A FEAST FOR HOLY RELICS
Dave Ceasar
Francisco Dela Cruz
In the calendar of the Extraordinary
Form and in Tradition of the Holy Roman Church the 5th day of
November is a feast not of a person or people but of their remains, the feast
of the Holy Relics. Let us not be confused because other dioceses or religious
communities celebrate it in other days. But usually, it is celebrated within
the Octave of the Solemnity of All Saints.
Theological
Foundation
In the liturgical calendar the
Church commemorates the events and titles of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the life and holiness of the Angels, Apostles, Martyrs, Pastors, Doctors of the
Church, Virgins, Holy Men and Women. Likewise, the Church celebrates the
dignity of dedicated houses of worship. But why have a celebration for holy
relics?
The cult of the saints which started
in the early times of the Church is a way for those who are living to remember
the heroic act of a martyr, until the Church accepted non-martyrs for
veneration. The honor (dulia) due to
the Saints is celebrated on the day of their Dies Natalis (birth in heaven). Early Christians celebrate these by
celebrating the Eucharist and visiting their tombs.
Sacred Scriptures remind us that our
body is created by God, sanctified with the breath of life, and nourished by
his words. Our body, because it is the reflection of God’s goodness – made in
his image and likeness - and temple of the Holy Spirit- is sacred (Cf. Gen.
1:26; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Furthermore, our baptism sanctifies
the body and soul, freeing us from original sin and opens it to sanctifying
graces. Amidst of sin and weaknesses of our body, the sacrament of
reconciliation rejuvenates our body and soul and is strengthened by the Word of
God and the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
Death is the consequence of sin (Cf.
Rom. 6:23). But because of Christ death on the cross, his rising restored our
life and death became a reward for Christians. As what Saint Teresa of Avila
said: “To see God we must die,” and her spiritual daughter, Saint Therese of
the Child Jesus, enriched the beauty of death as entry “to eternal life.” The
Christian is rewarded by seeing and being with God and to be in company with
Christ forever.
The soul, in God’s mercy we trust,
is at peace. The body is given honor with Christian burial: the body, even
without life, is owned by God and is still sacred. This is why we give wakes, Funeral
Masses, blessings, and celebrating the death anniversary at the tomb. The body,
decomposed or incorrupt, is still God’s creation, and will always remind us of
the person who was made one with Christ on earth.
Theology
of the Body
The Gospel narrates to us that after
the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of the Lord
to be laid in peace in a tomb. Romans and Jews are people who have a deep respect
for the dead. Joseph, moved with faith and trust in the resurrection, gave a
worthy burial for the dead body of the Lord on the cross and, with others around,
gave what is due: pure linen, perfume, etc. Christians, both during the time of
the apostles and the early Church, did the same giving respect for the body as
what they did with Stephen the first martyr, the apostles, and early martyrs.
One wonderful account during the
early Church was on the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp wherein Christians gathered
his remains, which is the translation of relics,
“And so we afterwards took up his bones
which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and
laid them in a suitable place.”
The said account
was a proof on how we must respect our body, living and dead. Respect for the
remains is a Christian act because it is a way of respecting and treasuring
God’s gift, the gift of the body.
At the start of this paper, I
mentioned, and will always remind the readers, that our body is sacred because
it is God’s gift and creation, and is sanctified by the Sacraments. These are
also the reasons why we place the mortal remains of our departed ones inside
beautiful and dignified coffins, letting him/her wear the best clothes, and
putting flowers and candles around. The same with the relics of the saints, we
place them in an adorned theca (the round metal container) and in a reliquary,
placing them in a dignified place for veneration.
Bones, ashes, and even personal
objects owned by the person whom we loved are taken care well to show our
respect and love for our beloved. Much more, we care of these because God works
in the person and the material objects became instruments to help him/her be holy.
This is the reason why we venerate the relics of the saints: to render the
Saints what is due to them and, through this practice, to render more praise
and adoration to their creator God.
A
Feast for Holy Men and Women
“The
Saints have been traditionally honored in the Church,” (SC11) almost every
day: from optional and obligatory memorials to feasts and the solemnities,
especially on November 1.
