Did you know that Catholic altar stones generally contain the
relic of a saint? Long ago, during the
time of the persecutions, it was a crime punishable by death to participate in
the celebration of the Mass, so Christians took to celebrating Mass in the
catacombs on the tombs of the martyrs.
Once churches started to be built aboveground, a saint’s relic was
regularly placed within the altar stone.
In addition to underscoring our belief in everlasting life for those who
have been faithful to the Gospel, including a relic in the altar itself reminds
us of the intercessory power that the saint enjoys in heaven, and helps us to
feel close to the saint because we all are connected to the communion of saints
as members of the Body of Christ.
The relic contained in Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s altar
comes from St. John of the Cross, a Carmelite priest whose feast we celebrate
on December 14th. A close friend of Teresa
of Jesus, John is most famous for his reflections on the Dark Night of the Soul, and for having written remarkably beautiful
mystical love poetry while he himself was imprisoned by his fellow Carmelites
for his desire to reform the order.
In the evening of
life, we will be judged on love alone.
--St. John of the Cross
To read more about St. John of the Cross as well as some of his poems, click here.
Photo credit: M. Morison
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