This week St Laurence O’Toole’s heart was recovered from the Phoenix Park in Dublin where it appears to have been hidden since it was stolen in 2012. The event brought jubilation to many especially those of Christ Church Cathedral who received it back gratefully from the Garda on Thursday.
When the heart was taken two candles were lit and placed on the Trinity altar, presumably by the thief. This would seem to imply that the thief was endeavouring to focus attention away from the Saint and onto the Trinity!
What do we know about O’Toole? He was born in Castledermot, Co Kildare, in 1128 and appointed Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough in 1162. He began a policy of Church building and laid the foundation stone of Christ Church Cathedral.
To assist in the spiritual teaching of priests and people of the Diocese he invited the Augustinian monks to become part of the Cathedral Chapter. Later he travelled in Europe and became an Augustinian. In an interesting act of penance each Spring he returned to Glendalough, in Co Wicklow, where for the 40 days of lent he lived in St Kevin’s Cell, a cave situated above the waters of the loch.
He is the patron saint of Dublin.
He died in November 1180 in Normandy, France, and was canonised in 1225 because of miracles said to have happened at his tomb. His bones were placed in a church in Chorley, England until they were destroyed at the reformation. His heart is encased in lead and set in a wooden frame which was placed in a steel cage. The bars of the cage received some damage when it was stolen. It is planned to be restored and returned to the cathedral for his Feast day on 14th November.
Relics are quite common in other religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Shamanism. In Christianity they are mainly to be found in Roman Catholic rather than Reformed churches. Calvin, the theologian of the Reformation, said there were enough pieces of wood in churches, allegedly taken from the cross, to build a ship!
When there was signs of rebellion in the Israeli camp, God told Moses to erect to a pole with a bronze serpent. The Israelites who looked in faith towards it believing they would be saved from dying from the bites of the “fiery serpents”. These God had sent to punish them for speaking against Moses (Numbers 21:4-9). This pole, perhaps the nearest thing to a relic in the Bible, was carried around by the Israelites becoming an object of worship until Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kings Chapter 18 verse 4).
Jesus used it as an illustration of his approaching death. He likened his being raised up on the cross as a sin offering to the serpent’s lethal bite (St John Chapter 3 verse 14/15). A major difference was that in Moses day the salvation on offer was the gift of life. Now looking in faith to Jesus bearing sin on the cross, by God’s grace, produces the gift of eternal life.
Later Jesus said, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (St John Chapter 6 verse 40). Look away from relics and yourself to Him!