Do It Anyway

 

I had an amazing experience a couple of weeks ago. I was able to touch the case holding relics of the crown of thorns that pierced Jesus’ head, a piece of the cross upon which He shed His blood, and part of the spear that was thrust into His side upon the cross. The very wound that points right to the heart that gave everything for us. I saw relics of the veil of Mary, the staff of Joseph and the cradle of Christ. And then I walked into a room containing table after table after table of relics of the 12 apostles and many saints, giants in our faith that have followed that same difficult path since then.

As I stood in that room, looking at those relics, something inside of me shifted a little. It didn’t matter how easy or how hard things can get sometimes. All that mattered is that, as Hebrews 12:1 reminds us so eloquently, there is a whole host in heaven cheering us on in the faith, surrounding us with their prayers and their love, and leaving behind incredible legacies of strength, courage and love in the faith. Legacies that every single one of us is gifted and equipped to carry on, if we have the gift of the Holy Spirit within us.

Each story was so different, so many manifestations of the love of God, and yet they are all pointing to the same eternal Love – Jesus Christ. Those people are not just stories in a book, they are real people who lived real lives, tough lives. And they were faithful to the very end and now wear the crown of life. (For those who may have questions about relics, I will include a short study section at the end of this post)

I found a great deal of courage in that room that day. Sometimes life is harder than at other times. Sometimes it can even feel as if every person out there misunderstands what you are doing, your thoughts, words, actions etc. Sometimes you may even need a break to recuperate from simply the pace of life, to heal, and maybe to be molded a little more by God’s truth and commands. But eventually, there is work to be done, and God never promised us an easy go of things. Sirach 2:1 NRSVCE reminds us, “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing.”

What He does promise us is this...to do life with us. Every. Single. Moment. Every single day. On the first Holy Thursday, during the Last Supper, His last meal with the apostles before His crucifixion, He had this to say, “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33 NRSVCE)

My hope today is that things are going well for you and that life just seems simple. But if, like many people right now, things are more difficult for you, I hope that you will find a little courage today from God’s Word and the thought that you are not alone in your struggles. One thing I do know is that those tough times in life have the potential to mold us more into the image of Christ, if we keep our eyes focused upward on Him.

2 Timothy 1:7 RSVCE reminds us that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” So, no matter what the world may say, no matter what you may feel about your own past mistakes and sins or those of others, or whether or not something was beyond your control, whatever that thing is on your heart, that dream that you still carry inside, there is a place in God’s creation for just such a gift. We’ve all heard the phrase “You were created for such a time as this,” (based on Esther 4:14). If you remain quiet forever, the world will miss that particular manifestation of God’s love that He planned to bring about particularly through you, a totally unrepeatable and dearly loved creation of God.

Do it anyway.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1-2 NRSVCE

[ For further study ]

For those who would like to do a little more research in the Scripture about relics, I have a few closing thoughts for you.

Relics of the apostles and other giants in the faith are still in the hands of the Church today, accessible to the faithful in various ways, but, just as in the book of Acts, they are still bringing about healing and miracles even today. There are three general classes of relics. First degree relics are part of the body of the saints, usually bone (as seen in 2 Kings 13). Second degree relics are those items that they used in their lives, such as the handkerchiefs or aprons that you will see in the reference from the book of Acts. A third degree relic is an item that has touched a first or second degree relic of a saint, such as a holy card or rosary, etc. Relics are cared for carefully by the Church and have very specific guidelines about their care and use, to ensure their authenticity and proper use.

Most importantly, we do not worship relics as we do God, but we do show proper respect for them, as His handiwork and one of many ways in which He reaches us with His healing power and grace.

I am providing a couple of verses simply as a quick reference today for those who may be curious to learn more.

“And a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood to his feet.” 2 Kings 13:21 RSVCE

“And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” - Acts 19:11-12 RSVCE