
CV NEWS FEED // Catholics in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee recently had a special opportunity to venerate relics of the Passion, which include a piece of the True Cross, a piece of the Crown of Thorns, and a thread from the burial shroud, among others.
The relics visited four different churches throughout the diocese, stopping at Iglesia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús on March 1, St. Ann Catholic Church in Nashville on March 2, Immaculate Conception Church on March 3, and Holy Rosary Church on March 5.
Fr. Michael Fye, the pastor at St. Ann, told local outlet News 2 that the relics make history a reality.
“When God became man 2,000 years ago, He actually did things in the real world… and so we have literally these little pieces and these reminders of how that actually happened and it’s not just stories we tell,” Fye said.
The relics also include a piece of stone from the table or room where the Last Supper was held, a piece of the column where Jesus was scourged, and an effigy of St. Veronica’s veil that was touched to the original veil.
Also among the relics were a replica of one of the nails used to crucify Jesus that contains filings from the original nails, and a piece of bone from St. Longinus, the centurion who pierced Jesus’ side following His death.
Fye explained that parishioners especially appreciate being “physically close to these things, even sometimes touching something maybe meaningful to the relic or something that’s touching the relic.”
“And while we know there’s no magic or anything about this, [it’s] knowing that, again, that specific and historical moment now has a slightly closer connection to their daily life today,” he added.
Nashville Catholic highlighted the special significance of relics during Lent:
Lent is a time of penance, prayer, and quiet reflection that focuses on our need for salvation. Relics allow us to see pieces of our earthly mortality from the past. In addition, relics can be educational, as we learn about the lives and sufferings of those saints who completely gave themselves to Christ.
