Eucharistic Miracles
Eucharistic miracles have been documented since the Middle Ages, up to the present day. They occur all over the world and are, for the most part, recognized by the Catholic Church. There are about 136 recognized miracles today (notably thanks to Saint Carlo Acutis who catalogued them for his international exhibition The Eucharistic Miracles of the World). The majority of them took place in Italy, but there have also been some in France. Eucharistic miracles can take the form of a transformation of the bread and wine into flesh and blood, a levitating host, sudden healings at the moment of consecration, or apparitions.
What is a Eucharistic Miracle?
A Eucharistic miracle is, in the Catholic tradition, an inexplicable phenomenon (which some sources qualify as "paranormal"), related to a consecrated host, or, in rare cases, to consecrated wine. The oldest accounts of Eucharistic miracles date back to the Middle Ages, while the most recent occurred in the 21st century. The Catholic Church remains quite cautious on this subject as this prodigy surpasses us and places limits on the recognition of Eucharistic miracles. Indeed, while it considers that the miracles it has recognized are explicit manifestations of the Lord's presence through the bread or wine, consecrated in the hands of priests and as "motives of credibility for the faith", the Church still calls upon the discernment of each individual.
Eucharistic Miracles in France
In Douai, at Easter 1254
At the moment of communion during the Easter feast, the priest of the Saint-Pierre church in Douai dropped a host, which then fell to the ground. When he bent down to pick it up, he was astonished to see that the host lifted itself up and went to place itself on the monstrance. The next instant, a child of incredible beauty appeared and the entire assembly and the priest saw it, astonished.
The Bishop of Cambrai, upon hearing this, went directly to the church to see the host. He discovered it marked with the face of Christ, crowned with thorns, two drops of blood flowing from his forehead.
The host disappeared during the French Revolution. It was only found in 1854, by the church's priest, hidden under the Christ of the altar of the dead, with a letter written in Latin by his predecessor: "*I, the undersigned, canon of the illustrious collegiate church of Saint-Aimé, certify that this is truly the host of the holy miracle which I removed from the imminent danger of desecration by retrieving it. I have placed it in this ciborium and have left this written testimony by my hand for the faithful who will discover it thereafter (January 5, 1793).*"
In Paris, at Easter 1290
On Easter day, a man fiercely opposed to the Christian faith obtained a consecrated host. In a blasphemous gesture, he struck it with a knife, to tear it. What was his astonishment when he saw blood gushing abundantly from it. Terrified, he threw the host into the fire. But, the host did not burn, it levitated. Then, panicking, he grabbed it and threw it into boiling water. But, again, the host rose and took, this time, the appearance of Christ's Cross. Then, a parishioner brought the host to the priest of the Saint-Jean-en-Grève church and it was placed in a reliquary. Unfortunately, the latter was lost during the Revolution.
In Faverney, in 1608
At the Benedictine abbey of Faverney, in 1608, in a context of expanding Protestantism, several monks drifted away from the Catholic faith. After an adoration, two consecrated hosts and the monstrance were left, placed on the temporary altar. The monks did not worry about it and went to bed. The next morning, they were astonished to find that the altar was in ashes and the monstrance was missing! It was finally found, suspended in the air, along with the two hosts, perfectly intact. After the elevation, the monstrance descended and settled on a new altar. This Eucharistic miracle strengthened the faith of the entire monastery as well as that of many faithful.
In Bordeaux, February 3, 1822
That day, Abbé Delort celebrated Mass in the Sainte-Eulalie church on Rue Mazarin, for the new religious community of the Holy Family. At the end of the celebration, he exposed the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. After placing the host in the monstrance, he descended the steps of the altar and bowed. And, a miracle! When he raised his head it was, not the consecrated host, that he saw in the monstrance but the face of Christ! The entire assembly of faithful saw it too: the radiantly beautiful face of a young man, slightly inclined, his gaze full of goodness and gentleness. Some said they heard a voice, probably that of Christ, say "I am who I am".
Upon hearing the account of this miracle the Bishop of Bordeaux was initially cautious and expressed some reservations. He then launched an investigation. Quickly, he recognized the authenticity of the miracle. The relic is kept in Martillac.
Eucharistic Miracles in the World
In Rome, in 710
This is the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle. A consecrated host turned into bloody flesh after the Mass celebrated by Saint Gregory the Great.
In Krakow, in 1345
In 1345, the King of Poland, Casimir III the Great, ordered the construction of a church dedicated to Corpus Domini, in honor of a Eucharistic miracle that had occurred some time earlier, the same year, in the countryside of Warwel, near Krakow.
Indeed, thieves had broken into a church and forced open the door of the tabernacle. They had taken the ciborium and the consecrated hosts it contained. But, they quickly realized that the ciborium was not made of gold, so they threw it into a marsh. Immediately, an intense light was seen bursting from the marsh. The light shone, incessantly, for several days. So, the villagers decided to alert the Bishop of Krakow. Three days of fasting and prayer were advised by the city's prelate. On the third day, the whole village, accompanied by the bishop, went in procession to the marsh. Everyone began to search for the source of this strong light. Then, a man found the ciborium and the hosts it contained, perfectly intact. Then, the entire population began to praise the Lord for this miracle.
In Onil, November 15, 1824
On November 15, 1824, in Onil, Portugal, the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament and some religious objects were stolen by Nicolàs Bernabeu, a former altar boy of the church. The news of this theft spread quickly in the surrounding area. The inhabitants were shocked by such a theft.
When the thief tried to sell the objects from his theft, the seller became suspicious. He then alerted the authorities. Nicolàs was then arrested but categorically refused to say where his loot was hidden. The authorities then searched everywhere, in all the surrounding villages... in vain. It was only on November 28, 1824, that Mrs. Teresa Carbonell, in the small village of Tibi, where the thief had settled, found the stolen monstrance, still containing the host, perfectly intact. She immediately returned it to Onil where the population welcomed it with great joy! The authenticity of the miracle was attested to 119 years later, on November 23, 1943, by don Guillermo Hijarrubia, delegate of the Archbishop of Valencia.
In Tumaco, in 1996
In Colombia, in Tumaco, on January 31, 1906, at ten in the morning, a powerful earthquake occurred, which shook the small island for ten minutes. All the inhabitants of the island gathered in the church and begged their priest, Father Gerardo Larrondo, and Father Julian, to organize a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. The sea was becoming increasingly agitated and had already begun to invade the coastline. The inhabitants were terrified that a tsunami would occur. Then, Father Gerardo took the monstrance and placed the consecrated host in it. He invited all the faithful to go with him to the square, confident that the Lord would not abandon them. The entire population followed him, crying and begging Christ to save them. Arriving at the beach, the priest advanced to the water and, courageously, raised the monstrance and the consecrated host before him, tracing, in the air, a large sign of the cross. Then, to everyone's astonishment, the gigantic wave that had been advancing until then stopped, as if blocked. The sea became calm again almost immediately. The inhabitants of Tumaco celebrated and praised the Lord for his miracle.
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