The incorruptible body of Saint Bernadette in her crystal tomb at Convent of St. Gildard in Nevers, France taken in 1997.
What you see above is the body of Bernadette the Saint of Lourdes, France. The black and white picture of her above was taken at the time of her death in 1879. It seemed that after thirty years her body remained intact when it was exhumed for beatification purposes. As a matter of fact the body is still in good condition even until this day. Saint Bernadette's body is now encased in a crystal coffin. This phenomenon of body which is not subject to corruption or decay is known as incorruptible.
In the case of Bernadette, this was one of the indications of sainthood.
However, the Chinese believe that the body of an ancestor which cannot decay is not a good thing. They believe that it will have an adverse effect on the descendants.
Read the story of Shen Qing Hai whose body did not decay after being buried for many years.
Members of a family who were relocating a relative's tomb, were shocked to find his incorruptible body.
Shen Qing Hai died in an accident in 1991 at the age of 60. He was buried at a Chinese cemetery in Butterworth, Penang.
In April, his eldest grandson Wei Zi met a numerologist who told him that "something was wrong with his ancestor's tomb".
Wei Zi and his family then sought help from a medium, who later suggested that they relocate Shen's grave to another cemetery as the current place "lacked good energy".
At 2am on Saturday, family members exhumed the remains and were shocked by what they saw.
Shen's remains were found to be moldy but his hands, legs and head were still intact.
The hat, shirt and shoes he was wearing are in good condition although the colours had faded.
"We could see his face, his lips but the teeth had dropped off,’’ said Shen's daughter, Shun Ai.
The family exhumed the body during wee hours as it could not be exposed under the sun.
Malaysia Feng Shui Association president Wong Keen Ming said moist soil, low temperature and quality of the coffin could affect the decomposition of the body.
He said from the feng shui point of view, it was bad for a family if an ancestor's body was not decomposed.
The family members could die tragically, fall sick or meet with accidents, he added.
A similar incident was reported in 1995 when the incorrupted body of a 74-year-old man was exhumed from his grave.
The man died of illness in 1985. His remains have since been reburied in another cemetery.
Source: Guang Ming Daily
Published July 12 2010
Sources:
http://www.catholicpilgrims.com/lourdes/ba_bernadette_intro.htm
http://www.dailychilli.com/news/4961-body-not-decomposed-after-19-yrs
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