Back when I was in college, we were living in a dormitory. One of the rooms was once occupied by a late American missionary priest. He was known as a very holy man who worked tirelessly for the salvation of souls. Even before his death, even if his eye sight was already failing him, he was learning a new dialect so he can preach more effectively. Among the items the holy priest left was this reliquary. I found it in a box with the new priest-in-charge of the dormitory telling us that such items are part of the Church's "nostalgic" past. So according to him, there is no need to even place these things in altars or in other noble places like the sacristy. I was completely shocked by the priest's answer but I kept it to myself. So I decided to take the reliquary for myself and gave the Holy Pope, the veneration he worthily deserves even if the other priest does not approve of it.
This reliquary now rests in my wife's family shrine and my mother-in-law would not even give it back to me. But she maintains that she just borrows it and that I still own the reliquary. :) She loves praying the rosary in front of it before sleeping.
Here are photos of the reliquary as I dismantled it to show you how it was kept. The receptacle containing the holy relics is in fact a small pendant. The cotton holding the pendant inside the bigger receptacle shows you how old it is.
I removed the seal at the back to show to you that the wax seal is still intact. So don't worry, the relic is still authentic.
No comments:
Post a Comment