"Jackie Robinson held this ball!"

This morning, coming out of mass, I ran into the husband of a friend.  Something he said turned a light bulb on above my head in regard to relics and the Church.  In my late twenties, I entered into the Catholic Church.  Not growing up with many of the churches traditions, relics seemed to me a little odd.

 

My story begins a few days ago, when I ran into a friend.  She has four boys, ages 2 to 9 and she home schools.  She mentioned that she was putting together, with her sons, a presentation intertwining baseball and American history.  Knowing that we have a basement of baseball paraphernalia, she arranged to come over and speak to my husband. 

 

My husband is a huge baseball fan and knows a tremendous amount about history.  Last Saturday afternoon, my friend and three of her boys came over for a hour to do research for the presentation. We sat in the basement while my husband pulled out books and talked about baseball.  The presentation focused on World War II, racial integration, 911 and immigration.  During the discussion, my husband pulled a ball off the shelf and showed the boys Jackie Robinson's signature.  The family left with a number of borrowed items, including Jackie's ball.

 

As I spoke to my friend's husband this morning, I asked about the success of the baseball presentation.  He said he thought it went well.  The interaction he enjoyed the most was the excitement with which his boys showed him Jackie Robinson's signature on the ball.  One of them said, "Jackie Robinson actually held this ball!"

 

That is when the light bulb went on above my head regarding relics.  I have a sense of awe and wonder when seeing the relic of a saint.  I may not use the same words as my friend's son, but the thought it the same.  The relic helps to make my faith concrete.  To see an item used by a saint, helps me to understand that this person, who may have lives hundreds of years ago, was a walking and breathing human being.  He or she dealt with many of the same struggles that I struggle with each day.

 

The next time someone asks me about why Catholics venerate relics, I have a clear example to share!

 

 (Mother Teresa's sandles are pictured above.)