Embracing Relics and the Miraculous

Right now, there is an unidentified relic hanging out in my house: unassuming, often forgotten, and totally mysterious.

My husband, the professional woodworker, built a new altar and ambo for a church currently undergoing renovations somewhere in Wyoming. As most Catholics know, every permanent altar has a relic in it. The relic taken from the old altar was cemented in stone and had no paperwork to identify it, so the new paperwork certifies simply that its origins are unknown. The stone will be inserted into the new altar soon, but until then it’s just hanging out in our house.

Sometimes I forget that it’s there while other times I wonder about the story behind the saint and what kind of relic it is – first or second class? Bone, hair, or clothing? What country are they from? How did they die? What made them a saint? Relics are a weird category of Catholic practice, and yet my understanding of their importance is growing.

Relics remind us of the connection between our earthly bodies and our heavenly promise. The Incarnation marked a change in history where God met Earth, and at every Mass the physical and the spiritual unite again in the sacramental and very real presence of God. Relics in an altar makes sense then, and points us to hope in salvation. Relics also encourage us to ask for the intercession of saints, for there are many who have gone before us cheering us on and offering us their help.

I think for a long time I didn’t ask for the intercession of Saints because I’m not sure I believed it really made a difference. I could go straight to God, or He was going to let whatever happen that He wanted to, regardless of our prayers.

But the last few years have cut through my false beliefs, and I have seen prayer after prayer answered, often through the eyes of my children. My children have been the most faithful prayer warriors when an intention comes their way.

It started a few years ago when a friend of theirs became septic from an infection and their kidneys were failing. After a week in the hospital and the numbers going in the wrong direction, the doctors said one more day and they were going to put him on dialysis. Well, I was at Mass praying for him and felt especially called to pray that he wouldn’t go on dialysis and that he would be released by a certain day that week. In the meantime, this boy asked to receive the Eucharist and that very afternoon the numbers changed direction, and he was discharged a few days later (on the day I prayed for) with no dialysis needed.

Then I had a friend who, while she was pregnant, discovered her unborn child had a heart defect. The outcome was unknown whether the baby girl would even live, let alone what kind of heart conditions she would live with. We prayed fervently and furiously, as did many others, and every checkup had better news. She was born and still had a heart defect that required surgery, but they were able to wait until she was a little older. She will likely need surgery again sometime down the road, and gets sick quicker, but overall lives an active, sassy, and normal life.

Another baby was born too early and suffered a massive brain bleed. People all around the world were praying and getting updates on social media. Family flew in to say goodbye, and then they didn’t have to. This baby boy overcame every obstacle and surpassed every milestone the doctors expected. And it’s not that he doesn’t have health conditions to work with, but he is here, and now looking back a few years later, every bit of that seems miraculous.

Another baby had a mysterious kidney condition that was miraculously reversed. My own toddler survived drowning after receiving the anointing of the sick. A friend who had a stroke is living a very normal life, although brain scans show a lot of dead matter. Another friend’s twins were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, and then it disappeared. All these were cases we prayed for earnestly and generously, with the help of saints, and we believe God heard our prayers.

All I’m saying is that I’ve seen the power of prayer, the strength of the miraculous, and the efficacy of intercession. My kids have seen it too, and I marvel at their confidence that their prayers will be heard.

*Now, all this to say that we had the relic of St. Jude pass through our parish, and none of the things I prayed for happened. So the answers are not always on demand. But I wanted to focus on stories of hope and reasons to keep interceding.*

We’re heading on vacation, and that’s all I have for now. I encourage you to embrace the mysterious aspects of our faith and trust in what God is doing. Prayer and trust seem to be the themes of the month, as my Denver Catholic article is about praying as a mom of littles, and my Catholicmom.com article shares how hope allows us to trust. I hope you’ll click and read!

Denver Catholic: How to Pray as a Mother with Young Kids
“There is nothing God loves more than filling our empty spaces, transforming our brokenness into something glorious. I had to learn that God is not asking for perfection but surrender. I had to learn the beauty of repentance: acknowledging my failures and asking for mercy has changed me for the better. Now, I can look back and see that God was with me in the struggle, that my kids are a gift, and that the journey is worth it.”

Catholicmom.com: Hope Allows Us To Continue Trusting
”We can hope even in the midst of suffering. Hope does not cancel out grief. Grieving, especially after the loss of a family member, is a normal part of life. Even Jesus experienced grief. But the grace of hope allows us to live through the grief, letting the pain transform us and lift our eyes to heaven. It is not easy, but we must not let the Devil steal our trust in God’s goodness, even in the midst of suffering. Hope allows us to continue trusting.”

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