A Blast from the Past

We often are blessed with the visit of people who stop by and with their very presence bring us grace and a kindling anew of faith. Just that sort of visit recently happened in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. But, here is the twist—our visitor who dropped by was close to 2000 years old. As a matter of fact, this visitor was one of the Apostles, none other than St. Jude Thaddeus. How so?
           
About seven months ago, Father Carlos Martins, the director of the Treasures of the Church, a ministry that provides for the faithful an experience of God through an encounter with the relics of the saints of the Church, contacted the Diocese with the desire to bring the relic of the forearm of St. Jude Thaddeus. Working with Father Martins, a visit from this precious relic was arranged to occur at Sts. John and Paul Church and St. Thomas a Becket Church. November 3 and 4, this past week, the visit took place.
           
Often people in today’s world, and even in the Church, find a visit like this to be strange or at least misunderstood. For the Church, it is not strange at all. It has been occurring since the very beginning of the Church, this desire to be close to the Lord Jesus and His friends. We think of the woman in St. Matthew’s Gospel (9:21) who wanted to touch the hem of His garment in order to be cured. Or, we can consider how in the Acts of the Apostles people were cured at the hands of the Apostles, and they desired just to be in the shadow of Peter as he passed by (Acts 5:15). The veneration of the relics of the saints grew out of the belief that to be close to them was to be close to the Holy One, God Himself, and to benefit from their intercession; their prayers to God on our behalf.
           
We might think that the veneration of the relics of the saints is a thing of the past. Right? Well, that is not what I experienced at Sts. John and Paul Church on Friday afternoon, November 3. I went there to pray before the relic of St. Jude and to ask his prayers for many intentions. When I arrived shortly after 1:00 PM, I found a line of people that began in the parking lot and went through that large church up to the sanctuary where the relic was located. I went to the first pew closest to the relic and I began to pray. What I then experienced was astounding. People coming to the relic of St. Jude, and being able to spend only about 10 seconds before it, just kept streaming by, and did so for the almost three hours I was there. Elderly people in wheelchairs and on crutches came with great faith to pray. Young couples with five and six children in tow. It was great to see mothers and fathers teaching their children to pray and to touch rosaries and holy cards to the relic. People of every walk of life, every age, and every background came bound together by a profound faith in the promise of Our Lord who said, “Lo, I am with you to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
           
What we consider to be a “blast from the past” is really not so.  While we are limited by the constraints of time and space, it is not so with God.  For Him all things are eternally present.  That is why a strictly linear understanding of time does not work with our relationship with God and the Church.  When we approach Him in prayer, in a certain manner, we are united with the entire Mystical Body of Christ  the Church.  With those who lived years before us, we have a real union, a relationship of grace.  The many people who came to venerate the relic of St. Jude knew that by faith.  Likewise, that is why we believe that when we come to Mass, we are really before the Sacrifice that Jesus offered on Calvary.  That is why we believe that bread and wine really and substantially become His Body and Blood just as it did at the Last Supper. This is why believe that at Mass we are nourished at the Paschal Banquet of the Lamb.  In the supernatural life of grace we are bound together in this communion of love that increases our faith and buoys us up in hope.
           
It was a great blessing to witness the connection of so many people in the reality of their relationship with Our Lord and the saints who are His close friends. Fr. Carlos Martins predicted the large numbers who would turn out to venerate the relic of St. Jude. I believed him from the beginning. I have been providing relics of the saints for the faithful on many occasions with great results. Doing so underlines the reality that this “blast from the past” is a powerful encounter today. God is never outdone in His grace and mercy. He became One of us and in His plan of salvation uses the means of creation, including the bodies of the saints, to reach into our lives!
           
St. Jude Thaddeus, Patron of the Impossible, pray for us!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh