Sacred Relics and Venerated Tradition

Relics are common in the Catholic world. Take for instance the pratice of exorcism. They use sacred relics, accompanied with the application of holy water or holy water in the ritual. In Medieval times, some people even use the legendary sword of st. Patrick and body parts of saints in their spiritual battle. As fascinating as it is, this pratice is not unique to Catholic. Ancient religion throughout the history had a very high view of relics. In the the historicity of religion, there was an oldest belief called Animism. Animism was an earliest form of religion whereby the universal spirits of passed away ancestors were believed to be existed together with human in the world. Latter on, it evolved to Dynamism, a belief by which special spirits were claimed to be resided in a special object or relic. As consequence of this view, the relics become somewhat "mystical" and could produce a miracle. Does the high view of relics in Catholic Tradition are the product of extended Dynamism that somehow crafted in the church?

Interestingly, in his book What Catholics Really believe, Question 47 addresses a question about relic. Many lay Catholic think that relic, has a magical power by itself. This view was based on some examples and inference in the Scripture for instance in Matthew 9:20-22, when a woman was cured  by touching the hem of Jesus's cloak. In the Old Testament, we have an example of the bone of Elisha that had made a dead man rose to his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21). Yet, it is not what Catholic officialy believe. So, Catholic's view of the use of holy relic is not a form of Ancient Dynamism for Keating says, in relics there are "no magical powers", so to speak. Their efficiency is not depend on the natural part of the relic, but divine intervention on it. In Keating own word, "Relic don't compel God to work in a certain way." In addition, Keating says that we should not venerated them (relics) for Scripture is silent about it and the relics are basically only a  thing. Well, here, Protestant or Reformed can agree with the Catholic that relic is only a natural thing and not divine by itself. Thus, we should not worship it. Jesus says clearly that to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24) and also in the Old Testament, to worship a thing is an act of idolatry (Exodus 20:4). 

However, to think that relic is a "must have" tool for ritual is still quite problematic. There are three main comments of mine pertaining this sacramental practice. First, the practice diminish God's ability to show his mighty power freely for He could transfer His spiritual grace without the help of physical things. This pratice seems to limit God's action in a certain media/manner because the ritual cannot be estabilished freely without it. Second, it potentially give everyone a false impression that a relic (or even holy oil) can moves God and also capture some power of God like a satellite or router-like. Third, it has no Biblical warrant at all and therefore we can say it akin to superstitious kind of pratice since it will mix thing of spirit and matter. Regarding this issue, John Calvin had written a Treatise on Relics in which he argued that the practice of relic was a strange practice, and surprisingly, the use of relic itself in Catholic Church had potentially lead people into quarrels (Whose relics are more authentic? Some church has claimed the nail of Jesus has been found in Rome. Other claimed in France, Some other in Germany. "That makes total of fourteen nails of Jesus!"). At the end of the day, I think, the tradition of using relic cannot be defended Biblically and practically, objectively speaking. How about the argument or claim that nothing wrong with the pratice of using relic as sacramental ritual, since the pratice is only a part of larger venerated tradition. Well, we cannot deny that tradition is generally good and has it own place to play in a larger ecclesial context, but it should not be taken as normative nor foundational since the nature of tradition is always changing whereas Scripture is never change and stable. Logically, we need a firm foundation to guide our doctrine, conduct, ritual and practice right? Unless, we want to build our faith in a very shaky foundation (Matthew 7:24-27) so nothing more we can say. Last but not least, I agree with Calvin, the use of sacred relic itself is a highly dangerous risk of transforming any mundane object into holy object. And  this sacramental pratice could lead us one step closer to idolatry and also deception in no time.