There is a miracle
occurring continually on Catholic altars around
the world. Somewhere at this very moment a priest
is holding an unleavened piece of bread in his
hands and intoning the power of the Holy Spirit
with the sacred words of Jesus, "Take and eat.
This is my body."
The miracle of the Eucharist, an extraordinary and
mysterious gift of love in which God himself
becomes present — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
– is without question the greatest treasure in the
Catholic Church, the most important truth of our
faith. Through this supernatural gift, we are
united to our Creator in a relationship more
intimate than that between a mother and the child
growing in her womb.
The Eucharistic moment brings us to the foot of
the Cross at Calvary to be present in Christ’s
eternal and redemptive sacrifice. It bonds us as a
community with special graces to strengthen us
spiritually to face our trials and temptations,
increase our virtues and live better lives as
Christ’s followers. In essence, the Eucharist
literally defines us as Catholics. Unlike other
Christian faiths that imitate Christ’s Last Supper
as a solemn but symbolic gesture, we take to heart
our Savior’s words from scripture:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you
do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh
and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true
food, and my blood is true drink…Just as the
living Father sent me and I have life because of
the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will
have life because of me." (John 6:53-57)
Truly, we as a people and a Church are blessed to
have in our midst the presence of Christ in the
Eucharist. In gratitude for this undeserved
promise of eternal life there is no other response
but to give glory and praise to our Creator with
heartfelt thanksgiving, which is what the word
Eucharist means.
The unfortunate reality however, is that the
meaning and importance of the Eucharist to a great
extent has been lost on the faithful today.
Current polls indicate there is a serious
disparity of belief and understanding regarding
the Real Presence. Some Catholics reject the
concept entirely. Others are willing to accept it
to a point. The truth of Body and Blood — for
which a multitude has willingly sacrificed their
own -- does not seem to be a critical issue to
many people anymore.
Even Catholics who accept the Eucharist as divine
truth can easily slip into a lax attitude. Many no
longer take seriously the state of readiness
required to receive the Blessed Sacrament.
Preparation of the soul through Confession and the
body through fasting has practically been
forgotten. Lack of education and unworthy
reception run rampant. While it’s true the
Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery which no
human can fully comprehend, it is our
responsibility to pray for God’s help in deepening
our belief and appreciation for this life-giving
sacrament each time we partake in it.
My Flesh Indeed
It may help us to know that doubt, false belief
and misunderstanding have always been present
among the faithful. Fortunately for us, our God is
one of infinite wisdom, mercy and patience. As if
his gift of Eucharist were not enough, he has seen
fit at various times in history to make his
presence known in visible, tangible and
indisputable ways. These special occasions, given
out of love for us and concern for our salvation
are referred to as Eucharistic miracles.
Eucharistic miracles defy science and human logic.
They may involve Hosts that bleed or turn to human
flesh, levitate or survive impossible fires. They
might consist of consecrated "wine" that becomes
visibly coagulated blood; manifestations of the
image of Christ; or the mystifying reverent
behavior of animals. These miracles have occurred
to chastise unbelieving priests or people
committing sacrilegious acts against the Blessed
Sacrament as well as to show victory for the just
and upright, which is why Eucharistic phenomena is
often found in connection with the Saints.
There are over 100 documented cases of Eucharistic
miracles that the Church has authenticated. Many
of these transformed Hosts and bloodstained altar
linens are publicly displayed in ornate
monstrances and altar encasements in chapels and
cathedrals throughout Europe. Without the use of
preservatives or hermetically sealed containers,
Flesh and Blood retain their original properties
for the faithful to venerate century after
century. Modern scientific tests on these sacred
relics clearly indicate human flesh and human
blood, but they are less clear in explaining how
this can be. For believers, it is not so much of a
mystery: with God, all things are possible.
If, like the skeptical apostle Thomas, you need to
see the proof with your own eyes, there are
pilgrimages that can take you there. Visit
Lanciano, Italy, which translated means "the
lance." This was the birthplace of Longinus, the
Roman soldier who pierced the heart of Christ at
Calvary and later experienced a conversion. A
Eucharistic miracle occurred in Lanciano in a
Basilian monastery in the year 700. A priest-monk
having doubts about the actual transformation of
bread and wine into Body and Blood had the
elements visibly transform in his hands at the
moment of consecration. Studies as recent as 1970
indicate that the Flesh is that of a human heart
muscle and both the Flesh and Blood are type AB.
