The Meaning and Miracles of Holy Relics

Fr. Scott Haynes

From the earliest pages of Scripture to the shining lives of the saints, God has chosen to work His wonders through material things. The Church’s veneration of relics is not a superstition but a living confession that holiness transforms even the body and that grace, once received, radiates outward—even into the garments and tombs of the saints.

The God who created the world from dust, who spoke through a burning bush, and who healed through the hem of His Son’s garment continues to touch His people through visible, tangible signs of His invisible love.

The Three Classes of Relics

The Church distinguishes relics according to their closeness to the saint:

1. First-Class Relics: Parts of the saint’s own body—bones, hair, blood, or ashes. These remains are sacred because they once formed the living temple of the Holy Spirit and will rise in glory at the final resurrection.

2. Second-Class Relics: Objects used or worn by the saint, such as clothing, a rosary, or a book. They remind us that sanctity can penetrate the ordinary details of life.

3. Third-Class Relics: Objects touched to a first-class relic or to a saint’s tomb. They extend the saint’s intercessory presence to the faithful who seek their prayers.

Through all three classes, God’s grace is made perceptible to His people.

Relics in the Old Testament

The veneration of holy things has its roots deep in Israel’s faith, where God’s power was often revealed through material signs.

Elisha Strikes the Jordan River

When the prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven, his mantle fell to Elisha. The younger prophet took it, stood on the bank of the Jordan, and cried, “Where is now the God of Elias?” Then, striking the water with the mantle, “the waters were divided hither and thither, and Elizeus passed over.” (4 Kings 2:13–14)¹Here, the cloak that had once borne Elijah’s touch became an instrument of divine power. The Spirit that had worked in Elijah now continued to work through what had belonged to him.

The Bones of Elisha

Later, even Elisha’s remains became channels of life. “And when they cast the body into the sepulchre of Eliseus, and it touched the bones of Eliseus, the man came to life, and stood upon his feet.” (4 Kings 13:21)²The prophet’s bones—true first-class relics—were vehicles of God’s healing grace. In them, we see that the body, consecrated to God, remains an instrument of blessing even after death.

Moses’ Staff

The staff in Moses’ hand performed mighty deeds: it divided the Red Sea, brought water from the rock, and struck down Egypt’s idols (Ex 14:16; 17:5–6; Num 20:8–11). The wood itself had no power; the miracle came from God, who chose to act through it. So too, relics are signs of His presence working through matter.

The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark contained sacred relics of the Old Covenant—the tablets of the Law, Aaron’s rod, and a jar of manna (Heb 9:4). It was the most holy object in Israel, so sacred that to touch it irreverently brought death (2 Kings 6:6–7). The Ark was a visible dwelling place of God’s presence, foreshadowing the holiness found in the saints whose bodies have become living tabernacles of His Spirit.

The Bronze Serpent

In the wilderness, God told Moses to raise a bronze serpent so that whoever looked upon it would be healed (Num 21:8–9). The serpent itself was powerless; the healing came from faith in the God who used it as a sign. So too, relics have no virtue apart from the Lord who works through them.

These examples show that the people of God have always reverenced the things that bore His power. Grace sanctifies the material world; it does not destroy it.

Relics in the New Testament

The same divine pattern continues in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.

The Hem of Christ’s Garment

A woman suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Jesus and “touched the hem of His garment. For she said within herself, If I shall touch only His garment, I shall be healed.” (Matt 9:20–21)³At once she was cured. The power came from Christ, yet He chose to communicate it through something tangible—the touch of cloth. In that moment, the foundation for Christian devotion to relics was laid.

St. Peter’s Shadow

The Book of Acts records: “They brought forth the sick into the streets, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least might overshadow any of them.” (Acts 5:15)⁴Even the shadow of a saint became the occasion of healing, showing that God’s grace could radiate through every physical sign of His chosen ones.

Handkerchiefs and Aprons from St. Paul

St. Luke tells us: “God wrought by the hand of Paul more than common miracles, so that even there were brought from his body to the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them.” (Acts 19:11–12)⁵These items, used by the Apostle, are clear examples of second-class relics. God’s healing power flowed through what had touched the holy body of His servant.

