Reproachment by the saints

[Paul Cowan]

I am reading the daily lives of the saints and came across something that I have glossed over before but find it odd. Why would the saints reproach people for not caring for their relics? I have read this in many others lives, but can not figure out why they care if their relics are underground or in a silver reliquary. What does it matter?

Here is the life of St. Juliana Olshanskaya


Commemorated on July 6

Uncovering of the Relics of the Virgin Juliana, Princess of Olshansk. St Juliana lived during the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Her father, Prince Yurii Dubrovitsky-Olshansky, was one of the benefactors of the Kiev Caves Lavra. The God-pleasing virgin died at the age of sixteen. Her body, which was buried at the Kiev Caves Lavra near the great church, was found incorrupt during the time of Archimandrite Elisha Pletenets (1599-1624).

The holy relics were in a fire at the great church in the year 1718, and were put into a reliquary and placed in the church of the Near Caves.

St Juliana appeared to Archimandrite Peter Moghila (afterwards Metropolitan of Kiev) in a dream, reproaching him for the carelessness and lack of respect shown to her relics. He ordered a new reliquary to be made, for which a suitable covering was made by pious nuns. On the reliquary was the inscription: "By the will of the Creator of heaven and earth Juliana, patroness and great intercessor to Heaven, rests here for all time. Here are the bones ... healing against all passions ... You adorn Paradise, Juliana, like a beautiful flower ..."

Many miracles have been worked by St Juliana, and she helps those who venerate her holy relics with piety and faith. She is also commemorated on October 10 with the seven saints of Volhynia.

[Nina]

I am reading the daily lives of the saints and came across something that I have glossed over before but find it odd. Why would the saints reproach people for not caring for their relics? I have read this in many others lives, but can not figure out why they care if their relics are underground or in a silver reliquary. What does it matter?



Because if people know and neglect these relics then other people can not profit from the miracles God works through the relics of His Saints. I do not think they ask for a silver reliquary, just to take better care of the relics, meaning that they should be placed in a church etc. so it can give the possibility to believers, pilgrims and future generations to venerate and be healed spiritually and physically and see miracles worked by God through those relics. It is not their bodies per se that they are caring about, because after we die it does not matter any more, even more so for saints, but it is because God has given these relics grace and leaving these relics unearthed, or not in the proper place is like "lighting a lamp and placing it under the table".

And looking at the larger picture: We read in the lives of martyrs that after they have been cruelly murdered and scattered by the enemies, then the pious Christians go and get them and bury them with respect and take care of their bodies. And also we have these testament and treasury from two millenia now preserved because of these Christians who cared. Imagine if past generation Christians did not take care of the relics to leave them for us. We can have churches and altars because of these relics. And that is the proper place for their sanctified bodies. Because the Church has Its foundations built on the stone that is Christ and the blood and bodies of saints and martyrs.

[L. Allen]

I am reading the daily lives of the saints and came across something that I have glossed over before but find it odd. Why would the saints reproach people for not caring for their relics? I have read this in many others lives, but can not figure out why they care if their relics are underground or in a silver reliquary. What does it matter?



This interests me too. I can understand from a human point of view why it might be useful to believers to venerate saints' remains correctly, but I can't understand why the saints should care. It does seem odd especially when so many saints demonstrated that they did not care about their own bodies or about their position in the world, but I suspect it's one of these things our perception is too limited to understand from an earthly viewpoint.

[Nina]

but I can't understand why the saints should care.

Because it is God's Grace in those relics. You said it that they never cared about their bodies that is why they readily gave their lives for Christ. However it is important to remember that a relic is infused with sanctity and being careless about it, it does not mean we neglect the saint but the One Who made the relic holy.

[Nina]

We honour the relics of the martyrs so as to worship Him of Whom all the martyrs were servants, just as we honour His servants because their honour passes over to the Master Himself, as indeed He said: "He that receiveth you receiveth me."Elder Cleopa, The Truth of our Faith, p.103