Eucharistic miracle

Eucharistic miracle is any miracle involving the Eucharist, regarding which the most prominent Christian denominations, especially the Catholic Church, teach that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, which is by itself a Eucharistic miracle; however, this is to be distinguished from other manifestations of God. Eucharistic miracles are most known and emphasized within the context of the Catholic Church, which distinguishes between divine revelation, such as the Eucharist, and private revelation, such as Eucharistic miracles.

In general, reported Eucharistic miracles usually consist of unexplainable phenomena such as consecrated Hosts visibly transforming into myocardium tissue, being preserved for extremely long stretches of time, surviving being thrown into fire, bleeding, or even sustaining people for decades. In the Catholic Church, a special task-force^[1] or commission scientifically investigates supposed Eucharistic miracles before deciding whether they are "worthy of belief," in order to differentiate real Eucharistic miracles from cases of contamination by bacteria, such as Neurospora crassa or Serratia marcescens.

As with other private revelations, such as Marian apparitions, belief in approved miracles is not mandated by the Catholic Church, but often serves to reassure believers of God's presence or as the means to "send a message" to the population at large.^{[citation needed]}

The Catholic Church differentiates between true miracles and occurrences that are explainable by natural causes. For example, in 2006, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas gave over a Eucharist host that turned red while in a glass for the analysis by two University of Dallas biology professors who concluded it was naturally explicable, as Bishop Charles Victor Grahmann wrote that "… the object is a combination of fungal mycelia and bacterial colonies that have been incubated within the aquatic environment of the glass during the four-week period in which it was stored in the open air."^[2] In contrast, with regards to the Eucharistic miracle at Sokółka in 2008, "The results of the testing by Professor Maria Sobaniec-Łotowska [pl] (from the Department of Medical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Białystok (UMB)) and by Professor Stanisław Sulkowski (from the Department of General Pathomorphology, UMB) are consistent and indicate the presence of human heart tissue with specific pathomorphological changes."^[3] The professors wrote in an academic article that "the tissue fragments observed under the microscope undoubtedly belong to the human heart and look as if the sample had been taken from the heart of a living person in agony."^[3] Further details in the article were provided that affirmed the presence of heart muscle, negating a bacterial explanation: "Important evidence that the tested material is the muscle of the human heart was mainly the central arrangement of cell nuclei in the observed fibers, which is a characteristic phenomenon for this muscle. (...) in the electron microscopic examination, clear outlines of inserts and bundles of delicate myocardium were visible."^[3]

Roman Catholic Eucharistic doctrine draws upon a quasi-Aristotelian understanding of reality,^[4] in which the core substance or essential reality of a given thing is bound to, but not equivalent with, its sensible realities or accidents. In the celebration of the Eucharist, by means of the consecratory Eucharistic Prayer, the actual substance of the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. This change in substance is not, however, the outward appearances of the bread and wine—their accidents—which remain as before. This substantial change is called transubstantiation, a term reserved to describe the change itself. Scholastic philosophical terminology was used but is not a part of the dogma that defined Christ's presence for the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent.^[5] In the 13th session of 11 October 1551, it promulgated the following conciliar decree:

"if anyone says that the substance of bread and wine remains in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist together with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and denies that wonderful and extraordinary change of the whole substance of the wine into His blood, while only the species of bread and wine remain, a change which the Catholic Church has most fittingly called transubstantiation, let him be anathema." (Session 13, can.2)".^[6][5][7]

Protestant views on the fact of Christ's presence in the Eucharist vary significantly from one denomination to another: while many, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists and the Reformed agree with Roman Catholics that Christ is really present in the Eucharist, they do not accept the definition of transubstantiation to describe it.^[8] According to Thomas Aquinas, in the case of extraordinary Eucharistic Miracles in which the appearance of the accidents are altered, this further alteration is not considered to be transubstantiation, but is a subsequent miracle that takes place for the building up of faith. Nor does the extraordinary manifestation alter or heighten the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as the miracle does not manifest the physical presence of Christ:

"in apparitions of this sort ... the proper species [actual flesh and blood] of Christ is not seen, but a species formed miraculously either in the eyes of the viewers, or in the sacramental dimensions themselves."^[9]

Some denominations, especially Lutherans, have similar beliefs regarding the Eucharist and the Real Presence, though they reject the Roman Catholic concept of transubstantiation, preferring instead, the doctrine of the sacramental union, in which

"the body and blood of Christ are so truly united to the bread and wine of the Holy Communion that the two may be identified. They are at the same time body and blood, bread and wine. ...In this sacrament the Lutheran Christian receives the very body and blood of Christ precisely for the strengthening of the union of faith."^[10]

Lutherans hold that the miracle of the Eucharist is effected during the Words of Institution.^[11] Both the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, such as the Coptic Church, insist "on the reality of the change from bread and wine into the body and the blood of Christ at the consecration of the elements," although they have "never attempted to explain the manner of the change,"^[12] thus rejecting philosophical terms to describe it.^[13] The Methodist Church similarly holds that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist "through the elements of bread and wine," but maintains that how He is present is a Holy Mystery.^[14][15] All Anglicans affirm the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, though Evangelical Anglicans (as with other Reformed Christians) believe that this is a pneumatic presence, while those of an Anglo-Catholic churchmanship believe this is a corporeal presence, but at the same time still rejecting the philosophical explanation of transubstantiation.^[16][17]

Some Catholic saints reportedly survived for years on nothing but the Eucharist. Marthe Robin (Venerable) fasted from all food and drink except the Eucharist from 1930 to her death in 1981.^{[citation needed]}

Brazilian Servant of God Floripes Dornellas de Jesus reportedly lived for 60 years feeding with Eucharist only.^{[18][unreliable fringe source?][19][unreliable fringe source?]}

Teresa Neumann, the famed Catholic Stigmatic from Bavaria subsisted on no solid food but the Holy Eucharist from 1926 until her death in 1962 some 36 years later. In a biography written about her she stated that numerous times she attempted to eat other things only to have them regurgitate immediately upon attempting to swallow them.^{[citation needed]}

Some saints reportedly received Holy Communion from angels. One example is the visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima receiving the Eucharist from an angel. The angel, "whiter than snow, ... quite transparent, and as brilliant as crystal in the rays of the sun," proffered the Eucharist host and chalice to the Holy Trinity in reparation for the sins committed against Jesus Christ, then administered the Eucharist to the visionaries and instructed them to make acts of reparation.^{[20][unreliable fringe source?]} Another example is Saint Faustina receiving the Eucharist from a seraph. At one time, she saw a dazzling seraph dressed in a gold robe, with a transparent surplice and stole, holding a crystal chalice covered in a transparent veil, which he gave Faustina to drink.^{[21][non-primary source needed]} At another time, when she was doubting, Jesus and a seraph appeared before her. She asked Jesus, but when he did not reply, she asked the seraph if he could hear her confession. The seraph replied, "no spirit in heaven has that power" and administered the Eucharist to her.^{[22][non-primary source needed]}

The rarest reported types of Eucharistic miracle is where the Eucharist becomes human flesh as in the miracle of Lanciano which some believe occurred at Lanciano, Italy, in the 8th century,^[23][24] or the Eucharist becomes human blood as in the miracle of Santarém which some believe occurred at Santarém, Portugal, in the 13th century.^[25] The Catholic Church officially recognized both miracles as authentic. However, a Eucharistic miracle more commonly reported is that of the Bleeding Host, where blood starts to trickle from a consecrated host, the bread consecrated during Mass. Other types of purported miracles include consecrated hosts being preserved for hundreds of years, such as the event of the Miraculous Hosts of Siena.^{[26][unreliable fringe source?]} Other miracles include a consecrated host passing through a fire unscathed, stolen consecrated hosts vanishing and turning up in churches, and levitating consecrated hosts.

The Mass at Bolsena, depicted in a famous fresco by Raphael at the Vatican in Rome, was an incident said to have taken place in 1263. A Bohemian priest who doubted the doctrine of transubstantiation celebrated Mass at Bolsena, a town north of Rome. During the Mass the bread of the eucharist began to bleed. The blood from the host fell onto the altar linen in the shape of the face of Jesus as traditionally represented, and the priest came to believe.^{[citation needed]}

In 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi.^[27]

There have been numerous other alleged miracles involving consecrated Hosts. Several of these are described below.