This miracle has been publicly displayed for 1300
years (see photo above).
In Orvieto, also in Italy, there is a reliquary
containing another Eucharistic miracle that took
place in the year 1263 in nearby Bolsena. It also
involved a priest, Peter of Prague, lacking faith
in what transpired at Consecration. This time the
Host bled profusely, onto the corporal below. When
Pope Urban IV saw the bloodstained cloth, he was
prompted to institute the feast of Corpus Christi,
in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Some Eucharistic miracles involved lay people. In
Paris, France, in 1290, a woman was so poor she
had to pawn her only dress for food to eat. As
Easter Sunday approached, she asked the pawnbroker
for the use of her dress for just one day, since
she had no money to purchase it. The pawnbroker
agreed only if she would bring him the Blessed
Sacrament. The woman reluctantly complied,
secretly removing the Host from her mouth and
delivering it to the pawnbroker’s shop. When the
pawnbroker repeatedly stabbed the Host, it spewed
blood profusely. When thrown in the fire, it
danced unharmed in the flames. When submerged in
boiling water, it made the kettle boil over red
liquid in such quantity that it streamed out the
door. A female passerby spotted the red liquid and
entered the house to see Jesus standing by the
kettle before he resumed the form of the Host. The
woman carefully collected the Host in a nearby
vase and brought it to the church where it is
revered to this day.
An arrogant knight in Seefeld, Austria in 1384
unintentionally left his mark in Eucharistic
miracle history when he entered a church with his
men and demanded by force that he receive the
large Host. When the priest placed it in the
knight’s mouth, it turned bright red. At the same
moment, the knight’s legs suddenly sank knee-deep
into the floor. Desperately, he clung to the altar
with both hands, which also softened under his
grip, and implored that the Host be removed from
his mouth. Once it was, the knight freed himself
and fled, and later confessed and converted. The
imprints of his hands and feet as well as the
preserved Host are fully intact.
Closer to our time, a Eucharistic miracle occurred
in Stich, West Germany, in 1970. A visiting priest
from Switzerland was celebrating Mass when he
noticed one, then two red spots on the corporal.
Not able to find a leak in the chalice or a source
of moisture from beneath the cloth, he had the
stains investigated. Tests proved the spots to be
human blood of a man in agony. One month later, a
second miracle occurred when the same priest
visited again. This time at Consecration there
were four spots of blood, each with a small cross
inside it. These were examined by a different lab
and were once again confirmed as human blood.
If a European pilgrimage is not likely in your
future, travel the Internet instead. There are
many sites that provide details and visuals of
some the most famous Eucharistic miracles. Surfing
the net, you’ll also discover that reports of
Eucharistic miracles in the present day are
occurring at an unprecedented rate. The Church
will certainly have her hands full trying to
investigate and authenticate each of these claims.
For further reading, two of the best references I
have come across on historic Eucharistic phenomena
are Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz (Tan
Books) and This Is My Body, This Is My Blood:
Miracles of the Eucharist by Bob and Penny Lord
(Journeys of Faith).
While Eucharistic miracles can be sensational and
certainly a cause for conversion, it is important
to keep in mind the words Jesus imparted to
Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet believe." (John 20:29) We must never lose
sight of the fact that every valid consecration at
Mass is miraculous, regardless if we experience it
only through the eyes of faith. The same God, the
same omnipotent power, is present and available to
all who receive worthily.
Through the grace of God and the working of the
Holy Spirit, at the moment of Consecration bread
and wine are changed. Once we realize that, our
next task is to accept that we must change, too.
The sacrifice of the Mass is a call to action: it
commissions us to carry out Christ’s mission here
on earth. Holy Communion gives us the strength to
accomplish this goal. With the fortification of
the Eucharist we, like Jesus, can announce the
good news in word and deed by pouring ourselves
out for others. And that’s nothing short of
miraculous.
Published in Lay Witness Online, July/August 2004
Elizabeth Ficocelli
is a Catholic author who writes for children and
adults.
For more information, visit
www.elizabethficocelli.com
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