Italian Pilgrimage: The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

Of all of the locations on our itinerary, seeing the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano was the one I most looked forward to and was most excited about.   The Eucharistic Miracle happened in the year 750 when a Basilian Monk was offering Mass with doubt in his heart about the Catholic belief regarding the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  As he was praying the prayer of consecration, the host started bleeding in his hands.  Many tests have been performed over the centuries, the most recent done in 1973,  and it has been determined that the host consists of muscular tissue of the heart and the wine is five globules of blood which represent the five wounds of Christ on the cross. The globules weigh the same separately as they do collectively.  The blood type is AB. To this day the Eucharistic species has remained exactly the same as it appeared twelve centuries ago despite the effects of time and elements.

I've often wondered about that Basilian Monk to whom the miracle occurred, the miracle which undoubtedly removed all of his questions about the reality of Christ's flesh and blood present in the Eucharist.  What happened to him after the miracle?  Did he become a celebrity?  Did he spend every day for the rest of his life performing penances in atonement for his doubt?  Did he quietly leave his community to maintain some sort of privacy and solitude in his life?  Is he now a saint in heaven to whom we should pray?  And why is it that his name has remained anonymous and he is simply known as "a Basilian Monk"?

The side door of The Church of San Francesco 

We arrived in the small city of Lanciano with just a small amount of time for our visit to the Church of Lagontial, a very unassuming building which houses the monstrance that contains the flesh and blood of Jesus. We were allowed a few minutes to reverence the Eucharistic Miracle up close before we were shown a video showing the history of the Miracle and then we were given a short time, about half an hour, to spend in adoration or to explore the church and gift shop before Mass would begin.  

I darted right back to the small room behind the altar to spend time alone with Jesus.  When I arrived there were two other people adoring the Lord, and soon after a small group of musicians came into the room to practice the music for the upcoming Mass.  I thought that was a very odd place for the musicians to practice, and then realized that this was the area where they played for the Mass that was now beginning.  I quickly left that area out of respect for the Mass and so that I could have more solitude in my prayer.  I found that there wasn't anybody in the small space on the back side of the altar where we first reverenced the Eucharist and there I stood, face to face with the Body and Blood of Jesus. I reached out my hand and touched the glass that protected the monstrance, not sure whether it was allowed or not, but unable to resist. Standing and praying there was the most amazing experience of my life!  I wanted it to last forever, I never wanted to leave!  But, all too soon it was time to go. 

I found Paul in the lobby area and just as we were leaving for the bus, some of the members of our group told us that they found the original chapel where the miracle occurred.  We followed them to a basement chapel and quickly took photos and offered another prayer of thanksgiving before we left.  We journeyed to a nearby restaurant for dinner.  It felt strange to be conversing normally with others and to be enjoying a meal when not more than an hour ago I was in the Presence of the Lord up close and personal.  I didn't want the spell of that amazing moment to be diminished by ordinary life.   Yet, aren't we called to take our faith out into the world? And so I heartily enjoyed that evening's meal but held the memory of that moment deeply within my heart.  Little did I understand that my faith was about to be further deepened the following morning when we visited Manopello to see the veil that covered our Lord's face in the tomb.

The original altar where the miracle occurred

The original chapel where the miracle occurred

While those questions of mine about the Basilian Monk may never have an answer in this lifetime, what has been answered for all of humanity is the actuality of the Real Presence in the Eucharist and truly, that's all that matters. Seeing with the eyes of faith is a beautiful thing, but to actually see the flesh and blood of God in reality, well words simply cannot capture the immensity of joy that filled my heart to be there in Lanciano, and forever after, whether I am at daily Mass or spending time in adoration, my faith in Christ's presence has been deepened and will never be altered.  I pray that everyone may one day share this same belief in the Real Presence of Christ's body and blood in the Most Holy Eucharist.

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Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity

"Is that really Jesus?" a young boy asked his mother during the Consecration at Mass recently.  His wise mother replied, "Yes, that's Him on the altar."

“When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all sorts of graces which I want to give to the soul.”  ~Our Lord to St. Faustina

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Recently, I had attended a funeral Mass where some of my non-Catholic friends were present.  They have a deep and abiding love for Jesus.   But like many non-Catholic Christians, they don't fully understand Catholicism, and it's often misunderstandings that rouse fear in the imagination, fear that can often regretfully lead to anti-Catholicism. When the time arrived to receive Holy Communion, I was sad and disheartened to see them receive Our Lord in the Eucharist even though they do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ and they most likely assumed that they were just receiving a meaningless wafer.  I know that they didn't intend to do anything hurtful or wrong, but simply did not understand the immensity of the Eucharist.

