Eucharistic Miracles: Incredible Signs of Jesus' Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament
As Catholics we believe that when Jesus said these words in Sacred Scripture that He truly meant them.
“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
-Luke 22:19
As Catholics we believe that when Jesus said these words in Sacred Scripture that He truly meant them. The Eucharist is not merely a symbol, but really the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is an incredible gift given to each one of us that we can lovingly accept at each and every Mass.
Throughout Church history, God has confirmed this great mystery in extraordinary ways. These Eucharistic Miracles serve as powerful reminders of Christ’s real presence among us.
So this month, as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, let’s explore some of these great miracles.
Lanciano, Italy
The Miracle at Lanciano is one of the oldest Eucharistic Miracle dating back to the 8th Century. A priest experiencing doubt about the True Presence found that, while praying the words of Consecration at Mass, the bread and wine turned into human flesh and blood.
The blood coagulated into five globules, which many believe represents the five wounds of Christ.
Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s by doctors of human anatomy and histology, as well as the World Health Organization, found that the flesh was fresh (rather than 1200 years old) and had the same structure as human heart tissue. The globules of blood were determined to be of type AB.
Having remained preserved until this day, you can still visit the flesh and blood at Lanciano’s Church of San Francesco.
Betania, Venezuela
Studies conducted on a 1991 miracle that took place in Venezuela had similar findings.
During the consecration at Mass, a priest broke the host into four sections and consumed one piece himself; one of the remaining pieces began to bleed. The studies confirmed that the blood was taken from a living heart and was of type AB.
This miraculous host is on display at the Augustinian Recollects convent of the nuns of the Sacred Heart in Los Teques.
Santarém, Portugal
In the 13th Century, a woman sought help from a sorceress when she found out her husband had been unfaithful to her. The sorceress promised to make her husband loving again for the price of one consecrated host. The woman agreed.
She managed to smuggle a host out of mass in a handkerchief; however, before she could return it to the sorceress, the cloth became stained with blood. Frightened, the woman hid the host and the cloth in a drawer. That night, the drawer emitted a bright light.
The woman repented and returned the host to the Church, now called the Church of the Holy Miracle.
Chirattakonam, India
The Church has still seen its share of Eucharistic Miracles even in our current century, like the 2001 miracle at a parish church in Chirattakonam, India.
The priest at St. Mary’s Church exposed the Blessed Sacrament before mass one morning, and quickly noticed three dots appearing on the Host. When he returned, vested for mass, he found that there was now the image of man’s face–an image that became more clearly the image of Christ crowned with thorns.
The Archbishop who investigated this event wrote: “For us believers what we have seen is something that we have always believed…”
The host still remains enshrined in the Church.
Legnica, Poland
One of the most recent Eucharistic miracles occurred on Christmas Day 2013 at St. Hyacinth’s Shrine in Legnica, Poland when a consecrated host fell on the floor. Following the procedure, the host was placed in water to dissolve when suddenly, a reddish color appeared on it.
Various research institutes including the Department of Forensic Medicine in Szczecin which found the contained tissue from a human heart. Other tests found that this tissue showed signs that the tissue had experienced great distress or agony.
It was approved for veneration in 2016.
These are only a few of the extraordinary miracles God has given us to confirm Christ’ true presence here on earth.
In fact, Blessed Carlo Acutis who described the Eucharist as “my highway to heaven” created a website to highlight miracles of the Eucharist around the world.
You can still visit this site to read more about the profound love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
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