"Every pilgrimage to Rome should include a visit to the Basilica of
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (The Holy Cross in Jerusalem). If you're
hiking around the city it's just up the hill from St. John Lateran, and
after your visit it's another half-hour hike up the hill to Santa Maria
Maggiore.
"In the side chapel of the basilica are the relics of the True Cross.
In one reliquary you can see the finger bone of St. Thomas the Apostle.
When the Resurrection stories recount St. Thomas putting his fingers
into the nail prints, it's moving to see that the finger in question has
been preserved as an everlasting memorial to the victory of
Resurrection over doubt.
"The relic is kept along with a portion from the pillar where Christ
was flogged and thorns from the crown of thorns. . . .
"'Come now, Father,' I hear you protest, 'shall we believe in all these relics? What good are they? Don't they lend to superstition? . . ."
In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish,
Greenville, SC) reflected on the importance of relics and on the interconnectedness between the spiritual realm and the physical realm.
To access Fr. Longenecker's complete post, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Blogs: Fr. Dwight Longenecker: The Relics of the Resurrection (13 MAY 20)
Background information:
Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author
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