A priest was celebrating Mass in Gerona, Spain in 1297. At some point during the Mass, he began to doubt whether the Holy Eucharist was truly the Body of Christ.
When it came time for Communion, the priest was unable to swallow the Blessed Sacrament. The Host had transformed into blood-dripping flesh inside of his mouth.
Afterward, a nun recovered the flesh, which the priest had placed in a cloth. The priest then confessed to having doubted the True Presence of Christ. The Sacred Host’s physical transformation inside the priest’s mouth was considered to be a reminder from above of Christ’s Eucharistic presence.
Miracles on Display
The Gerona miracle story was one among hundreds on display at the St. Mary Mokena Church Hall this past weekend. The exhibit, created by the Real Presence Eucharist Education and Adoration Association, drew visitors throughout Saturday and Sunday.
The exhibit included miracle accounts from as early as the fifth century, to as recently as 2008, in places ranging from Mexico, to Germany, to India.
Several of the miracles shared common themes. Some told of Sacred Hosts that had been stolen or tossed in a field. The hosts began to glow brightly, leading townsfolk to find them. In other instances, the Blessed Sacrament was stolen for dark purposes but couldn’t be destroyed. Sometimes, it even turned into an infant or, as the opening narrative described, into human flesh.
Many of the accounts also center around a priest or layperson doubting the True Presence. Then, through some miracle, whether it’s the bread or wine transforming into physical flesh or blood, or, in one instance, Jesus stretching out His arm from the crucifix and taking the chalice, the True Presence is proven to human senses.
The most recent account took place in Sokółka, Poland in 2008. A priest accidentally dropped a Sacred Host during Communion. The Host was picked up and taken to a special safe for storage.
A week later, a nun opened the safe and discovered unexplained red clots on the Host. A few months later, two scientists from the Medical University of Białystock examined the clots and determined that they resembled human heart tissue from a dying man and were joined to the Host in an inseparable way.
Proof of Christ’s Presence
Although there have been some Eucharistic miracle hoaxes, the sheer volume of accounts spanning the centuries reveals that something special and unexplained happens to the Blessed Sacrament from time to time.
Catholics can take these miracles as reminders that Jesus is not merely partially or symbolically present in the Eucharist. He is the Eucharist. That’s why going to Mass every Sunday is so important. We aren’t simply receiving glorified bread and wine, even though that’s how it appears to our senses. We are receiving Jesus–His Body and Blood.
If you were unable to attend the exhibit, we photographed several of the miracle accounts and inserted them below. All the miracles on display have been researched and approved as authentic by the Vatican.
Simply click on each separate image, and it will expand so you can read it. If you need it even larger, press Ctrl and the plus (+) sign to zoom in as necessary once you open the image.
The Mokena Marian 