The Eucharist, Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Page Two
Imelda Lambertini was born of a wealthy family. Her father was Count Eagno Lambertini. She entered the Dominican Convent at the age of nine and was loved by the older nuns.
Imelda was different from other children. She was a pious girl who spent much time in prayer. At the age of nine, she expressed a burning love for Jesus in the Eucharist. She wanted to receive Holy Communion but she was unable to as the required age was twelve.
At the age of eleven in 1333, while she was praying, a Host appeared suspended in mid-air in front of her. People around her called the Priest. He took the Host and despite her being still too young, he placed the miraculous Host in the child’s mouth.
Imelda went into a trance. She was smiling, but she never came out of the trance. She died receiving her First Holy Communion. In the 1900’s her body was dug up, following a miracle that was assigned to her intercession, as is required before an investigation into the spiritual holiness of a person. Her body was found to be incorrupt. She appeared in the 1900’s the same as she must have appeared immediately after her death in 1333.
The young girl is now known as Blessed Imelda. Her incorrupt body lies in the Church of San Sigismondo in Bologna. She is called ‘Protectress of First Holy Communion.
The incorrupt body of Blessed Imelda.
In a parchment written and dated by experts to the 14th century, there is a record of a Eucharistic miracle that took place in Macerata, in 1356. It was in this period that a debate had broken out among the clergy as to whether or not the presence of Lord Jesus Christ remained equally in the consecrated Host after it was broken by the Priest, who places a small piece in the chalice of consecrated wine.
In a Church in Macerata, during Mass, the Parish Priest broke the large consecrated Host over the chalice. As the Host broke, blood poured out of it. Blood flowed into the chalice and out on to the corporal and the altar cloth. There was lots of blood, just flooding. If a person had bled so much, I think they would have been in serious trouble.
The Priest, later went to the Bishop to report in the event. After seeing the altar and equipment on it, as well as the chalice and Host, the Bishop believed that a Eucharistic miracle had taken place. Today the corporal is kept under the altar in the Cathedral of Macerata.
In Belgium, 1374, a young man went to receive Holy Communion after committing a serious sin, and without going to Confession. As the Host was placed on his tongue, it turned to Flesh and he was unable to swallow. Blood fell from his lips and stained the cloth that was draped over the communion rail. The Priest attended to the man. He quickly removed the Host from his mouth and placed it in a vessel on the altar.
News of the miracle spread throughout Belgium and the Host was transferred to Cologne, which is seven - hundred miles away. An Ostensorium was made. One of the parts and a piece of blood stained cloth were transported to Louvain, where a new reliquary was crafted.
The part of the Host kept in Louvain is now slightly brown. It has been studied and is without doubt ‘Flesh’. All the papers written about the miracle, and all the papers baring the examinations of the relics, are kept in the archives of the Church of St. Jacques.
Another Eucharistic miracle is reported to have occurred in Boxtel, Holland in 1379, in the Church of St. Peter. During the consecration of the bread and wine, the Priest, Father Van de Aker, lost his balance and spilled the contents of the chalice onto the corporal and altar cloth. As sometimes today still happens, it is not always red wine that the Priest consecrates. Often now the wine is a peach color. This particular time the wine was white. However the color of the consecrated wine changed as it spilled, to what appeared as thick red blood.
After the Mass, the Priest took the corporal and the altar cloth to the sacristy. There he began to wash the corporal and altar cloth, trying to get the red color out. No amount of attempts succeeded in shifting any of it. Father Van der Aker put the cloth in a small valise and hid them.
In 1379, the Priest became ill. On his death-bed, when giving his final Confession, Father Van der Aker, told his confessor what had happened: “How he had spilled the Blood of Jesus Christ”, and how white wine had turned into what appeared to him, “red blood”. He showed his confessor where he had hidden the corporal and the altar cloth, still stained red by the blood spilled all over it. Soon after this Father Van der Aker died.
In 1380, Cardinal Pileo ordered that the “Precious Blood relic” was to be exposed for all to see, annually on June 25. In 1652 the corporal and the altar cloth were transported to Hoogstaten, which is on the border of Belgium. In 1924, the blood stained corporal was returned to Boxtel. The blood stained altar cloth remained in Hoogstraten.
Inside of the Church built on the spot of a Eucharistic miracle in Erding, Germany: 1417.
A poor farmer in Erding had little food for his family. No matter how much time and effort he put into working his fields, his financial position did not change. A fellow- farmer, who was quite successful, told him that the secret to his success was having the Blessed Eucharist in his home.
The poor farmer, understood that by possessing the Eucharist, he would obtain a charm that would bring him good fortune. So at Mass on Maudy Thursday, he went to the altar to receive Holy Communion. But instead of consuming the Host, he took it from his mouth and wrapped it up in a piece of cloth.
The farmer was not aware that what he had done was a serious sin. But as he was making his way home, he felt a fear within him. He was not at peace about what he had done. The further he walked, the more fear he felt.
He truly believed that the presence of the consecrated Host in his home would bring good fortune on himself and his family. Nonetheless, he was plagued by a feeling that his actions were dreadfully wrong. His conscience finally won the battle. He turned to go back to the Church and tell the Priest what he had done. He pulled out the Host and carried it in his hand. As he turned to go back to the Church, the Host fell from his hand and stood in mid-air, suspended. The farmer could not believe what he was seeing. he reached for the Host, but as he did so, it dropped to the ground.
The farmer began to search for the Blessed Sacrament, but could not find any trace of it. He gave up and hurried back to the Church telling the Priest what he had done, and what he saw. Local people were called to help find the Host. After all this was “The Body of Jesus Christ”. They, with the farmer and the Priest, made their way back to the scene where the miracle was reported to have taken place. While they were still quite away from the spot, the Priest saw the Host shining on the ground. He walked to where is was and bent down to pick it up. But before the Priest could touch it, the Host again, lifted into the air and stopped suspended. It remained still for a short while and then fell to the ground. Once again, it disappeared.
The Priest sent news of what had taken place, to the Bishop. The Bishop went to the site together with the Priest and townsfolk. This time it was the Bishop that spotted the Host illuminating on the ground a short distance away. He walked up to it, bent down to pick the Host up. As had happened twice before, the Host flew swiftly upwards, stopped abruptly, remaining suspended in mid-air. This time however, the Host remained like this for quite sometime. No one present dared touch it. People just stood there, with the Bishop awe struck, staring. Eventually the Host fell to the ground and once again disappeared.
