www.alphadictionary.com

relic: something that has survived from the past, such as an object or custom.

The religious media frenzy of the last couple of weeks reminded me of another meaning for the word: 'part of the body of a saint or something supposedly used by or associated with a saint, venerated as holy'. When I was at school, there was a crucifix that contained a small piece of skin that belonged to Saint John Bosco. For very special occasions we would need to kiss this crucifix during mass. Yes, it sounds barbaric and now this has been cancelled for higiene reasons.

Yes, it sounds barbaric and now this has been cancelled for higiene reasons.

We had similar observances, and I asked about germs. (!!!) In addition to receiving an additional fourteen million years in Purgatory for questioning a Dominican Nun I was rebuked for implying that the Lord would allow anyone to get sick from a church (a view that still retains an iron hold on the minds of some chalice bearers).

Growing Up Catholic has a section on relics. The authors note the enormous amount of saints' relics (particularly during the middle ages) and relate them to contemporary values by comparing a shirt worn by Mick Jagger during a Rolling Stones concert to a shirt you wore to watch the concert. Then they muse on which of these categories most religious relics probably fall into...

When I was knee-high to a communion rail, all RC altars contained a reliquary, although this is no longer required. For a comprehensive, nay, exhaustive, look at religious relics, see here.

gailr

i have

i have kissed relices of saints so many times and i have smelled their perfume (ευωδία) once. Am I a Greek barbarian?

more of a Greek antiquarian. I can see why I am not an RC. kissing skin is icky but kissing putrified skin? ewe! and all the ring kissing with all the new horrible germs going around sounds akin to handling poisonous snakes and drinking poisons to prove one's faith. But that's just me, oc.

Katy

Well, if you analyze barbarian "Greekly", you'll come to the conclusion that you can't be Greek and barbarian at the same time, because the Greeks called all foreigners barbarians, didn't they?

Brazilian dude

P.S. I'm relieved I don't have to kiss dead skin either.

Kids! You don't kiss, touch, ogle, fold, spindle or mutilate the actual relics. That's why they're encased in reliquaries, to preserve them for the ages, both for and from the faithful. Not so different, really, than keeping a revered relative's ashes in the mantle, or the hairwork popular in the 19th century.

astrokatastro: for the less saintly (and more barbaric?) among us, please describe the odour of sanctity.

Here's a look at a couple contemporary artistic reliquaries. (I just call mine "temple boxes".)

gailr

Not so different, really, than keeping a revered relative's ashes in the mantle, or the hairwork popular in the 19th century.

I don't keep either.

Brazilian dude

Gailr, I like the way you worked the temple boxes in. I never realized that the relics, like the estimated forest of slivers of the "TRUE CROSS" were not to be seen by the masses, but were kept in gold boxes. Hmmm ya larn sompin ever'day.

Katy

Well,

.

Saints are people like us who live now or in heaven

According to the Bible Saints are those who are true believers, I'm a saint And a relic, And I don't smell. Just keep your lips to yourself, thank you so much!

Katy

That wasn't very saintlike, Katy.

Brazilian dude

Or at least sanitary. Sanitary may be next to saintliness.

Dear Katy

Astro, according to the Bible, and I don't have my pc working so I can't take it directly from my online Bible its in Romans 1:3-6, Jesus being the Son of God, ressurrected, is our Lord, through Him we receive grace.....and you also who are called belong to Jesus Christ...(are) called to be saints." I paraphrased it because I can't see what I'm typing without my glasses and I can't see with them to read the Bible. But it's in there I'm not twisting it at all.

Katy

astrokatastro:

...they exceeded the problem of deterioration...

I love this turn of phrase, astro!
gailr