Thought for the Day Sept 19th BBC Radio 4

There’s been the usual, predictable response from cynics and critics as to why the bones of a 24 year old nun from the 19th century could possibly inspire the people of Britain in 2009. The relics of St Therese of Lisieux have arrived safely in the UK this week.

An atheist friend of mine saw the bones arriving in Portsmouth and asked me outright: “what would you do if you go and visit the relics of St Therese when she comes to Notting Hill, next month?” Well first, I told her, I’ve already visited them three times in Lisieux, so one of the main reasons for going would be the sheer curiosity of seeing the relics in a completely different context.

But of course the question concerned the whole point of relics and what they are about. Relics, basically, have played a significant part in the emergence of the church since its very beginning. They are the material remains– or any other object known to have been in direct contact - with someone designated as a saint by the church.

Scholars point out that in the second chapter of 2 Kings where Elijah’s mantle and Elisha’s bones were a source of encouragement to future believers – we see a perfectly understandable human reaction to the death of people who were respected and revered.
Mind you, the eighth century Council of Nicea directed that no church should be consecrated without a relic. I can still see Brian Sewell memorably travelling across France on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella explaining that communities thrived from the Middle Ages only if their cathedral or church had a relic: if they didn’t the town was a shadow of what it might have been if only for the bone of a saint!

Christian denominations don’t necessarily agree on the importance and status of relics. Though, going to visit a grave – knowing who rather than what lies below – is perfectly acceptable, indeed a respectable thing to do. And for some people relics are simply the next step – another way of celebrating and following the example of those who’ve gone before.

All those designated as saints by the church have demonstrated a miracle of faith as a foundation of their sainthood. That’s why the monks of Lindisfarne kept moving the body of St Cuthbert around when the Vikings arrived: he was a symbol of triumph over adversity – of faith – and hope in the future – those very bones represented liberty and freedom because of shocking suffering, violence and pillage in their own day.

Grisly human remains - relics might be on the one hand: but on the other, they can be mysteriously encouraging and, over centuries, profoundly significant to both communities and individuals.

Copyright BBC