7 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know (6 of 7)

2 Kings: 13-20 RELICS

“So Eli’sha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Eli’sha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Eli’sha, he revived and stood on his feet.” This shows very clearly that God is able to use material causes to bring about supernatual results. In this case God uses relics. God uses the remains of the body of a saint. And that was what Eli’sha was: a saint, a holy man. And Eli’sha’s bones still retained that kind of spiritual power. So when the dead man comes in contact with what remains of Eli’sha’s body, he experiences the power of God through this saint’s remains--relics--and experiences Divine healing. And so this practice of revering the relics of holy people who have passed on—because God can work through the physical remains of those who are dear to him to continue to bless his people in the present. In Acts 19:12, we read about how handerkerchiefs and aprons that were presssed to the body of St. Paul and then taken and brought to those who were sick or demon-possessed actually healed those affilicted persons. The remains in 2 King:13-20 are an example of a First-Class relic: a piece of the body of a holy person comes in contact with an afflicted person. In Acts 19-12, an item in contact with the saint’s body is an example of a Second-Class relic.
(Source: Dr. John Bergsma, St. Paul Center)