A story from Amsterdam, 1345, claims that a priest was called to administer Viaticum to a dying man. He told the family that if the man threw up, they were to take the contents and throw it in the fire. The man threw up, and the family did what the priest had advised them to do. The next morning, one of the women went to rake the fire and noticed the Host sitting on the grate, unscathed and surrounded by a light. It had apparently passed into both the man's digestive system and the fire unscathed. The story is commemorated with an annual silent procession through central Amsterdam.^[28]

According to another story, a farmer in Bavaria took a consecrated Host from Mass to his house, believing that it would bring him and his family good fortune. However he was plagued by the feeling that what he had done was very wrong and turned to go back to the church to confess his sin. As he turned, the Host flew from his hand, floated in the air and landed on the ground. He searched for it, but he could not see it. He went back accompanied by many villagers and the priest who bent to pick up the Host, having seen it from some distance off. It again flew up into the air, floated, and fell to the ground and disappeared. The bishop was informed and he came to the site and bent to pick up the Host. Again it flew into the air, remained suspended for an extended time, fell to the ground and disappeared.^{[29][unreliable fringe source?]}

An alleged 1370 Brussels miracle involves an allegation of host desecration; someone attempted to stab several Hosts, but they miraculously bled and were otherwise unharmed. The Hosts were venerated in later centuries.^[30]

Caesarius of Heisterbach recounts various tales of Eucharistic miracles in his book Dialogue on Miracles;^[31] most of the stories he tells are from word of mouth. They include Gotteschalk of Volmarstein who saw an infant in the Eucharist, a priest from Wickindisburg who saw the Host turn into raw flesh, and a man from Hemmenrode who saw an image of a crucified Jesus and blood dripping from the Host. All of these images, however, eventually reverted into the Host. Caesarius also recounts more extraordinary tales, such as bees creating a shrine to Jesus after a piece of the Eucharist was placed in a beehive,^[31]: 130 a church that was burnt to ashes while the pyx containing the Eucharist was still intact,^[31]: 136 and a woman who found the Host transformed into congealed blood after she stored it in a box.^[31]: 142

In 2016, in Aalst, a small town in Flanders (Belgium), a 200-year-old^[32] eucharistic host in a monstrance, suddenly showed blood red colour. On 7 July at 17:45 this Eucharistic host spontaneously started colouring, in the presence of several witnesses. The phenomenon occurred in the home of Father Eric Jacqmin, a sedevacantist, formerly member of SSPX. Professor Liesbeth Jacxsens has offered to scientifically investigate the host and thinks the colour could be caused by Serratia marcescens, Monilia sitophila or Oidium.^[33]

Two eucharistic miracles were reported in the 21st century in Kerala, India. One was at Chirattakonam in Kollam district,^[34] and the other was at Vilakkannur in Naduvil.^[35][36] In both cases, an image that resembles Jesus appeared on consecrated host.

Carlo Acutis was an Italian Catholic youth and website designer, who is best known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them onto a website which he created before his death from leukemia. The following list shows some of these miracles:^[37]

• Carlo Acutis
• Eucharistic theology
• Serratia marcescens – bacteria that grows best in humid environments and sometimes produces red pigmentation (although pink, pink-orange, or orange discolorations are most frequent). The bacteria takes many hours to grow and survives from 3 days to 2 month at most on dry, inanimate surfaces.

• Cruz, Joan Carroll (1991). Eucharistic Miracles: And Eucharistic Phenomenon in the Lives of the Saints. Charlotte NC: TAN Books. ISBN 9780895553034.
• Rodrigues, Martinho Vicente (2002). The Most Holy Miracle of Santarém. Santarém, Portugal: Brotherhood of the Most Holy Miracle.
• Burke, Raymond Leo (2009). The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (Catalogue of the Vatican International Exhibition). Eternal Life. ISBN 9781931101028.

• Eucharistic Miracles – List of Eucharistic miracles catalogued by Blessed Carlo Acutis
• The Real Presence Association – Exhibition of the Eucharistic miracles of the World