They put WHAT in a case?!

One of the aspects of our faith that must seem shockingly strange to outsiders is the concept of relics. Are you familiar? Relics are holy items from the lives of Jesus and canonized saints - and sometimes from the saints themselves. No, it's not as weird as it sounds.

In the Catholic Church, there are three degrees of relics. A First Degree Relic is either an item directly related to the life of Christ (i.e. a piece of His cross or the manger in which He was born) or the physical remains of a Saint (i.e. a bone fragment, a bit of hair, an intact arm, etc.). This admittedly seems a bit odd and macabre when we first hear of it. Old body parts being preserved and venerated? Yuck!

We believe these relics to be holy, as the soul connected to them has since attained the joy of Heaven. Sometimes, the relics of Saints are even miraculously preserved without decay! A Second Degree Relic is an item (or piece of an item) that the Saint touched or frequently used, such as a shirt or a crucifix. These relics are also often split into smaller pieces so that they can be venerated in more places!

Finally, a Third Degree relic is any object that has been in contact with a First or Second Degree Relic. One of the most common types of Third Degree Relics is a small piece of cloth that has been touched to the tomb of a Saint. This is also by far the most common and accessible form of relic.

Relics are not to be worshipped, as that is reserved for the Lord Himself. Rather, we venerate these sacred items and view them as powerful vehicles for the Saints' intercession for us in Heaven. Praised be to God for the Saints and their witnesses of faith! May we all one day attain the joy of Heaven with them.

It Is Finished

Have you ever been confused by Jesus' last words while on the cross? As we know, the last words He spoke before His Resurrection were, "It is finished." I've always wondered why He said that. Shortly beforehand, He said, "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit." I've always found that line much more moving and final, so what gives?

I'll admit that this confused (and even bugged) me up until about a month ago, when I read "Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist" by Brant Pitre. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and this short write-up will be an incredibly brief summary of one of its major points, so do your spiritual life and your relationship with the Eucharist a favor and read it!

In the book, Pitre explains how Christ's entire Passion, beginning when He drank from the cup at the Last Supper, was a new Passover Meal. In the ancient Jewish Passover, there were a total of four cups of wine consumed. The fourth cup, the "Cup of Consummation," ends the meal. As we notice when reading the Gospels closely, Jesus only drinks from 3 cups of wine at the Last Supper. The fourth cup has not yet made its appearance.

During the Agony in the Garden, we hear Jesus ask the Father to "Let this cup pass from me," implying that the fourth cup is indeed coming, and that it will not be pleasant. So, when does Jesus drink His Cup of Consummation? On the cross. Jesus says "I thirst," and is given wine vinegar mixed with gall to suck from a sponge.

Jesus' brief sips of this wine both fulfill Psalm 69 ("They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst") and serve as His Cup of Consummation, bringing the New Passover Meal begun at the Last Supper to a close. We know this New Passover Meal as the Eucharist, and we commemorate it each and every week.

THIS is why Jesus chose to end His life with the words, "It is finished." He refers not only to His pre-Resurrection time on earth, but also to the New Passover Meal. The Cup of Consummation has been drunk, the Meal is ended, and the final sacrifice, that of Jesus' life itself, is poured out for us. Truly, an incredible and miraculous moment.

There is SO much more to say about this, but we don't have time to go into it all. I encourage you all to check out the book; you won't regret it. Bye for now, and we'll see you soon!

The Savior of Rome

Welcome back to "How Catholic Are You?" Today, we're sharing with you the miraculous and mysterious story of Pope Saint Leo I (also known as Pope Leo the Great) and Attila the Hun. Bit of an odd pair, don't you think? In fact, Attila was one of the most ruthless conquerors in human history. What could he ever want with a pope?

As a matter of fact, he wanted to conquer his city. In the year 452, Attila and his army ravaged through Italy like a hot knife through butter. They had their eyes set on the crown jewel of the region: Rome. With Roman troops overrun (this was only 20 or so years before the Western Roman Empire fell), the city seemed all but lost with the Huns on the doorstep.

In a last-ditch effort to save the Eternal City, Emperor Valentinian III sent 3 envoys to negotiate with Attila, one of whom was Pope Leo. This is where the mystery comes in! Nothing is known about the ensuing negotiations aside from the fact that Leo met with Attila in his hut. Nobody knows what they spoke about or what was agreed upon, but whatever Leo said saved the city!

After their discussion, Atilla (again, perhaps the most vicious invader in human history) packed up his army and went home. Rome paid no money to the Huns, nor did they give them any territorial rights. It would seem like they gave up nothing at all. How is this possible? Well, the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, the shepherd of the entire universal Church. It is safe to assume that whatever he said was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and sometimes that's all we need know.

This is a crazy and borderline unbelievable story. If they wrote a fictional movie script with this plot, it would immediately be canned because it's just not plausible. But it really happened! Miracles, the Holy Spirit, and the power of Christ to change the hearts of mankind are all real. Praise God for inspiring His Vicar on earth to save the city of Rome. Pope Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!