Relics

"Is venerating relics biblical?"

3 Scripture passages2 objections answered2 Church Father quotes

The Short Answer

Relics are physical objects connected to saints—their bodies or belongings. Venerating relics honors the saint and can be occasions of miraculous healing.

Quick Overview

Imagine keeping your grandmother's wedding ring. You treasure it not for the ring itself but because of your love for her. Relics work similarly—they connect us to the saints we love and honor. And sometimes, God chooses to work miracles through them.

Biblical Evidence

What the Scriptures say

2 Kings 13:21

"When the man's body touched the bones of Eliseus, he revived and stood up on his feet."

Why This Matters

A dead man was raised by contact with Elisha's bones. God works through physical remains of the holy.

Acts 19:11-12

"God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles. So that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them."

Why This Matters

Cloths that touched Paul healed the sick. Physical objects connected to saints have power.

Matthew 9:20-22

"A woman who had an issue of blood... touched the hem of his garment. And Jesus... said: Thy faith hath made thee whole."

Why This Matters

Touching Jesus' garment brought healing. Physical contact with holy objects can be channels of grace.

What the Church Teaches

Official Catholic doctrine

Relics are venerated (honored), not worshiped. They remind us of the saint's holiness and can be occasions for miraculous grace. The bodies of saints are temples of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1674).

Common Objections

Questions answered

Early Church Fathers

What the first Christians believed

St. Jerome

c. 406 AD

"We do not worship relics, we do not adore them... we venerate the martyrs' relics, so we may adore Him whose martyrs they are."

— Against Vigilantius, 5

Martyrdom of Polycarp

c. 156 AD

"We took up his bones, more precious than costly stones, and deposited them where it was fitting."

— Martyrdom of Polycarp, 18

Fasting

Sacramentals

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