Feast Day of the Holy Relics

I just blogged about it as recently as last week: how I was blown away by the relics of Saints throughout my trip to Rome…but guess what today’s Feast Day is!

November 5th is the Feast of the Holy Relics.

Visiting the tombs of heavy weight saints like St Francis, St Clare, St Peter, St Paul, St John the Baptist, St John Paul II, St Agnes, St Monica, St Philomena, St Gemma and St Padre Pio, I was moved.

See more pictures on the post The Saints are Calling!

Standing near the tombs was incredible enough…and peering through the glass at actual relics of a piece of Jesus’ Crib or the True Cross…was extraordinary!

I like the explanation of the Feast of the Holy Relics over at The Confraternity of Catholic Saints website:

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).

…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.

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.

(A FEAST FOR HOLY RELICS by Dave Ceasar Francisco Dela Cruz)

The presence of tombs and relics of their physical bodies left here on earth offer the reality check of real people and real holiness.

We know that their holy souls have long left their earthly bodies that remain, but walking so close to the tombs and relics of these holy people offers that little reminder