Each time the consecrated Host was suspended in mid-air, the Priest, then the Bishop and a crowd of on-lookers from the town, stood before the Eucharist in awe. After the events, they all realized this. They understood that God was making them aware that He wanted reparation to be made for “the sins committed against the Eucharist” “The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ”. They were reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul:
“It follows that if anyone eats the Lord’s bread or drinks from his cup in away that dishonors him, he or she is guilty of sin against the Lord’s body and blood.” (1Cor: 11, 27).
The people of the town built a Church on the site. They dedicated it as a memorial of what had taken place, and as an offering in reparation for the sins committed against the “Body and Blood of Jesus Christ”.
A Eucharistic miracle was documented in 1412. It occurred in a small Italian town of Bagno di Romagna. A Priest was celebrating Mass. He, as other Priests that experienced a sign from God, had done before him, doubted the “Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist”. Doubts such as these, Priest often keep to themselves. It makes them question their vocation, and often they feel guilt, emotional disturbance, and battle such doubts inwardly, not daring to reveal them to anyone, in case they should be suspended from duty. After the Priest consecrated the wine, he looked into the chalice and was shocked to see the wine turn to blood. The blood began to bubble, as if it were being boiled. It rose out from the chalice, pouring out onto the corporal.
Shaken by the event the Priest prayed for forgiveness. More than this, the miracle changed him. He became more committed, held a greater love for God and lived the rest of his life doing much more than his duties required. So much so that he gained the title of ‘Venerable’. This title is given only to people who live an exceptional holy life. In 1958 a scientific test was conducted on the blood. The blood was confirmed as human. The corporal that has some of the blood on it, dated to the early fifteenth century.
The Sorgue River in Avignon, France, heavily flooded in November 1433. The waters rose steadily and reached a dangerous height, flooding the town. Along side the teeming Sorgue, stood a little Church. The Church had a consecrated Host, stood in a monstrance, visibly on the altar, both day and night.
The Grey Penitents of the Franciscan Order were certain that the small Church had been destroyed by the raging waters. Fearing that the “Blessed Sacrament” would be destroyed as well, two Friars rowed to the Church. Although water around the Church was more than 4 ft high, to the astonishment of the Friars, inside the Church, from the entrance to the altar, there was a path way that was dry. To look at the pathway, through the water, it appeared to the Friars that they were witnessing a similar sight as the Israelites saw when they watched the parting of the Red Sea in the time of Moses.
Along the side of the Church, water steadily rose. Despite the surrounding flood, the pathway remained completely dry, untouched by even one drop of water. The Eucharist stood exposed on the altar. Amazed by what they saw the two Friars had others from their Order come to the Church to verify that they were not hallucinating. The other Friars confirmed they were not. The event was documented and sent to the hierarchy of the Church.
An artist impression of the miracle of Avignon, France.
1453, the Italian city of Turin was besieged by the armies of Piedmont. Soldiers ransacked and pillaged throughout the city-state. A Church in the village of Exilles was plundered by one of the soldiers. He grabbed everything he could cram into his sack. One of the things he stole was a monstrance, with the consecrated ‘Sacred Host’ still inside.
The soldier threw the sack onto his donkey. He became enraged as the sack kept falling off. The soldier began to beat the animal. By this time, they were surrounded by villagers, who were distressed by the soldier’s actions. All of a sudden, the sack fell to the ground and its contents spilled out. The monstrance caught the attention of all who were present.
Slowly the monstrance rose into the air, there it remained suspended above the crowds head. A Priest was among the crowd and hastened to find the local Bishop. The Bishop came accompanied by many Priests. He stood beneath the suspended monstrance. The monstrance opened and fell to the ground, leaving the Host still suspended in mid-air.
Before the crowd, the Host lit up, it became surrounded by dazzling lights. The Bishop began to chant Latin hymns. The people and Priests joined in. Whilst hymns were being sung, the Host slowly descended, landing in the outstretched chalice held by the Bishop. News of the event spread throughout Europe. People traveled to visit the area of the miracle and to pray before the Host.
Faverney, May 25, 1608: the service of Pentecost Sunday were attended by a full Church. At nightfall two oil lamps were left burning before the Eucharist which was left on the altar, exposed during the night in a single monstrance. The following day a Sacristant opened the doors. He saw smoke and realized there was a fire. Efforts were made to extinguish the flames. It was noticed that the monstrance containing the Host, was suspended in mid-air. News spread and many believers and sceptics came to witness the event. Priests took it in turns to offer up Holy Mass while more witnesses came to see the ongoing miracle.
On the morning of Tuesday, May 27, during the time of the consecration, the Host descended coming down on the altar, which was brought in to replace the one destroyed by fire.
An inquiry was made and fifty-four depositions were obtained from Priests, Monks, peasants and villagers. On July 30, 1608, the Archbishop declared the event to be a miracle “worthy of belief”. One fact of interest is that the altar, altar linens, and ornaments were destroyed by the fire. A chandelier was found melted from the heat, yet the monstrance, which was suspended lower than the chandelier, was not damaged.
The sworn statements from witnesses that were taken at the time of the miracle, are still preserved in the Church. A marble slab was installed beneath the site of the suspended Host and are inscribed with the words “Lieu Du Miracle” - “Place of the Miracle”.
August 14, 1730. The people of Siena, Italy, were celebrating the “Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary”. During the celebrations for the vigil of the feast, while most of the Sienese population and the clergy of the City were attending these services, thieves entered the deserted Church of St. Francis. The thieves picked the lock to the tabernacle on the altar, and carried away the golden ciborium containing many consecrated Hosts.
The theft was discovered the following morning, when the Priest opened the tabernacle at the Communion of the Mass, and when a parishioner found the lid of the ciborium lying in the street, the suspicion of a sacrilege was confirmed. The anguish of the Parishioners forced the cancellation of the traditional festivities for
the feast of “The Assumption”. The Archbishop ordered public prayers of reparation, while the civil authorities began a search for the consecrated Hosts and the thieves who stole them.
Two days later, on August 17, while people were praying at the Church of St Mary of Provenzano, the Priest’s attention was drawn to something protruding from the offery box attached to his ‘prie dieu’. Realizing that it was a Host, he informed the other Priests of the Church, who in turn notified the Archbishop and the Friars of the Church of St. Francis.
The offery box was opened in the presence of the local Priests and the representatives of the Archbishop. A large number of Hosts were found, some of them suspended by cobwebs. The Hosts were compared with some unconsecrated ones used in the Church of St. Francis. They proved to be exactly the same size and to have the same mark of irons upon which they were baked. The number of Hosts corresponded exactly to the number of Hosts the Friars estimated were in the ciborium when it was stolen, three hundred and forty eight whole Hosts and six halves.
