Eucharistic Miracles
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Eucharistic Miracles
A eucharistic miracle is an inexplicable holy phenomenon that occurs involving the consecrated host. Many of these miracles happen, but only a select few are approved by the Vatican and officially declared eucharistic miracles. Over the years, a few of these certified miracles have become more famous than others, because of the profound detail of the event, or the general proof of God. Below are a few of the more famous eucharistic miracles.
8th Century A.D.
Lanciano, Italy: The Host Becomes Flesh and Blood
A Basilian monk found himself having doubts in the Eucharist. He had trouble believing that he was consuming the real flesh and blood of Christ. During the consecration of the hosts in Lanciano, the bread miraculously changed to flesh, and the wine turned to blood. Thwarting the doubts of the monk, God provided a miracle that, although not necessarily required for belief, provides hope and belief in Christ. Since 1574, many investigations have been conducted and have found that the flesh is of human nature, and that it is from the heart. Also, recent tests from the 20th century have shown that the blood types of the flesh and of the blood match.
1730
Siena, Italy: A Long Term Preservation of the Host
The hosts sealed in the Church of St. Francis were the victim of a theft while absent of parish and clergy. When the hosts were retrieved by the church, they were found to be unharmed. Through the years following, there is some speculation as to why the hosts remained unused. They were a forefront of prayer from the parish of the Church of St. Francis after being stolen; the parish members said many prayers of reparations. Due to the perceived value to the parish members, it is possible they were refrained from consumption. Also, due to the relative age of the hosts, they were likely spoiled for consumption and were thus kept. Several decades passed as the recovery and conservation was deemed a miracle. The hosts themselves were completely intact after all that time. Many investigations and experiments with the hosts were conducted. One included storing a number of unconsecrated hosts in the same place, which deteriorated completely after 60 years, while the original hosts remained untarnished.
1345
Amsterdam, Holland: The host survives fire
A priest wandered through the village of Amsterdam to give a man of his parish his last rights. The night had a rather cold touch to it, so upon his arrival into the man’s home, he found a fire burning next to the man’s bed. The ritual went through and through with nothing special to note, so the priest departed after giving his blessings to the man and his wife. The sick man began to feel uneasy after the priest had gone. He lurched toward the basin that was by his bedside and regurgitated the contents of his stomach into the basin. Unbeknownst to the man, within those contents was the consecrated host which the priest had given to him. The wife found the man asleep several hours later, and noting his basin was full, she deposited its contents into the roaring fire. The next morning the woman was tending to the smoldering embers of the fire when she noticed something off-putting. The consecrated host from the man’s stomach was intact amongst the other ashes. Acting on a surprised whim, the wife scooped the host from the fire, and found herself unharmed and holding a cold host!
Sources:
Cruz, Joan C. Eucharistic Miracles. N.p.: TAN books and publishers INC, 1987. Web. 24 June 2013. <http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/siena.html>
Erfort, Andrea. N.p.: The Real Presence, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. <http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/holland.html>.
Harolds of the Gospel Magazine Jan. 2009. Web. 23 June 2013. <http://knightsoftheholyeucharist.com/2011/11/the-eucharistic-miracle-of-amsterdam/>.
Lanciano, Italy, 8th Century A.D. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. <http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html>.
Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano Italy. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. <http://www.michaeljournal.org/eucharist3.htm>.
N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. <http://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/eucharistic_miracles/siena.htm>.