St. Jude Messenger Volume III, Issue I | Page 5

I finished the second novena and had peace that God would take care of me and my children. At work, the day came when each of us was brought into a room to get our walking papers. I went to unemployment on Tuesday to sign up for assis- tance. It was very hard. I learned how much I had associated a job title with my identity. It was very humbling. Friday to start work the very next week! I was only without work for a few days. Praise God! I know St. Jude’s intercession worked on my behalf. I received a call on Wednesday of the same week to come in for an interview. I got a job offer that 2 God is so good to give us powerful saints that we can count on for assistance. St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases, came through for me and I will be forever indebted to him. What are Relics and What do I do with Them? BY BROTHER LUKE HOYT, O.P., DEACON OF THE ROSARY SHRINE OF ST. JUDE A s Catholics, we have a great love for embodied spiritual realities. This is why there has always been a place in the Faith for relics –parts of a saint’s body or objects which touched a saint’s body. Because of this, the Rosary Shrine of St. Jude likes to spread devotion to St. Jude by giving away relics of this Saint. You yourself may have received one of these relics in the mail! And, if you have, you may have wondered: What am I to do with a relic? So here are a few pointers: Each relic is a holy thing since it is connected in some way to a saint who is in the presence of God. Therefore, we treat relics with respect. Feel free to carry it with you in your wallet or purse, or to place it in some part of your house where it is safe and won’t get lost. ST. JUDE MESSENGER • VOLUME III, ISSUE I It is against the law of the Church to sell or buy relics. If you don’t want to keep a relic, don’t throw it away. Instead, give it away, or leave it in the back of a church where someone who would like to have it will find it. Or, as a last resort, a sacred thing like a relic may be disposed of by burning or burying. Send us your email address using the attached reply envelope to receive a new video of Brother Luke preaching at the Shrine! 5