Corpus Christi, 1802
It was Corpus Christi day, 1802, in the village of Creteil. A concordat had been made between Napolean and Vatican, allowing Catholic churches to re-open in France. To celebrate both events, as well as the feast day of the village’s patron saint, a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets was planned.
A young girl named Augustina Mourette lived in the village. For eighteen months she had lost the use of her arms, legs and voice. On the day of the celebration, another young girl named Henrietta Crete visited Augustina. She came with several companions, all of them dressed in white and wearing veils on their heads. Their intention was to take Augustina to the procession and be present when the Eucharistic Presence passed, as people had done with the sick at the time of Christ.
The girls carried Augustina in an armchair to a spot near the outdoor altar located at the end of the procession route. When the priest approached with the Blessed Sacrament, the girls all knelt around Augustina in prayer. The priest noticed them, stopped before Augustina, raised the monstrance above her and blessed her, reciting the customary blessing of the sick. When he had finished, those present witnessed Augustina rise from her chair and kneel in prayer and thanksgiving herself. She had been completely cured.
(Adapted from Eucharistic Miracles, by Joan Carroll Cruz (Charlotte, North Carolina, Tan Books, 2010) p. 211.)
Tumaco
On January 31, 1906, an earthquake having a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale, occurred off the coast of Columbia. Ranking as one of the ten worst on record, it caused a tsunami that was felt as far north as San Francisco and as far west as Japan.
In Panama City, it picked up boats and hurled them long distances, crashed into the market area and wreaked tremendous damage. The worst effects of the tsunami were concentrated along the northern parts of Ecuador and southern parts of Columbia. In the middle of this area, at the outer edge of a bay, lay the small island of Tumaco.
About 10:00 in the morning, the earth shook violently for ten minutes. The inhabitants begged the local pastor, Fr. Gerardo Larrondo, to lead a procession with the Blessed Sacrament. The sea had already penetrated a kilometer and a half inland. A wall of water was building up that threatened to swallow the entire island, which was only about 3 kilometers in length.
Fr. Larrondo consumed the small Hosts in the ciborium and set the large Host aside. He called out to his people: “Let us go, my people. Let us go toward the beach, and may God have pity on us.” Led by Fr. Larrondo and the Eucharist, they began to march. Fr. Larrondo advanced courageously to the water’s edge and as the wave came rushing in he calmly raised the Sacred Host and traced the sign of the Cross.
The wave halted and then receded. Fr. Larrondo and Fr. Julian alongside him saw what was transpiring . The people, overjoyed, cried out “Miracle, miracle!”
The miracle of Tumaco became known across the world, and Fr. Larrondo received letters from people in Europe asking for his prayers.
(Source: “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” a Vatican international exhibition, as reported by The Real Presence Eucharistic Adoration Association, http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Tumaco.pdf. Addition information was obtained at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/events/1906_01_31.php and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_Ecuador%E2%80%93Colombia_earthquake.)
Marie Antoinette Riviere
Marie Antoinette Riviere was cured of gastro-intestinal ulcerations which had existed for five years and had caused numerous hemorrhages. The cure was effected at Lourdes in two stages. In the morning, after having received Holy Communion, she drank a cup of milk mixed with the miraculous water; she immediately experiences a fierce burning pain in the abdomen, then all here sufferings suddenly left her; she remained, however, in a state of complete exhaustion. In the afternoon, during the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, she felt a warmth pervading her limbs and her strength returning; and she felt herself able to walk. Her health has not failed since that time.
(Taken from My Daily Eucharist II by Joan Carter McHugh, and an excerpt contained there from Twenty Cures at Lourdes by Dr. F. DeGrandmaison De Bruno.)
Newspapers Reported the Stories
A priest from New York, while addressing a Mass in an auditorium in Cork City, Ireland in 1986, spoke about the healing power of Jesus in the Eucharist. He explained to the gathering of 1,000 people that Jesus was wholly and completely present in the Eucharist, and that in receiving His body and blood we should expect to be healed of our illnesses. The priest emphasized the need for Catholics to believe fully in His presence, His power and His desire to heal.
During Communion, sick and crippled people began jumping out of their chairs. I saw with my own eyes a mother crying as her baby’s blindness was cured. The newspapers reported stories of old women jumping out of wheelchairs and many varied illnesses cured.
That was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like that in my life. It deeply impressed upon me the reality of the Eucharist as a healing sacrament
*DeGrandis, Robert, S.S.J., Healing Through the Mass (Totowa, New Jersey, Resurrection Press, 1992) p. 5-6.)
The Body of Our Lord is There
One day a Carmelite named Cassetus was called to visit certain Franciscans. In order to try him, they took the Blessed Sacrament out of the tabernacle in which it was usually kept and placed it elsewhere. They put no light before it, but left the lamp burning as usual before the customary altar. On entering the church, the companion of Cassetus turned towards the high altar, but Cassetus immediately pointed out the spot where the Blessed Sacrament had been placed, saying: “The Body of Our Lord is there and not where the lamp is burning; the brothers whom you see behind the grating have placed it there in order to try us.*
*Mueller, Michael, C.S.S.R., The Blessed Eucharist Our Greatest Treasure (Charlotte, N.C., Tan Books, 2011) p. 18.
