Reading the news — perhaps especially Catholic news — is not, generally, a source of edification. While one can find stories like Shroud of Turin Blood Study Shows Link to Jesus and St. Michael the Archangel statue in Brazil will be largest Christian monument in the world, more stories seem to be of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Marked ‘Not Safe’ for Donations by Charity Watchdog and The World is Running Out of Children as Global Birth Rates Collapse variety.
This leads me to wonder whether we should continue posting “news” at all on Catholicism.org or just focus our energies on other content. After all, if we really want edification — which is necessary for us — we should read Holy Scripture, the lives of the saints, great spiritual classics, good theology, etc. Content inspired by all that is very much present on this site, so do we need news?
As I was pondering this dilemma, I was reminded of something I saw last week, but did not post on the site: St. Teresa of Ávila’s Body Remains Incorrupt After Almost 5 Centuries. This is, indeed good news. It is good news because it points to the great Good News of the Gospel and its fulfillment in eternal life, so I enthusiastically recommend the article at The National Catholic Register to our readers for spiritual uplift and encouragement.
There is also a brief Rome Reports video I have embedded below.
In crafting my headline for this posting, I deliberately chose to insert the word partially before incorrupt. The reason will be manifest to those who look at the images. While Saint Teresa’s body is not in the condition that would be expected after almost 442 years in the grave, it is obviously not totally incorrupt.
There are other saints whose bodies have been found in similar condition — partially incorrupt — with God apparently manifesting some particular aspect of the saint’s virtue — e.g., the tongue of Saint Anthony of Padua, the great preacher — by the organ or organs left incorrupt. These instances of partial incorruption are certainly miraculous as they manifestly transcend the order of nature. They might also serve to remind us that, in this vale of tears, we have glimpses of glory amid our sorrows, the latter of which can help us to fix our eyes on the Holy Cross. That, too, is good and edifying. (God is a great artist, so why should He not employ a divine sort of chiaroscuro?)
Given the fact that unbelievers and even skeptical children of the Church will look at these images, I believe it is necessary for us to insert the “partial” qualifier.
But, make no mistake, this is good news indeed. Even if only partial, the state of incorruption of our saints points to that great reality to which we must look forward if our faith is going to be vital and energetic: “…the resurrection of the Body and life everlasting. Amen.”
Carmelite religious at the opening of the tomb of Saint Teresa of Ávila. Image credit: Order of Carmel.
Here is the Rome Reports video:
