Relics
The word “relic” comes from the Latin word relinquo, literally meaning “I leave,” or “I abandon.” A relic is a piece of the body of a saint, an item owned or used by the saint, or an object which has been touched to the tomb of a saint. Traditionally, a piece of the body of a saint, especially that of a martyr, maybe – with the permission of the local ecclesiastical authority—used in solemn processions recalling the specific holy person.
(Church teaching on Relics – catholiceducation.org)
According to the above citation from a catholic website, a relic consists of a saint’s physical remains and/or any personal artifacts preserved for veneration.
In order to justify the use of relics, Catholics often say that it serves no purpose other than to commemorate and acknowledge God, so retaining them does no harm.
In truth, it’s not the possession of the relics that’s the problem, but the idolization of them. Many Catholics delve beyond just using them for memory and instead worship the object by kissing or falling on their knees before them.
This act stands against scriptures’ clear teachings on worshipping idols (Deut. 29:17 and Leviticus 26:1).
Some of the types of relics are also quite absurd. Just google images for “the crypt of Santa Maria”, which is a crypt made from chunks of skull and bone. In no way does this represent God or something God would have commanded the people to do.
Roman Catholics may cite the following scripture to support the use of relics:
Exodus 13:19 (NKJV)
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
However, if you read the verse in context, you will see that Moses took the bones of Joseph because of an oath he made with Joseph to fulfill his dying wish to be buried in the Promised Land, as a sign of faith in God’s promise to bring the Israelites back to their homeland. There is nothing in the text that implies the bones of Joseph were worshiped or venerated.
Another verse Roman Catholics use is as follows:
2 Kings 13:21 (NKJV)
So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
Here we see a direct miracle associated with touching bones. However, just because a miracle or blessing is tied to something doesn’t mean we should worship that object or person. There is no direction in scripture regarding this.
The Old Testament also records another example of a brazen serpent that healed people stung by snakes (Numbers chapter 21). But even in this case, God did not allow veneration of the serpent figure. In fact, the figure was not intended as an idol; rather, it was a symbol sanctioned by God that people could look at in faith and be saved.
Unfortunately, even this ‘God-ordained symbol’ was turned into an idol, and when the people began worshipping it, God broke it into pieces (through King Hezekiah – 2 Kings 18:4).
History shows us that fallen man can take good and glorious things from God and turn them to idolatrous ends.
Surely if God had truly intended people to revere the bones and use them as a medium of power or connection to Him, He would have made it clear in the scriptures.
Another familiar verse used by Roman Catholics to justify the veneration of relics is from the book of Acts.
Acts 19:12 (NKJV)
so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
In this verse, we see how Paul performed miracles simply by touching a handkerchief. But we need to understand the context of this verse as it is meant to be descriptive and not prescriptive to us.
We are not instructed or commanded to venerate relics. Rather, this miracle was only performed to validate the apostles and ensure that the gospel message would be accepted by the people that they preached to.
Last but not least, if these so-called “magical objects” truly have miraculous powers, why aren’t they openly available for use in hospitals to heal the sick, rather than being kept hidden away in churches and shrines? And why do these supposed miraculous occurrences involving relics seem to happen only in distant, obscure places where no one can independently witness or verify them? If these objects were genuinely capable of performing the wonders attributed to them, wouldn’t we see their effects more broadly and transparently?
The reason is simply that these are exaggerated tales created by people to convey a sense of spiritual mystique.