Before the Second Vatican Council,
in the Calendar of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and in the Missale
Romanum of 1962, there was a feast dedicated for the Relics of the Saints
namely: “Sacrarum
Reliquiarum quæ in ecclesiis diœcesis asservantur.”It was
placed on November 5, within the octave of All Saints’ Day, and is attributed
to Saint Pope Pius X, because before there were other dates, depending on the
local Church to celebrate this wonderful feast but he united these observances
into one day.
Due to the renewal of liturgy both
in texts and rites, most especially on the liturgical calendar, the feast of
Holy Relics was set aside but never abrogated.
Some dioceses, especially in Europe,
and monasteries and canonries still celebrate the Feast of Holy Relics. Saint
Norbert once said: “You
must have a great veneration for the relics of the Saints, for they are more
precious than all the treasures of the world. Should you possess any in
your house, consider them as the guardians of your home and your heart.”
We could consider the Saints’
presence in homes as intercessors, friends, and also guardians. The Church is
the home of the Family of God, and when a Church possesses relics of Saints, it
is a visible sign of the unity of the Church: Triumphant, Militant, and
Suffering. Furthermore, as we honor the relics of the Saints, we are reminded of
God as our creator, that the human body is sacred, and we are called to be
saints.
Pastoral Suggestion
“The Saints have been traditionally honored in the Church,
and their authentic relics and images held in veneration,” (SC11) it
is nice to ask pastors of souls to continue the tradition of the Church by celebrating
the Feast of Holy Relics - usus
antiquior.
In Rome, especially in the Saint
Peter’s Basilica, and in other Churches they place the relics in a reliquary
near or within the sanctuary (for Ordinary Form)[1].
It is not a veneration of the dead for no one dies in Christian faith: all of
us are living because God is our life. We venerate the saints who live in God’s
kingdom and blessing God in his saints.
For us here in the orient, it will
be a pastoral and spiritually enriching moment for our faithful to let them be
aware with the treasures of our Church – the relics of the saints – and to help
them see our future glory: sainthood. A catechesim on the cult and the relics
of the saints is to be given as a preparation for this wonderful feastday.
In the Ordinary Form, because
there’s no proper for the feast Sacrarum
Reliquiarum, we could use the votive Mass for All Saints, following the
readings on November 1. And for the Extraordinary Form, the proper is used.
Reflection
Auge in nobis, Dómine, resurrectiónis fidem,
qui in Sanctórum tuórum relíquiis mirabília operáris:
et fac nos immortális glóriæ partícipes,
cujus in eórum cinéribus pígnora venerámur.
Per Dóminum.
(Missale
Romanum, 1962)
Lord, increase our faith in the
resurrection;
who in the relics of your saints work
wonders:
make us partakers of your eternal glory,
the reward of the ashes which we
venerate.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Personal
Translation)
Venerating the relics of the saints
is not a cult of the dead but of the living. There is resurrection, and we
believe in it. The resurrection of the body is a truth of our faith which we
need to believe everyday so that we may be inspired to avoid sin and do holy
works.
Holiness is attained in two ways:
care for the body so that the soul may be secured, and nourishment of the soul in
order that the body may be strengthened. We need to be inspired. We need holy
men and women to inspire us to holiness.
Caring for the relics is a way of
strengthening the dignity and sanctity of the body that God has given us.
Desecration of the relics is a sacrilege not only towards the saints, but also
to the Body of Christ – where we are all part.
Let us rejoice in the holy men and
women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us God’s forgiveness and
love, and help us to be worthy to enter eternal glory (Preface for All Saints),
the reward of the holy people. Amen.
Bibliography
1.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
2.
Compendium on the Catechism of the Catholic
Church
3.
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,
Vatican II
4.
1962 Missale Romanum
5.
Roman Martyrology
[1] A reliquary must not be placed upon the altar or set into the table
of the altar; it must be placed beneath the table of the altar, as the design
of the altar permits (Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar, 5).