Jesus is in the Host
On May 8, 1902, a volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Martinique. At 7:50 a.m., Mount Pelee sent a pyroclastic blast toward the town of St. Pierre, about 8 kilometers south southwest, at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Within minutes, 28,000 people were killed and 20 ships in the harbor were either destroyed or set afire. There were a total of two survivors in the town.
Another village, called Morne Rouge, was situated about 2 kilometers closer, to the south southeast. As the danger came upon them, the parish priest gave a general absolution to all the faithful, distributed Holy Communion and exposed the Blessed Sacrament for public adoration. During this time, a woman cried out, “The Sacred Heart of Jesus is in the Host.” A large number of people witnessed an image, within the Host, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, crowned with thorns. Some also said they saw drops of His Precious Blood falling from the Heart. The vision did not end quickly; it lasted for several hours. Only when the Host was placed back into the taberacle did it end.
Source: “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” a Vatican international exhibition, as reported by The Real Presence Eucharistic Adoration Association, http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Mornerouge.pdf.
Penetrated with Faith and Hope
Ann de Clery was a girl of thirteen when the paralysis first started. In 1859, her doctor pronounced that she would be a cripple as long as she lived. Over a span of nine years she suffered, in addition to the paralysis in her legs, from violent headaches, difficulty in digesting food and intense pain when laid on a bed or couch, the latter being accompanied by a purplish color inflaming her eyelids. Toward the end of this period, the paralysis was also beginning to stretch up into her arms.
When she was 23, a Forty Hours Devotion was being held at the Church of St. Martin in Metz, France. It was to be held on June, 12th, 13th and 14th. She wished to go, but her health did not permit it until the third day. She received Holy Communion in her bed that morning, but around noon, when public adoration commenced, she was carried by her maid Clementine to the church. She sat down on the left side of the nave and held Ann on her knees.
The strain of being carried had produced the usual purple flush to her eyelids, and after a few moments of rest, Ann fixed her gaze on the Holy Eucharist. She then said the prayer that she had often said when taking Communion: “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst cure me.” At that same moment, she felt an incredibly violent pain shoot through he whole body. She then continued in prayer: “My God, if it is Thy Will that I should be carried back to my sick bed, give me grace at least to be always resigned to Thy Holy Will.”
She said that she then “felt penetrated with faith and hope,” and became conscious she had been cured. She wanted to kneel, but her maid protested. Ann knelt anyway and declared to those around her that she was cured.
Not quite knowing what to think, her mother led her out of the church. She could hardly believe what she saw when she beheld her daughter walking with only the aid of her arm for support. In an adjacent summer house, she discovered that some knots or growths under her daughter’s knees had completely disappeared. The parish priest was called to the summer house and he witnessed, in astonishment, her complete recovery.
The next day was the Feast of Corpus Christi. Ann attended Mass, kneeling at the altar rail for the first time in nine years.
Adapted from an account found in The Blessed Eucharist Our Greatest Treasure, by Michael Mueller, C.S.S.R. (Charlotte, N.C., Tan Books, 2011) p. 181-85.
Filled with Surprise at these Words
There lived at Wittem, near Aix-la-Chapelle, a pious person who was accustomed to see Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament whenever she assisted at Mass. Now, one day she did not behold Our Lord as usual. She went, therefore, to the priest after Mass and said: “Rev. Father, you hae committed such and such a fault, and this is why I did not as usual see Jesus Christ during your Mass.” The priest was filled with surprise at these words, as he knew that what she said was true.*
*Mueller, Michael, C.S.S.R., The Blessed Eucharist, Our Greatest Treasure (Charlotte, N.C., Tan Books, 2011) p. 169.
A Warm Hand on the Back
I was brought to the Mass at the Colegio de San Agustin in Makati in October 1988 by a pediatrician friend of my father because I had been suffering from blood in the urine for four years. None of the tests to determine kidney or urinary disorders revealed the source of the problem. During the Mass you mentioned that kidneys were being healed and said that those healed would feel something like a warm hand on their backs. I felt it, but thought it was because I had been sitting for some time. Exactly one week later I woke up without a trace of blood in my urine. When I told my father, he said, “The moment you got into the car to go to the Mass I knew you would be healed.” It has remained clear for two months. The doctor wants to monitor my system for another year to be certain. (Maria Luz F. Paje, the Philippines)
(DeGrandis, Robert, S.S.J., Healing Through the Mass (Totowa, New Jersey, Resurrection Press, 1992) p. 140.)
Lights All Over My Head
My severe migraine headache was gone after the Body and Blood were elevated during a healing Mass. There were lights all over my head. I could not explain what I saw, but the pain was gone. (Ann Belale).
(DeGrandis, Robert, S.S.J., Healing Through the Mass (Totowa, New Jersey, Resurrection Press, 1992) p. 139.)