Customer Reviews

Relics

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Cruz accomplishes a great deal in her treatment of notable Relics of the Catholic Church.

This is an easily dramatized subject, and the greatest contribution Cruz makes is to approach the Relics in a scholarly, matter-of-fact style that conveys the history and impact of the Relics without engaging in argument.

Consequently, the book carries substantial value for those motivated in their Faith by material evidence. And yet there is simultaneous value for the more detached reader.

Perhaps the clearest indication of the tone and style of the book is in the Introduction's quote from the biography of St. Gertrude the Great: "If you desire to have some relics which will draw My Heart into yours, read My Passion, and meditate attentively on every word contained therein and it will be to you a true relic which will merit more graces for you than any other... thence you may know and be assured that the words which I uttered when on earth are the most precious relics which you can possess."

It is clear throughout that Joan Carroll Cruz has taken this message to heart - approaching the Relics she describes with reverence, but with proper perspective.

A fascinating (almost encylopedia) account of the history, stories, mysticism, and veneration of Relics (including some photos) --- Relics of Jesus (Eucharistic miracles, Seamless Garments, Holy Grail, ...), the Passion (Holy Cross, Holy Shroud, Veil of Vernonica, ...), the Blessed Mother (Cincture, Veil, ...), Miraculous Icons and Statues of Our Lady (Czestochowa, Good Counsel, Guadalupe, Perpetual Help, Virgin of the Pillar ...), Apostles and Saints, Statues of the Infant Jesus, Crosses and Crucifixes, Buildings (Loreto, ...), Blood Miracles (Naples), Manna of the Saints. I had known about some of them but others are new to me. While reading about the Relics of St. Anne, recalled that one summer while we were children, my parents took us to visit the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, Canada - great to rediscover and wonder about all of these Miracles, signs of God's Love and Power. The Eucharistic miracles and manna of the saints remind me of present-day. Audrey Santo in Worcester, MA. Intriguing!

Relics provides an excellent introduction to the practice of relic veneration that is followed within the Catholic Church. After giving a brief background on the theological basis for the ritual, Cruz immerses the reader in stories about the various types of relics populating Catholic churches around the world. The result of this study is both interesting and educational.

While the book is a valuable resource, it does suffer from being a bit dated. It was printed in 1984 and hasn't been revised since then. An updated version would allow the reader to learn recent developments in the verification of these relics, like the tests performed on the Shroud of Turin in the 1990s. By providing updated information, Cruz would give the reader a better basis to understand all aspects of this ritual.

Even with this shortcoming, Relics is a good starting point for anyone wishing to learn more about Catholic relics and the devotion they inspire.

All Christianity is based upon the times when Christ walked the earth. The early Church became deeply seated in society because of the miracles that occurred as a result of the Christians who were murdered for their faith. Many of these miracles occurred via the use of a Relic. This book stands alone as a masterpiece on the whole concept of maintaining holy relics of our Christian Saints. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of Saints.

Everyone that I have ever shown this book to has been deeply impacted by it. One guy even returned to the Catholic faith because of it. I haven't seen any other books that show such powerful imagery,with good, short background information. It is not supposed to be an all-inclusive book with all the facts about every subject, but like every truly good book that I have read, it leads to a desire to learn and experience more.

Joan Carroll Cruz's "Relics" is an excellent introduction to the very rich topic of Christian relics. It should be pointed out that Cruz's book was published in 1984 and it is written from a decidedly Latin Catholic perspective. With this in mind, Cruz's work is a very hand reference for brief summaries of the traditional histories of numerous different relics.

"Relics" includes traditions for the whereabouts of relics of Christ's passion, such as the Holy Stairs, the Scourging Post, the Crown of Thorns, the Holy Cross, the Nails, the Title, the Holy Sponge, the Lance, the Shroud, the Grave Cloth and the Veil. There are also the traditions for Eucharistic miracles, the Manger, the Swaddling Cloth, Christ's Garments and the Holy Grail.

Beyond relics associated directly with Jesus, this book contains traditions for relics related to Mary, such as her chair, veil, shroud, cincture and houses. There are also the traditions of other Biblical figures such as Lazarus, the Magi, Mary Magdalene and the traditions of the resting places for each of the Apostles and Evangelists.

Finally, the book includes the histories of numerous miraculous images and statues of Mary and Jesus, and the stories of the relics of more than fifty different saints.

Joan Carroll Cruz's "Relics" is a good starting point to learn about the traditional history of all of these venerated objects. The book is not exhaustive and most entries are no more than very brief summaries. I would however recommend this book to people looking for an introductory work on this topic. Those wanting more detailed works would find interesting references from "Relics" bibliography. Finally, this book would definitely be of interest for those planning on making pilgrimages, visiting shrines in Europe, or those with interest in Church history.

Joan Carroll Cruz has kept a good perpective on the relics belonging to the Church. The most important of course, is the buriel cloth of Christ-The Shroud of Turin. Since her printing of this book very relative information has come out regarding the French weave the nuns used in actually blending new yarn into the fabric of this cloth and this portion is what was tested in the 1980's carbon dating which placed the Shroud to be of the Middle-Ages. Also, there is stunning new visuals that were evidenced through modern technology and even leading to substantiation of Quantum Physics 'Event Horizon' a point of zero gravity. Particle Physicist beleive the Shroud relic will prove Science. The cloths holographic image reveals an amulet of metal across Christ's neck area displaying the Hebrew letters Alef Beta Alef which reads ABBA or FATHER. Further information can be obtained from the dvd Fabric of Time produced by Grizzly Adams productions.

Back to this book, Cruz covers the Loretto house which was supposedly built by John the beloved for Mother Mary, BVM's vielo, and fascinating Eucharistic Miracles like Lanciano.
Joan Carol Cruz delves into the most intriguing and important relics belonging to the Church.

Received the book promptly and in excellent condition. Would order from this seller again without hesitation.

Relics: The Shroud of Turin, the True Cross, the Blood of Januarius...History, Mysticism, and the Catholic Church Excellent Joan Cruz does a marvelous job of presenting information and historical evidence for the recognition of the relics mentioned in this book.

My husband and I both agree that this book has some fascinating facts; however, it is poorly written, making it difficult to follow. The author jumps from synopsis to synopsis of documents with little or no transitions. Sometimes the events in a single relic's story aren't even in chronological order.