Dear family in Christ, Peace in the Lord! As we continue our monthly reflection on Eucharistic miracles, I want to thank all those who were able to join Dr. Ragusa’s Advent mission this past Sunday and Monday. The second night of the mission Dr. Ragusa specifically focused on the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and the much “foreshadowing” we see of the Eucharist in Scripture, specifically in the Christmas story and the events leading up to it. Jesus was from the town of Bethlehem, which can “literally” translate to “house of bread.” He also was laid in a manger which serves as a feeding trough in which hay and grain was placed for animals to eat. Finally, Jesus was led into Egypt after Herod seek to destroy him and all the children of Bethlehem two years and younger. It is from Egypt that Jesus, representing the New Israel, comes forth in a kind of New Exodus. If there is a New Exodus, then there must be a New Manna from Heaven, which we believe to be the Holy Eucharist!

One notable fact about the Eucharist is that the Church teaches it is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” In other words, The Eucharist is the sacrament of charity par excellence. It is from the Eucharist that all graces flow and because it is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ substantially present, it is the summit through which our lives should point. And so, it is no coincidence that one of the most notable facts about the many Eucharistic miracles the Church has recognized, is that so often when analyzed in a laboratory scientists find the tissue of a human heart muscle. This of course can be nothing more than the most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ from which his love flows out into the world to which our lives should point!

Here is a short excerpt about another contemporary Eucharistic miracle that happened in Legnica, Poland, similar to the one that happen in Buenos Aires, Argentina we read about last month.

On December 21, 2013, a consecrated host fell on the ground by accident during the distribution of Holy Communion at St. Hyacinth Catholic church in Legnica, Poland. The parish priest placed the host in a dish of water so that it would dissolve and placed it in the Tabernacle. Two weeks later, on January 4, he noticed that the host had not dissolved and that a red spot covering about one-fifth of its surface looked to have appeared on it.

Afterwards, he informed the local Bishop who then established a special theological and scientific Commission to do further research on the host. The Commission checked if it was a fungus, mold, or another external agent. It was determined that none of these was the cause for the host turning red. But rather, a second histopathological analysis pointed out that some fragments seemed to belong to myocardial tissue. A second opinion was made at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Szczecin, Poland. After this analysis, the announcement was made that the tissue fragments contained human heart muscle with alterations that often appear during extreme distress. The results of the analysis were presented to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. The CDF recognized that it was a truly a Eucharistic miracle!

This Advent season let us not lose sight of the great gift of the Eucharist in which God comes to us not just every Christmas Season, but every time we attend Holy Mass! Have a wonderful Week!