The Miracle of 1263 AD

[Javl]

A fact known by too few Catholics is the Miracle of 1263AD.

In that year, a priest who was celebrating mass did not believe that for communion the bread and wine was transformed into the true Body and Blood of Jesus. To prove that this was so, the communion bled actual human blood onto the altar cloth. This was wintessed by the congregation. The cloth was brought to the Pope ( Urban IV ) who examined it and also had it examined. It was declared true blood and declared a miracle.

So for those that doubt or deny that the consecrated bread and wine is the true Body and Blood of Jesus, here is proof that it is.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[surritter]

Is this the famous one of Lanciano, Italy? I think it is known by many folks. But it should be mentioned during homilies, especially on the feast of Corpus Christi.

 

[JohnMPhilomena]

Is this the famous one of Lanciano, Italy? I think it is known by many folks. But it should be mentioned during homilies, especially on the feast of Corpus Christi.

The one in Lanciano happened in the 8th century:

therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html

this was further investigated in 1970:

In 1970-'71 and taken up again partly in 1981 there took place a scientific investigation by the most illustrious scientist Prof. Odoardo Linoli, eminent Professor in Anatomy and Pathological Histology and in Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy. He was assisted by Prof. Ruggero Bertelli of the University of Siena.

The analyses were conducted with absolute and unquestionable scientific precision and they were documented with a series of microscopic photographs.
These analyses sustained the following conclusions:

The Flesh is real Flesh. The Blood is real Blood.

The Flesh and the Blood belong to the human species.

The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart.

In the Flesh we see present in section: the myocardium, the endocardium, the vagus nerve and also the left ventricle of the heart for the large thickness of the myocardium.

The Flesh is a “HEART” complete in its essential structure.

The Flesh and the Blood have the same blood-type: AB (Blood-type identical to that which Prof. Baima Bollone uncovered in the Holy Shroud of Turin).

In the Blood there were found proteins in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the sero-proteic make-up of the fresh normal blood.

In the Blood there were also found these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium.

The preservation of the Flesh and of the Blood, which were left in their natural state for twelve centuries and exposed to the action of atmospheric and biological agents, remains an extraordinary phenomenon.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Since the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord exists under the appearances of Bread and Wine, if the appearances of Bread and Wine ceases, so does the Substance of the Body and Blood of Christ.

 

[surritter]

Interesting … so the miracles where the Eucharist turned to cardiac flesh and real blood corpuscles are not to be regarded as Jesus, Basil?

 

[NPC]

I recommend that you read Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz - it’s published by TAN Books.

At Lanciano, when the bread turned into a circle of flesh and the wine into visible blood, the priest said to the congregation:

“O fortunate witnesses, to whom the Blessed God, to confound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself visible to our eyes! Come, brethren, and marvel at our God, so close to us. Behold the flesh and blood of our Most Beloved Christ.”

So, the priest certainly believed that it was the actual flesh of Christ. However, our belief is that in the Eucharist, we receive Christ ENTIRELY - body, blood, soul, divinity - not merely a piece of His Body. I don’t think we have to try and prove the nature of the cardiac tissue which appeared on the altar or the blood in the chalice - the point as I see it, is that this miracle was a sign to the priest: it helped and changed his unbelief. It was a physical manifestation of something which we know happens but cannot quite explain.

 

[surritter]

I recommend that you read Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz - it’s published by TAN Books.

At Lanciano, when the bread turned into a circle of flesh and the wine into visible blood, the priest said to the congregation:

“O fortunate witnesses, to whom the Blessed God, to confound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself visible to our eyes! Come, brethren, and marvel at our God, so close to us. Behold the flesh and blood of our Most Beloved Christ.”

So, the priest certainly believed that it was the actual flesh of Christ. However, our belief is that in the Eucharist, we receive Christ ENTIRELY - body, blood, soul, divinity - not merely a piece of His Body. I don’t think we have to try and prove the nature of the cardiac tissue which appeared on the altar or the blood in the chalice - the point as I see it, is that this miracle was a sign to the priest: it helped and changed his unbelief. It was a physical manifestation of something which we know happens but cannot quite explain.

But I am trying to reconcile all that with the previous post which implied that those miracles are not the Real Presence, since the accidents of bread and wine have been displaced by real, physical flesh and blood.

 

[NPC]

By the way, although I referred to Lanciano, I don’t think this is the miracle that the O.P. is referring to. The miracle of 1263 occurred at Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy. The priest, Peter of Prague, also had difficulty believing in the True Presence of Christ in the consecrated Host. Having spoken the words of Consecration, blood began to “seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal.” [Quoted from *Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz]

 

[NPC]

But I am trying to reconcile all that with the previous post which implied that those miracles are not the Real Presence, since the accidents of bread and wine have been displaced by real, physical flesh and blood.

Honestly, I don’t know - it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that Christ could have sent a piece of His own cardiac tissue. However, that is not in keeping with our belief that Christ is received ENTIRELY in Holy Communion. I suppose the fundamental question of the priest must have been: can something change from one thing to another? I mean, we can believe that God can do all things, yet at the same time that kind of concept is beyond our comprehension. The miracle (and I know this still doesn’t answer your question) answered the priest’s question - yes, through the Lord, something CAN change its form. The flesh and the blood were, however, too good to eat and drink…whatever way you look at it, they are miracles which were worked by God to dispel the priest’s doubts.

 

[agrange]

You’ll excuse me for being a skeptic about Dark and Middle Ages “Miracles”. This one seems to be a bit beyond where I can go. I’m not saying I don’t buy into miracles at all, but there was a fair amount of very good Fakery going on during that time, The Shroud being the most famous.

 

[NPC]

You’ll excuse me for being a skeptic about Dark and Middle Ages “Miracles”. This one seems to be a bit beyond where I can go. I’m not saying I don’t buy into miracles at all, but there was a fair amount of very good Fakery going on during that time, The Shroud being the most famous.

Granted, some do seem to be rather far-fetched - I only know of a few eucharistic miracles, and while such things are difficult for us to grasp, I would be reluctant to dismiss them as I would be to outrightly accept them. However, given the scale of the miracle which we believe happens at every Mass - that God can transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of His Son - it is no less inconceivable that He could cause a sacred Host to bleed, or to transform into visible flesh…

I would also bear in mind that, while you are right that there was “fakery” going on in the Middle Ages, just as there is today, bishops and popes were reluctant accept purported miracles as authentic.

Also, eucharistic miracles were by no means a phenomenon of the middle ages - the Miracle of Lanciano occurred around 700, and in the book which I mentioned earlier, “Eucharistic Miracles”, the last account is of a miracle from 1970 (the book was published in 1987). The book examines at least another 30 miracles spanning 1,200 years - so eucharistic miracles are not particularly widespread, and are not confined to a particular historical period.

Anyway, you are, of course, free to accept or reject the accounts - there are none that a Catholic is bound to believe. However, I would again encourage you to have a look at Joan Carroll Cruz’s book - it is very well researched, often presenting the results of scientific experiments relating to the miracles. Available HERE from TAN Books.