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To: wintertime
Some saints' bodies are miraculously preserved from decomposition. It's generally considered evidence of great sanctity.

(The reverse is not true, however. Some very great saints were not incorrupt; St. Therese of Liseux is a famous example. Someone actually told her during her life that she would be incorrupt after she died. She said, "Absolutely not" ... and she was right.)

Relics are venerated as a tangible connection to the saint and his life. This has been true since the earliest days of Christianity, when the liturgy was celebrated in the catacombs surrounded by the relics of the martyrs. To this day, a Catholic (or Orthodox) altar generally contains a relic of a saint.

13 posted on 10/31/2008 10:06:50 PM PDT by Campion (Vote for Obama and Get Nuclear War for Free!)
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To: Campion

Thank you


14 posted on 10/31/2008 10:18:40 PM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are NOT stupid)
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