Since the offery box was opened but once a year, the Hosts were covered with dust and debris that had collected there and had fallen onto the Hosts when they were placed inside. After being carefully cleaned by the Priests, they were enclosed in a ciborium and placed inside the tabernacle of the main altar of the Church of St. Mary.
The following day many people gathered at the Church. The Arch bishop Alessandro Zondadari carried the Sacred Hosts in a solemn procession back to the Church of St. Francis.
For some unexplained reason the Hosts were not consumed. While the Priests may have been able to clean them, it is likely that not all of the dust was removed. This may have been the reason. Another was that the Hosts had been the victim of a great sacrilege and therefore not consumed. In such cases Hosts had to by law of the Church, be allowed to decay naturally in the course of time. Once decayed it is perceived that ‘Christ is no longer present’ in the Hosts. But two centuries past, and both Priests and lay people began to wonder why the Hosts had not decayed.
The Hosts were examined. Not only had they not deteriorated, but they had remained fresh and even retained a pleasant scent. More time passed, and so the Franciscans became convinced that they were witnessing a continuing miracle of preservation.
Fifty years after the recovery of the stolen Hosts, an official investigation was conducted into the authenticity of a miracle. The Minister General of the Franciscan Order, Father Carlo Vipera examined the Hosts on April 14 1780. Upon tasting one of them, he found it fresh and incorrupt. Some of the Hosts were consumed in Holy Communion services. When there were only two- hundred and thirty Hosts left, an order was given that no more of the consecrated Hosts were to be distributed. The Hosts were placed in a new ciborium.
A more detailed investigation took place in 1789 by Archbishop Tiberio Borghese of Siena, with a number of theologians and other dignitaries. After examining the Hosts under a microscope, the Commission declared that they were perfectly intact. They showed no sign of deterioration. The three Franciscans who had been present at the previous investigation of 1780, were questioned under oath by the Archbishop. It was then reaffirmed that the Hosts under examination were the same ones that were stolen. Every angle was investigated before any judgment was made.
As a test to further confirm whether or not a miracle was taking place, the Archbishop in 1789, ordered several unconsecrated hosts to be sealed in a second box and kept under lock and key in the Chancery Office. Ten years later, the box was opened and the unconsecrated hosts examined. They were found to be disfigured, and withered. The hosts were then placed back into the box and left. In 1850, sixty-one years later, the sealed box was opened for a second time. The unconsecrated hosts were found to have been reduced to particles of a dark yellow color. Meanwhile, the consecrated Hosts of St. Francis of 1730, still retained their original freshness. “These Hosts still contained the presence of Jesus Christ”.
Other examinations were made at intervals over the years. Without doubt each time, exposing the Hosts of St. Francis, openly to the full measure of natural elements. The most significant investigation was conducted in 1914, by the authority of Pope Pius X. For this inquiry the Archbishop selected a distinguished panel of investigators that included scientists and professors from Siena, as well as theologians and Church officials.
Acid and starch tests were performed on one of the Hosts. These showed that the Hosts had a normal starch content. The conclusion reached from microscopic tests indicated that the Hosts had been made of roughly sifted wheat-flour, which was found to be well preserved. The Commission agreed that unleavened bread, if prepared under sterile conditions and kept in an airtight, antiseptically cleaned container, could be kept for an extremely long time. However unleavened bread prepared in a normal fashion and exposed to air and the activity of micro- organisms, would remain intact for no more than a few years.
It was concluded that the stolen Hosts had been both prepared without scientific precautions and kept under ordinary conditions, which should have caused them to decay more than a century before. The Commission concluded that the preservation was extraordinary.
Professor Siro Grimaldi, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Siena and director of the Muncipal Chemical Laboratory, as well as positions in the field of Chemistry, was the Chief Examiner of the Hosts of 1730, in 1914. In his statement of findings he wrote:
“The particles of unleavened bread represent an example of perfect preservation (..) a singular phenomenon that inverts the natural law of the conservation of organic material. It is a fact unique in the annuals of Science”.
In 1922 another investigation was conducted. This one in the presence of Cardinal Giovanni Tacci, who was accompanied by the Archbishop of Siena and the Bishops of Montepulciano, Foligno and Grosseto. Again the results were the same. The Host tasted like unleavened bread, were starchy in composition, as is normal on making, and were preserved as if they had just been freshly baked.
In 1950 the miraculous Hosts were taken from the old ciborium and placed in a more elaborate and costly one, which caught the eye of another thief. Despite the precautions of the clergy, yet another sacrilege had been committed against the same Hosts on the night of August 5, 1951. This time, the thief did not take the Hosts, however. The Hosts were placed in a corner of the tabernacle. Only the container was stolen. After so many Hosts being examined and consumed in the process, only 133 Hosts remained. There were to be no more tests. The Hosts were placed in a silver ciborium. Later after being photographed they were placed in an elaborate container which replaced the one stolen.
To this day, defying the laws of nature, the Hosts are whole and shiny. They still maintain the characteristic scent of fresh unleavened bread. They can be seen in the Basilica of the Church of St. Francis in Sienna, Italy.
The incorrupt consecrated Hosts of Siena. (1730)
Talking about the miracle Hosts, Father Gannini of Siena said:
“When speaking about the authenticity of the miracle one has to point out that it is impossible to reproduce the same Hosts of the 18th century. When it comes to the picture that was stamped onto it through the baking, and the type of flour that was used. All these details were recorded and the pattern of the irons and the flour type does not exist in modern times.
“There is another reason why it would not work to replace the Hosts with new ones. When you look into the Sacred Chalice, you will see that the Archbishops seal has not been broken. You will also see that the Sacred Vessel is not air tight. There is nothing that would prevent, air, dust, humidity, changes in temperature from affecting the Hosts. Air, dust, heat, humidity are all factors that would accelerate the rate of decomposition of these Hosts”.
In September 1793, a miracle of the Eucharist occurred in Pezilla-la Riviere. The French Revolution raged together with a reign of terror throughout the town. Religious were being hunted by police, Churches destroyed or sold. In a small village Church were five consecrated Hosts. One large Host was taken to the home of Jean Bonafas while four smaller Hosts in a pyx were entrusted to Rose Llorens. Jean placed the Host she had, in a wooden chest and hid it under the floor of his house. Rose placed the Hosts in a glass cup with a lid on it. The glass cup was then placed in a red silk purse.
Nearly seven years later, during the final days of the Revolution, the four Hosts were removed from the glass cup. A dark brown ring had formed around the outer edge of the jar. Several days later the wooden chest was opened and the large Host was still inside the Monstrance. It was still very white and in the same condition as it was when it was hidden seven years earlier.
