A relic is an object of religious veneration. It can be anything from the bones of a saint to an object which touched a martyr during his or her lifetime. In The Acts of the Apostles, the importance of relics is emphasized: "Meanwhile, God worked extraordinary miracles ad the hands of Paul. When handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched him were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evli spirits departed them." Relics to not contain magical powers but they symbolize how God works through the saints even after they have died. During their lives, saints helped draw people closer to God, and after they ceased, the relics continued to inspire individuals to become more devoted to God.

The Church honors God through the relics of the bodies of the saints, the things they used, and the lives they touched. The relic of Don Bosco is being brought to the world so Christians may honor him as a Servant of God, as well as view him as a source of inspiration for those still living.

Why this Devotion to Saints?

It is important to respect and pray to saints for they are role models which all Christians should strive to imitate. Saints were born with Original Sin, the same way all individuals (excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary) are born with Original Sin. They experience the same weaknesses and temptations, but became saints because they were able to overcome these weaknesses with the Grace given to them by God, the same Grace that God gives to each and every one of us.

The lives of the saints serve as examples for individuals to follow so that they too may join the saints and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Overall, devotion to a saint provides hope and encourages individuals to ask the saints to intercede for them before God.

It is important to note, however, that the devotion and honor given to saints, and their relics, is different from adoration or worship which is reserved for God, and God alone! Devotion and honor of saints is called veneration, and it consists of asking for their intercession before God.

Veneration of Relics Throughout History

The veneration of relics is as old as the Church itself. The earliest reference to relics is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, in 2 Kings 13: 20-21: "Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once, while some Isrealites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. Then the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet."

There are several passages in the New Testament that emphasize the importance of respecting and honoring the body of a saint. For example, when St. John the Baptist was martyred, his followers recovered his remains and took them to a safe place to be honored. Likewise, in the second century, Bishop Ploycarp was burned at the stake for his religious views. Polycarp's followers gathered his bones and put them in a tomb there they gathered to celebrate Mass. During the years of religious persecution, Chrisitians byried the remnants of martyrs in the catacombs of ancient Rome in thech they gathered to secretly celebrate Mass. It then became tradition for a small relic to be placed in the Altar of every church.

Relics are present to remind individuals of the holiness of a saint, and the fulfillment of God's work through the saint. They help to inspire individuals to pray for saints to intercede for them, and to pray to God to give them the Grace to live a holy, faith-filled life.