The Real Presence: Eucharistic Miracles

Eucharistic Miracles

Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, wo whoever eats me will aslo draw life from me. (John 6: 52-56)

Throughout Christian history, Jesus has shown us that he is really present in the Eucharist. Interestingly, many Eucharistic miracles have occurred during times of weakened faith. Many of these miracles have taken place as a result of someone doubting the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Included here are descriptions of just a few of these miracles. All of them have received full approval by the Church.

Most Eucharistic miracles involve incidences in which the Host has "turned into human flesh and blood". Catholics believe that the consecrated Host is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, only under the appearances of bread and wine. Therefore, Jesus, through these miracles, merely manifests His Presence in a more tangible way.

"Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.'" (John 20:27-29)

"In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real' -- by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." (Catechism 1374)