The incorrupt Hosts were placed in a newly constructed tabernacle behind the main altar. They remained incorrupt, until in 1930, without any known cause they quickly decomposed. The Lord had left the Hosts, and the miracle was over.
1822, the French Revolution was over. Bordeaux received several new religious communities. One of the new communities, was ‘The Holy Family of Bordeaux’. The officiating Priest at Benediction wrote an official account of what took place there. He wrote that when exposing the Blessed Sacrament, he saw the head, chest and arms of Jesus Christ, in the middle circle that surrounded Him as a frame-like painting, but yet He looked alive. The Mother Superior of the Order also saw this, as did an altar boy and many people in the Church.
On the basis of these reports, the Archbishop of Bordeaux announced the Church’s recognition of a miracle. Because of the many document accounts of the event by witnesses, Pope Leo X111 also pronounced that a miracle had taken place and “The Feast of the Holy Family” was established.
This is not the first time that this type of miracle has been reported to have occurred. One similar miracle took place in Walldurn in Germany. During Mass, after the consecration of the wine, the Chalice was tipped accidentally. All of the consecrated wine spilled out on to the corporal. Immediately the contents formed the image if eleven thorn- crowned heads. The corporal was photographed under ultra violet light. These photographs revealed not only the thorn crowned heads, but also the crucified image of Jesus Christ.
Impression of the miracle in Walldurn.
In the French owned Reunion Island, in the region of the Indian Ocean, in 1905, the Blessed Sacrament ‘The Eucharist’ housed in a monstrance, was exposed on the altar for a forty hour vigil. After this, Mass was celebrated. During Mass, Father Lacombe, a Priest at St Andrew’s Church, looked up and saw the face of Jesus Christ as if in agony, in the monstrance.
Fearing what he was seeing was an optical illusion, he said nothing. But after Mass a man asked Father to bless a medal. Wanting to see if the image of Christ in the Host was an illusion, Father Lacombe sent the man to look at the Host in the monstrance. The man hurried back, crying out that there was the face of a man in the Host.
His cry caused the altar boys to approach the Host and they too, saw the face of a man as in agony. With them was a little girl, who had picked up on the commotion. She saw the face. Later she said: “I cannot forget what I have seen. I will always remember the face of Our Lord (..) It has made an incredible mark on my life”.
Word of the miracle of the Holy Face of Christ spread quickly across the Island. People flocked to the Church of St Andrew, to see the face of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. At about 2:00. PM, the image changed to that of a crucifix. The crowds gathered to adore ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ present in the Eucharist. Everyone saw the miracle and gave testimony it. As the crowds began to sing ‘Tantum Ergo’the image of the crucifix disappeared.
The local Bishop began an investigation. Statements from many, many witnesses were taken, as well as one from the Priest and altar servers. Those who were not present tried to discredit what took place, and hurled abuse at Father Lacombe. But there were too many testimonies for the event to be dismissed. The Bishop ordered that the Host be preserved.
John Traynor was left a paralyzed epileptic following a head wound he received while in combat during World War 1. He was a mass of sores, his body shrunk leaving him just skin and bones. His arm was useless, paralyzed and he had a large hole in his skull.
Every effort to improve his condition had been tried by medical science. There was nothing they could do for him. In 1923, he was taken to Lourdes in hope that the waters there would cure him. They did not. However a miracle did occur through the Eucharist. In his own words John tells what took place.
“The Archbishop of Rheims, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, blessed the two ahead of me. He came to me, made the sign of the Cross with the monstrance containing the Eucharist, he then moved on to the next person.
“He had just passed by, when I realized that a great change had taken place in me. My right arm, which had been dead since 1915 was violently agitated.”
John Traynor was completely cured. He was no longer paralyzed, he no longer had epilepsy, his body regained its normal posture and his head wound was healed as if it had never been there. Every year John returned to Lourdes to give thanks to
God for his healing. He died a natural death in 1942.
A more personal event surrounds the Parish Priest of Moncada in Spain. He had been a devoted Priest for many years, without ever questioning his vocation or faith. This changed and he began to doubt if he had the right to be ordained, as he violently doubted the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. So fierce were his doubts that he planned to travel to see his Bishop with a view of leaving the Priesthood.
He traveled to Valencia, the head diocese of his Parish. Before he could place his case before the Bishop, he was asked to offer Mass in the Church. It was Christmas, and he reached the point of saying the consecration. As he did so his hands were shaking, he felt he should not be offering a consecration that he no longer believed in. In a quivering voice, he took the host and pronounced the words of transubstantiation.
As he raised the now ‘Consecrated Host’, a cry from the pews rang out through the Church. A little boy, just five years old shouted:“O Mama, what a lovely child! See there Mama, he is up on the altar”
The boy stood up and began to clap. His mother, now embarrassed at her son’s behavior bid him to sit down and behave. The Priest continued again raising the Eucharist up before the congregation. Again the boy sung out: “Such a beautiful child Mama, just like the little baby over there in the crib”.
Something about his insistence began to have his mother wonder whether or not her young son was in fact seeing a baby instead of the Host. A second Mass was held that evening and she took her boy back to the Church.
The same Priest was offering Mass. At the same point, when the consecrated Host was lifted for all the congregation to gaze upon, the little boy excitedly cried out
“O there he is again, Mama don’t you see? The Priest is holding him in his hands, now he has laid him on the altar”!
The boy’s mother told him to be quiet. She could not see anything but the Host. However she was now certain her son was seeing a baby. Baby Jesus. The next day she took him to a third Mass and at the time of the elevation, the same scene was enacted as before. The mother repeated what was happening to others in the Church and through them the doubting Priest was told of the boy’s experience.
The Priest, however did not believe the boy. He questioned him. The boy seemed so matter of fact, and confused that no one could see the baby held up by this Priest on the altar, not even the Priest who held him.
The Priest himself was confused. Was it just coincidence that this was being reported by one so young at the very time he was planning to speak to the Bishop about resigning? He decided to put the whole thing to the test by trying to trick the boy. Before consecration a host is simply bread. Only after consecration does it become the Body of Jesus Christ. The child was young. If it were a trick or an illusion there was one sure way of finding out.
During Mass the Priest took three particles of unleavened bread on to the altar, he placed two upon the corporal and consecrated them, leaving the third one unconsecrated but within reach. After Mass had ended, he called the little boy to the altar and asked him if he saw the infant in either of the particles, and, “if so, in which?”