The Early Christians and the Martyrs

After the martyrdom of St. Polycarp around A.D. 155, the faithful collected his bones, calling them “more precious than jewels and more tried than gold.”⁶ They prayed and celebrated the Eucharist near his tomb, knowing that the bodies of the saints were already sanctified by Christ’s victory over death.

The continuity is clear: from Elisha’s bones to Peter’s shadow, from Christ’s garment to the martyrs’ tombs, God uses material signs to communicate His grace.

Miracles of Relics in Christian History

Through the centuries, the Church has seen countless wonders worked through relics. These miracles are not ends in themselves but testimonies that the same living God of the Bible still acts in His saints.

St. Stephen, the First Martyr

When the relics of St. Stephen were discovered in the fifth century and brought to Hippo, St. Augustine wrote:

“So many miracles were performed that they could not all be recorded.”⁷ The blind received sight, the sick were healed, and even the dead were restored to life. Augustine verified many of these accounts personally, seeing in them the triumph of Christ’s power through His servant.

St. Catherine of Siena

After her death in 1380, her body—divided between Rome and Siena—became a source of many graces. Pilgrims praying before her head in Siena or her body in Rome experienced healing and spiritual renewal. The incorrupt hand that once wrote letters of divine fire still points believers toward truth and holiness.

St. Francis Xavier

When the great missionary died in 1552, his body, buried hastily in lime, was found months later incorrupt and fragrant. Taken to Goa, it became the source of numerous miracles. The sick were healed, unbelievers converted, and the zeal of missionaries renewed. His right arm, preserved in Rome, once baptized thousands, and continues to stir hearts for the missions.

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus

In our own times, the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux have traveled the world, and wherever they go, conversions follow. Countless hearts have been healed, reconciled, and renewed. One woman, dying of cancer, was cured while praying near Thérèse’s relics—a sign of the saint’s promise to “spend my heaven doing good on earth.”

St. John Vianney

The incorrupt heart of the Curé of Ars continues to draw multitudes to confession. As his relic travels, thousands return to the Sacrament of Penance after years away. His heart, still aflame with divine love, awakens repentance and faith wherever it is venerated.

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Pilgrims visiting Padre Pio’s relics—his gloves, bandages, and incorrupt body—speak of healings and of the sweet fragrance of violets, a sign of his spiritual presence. Padre Pio once said, “I will do more after my death than during my life.” Through his relics, that prophecy is fulfilled.

The Relics of the True Cross

The greatest of all relics are those of Our Lord Himself. When St. Helena discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem, a dying woman was healed the moment it was raised. Since then, fragments of the Cross have brought grace to countless believers, proclaiming that by His Cross, Christ has conquered death.

Theological Meaning of Relics

Relics are not magical. Their power is not their own but God’s. They are outward signs of the Communion of Saints, the living bond between the faithful on earth and those in heaven.

Venerating relics expresses faith in the Resurrection—that the bodies of the saints, sanctified by grace, will one day rise in glory. It also affirms that the material world, created by God, can be a vessel of His presence. The Church distinguishes worship (latria), given to God alone, from veneration (dulia), shown to the saints, and the highest honor (hyperdulia), reserved for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Through relics, we honor the holiness of God shining through His saints, and our devotion gives glory not to the creature but to the Creator who sanctified them.

A Reflection for the Heart

When you kneel before a relic, remember: you stand at the meeting of heaven and earth. The saints are not gone; their holiness is alive. Through the touch of their relics, God whispers to every soul: “Be not afraid—My grace still works in the world.”

Elisha’s bones gave life, Peter’s shadow healed, and the Cross itself saved the world. In every relic of the saints, the same power of Christ continues to work wonders for those who believe.

Bibliography

1. Douay-Rheims Bible, 4 Kings 2:13–14.

2. Douay-Rheims Bible, 4 Kings 13:21.

3. Douay-Rheims Bible, Matthew 9:20–21.

4. Douay-Rheims Bible, Acts 5:15.

5. Douay-Rheims Bible, Acts 19:11–12.

6. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, ch. 18, in The Apostolic Fathers, trans. J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer (London: Macmillan, 1891).

7. St. Augustine, City of God, Book XXII, ch. 8.

8. Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints (London: 1756–1759).

9. Benedict XVI, General Audience on Relics and the Communion of Saints, September 29, 2010.