I felt a deep sorrow for Jesus at the thought of anyone receiving Him in the Eucharist without believing that He was truly present in the Host.  For a long time I wanted to say something to my friends, to try to evangelize and catechize them and to somehow help them to come around to the belief that it was truly Jesus' Body and Blood that they had ingested.  But after discussing it with a holy priest and good friend, I came to understand that it was better to remain silent, yet continue to pray for them and for all of those who don't realize the great gift of Christ coming to us Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist.

Since then it has occurred to me that perhaps Jesus wanted to come to them in the Eucharist that day.  My friends have endured a tremendous amount of suffering in recent years, more than most people could bear.  Maybe he wanted to love them in this very special way so as to bring them some peace and healing through the tremendous gift that was now residing within them without their awareness.  They might not have believed in the reality of His presence in the Host, but He believed in their love for Him, and for Jesus, perhaps that's enough.   His mysterious, mystical ways are not for us to understand, and yet we believe in faith that His goodness knows no bounds-not the bounds of denominations or lack of faith.  He loves us all and wants to be united to everyone.

I have never felt called to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, always feeling completely unworthy of that honor, but recently I have been asked to help in this capacity at my parish more and more often, and so I find myself standing beside the priest holding the Lord in my wretched hands and offering Him again and again to the long line of people hungry for His Love.  With each host that I place within the hands or mouth of the communicants, I try to remain aware of the grace that flows from the Host to the person standing before me awaiting the Body of the Lord.  I see the look of joy evident on the faces of those who receive and the anticipation for the future on the faces of those too young to receive.

Following Communion, the church sits in silence savoring the presence of the Lord within each person.  For those few precious moments there is a brightness emanating from so many souls now made into tabernacles containing the Body of Our Lord.  We have been Christed.  We hold Him so intimately within our bodies.  How can we not be gentle and tender and loving with ourselves and with others as we carry Him forth into the world?

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from Christ's side, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints 
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever.
Amen.

The Sweetest Kiss

"Oh please don't go-we'll eat you up-we love you so!"  Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

I've always tended toward scrupulosity and easily lay excessive and unwarranted guilt upon myself.  A few years ago, when I first began blogging, I read many blogs where discussions over the better way to receive communion, on the tongue or in the hand, were held.  The consensus of those that I read was that the holiest way to receive communion was on the tongue.   But I've been a lifelong hand-receiver and wasn't comfortable receiving the Lord directly on my tongue so the whole online conversation became a source of stress for me. It wasn't until I spoke about it with my spiritual director who reassured me that either way of receiving is correct, that I finally let go of that worry.

Recently I watched an online video called Jesus is on the Floor  and it brought the subject back to my mind.  The video highlighted the very real concern that crumbs of the host can fall on the floor while receiving in the hand and for some reason, this time around, that disturbed me enough for me to reconsider my stance.  I decided that I wanted to take better care of the Lord, to keep him from being offended or hurt by my actions.  Receiving the Eucharist on the tongue seems like such an easy way to show my love and affection for Him in a deeper way than receiving Him in my unworthy hands.  I decided that it was finally time for a change, not motivated by stress and scrupulosity, but motivated by love.

It can seem a bit awkward to begin doing something new.  There have been several hitches along the way, such as a little dance with the host the first time a priest, who has only known me to be a hand-receiver, tried to figure out why I didn't make a throne with my hands, and the time when a Eucharistic minister almost missed my mouth entirely.  But, I'm sure after a bit of adjustment, receiving the Eucharist on my tongue will become second nature to me.

Still, I'm glad that it isn't second nature right now.  I'm glad that it is new and strange to me because I feel as if I appreciate the gift of the Eucharist more than ever and I don't want that feeling to go away.  When I receive Jesus on the tongue I feel as if it is an unobstructed kiss from the Lord.  I don't have to "put" Him into my mouth, He enters right in.  The only effort required on my part is to be in a state of grace and to have the desire to receive Him.  And with that desire He allows me to eat Him and He will stay with me, become a part of me and forever remain within me.  Again and again, each time I receive Him, His presence intensifies within me.  Receiving His Body directly into my mouth is the sweetest kiss I have ever known.