support of the veneration of relics.
The practice was intended to inspire believers in their own faith through the example of holy predecessors but it also gained popularity because of the numerous miracles that were worked through the intercession of these saints.
In his magnum opus, The City of God, Augustine records numerous miracles associated with relics.
Unfortunately, the fervour associated with them sometimes led to abuses. St Augustine denounced imposters dressed as monks selling fake relics of saints and similar abuses resulted in Pope St Gregory forbidding the selling of relics in the late sixth century.
The spread of relics continued to grow over the centuries and the Church could not control the movement of them all, nor verify their authenticity.
By the time of the Reformation, Protestant leaders were fervent in their condemnation of relics.
The Church responded during the Council of Trent in 1563, defending the practice of invoking the prayers of the saints and venerating their relics and burial places:
“The sacred bodies of the holy martyrs and of the other saints living with Christ, which have been living members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit and which are destined to be raised and glorified by Him unto life eternal, should also be venerated by the faithful. Through them, many benefits are granted to men by God,” the Council fathers declared.
The Church has since established clear guidelines regarding the place of relics within the Catholic faith.
The New Baltimore Catechism states that when we pray before relics, “We adore Christ and venerate the saints”.
It also says, “In venerating relics … we must not believe that any divine power resides in them, nor should we put our trust in them as though they had the power of themselves to bestow favours.
We place our trust in God and the intercessory power of the saints”.
But for those who may still feel like raising an eyebrow regarding the relic about to arrive in Perth, the final words should be left to fourth century Church Doctor, St Jerome: “We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are.”
To draw even one person closer to their Creator – now that’s something St Francis Xavier would give his right arm for.