“O yes Father” said the boy. “There he is! See he is stretching out his hands” The little boy seemed excited. On pointing to the other host, the Priest asked if he could see the baby on it. The child answered “no” “Are you quite sure?” the Priest asked“O yes, there is nothing there but bread” the boy answered.
The child had seen a baby in the consecrated Hosts but without knowing that a third host was not consecrated, stated that he saw no one there. This restored the faith of the Priest. He needed no counsel and returned, sure in both his faith and vocation, back to his Parish Church.
Betania, December 8 1991. During the celebration of Mass, Father Otty Ossa Aristizabal had just consecrated the Host, when something incredible happened.
“I consecrated the Host” he said “and I broke it into four parts. I ate one of the parts and left the three other parts on the plate. When I looked into the plate I could not believe my eyes. I saw a red stain forming on one of the Hosts. A red substance which began to pour, similar to the way blood spurts out from a puncture.
“I put the Host in the Sanctuary. The next day at six in the morning, I observed the Host and I found that the blood was still fresh and pouring down. After that, I put the Host into the monstrance. Some photographs were taken of it and then it was placed openly for all people to see.”
At the time the Host began to bleed, the Church was full. Everyone who was in attendance witnessed this miracle. It was later filmed by an amateur photographer.
Tom Rooney was one witness who first saw the miracle and the following day was allowed to film it.
“As I first saw the Host, my reaction in my head was holy (..) it’s red, it’s real blood. I realized what I had said to the Blessed Sacrament, but that was my reaction. It was quite amazing.”
Tom filmed the Host when it was placed into the monstrance the following morning.
“I stood there for half a minute or so, and I remember very well that the Priest actually stopped and held it for me to film. I was trying to keep myself steady. I was also trying to keep my camcorder steady. I could see the blood flowing out of the Host, it was just flowing down, you could see it collecting at the bottom of the glass.
“It was the most incredible thing you could possibly imagine. You could see that it was blood. It was blood and it was flowing out of the Host.”
Another witness who saw the Host bleed is a man named Pat Stramandinoi.
“I was on the altar. I couldn’t have been more than one or two feet away from it. I saw the red dot appear on the Host like a line coming off of it dropping down and it was a Host bleeding, right there in front of me. This miracle; this happening, as far as I am concerned just couldn’t be fake. I was there. I saw it. I believe it so much that my own life has changed. Now ever since that day in Betania, I go to Church every day”.
Father Otty Ossa Aristizabal has own views on why this event took place.
He said: “I have always been a Priest. I used to wake up at five every morning just to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. To me this miracle is a call to conversion- to a Eucharistic devotion. For our faith to be Christ centered and Eucharistic.
"It proves to us that Jesus continues to bleed in the Host because of the sins of men. It bleeds for the sins of this world. For what has taken place within this century, the violence, the hatred and anger in the hearts of men.”
The Bleeding Host was taken to the Bishop’s residence. Later the Host was submitted for a thorough medical examination in the Forensic Laboratory of Venezuela, South America. The results of the examination showed that the Host was excreting human blood: group AB. The same blood group as found on the Shroud of Turin and on previous bleeding Hosts.
The Bleeding Host of Betania as it looks today.
An American Lady who died of cancer at the age of 39, in her life time kept a diary. In this diary she wrote to Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. Like all diaries, they are personal, private and contain the in most thoughts of ones heart.
It is the source of the account of this Eucharistic miracle, that makes it stand out. No one keeps a diary and lies in it. Terry was not a child full of fantasy. She wrote what she saw, what she experienced and these writings were not looked at by anyone until after she had passed away and they were found among her belongings.
This is what Terry wrote.
“December 28, 1991.
Dear Mary,
How do I put into human words the Gift Your Son gave me on Christmas - twice. I do not understand why He did this - but surely You and He will help me. Let me begin in sequence - for about a month as I have served on the altar I felt His coming at the moment of Consecration. It was a strong feeling of LOVE and PEACE - only experienced before by me - well you know - at my ‘almost death’. Last week I, noted the day after receiving Holy Communion, I felt Your Son in me, a warm glow that did not die all day, and not since. I think of Him, O my soul stirs.
To midnight Mass. I was wearing my green velvet dress under my robe. As Father Coughlin held THE HOST out flat over the Chalice, I saw part of me, in outline, yet attached to me still, go out and kneel beside Father Hauf on my end, I saw a light, with a form or mist or substance in the middle descend, out of that mist a form took shape, a part of a tunic. His Hand came out and touched the face ‘me’ that was kneeling (in my dress not robe - as in outline form). I felt the caress thesame time His Hand touched that face. LOVE, PEACE, JOY, what a feeling. The shape went back to ‘mist’ with Light on either side, descended into the Host, down to the Chalice and remained between the two, until the consecration ended. Time was suspended, I did not hear anything until the Consecration was over (..)
The next day, am. Mass, Fr. Hauf as celebrant. The Mist ‘in the middle light’ descending. I saw with my human eyes only, so briefly, but so lasting. God, one trine, descended into our poor human bread and wine.
I saw transubstantion - whom do I tell? I want to tell everyone, ‘yes it really is God’. I wish everyone who receives could feel that glow at least. O Mary, ask Him. Such a healing LOVE and glow. Guide me please. Thank You Jesus for my gift.
Love Terry.”
A friend of Terry attended the Midnight Mass that Terry wrote about. Kathi Durborrow, also from America, explained:
“Terry died on June 21 1994, after two years with cancer at the age of 39. Before, she had, had a very dangerous reaction to prescription drugs in college and had what is called a near death.
“She saw Jesus, and all she could say to Father the day he gave her ‘Viaticum’ was ‘Tell them He is Love’. She kept repeating it.
“I was at the midnight Mass Terry speaks of here. I watched her after the consecration and she was dazed - didn’t seem to remember what she was supposed to be doing. I wondered what was up. It took her at least three months to share it with me. I took her journals when she died. The Lord understands why.”
Julia Kim’s life has been one of suffering. A young mother of two, she discovered she had terminal cancer. Her husband worked and he left her in the care of a Christian Women's group. As her condition worsened, she began to feel a burden. She described how when the women were with her, she felt they were waiting for her to die. Her illness was a burden to them and they were growing impatient.
Julia bid them to leave her politely. Her husband at work, she decided to kill herself. She was dying anyway and she felt it was the kindest thing she could do. She prepared a cocktail of drugs and had just began to take them, when her husband returned home from work, early. He had forgotten something. He was shocked and horrified by what he saw.
