Images, Statues and Relics

Christian viewpoint which prevailed up worshipping”: “We do not worship, we Images, Statues, and Relics to the Reformation, and which regards do not adore, we do not bow down all beauty as mirroring the God of before the creature rather than to the beauty, holiness and love. Art should be Creator, but we venerate the relics of the John A. O’Brien, Ph.D the handmaid of religion, achieving its martyrs in order the better to adore Him highest purpose when it lifts the mind of whose martyrs they are.” Why do Catholics have Images, Statues and the creature to the contemplation of the The sprit that prompts a son to Relics in their churches and even pray Eterna1.” To make art the handmaid of treasure carefully a lock of his mother’s before them? religion is the reason why the Catholic hair, and moves people to lay wreaths on Church has images, statues and paintings the tombstone has ever prompted the The Catholic Church condemns the in her churches, monasteries and Christian people to venerate the relics of worship of images as idolatry, but she schools. the saints of God. Failure to do so would sanctions reverence for the pictures and What about the use of relics? indicate a lack of respect not only for the images of Christ and the saints. She does Contrary to the impression of many non- saints but also for almighty God whose this not because of the material of which Catholics, the Church does not ascribe faithful servants they were and on account they are composed, but because of what any magical virtue or curative powers to of whom we honor them. they represent. The notion that a Catholic the relic itself: she merely states, in worships a crucifix or an image of Christ accordance with the Scriptures, that Nihil Obstat: Daniel Duivesteyn, S.T.D., Censor Drputatus is too absurd for serious refutation. Imprimatur: + Georgius L. Craven, Epus, Sebastopolis, relics are sometimes the occasion of Vic. Cap. Westmonasterii, die. 22.a Maii 1963 Let a traveler ask the humblest God’s miracles. The Scriptures record Catholic peasant kneeling before a the incident of a woman who was cured The Evangelization Station wayside shrine of the crucified Christ if he by touching the hem of our Lord’s Hudson, Florida, USA worships the image itself and he will garments, of the sick healed by the E-mail: [email protected] answer that worship is due to God alone. www.evangelizationstation.com shadow of St Peter, and of the He merely venerates or reverences the handkerchiefs and aprons that had crucifix because it represents his Savior Pamphlet 159 touched the body of St Pau1. dying upon the Cross. The reverence for Christian relics is The children’s catechism states as old as Christianity itself. Back in the explicitly: “We should give to relics, second century we find that the disciples crucifixes, and holy pictures an inferior of Polycarp, who had been burned at the and relative honor, so far as they relate to stake “took up his bones, which were Christ and His saints, and are memorials more valuable than precious stones and of them. We may not pray to relics or finer than refined gold, and laid them in images, for they can neither see, nor hear, a suitable place where the Lord allows us nor help us.” In other words it is strictly to assemble in gladness and joy to forbidden to pray to a statue or a picture. celebrate the birthday of his The use that Catholics make of martyrdom”. Writing in the fourth images is therefore precisely the same as century, St Jerome thus refutes the civilized nations make of statues and like- charge of idolatry or “cinder- nesses of their great statesmen and heroes. Where is the city of any Leo the Isaurian, Emperor of saints were ruthlessly smashed. The considerable size in the world which has Constantinople, who ordered the iconoclastic campaign was especially not erected effigies of the nation’s heroes paintings of Christ and His saints be torn vehement in Germany, Holland and the and benefactors? Walk through the streets from the church walls and burned. British Isles. A traveler to these of Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Invading even the homes of people, he countries, visiting some of the desecrated Vienna, Rome and thousands of other confiscated their sacred images, causing Catholic churches which are now being cities, and you will see numerous all images of bronze, silver and gold to used as Protestant houses of worship can monuments erected to their illustrious be melted down and converted into scarcely fail to note the mutilated statues men, seeking thus to honor them and to coins, upon which he had his own image of Christ and the saints still standing in enshrine them in the abiding memory of stamped. Like Henry VIII and Cromwell, their niches. their citizens. he pretended to be moved by a zeal for They stand as grim reminders of a Do we denounce this practice as the purity of worship, while avarice was the barbarous and fanatical warfare against worshipping of images and accuse those real motive. religious memorials, which was not only nations of idolatry? To ask the question is The warfare was continued by a grievous sacrilege but an outrage to answer it. Then why should any person Constantine Copronymous, his against the fine arts as well. If the feel misgivings when he sees the figure successor. On one occasion, Stephen, an senseless outbursts had extended into of Christ or of His blessed mother or of intrepid monk, held before the emperor a Italy, France and Spain, some of the most the saints in a Catholic church? They are coin bearing that tyrant’s image, and priceless treasures of art would have there to increase the devotion of the asked: “Sire, whose image is this?” been lost forever to the human race. faithful, to arouse in them holy “It is mine,” answered the emperor. After visiting the newly-erected sentiments and aspirations and to remind Whereupon the monk threw down the Catholic chapel at the University of the faithful to imitate their examples of coin and trampled on it. He was seized Illinois, Professor Chauncey Baldwin, a virtue and holiness of life. by the royal attendants and condemned to noted English scholar, made the The early Christians adorned their death. following significant observation: "I was catacombs with frescoes of Christ, and of “Alas!” cried the holy religious to the born of Protestant parents and brought scenes from the Holy Scriptures. Among emperor, “if I am punished for up in a town in New England where the most common were Moses striking dishonoring the image of a mortal something of the puritanical spirit of the the rock, Daniel in the lion’s den, the monarch, what punishment do they colonists still held sway. I may be said to birth of Christ, the coming of the Wise deserve who burn the image of Jesus be, therefore, a dyed-in-the-wool Men, the marriage feast of Cana, the Christ?” Protestant; but I can see now that the rising of Lazarus, and Christ the Good The destruction of images was reformers of the sixteenth century made Shepherd. Statues were uncommon only revived by Luther and the other a great mistake when they demolished because they were costly and difficult to reformers of the sixteenth century. The statues, destroyed paintings, and exiled make. When the Church emerged from churches and monasteries were the great beauty from our churches. the catacombs, however, she at once museums of the art of the Middle Ages. “They have reduced them to proceeded to decorate her churches with Many priceless paintings and statues buildings with four plain walls and an mosaics, paintings and sculptures. were demolished, frescoed walls were empty pulpit, thus identifying religion It was not until the eighth century that whitewashed; gorgeous stained glass with drab ugliness. I hope that it will not a campaign was waged against images by windows with figures of Christ and the be long until we return to the authentic .

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