Corpus Christi
one
In the year 1263, a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at the town of Bolsena, north of Rome. Peter suffered doubts about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist; doubts that after the consecration, the host is no longer bread, but the Risen and Living Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Peter prayed the Lord would increase his faith, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” The next day, he celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Christina, an early martyr of the church. As soon as he said the words of consecration, the host began to bleed. Blood fell onto his hands and onto the cloth on the altar. He was awestruck and so too all those attending Mass who witnessed this miracle with their own eyes. Father Peter placed the host in the corporal and went straight away to Pope Urban IV who as residing in Orvieto, 10 miles away. Pope Urban IV investigated the events and then declared a miracle had occurred. He ordered the Eucharistic miracle be brought to the Cathedral of Orvieto, which they were with a procession of great solemnity. I have seen and venerated this Eucharistic Miracle in the Cathedral of Orvieto, Italy. One year later, in 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted this Feast Day, Corpus Christi, celebrating the truth that the Eucharist is really and truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Pope commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the beautiful Eucharistic hymns “O Salutaris Hostia” and “Tantum Ergo” and others. Today, at the Church of St. Christina in Bolsena, one finds the altar where the miracle took place, and the blood-stained stones of the miracle are preserved. The Cathedral of Orvieto possesses the blood-stained corporal as well as fragments of the miraculous host.
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The Eucharistic Miracle of Buenos Aires 1996
August 18, 1996 a consecrated Host was discarded in the back of St Mary Church after communion. A woman found it and told the priest who placed the host in a container of water to dissolve, before being poured on a living plant. On August 26, 1996 the priest opened the tabernacle and saw that the host had not dissolved. IN fact, the host had changed in appearance to bloody human flesh and had grown significantly in size.
The priest informed the Bishop, who is now Pope Francis and he gave instructions for a fragment of the Host to be sent to Dr. Frederick Zugibe, a Cardiac Forensic Pathologist in NY for analysis. However they did not tell the Pathologist the fragment was from a Host. In his pathology report the Dr. concluded it was
Human Heart tissue from the Left Ventricle
The tissue was infiltrated with white blood cells
Which told him two things
1. This heart was Alive when the sample was taken
2. This Heart has suffered trauma
a. White blood cells go to address injury
The Pathologist was asked how long the white blood cells would have remained alive if they had come from a piece of tissue kept in water?
“They would have died in a matter of minutes,” he responded.
The sample had been kept in ordinary water for a month and then in distilled water for three years in a container of distilled water
Only then had the sample been taken for analysis
It was only then that it was revealed to the Pathologist the sample was taken from a consecrated host
The DNA revealed a Man who lived in the Middle East
That it was Human Heart tissue from the Left Ventricle
Blood type AB+
Universal Recipient
Jesus will refuse no one who comes to Him
The lab report was then compared to a similar study of the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano Italy
They matched perfectly
The test results must have come from the Same Person
three
Before the universe came into existence, God spoke a simple phrase: “Let there be light,” and the Universe sprang into being. At the Last Supper Jesus said, 'This is my body…This is my blood,” and the bread and wine were changed into God. Jesus is God and the Eucharist is Jesus. That means the Eucharist is God. Reflect on that!
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The Eucharist is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
CCC 478 Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me" writes St. Paul. He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, is the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings without exception.
At every moment of his life, his agony and his passion, Jesus knew and loved us each and all. He knew you by face, by name, and He knows your whole life story not only from your conception until now, he knows your whole story, everything that you will do and all that will happen until you die. He sees it all, he knows it all. We can’t see what will happen, we can’t know and we can’t prepare for all the possible scenarios – they are infinite – and that can be a source of fear and anxiety. We don’t know what threats await us – so how can we prepare. How can we protect ourselves and our loved ones. We can’t see what’s out there. Jesus can see. Jesus sees us and he sees our future. We don’t need to see it. He does and He will guide all things for good for those who love him. All we have to do is stick close to him in the Eucharist and in prayer, just do the best you can each day to do His will as it comes to us in the responsibilities he has given us, the inspirations he sends in prayer and the crosses he allows in our life. Then surrender the rest to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus I surrender to you, take care of everything.
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The Heart of Jesus is the chief sign that He is with us, He knows us, He knows our future, and He will take care of and provide for us. He guides all things for good for those who love Him.
That does not mean he will prevent us from experiencing suffering, crosses, difficulties and death. That is not His goal. He wants to make us share in His divine life and make us glorious like Himself. The sufferings, crosses and difficulties are necessary to make us glorious. Think of St. Maximilian Kolbe – what would He be without Auschwitz?
Trust the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Do what you are called to do. Trust when suffering and hardship come they come from His Sacred Heart to make us glorious. He Knows what He is doing. So Let Him do what He wants to do and don’t resist Him. That is what it means to surrender to the Sacred Heart.
Surrender does not mean being passive or irresponsible or giving up. Surrender is to do all that is in our control and letting God do what he wants with everything else. Jesus I surrender to you – I give you permission to do whatever you want in my life because I trust you.
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In John Chapter 6 Jesus said: 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst…I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.' Then the Jews started arguing with one another: 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' they said. Jesus replied: I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever.'