Not knowing what to do, he picked her up, both were sobbing. He took her to the nearest Church. She was not a Catholic, but the Priest welcomed her. The Sacred Host was exposed on the altar and people were in the pews praying.
Julia's husband went to speak with the Parish Priest, telling him of his wife’s suicide attempt. The Priest sat next to Julia, gently they talked. The Priest prayed with her. Julia felt a burning sensation going through her body. At first she began to panic. It slowly subsided. When it left her, it took with it all of her pain. She no longer felt sick or weak. Later doctors confirmed that her cancer was gone. Julia was no longer dying.
She became a Catholic. On September 22, 1995 Julia received a consecrated Host on her tongue, during Mass. In her own words she describes what happened:
“We received Holy Communion (Host and Chalice). The moment I received both species in my mouth, I felt the Host and the Blood become mixed and the Host beginning to swell. At the same time I smelled a strong odor of Blood, and the sacred Host began moving.
“People saw this and reported it to Bishop Danylak. The Bishop observed this along with others present. A while later Bishop Danylak instructed me to swallow the Host. I swallowed the Host with much difficulty, because it had changed into a piece of Flesh, and had become larger. We were crying and we prayed.
“Then I saw a light coming down and I heard the voice. He said
(...) ‘If my Priests, who celebrate Mass daily, would truly believe in and seek to experience this Presence with their whole heart and would live the sublime Divine reality such as it is, innumerable souls would be purified and would live in My Merciful Heart with a grace that is beyond all expectations. Make haste to make my real Presence known. (..)”
Bishop Roman Danylak, Apostolic Administer of the Eparchy of Toronto for Ukrainian Catholics in Toronto, Canada, and titular of Nyssa, gave an account of what he and others witnessed on September 22, 1995.
“I concelebrated the Divine Liturgy, or Holy Mass, with the Reverend Fathers, Aloysius Chang, Parish Priest of the Kwangju Archdiocese in Korea, who was invited by me to assist during my visit to Korea; and Joseph Peter Finn, retired Priest of the Diocese of London, Canada, on Friday, September 22, at 5 p.m. in an open air celebration on the grounds of the valley (..).
“Following the Liturgy of the Word, I delivered a brief homily for the occasion. After the Communion of the Priests, Fr Chang and I administered Holy Communion under both species to Julia Kim and eleven others present. We heard a sudden sobbing of one women assisting at Mass. The Sacred Host received by Julia Kim was changed to living Flesh and Blood. Father Joseph Finn, who had remained at the altar during the Communion of the faithful, was observing Julia; he noted at the moment he turned to observe Julia, he saw the white edge of the Host disappearing and changing into the substance of living Flesh.
“Fr Chang and I returned to Julia. The Host had changed to dark red, living Flesh and Blood flowing from it. After Mass, Julia told us that she had experienced the Divine Flesh as a thick consistency and a copious flowing of Blood. (...) After some moments, I asked Julia to consume the Host. (..) The taste of Blood remained in her mouth for sometime. I then asked that she be given a glass of water. (..)”
Julia Kim has on other occasions had the same event happen after receiving the Eucharist. Occasionally as the Host changes in her mouth, the statues in the Church appear to cry tears of blood or just plain tears.
The Archbishop of her Diocese however orders each time that the Host has to be swallowed. There is about five events of this miracle. There was an investigation, that ruled that there was no evidence of anything supernatural occurring. But with all respect to the Archbishop, it does seem strange that such a ruling is made, when it is ordered that the evidence is consumed.
I, myself witnessed the Host change in the mouth of Julia Kim, and it is for this reason, despite the ruling I have added this event in this chapter. After the change, the Host appears to have a wound. Blood pours out from it and as you see it begin to clear, more blood flows out, as if from an open wound. It seems impossible that something of the size of the Host, could bleed so much. As a witness, it seems to me impossible to fake. I feel it is a shame that the Host was not examined properly.
Host turns to Flesh and Blood in the mouth of Julia Kim,
South Korea, in September 1995.
In Barbeau, Michigan, a consecrated Host that had been laid ready to be disposed of changed into Flesh and Blood. It could be that this manner of disposal is not pleasing to God and that it could be considered a violation of the “Body of Jesus Christ”. The event took place at the Holy Family Church in 1996. The Pastor,
Rev: Mark McQuesten described what took place.
“On Sunday, February 4, 1996 at the mission Church of the Holy Family in Barbeau. A consecrated Host dropped from the hands of a Eucharistic Minister onto a patent. The new lay Minister of the Eucharist believed it to be necessary to give this Host to the Priest following the distribution of Holy Communion and to have him place it in the ablution cup located next to the tabernacle. Unknown tome at the time, the Host had not dropped to the floor or touched a communicant.
“The Host was, as is the custom today, placed into the ablution dish to make the Host soluble to be poured into the sacrarium. (The sacrarium is a sink whose pipe flows directly to the ground beneath the Church building and into which residue particles of the Body of Christ or the residue Blood from the Chalice would bedeposited).
“Due to the inclement weather, the normally scheduled week day Mass to be celebrated on Wednesday, February 7th, was canceled and the Host remained in the ablution cup throughout the week.
“On Sunday the 11th, I was greeted at the door of the Church, just prior to the start of the Mass, announcing that the Host in the cup was visibly changing color, the color red. I approached the altar and peered within the cup to find indeed a dime-sized red spot had manifested itself upon the Host. The Host in the cup, although engorged with water, substantially retained its shape, which was some what itself surprising, although not totally without precedent.
“The first photograph was taken the following day by one of our Parishioners on Monday, February 12. This photo showed the dime-sized red spot on the Host. Then I discussed this with the Bishop, and he related an incident that he experienced in Cincinnati and it was found to be fungus. His advice was to simply dispose of it in the appropriate way in the sacrarium.
“Mass at Barbeau on St. Valentine’s day was celebrated at Holy Family that evening. There were three times the number of people there for Mass. I allowed those gathered there to see the Host in the ablution cup.
“A reporter from Channel seven and four out of Traverse City called to schedule an interview. The reporter was a delightful young man and a recent convert to the Faith, which would certainly facilitate communication between us. I thought it important to speak with reporters and the newscasters directly to minimize any misunderstandings and to make sure that what the media heard was as close to the source as possible.
“By the 18th of February, the contents of the dish had taken on the shading of pinkish-red. Following Sunday Mass, I placed the cup on the altar for the faithful to view.
“Ash Wednesday, February 21, the Church building was full. It is 9 am. Wednesday morning and we are celebrating Mass, distributing ashes, exposing the Consecrated Host in the ablution dish, the Host still maintaining its integrity.
During the exposition the people were praying the stations of the Cross and we concluded with Benediction. It has been years since that has taken place at Holy Family. The Monstrance is being used for the first time since being repaired and restored. It is no surprise that the ablution cup fitted directly into the Monstrance.
“The 22nd of February was the day that the news reporter, Jeff Smith, had asked to interview me and to shoot some short footage of the Barbeau Church. Jeff videoed at length the Church building, myself and the ablution dish. I had no idea that the broadcast which was aired on T. V. 7 and 4 would be picked up by practically every station in the State and Canadian Sault. Needless to say, I was about to receive a call from my Bishop. He was curious about my not having disposed of the Host yet as he had suggested. There was no doubt as to what I was expected to do. I assured him that I would obey his wishes.
“I did not tell the Bishop that I had already agreed on a special Mass to be celebrated on the following Saturday morning, February 24th, in honor of the gift of the Holy Eucharist. By then it was too late to cancel the celebration. I thought it was important to give thanks and praise to God for the great gift that we have in the Eucharist, and especially in this wonderful manifestation. I knew only too well, that I had to carry out the wishes of the Bishop in a spirit of charity and obedience.
“Each person gathered there that morning had an opportunity to see and be touched on their forehead by the vessel that held the Lord. This was done in the Presence of the Lord in the Eucharistic Host set aside for normal exposition in the monstrance and not in place of it.
“I was resolved for a time that the Bishop would have to be the one to dispose of the Host, since it was he who had instructed me to dispose of it. I later decided against such a consideration in light of the fact that I believed that it was a revelation of God and it had been given over to me. It was my responsibility to dispose of it.
“It was on the evening of Monday, February 26, that I touched the Host for the first time. It had the feel of Flesh and Blood, the appearance of Flesh and Blood. I had to tear the Host and break it into pieces. I had to flee from the sacristy for the touch was too real. It was as though I had placed my hands into His side and my fingers into the nail prints in His hands”
The Host of Michigan: taken Monday, February 12 1996.
It has since been destroyed without any investigation by the Church.
A second Eucharistic miracle, involving the Bleeding Host of Betania, took place on November 13 1998. Of all the miracles to have taken place, this one is without doubt, one of the greatest proofs that the real Presence of Jesus Christ is in the Eucharist. Also this miracle shows that people who have visions, or apparitions do not have a mental disorder or epilepsy, as has been claimed. It is impossible to fake this.
The miracle involves an American man who traveled to Betania on pilgrimage. On his pilgrimage he was taken with a group to see the “miraculous Host” of Betania. Many people took photographs or they videoed the Host. They saw only the blood stained Host.
Daniel Sandford from New Jersey saw something completely different. He had a vision. The Host was on fire, burning with flames. A bit like the burning bush in the time of Moses, the flames did not consume the Host. He saw the Host again begin to bleed and a beating heart lay in the center of the Host.
Now, it could be said that Daniel imagined this. But although only he saw it, many people were there looking at the Host, Daniel filmed it. More than this, as soon as the vision ended, he rewound his camcorder and what he saw in vision, was captured on film. He had never visited Betania before. He rewound his film over and over and it was seen by all who were present. A camcorder can not have a mental illness, not epilepsy, nor can a film that was recorded and played straight away in the presence of many people, be faked. This happened!
In Daniel’s own words, he describes what took place in 1998.
“We took a trip down to a place called Betania. The pilgrimage was organized by a prayer group from Medford Lakes New Jersey. The leader of the prayer group told me I could go with them. We arrived in Betania on the November 12 and on the following day we were told that we would be going to see the Bleeding Host.
“The Bleeding Host is a Host that was consecrated in 1991 at a Midnight Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Priest held it up, it was blessed, put down on the altar and then it started to bleed, but he took it off of the altar and it has been preserved in a monstrance ever since, and it is seen by all of the tourists that go down to Los Teques, myself being one of them.
“Now we were led by the Spiritual Director Father Mazzarella, who took us over there on the bus. We went into the Chapel of the Convent of the Augustian nuns who are the care-takers of the Host. They were very hospitable to us. They showed us where the Host was kept, which is behind the doors of the tabernacle.
“We celebrated Mass, Father Mazzarella said Mass. After Mass he told us we could see the Host, we could photograph it and film it, but we were not to use any flashes, which I did not. So as the tabernacle door was opened I saw the Host and what I saw, first with my own eyes before I even pushed the record button on my camcorder, I saw flames, I saw a pulsating heart, which resembles the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and blood coming out right in front of my eyes.
“I pushed the button and started recording. I recorded for a couple of minutes, but even after the flames had died down I continued to video. I went down and then filmed the people, to show that I was still recording.
“Father Mazzarella came walking in from the back of the Chapel. I rewound the film and showed it to him, not knowing if I had captured the vision or not. He looked into the video side screen and saw what I saw, in my camcorder. By the way, it was a R.C.A. using VHS film. So after he saw it, I showed it to the nuns that were in the Chapel, I showed it to the tour guide, the bus driver. There was about twenty-five people there who looked at it. I got tired of re-running it but everyone got to see it.
“What I saw with my eyes is just incredible and what can be seen on the video is what I saw, nothing more, nothing less. (..) I filmed to the right of it, I filmed to the left of it, there was nothing there to throw any light on it.
“Many other people were taking pictures, they had pictures of the Host with nothing in there but the Host, no flames, no heart, no bleeding. Why this is, I do not know. All I know is that I saw it and I filmed it. No one else saw or filmed this miracle.”
In the video you can see plainly, the Host of Betania, in the same monstrance as it is seen in video recordings from 1991. There is without doubt, flames. The Host appears on fire with large flames that cannot be mistaken for lights or shadows. They engulf the Host but the Host is not burnt, or consumed. Blood is pouring out and in the center out from the flames, a small heart is seen beating to the rhythm of a normal heartbeat. The flames die down and disappear. The blood and heart disappear, all at the same time. All then that is seen is the blood stained Host as it was left once the bleeding had stopped in 1991. You then see people, not a crowd, in the pews and they are kneeling in prayer.
Daniel Sanford gives this video to anyone requesting it.
He said: “I have had requests from people all over the world. So far I have sent out about eight thousand copies. I would like to make that number as high as eight million. This miracle was not just for me but for everyone. I want everyone to benefit from it. So that they can see that the Eucharist really does contain the real presence of Jesus Christ.”
Miracle Host of Betania when it became engulfed with flames- taken from Dan Sanford film. ~ Close up image of fire - Bishop approved.
It is impossible to write all of the reports of miracles pertaining to the Eucharist in one chapter. To write them all would mean devoting a whole book to this one subject. But the fact is “the works” that Jesus referred to “If you cannot believe my words, believe because of the works I do (...)” The works are there. Supernatural works, miracles.
There are some who shout the same words in regard to such miracles as the Pharisees did in response to the miracles of Jesus: “It is a trick of the devil!” How many times these words have been said. But the answer to this is very simple. Why would Satan perform miracles to lead us to God? Well he would not. Many people who do not believe in God, learn of, or witness these miracles and believe. They change their lives, they become “good” “holy”. Satan would not want that.
Just because we do not understand something that happens, does not mean it has not happened. We only question it because it defies the laws of nature. It is especially hard to understand how the miracle of the Eucharist works, how it can be done. But then we do not even understand the miracle of life which we all see and all experience.
Even among those whose own Church Doctrine declares it, has trouble accepting the concept of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. According to Father DeGrandis, seventy percent of Roman Catholics world-wide do not believe in the “Real Presence”. Fr DeGrandis, a member of the Society of St. Joseph, explains the concept of the “Real Presence” this way:
“If you look at the magnified first cell of a baby, the cell resembles a consecrated Host. The entire person to be born is contained in that tiny little cell, but you cannot see that person, just as the consecrated Host contains Jesus in His entirety. The first cell of the baby contains the complete DNA chain and the entire genetic map of that baby. So, too, all of Jesus is contained in that small piece of consecrated, unleavened bread. In both cases, don’t believe in your eyes alone, or you will be deceived.
“Not only does the Lord communicate with us frequently, but there are often miracles of grace. For instance we know of at least three instances in which the Priest has broken the Host in the Mass, and it has started to bleed (...). I know of two other places, one in Massachusetts and one in New Jersey, where the same miracle happened recently. I believe our Lord is trying to tell people: ‘I am real. Do not take me for granted. Be open to me and be sensitive to me.’
“I was giving a talk in Ogden, Utah, and I was told that on nine separate occasions there appeared drops of the precious Blood on the outside of the Chalice. I was talking to another Priest about these red drops which we considered the Precious Blood. He said: “Oh, that’s just the wine that has gone through the Chalice and come out on the other side”. Then, Father Lawrence, the Pastor of a Catholic Church said, “Yes, but I use white wine and these were red drops!”.”
Sister Breige McKenna in her book “Miracles do happen” tells of a woman in Australia who had cancer of the stomach. She came forward and her stomach was distended, really protruding. She told Sister Breige that there was nothing they could do as the cancer had progressed too far to operate. Sister Breige said: “Look at you. You are going to receive Communion when you go to Mass. Ask the Lord to Bless you, to touch you”. After Mass the woman ran up to Sister Breige, saying:
“Sister, it happened. Look at me, I came to you this morning. I went to Mass as you said. When I was walking up to Communion, I said to myself, ‘In a few minutes, I am going to meet Jesus. I’m going to take Him in my hand and I will ask Him for His help.’
While this Catholic woman received Communion often for thirty years, this time she perceived Jesus in the Host and she said “I know you are really here. Today when You come into me, take away this fear. Heal me if You want, but please do something for me”.
The woman continued to say: “I had no sooner put the Host on my tongue and swallowed it than I felt as though something was burning my throat and down into my stomach. I looked down at my stomach and the growth was gone” That woman was healed.
There are many accounts of personal healings through the Eucharist. A woman in America tells how she was healed after receiving the Host, while she was praying for a healing for her sister. This is her story:
“Two doctors told me that I was going to be in a wheel chair for the rest of my life, because my bones were already deteriorating and I had pains in my ankles, my knees, my hips and my joints. I came to the convention during the homily time and when Father said that the Lord could heal, I started praying for my sister because she was going blind. My mother had been blind for fifty years and I had took care of her, so I said ‘who is going to take care of my sister now when she goes blind and I am in a wheelchair?’ I had already accepted that I was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I started praying really hard for my sister”.
The Sacred Host was on the altar exposed. The Priest began to call people up to the altar to receive God’s grace.
“I was sitting there, praying that he would call my sister, when all of a sudden he said: ‘You, in the red coat sitting in the wheelchair, please come up here. The Lord healed you.’ I thought he had said the Lord had healed my sister, so I don’t know how I got up there. I know now, but then I didn’t know.
“When I got up there on the stage, he asked me ‘How did you feel when the Lord healed you?’ I said: ‘He must have healed my sister because I was praying very hard for her’. He said ‘He probably did, but He healed you too’. At that time, when he said this, I realized for the first time that I was standing up on that altar, without my wheelchair.”
Another account of a vision being seen during the consecration of the host, happened in America. This testimony is very similar to the events recorded in the diary of the woman named Terry.
“I was in Galveston on Saturday, September 27, 1997, because we had to go there for a music lesson. We usually went a little early to attend the 8 am. service, and this particular morning Father Paul Banet, the Pastor of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, was saying Mass. The time came for Father to raise the large host up and consecrate it. After the host was raised a little over eye level, I looked in amazement as three lights appeared, and seemed to be dancing on the host. The lights resembled flames. Father held the host up for what seemed ten to fifteen seconds, and the flame like lights continued to dance on the large host the entire time.
“I have been to Mass at Holy Rosary numerous times and observed the consecration of the host, and have never seen any light on the host or anything like this. I was so in awe I was mesmerized, and failed to alert the people around me. But after Mass I went into the Rectory. After exchanging pleasantries with Father Paul, I asked him if he had seen the lights on the host. His answer was simple and powerful: ‘Yes’ he said. I realized then that this had been a truly beautiful manifestation of the Presence of the Blessed Trinity in the Eucharist, and I had been most privileged to witness it.”
Although only a few testimonies of Eucharistic miracles are recorded here, there is enough to give food for thought. It takes one, just one, to be real, and the case for the Real Presence of Jesus Christ is proved. It is likely that there are more unrecorded miracles than those we know about. On many occasions, both with personal healings of terminal illnesses, and Hosts that have been scientifically examined at great length, give a result that defies the law of nature. What does this tell us? The answer is left to the individual. For those who see the evidence, belief is “by reason of logic.” Believing or not believing makes no difference to the facts. But what we conclude from the evidence “the works” may very well make a difference to us as individuals, in this life and just maybe, in the next.
The scene of Adoration at the service
when the film of the miracle Host was recorded.
Extract from "God Exists. The Evidence"
copyright@Sue Burton
Continued >>>>
"Typed by:
Sue Burton, Sacred Heart Publications UK.
@Copy right Sue Burton & Marianne Eichhorn.
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