Angela
Deacon Joe went to see Angela. Angela had been sick. Her father was unemployed and had no medical insurance. So, he told Angela to pray. For six days, she did that but got continually worse. Finally, her eyes rolled back into her head and she became comatose. An ambulance was called and she was taken to the hospital. She was in surgery for six hours. Afterwards, her first words were “Bring me Jesus.” That was when Angela’s father called Deacon Joe.
When he arrived at the hospital, he found her in bed with one tube in her arm and another into her stomach. The stomach tube was filled with fluid that was dark brown, almost black in color. Deacon Joe was about to place a small piece of a consecrated Host on her tongue when a nurse interrupted. She identified herself as a Catholic and said he could not put the Holy Eucharist into the foulness in her stomach.
Deacon Joe then decided upon an alternative. He knew that the Church recognizes the practice of making a spiritual communion. It is an act whereby a person ardently desires to be with Christ. Often, a person prays for union with Him to a degree that is, as much as possible, the same as that which is experienced when He is actually received in the Blessed Sacrament.
So, Deacon Joe asked Angela if she wanted to receive the Eucharist and she said she did. He told her, then, to just say “Amen” after he finished a short prayer. He then recited the Spiritual Communion of St. Ignatius Loyola. After he finished, though quite weak, Angela managed to say an “Amen.” Deacon Joe then raised the Host and said, “Angela, receive the body of Christ, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May Our Lord Jesus come to you and heal you in heart and body and soul…”
Deacon Joe returned to his home and, fifteen minutes later, received a telephone call. Tony was on the other end. He said that right after Deacon Joe left, the fluid in Angela’s stomach tube changed to a clear color. Angela sat up in bed and called for the nurse. The tube was removed and then she went to every room in the children’s ward, saying, “Look how much Jesus loves me. He healed me and He will heal you too, if you ask Him.”
Source: Proctor, Sr. Patricia, OSC, 201 Inspirational Stories of the Eucharist (Spokane, Washington, The Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare, 2004) p. 210-211.
A Light to Read By
One morning, before the Blessed Sacrament, St. Alphonsus Liguori was engaged in reading some spiritual texts. Then, several members of his order entered the semi-darkened church. They were amazed to see a ray of light they could not explain.
It was illuminating the book that the Saint was reading. It was emanating from Saint himself, from his brow.
Source: Cruz, Caroll, Eucharistic Miracles (Charlotte, North Carolina, Tan Books, 2010) p. 282.
Sr. Mary Claude’s Accidental Acquaintance
Sr. Mary Claude, who, in 1967, belonged to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, in Montreal, Canada, wrote a letter to Catholic author John Haffert. The letter included the following story.
Along with another nun, Sr. Mary Claude had gone to visit a sick parishioner. Mistakenly, they showed up at the wrong house. The woman who met them at the door, however, invited them inside anyway. She posed various questions to them about the Catholic Faith and, before they left, inquired about continuing to learn more. In the ensuing weeks, the woman was willing to accept all that was being taught except for one thing, the concept that Christ was actually present in the Eucharist.
The Sisters then made a suggestion, that she should attend a Benediction, and when the Host is held up before the people for adoration, she should “ask God to help you believe in the Real Presence.”
A week later, the Sisters met the woman again and asked what she thought about the Benediction. The woman replied, “He was beautiful. ”The Sisters inquired further and the woman claimed to have seen Christ Himself, that He had left the monstrance to give His blessing to the people and then had returned when the priest went back to the altar. She also said that she “saw His wounded side through His pure white garment and marks of the nails on His hands and feet.” She was actually surprised when she was informed that her experience was not normal.
Up to her death some years later, the woman never budged from her story. She was also never satisfied with any picture she saw of Christ. She would say, “He was much more beautiful than that.
Source: Haffert, John, The World’s Greatest Secret (Asbury, N.J., The 101 Foundation, Inc., 1985) p. 157-58.)
Ettiswil
On July 16, 1447, Hermann von Russeg, Lord of Buron (an area located in present-day Switzerland), compiled a document called the Protocol of Justice.” It sought to review and recount certain extraordinary events that had taken place in that locale.
It was thus recorded that on Wednesday, May 23, 1447, the Blessed Sacrament was stolen from the parish Church of Ettiswil. Anna Vogtli, from Bischoffingen, was arrested by the police and soon confessed that she had stolen it. A member of a satanic sect, she had slipped her hand through a narrow iron gate and got hold of a large Host. She left the church and passed the cemetery, but soon found that the Host became very heavy, too heavy to keep carrying. She explained that as she was unable to go forward or backward, she dropped it close to a fence, among some nettles.
A young lady named Margaret Schulmeister happened to come by the place with some pigs she was tending. She said that, when they got to the spot, her pigs did not want to go any further. She sought the help of two men who were riding by on horseback. They spied the Host on the ground. It was divided in seven Sections. Six of the Sections formed a flower similar to a rose and a great light was surrounding them.
The local parish priest was informed. He at once, together with all the parishioners, went there to pick up the Host and to bring the Sacred Host back to the church. He picked up the six sections, but when he wanted to pick up the main central Section, this stuck to the ground before everybody’s eyes. This partition was interpreted as a sign, and it was decided to build a chapel precisely at that place where the Host had disappeared. The six Sections were kept in the church of Ettiswil and became a Sacred Object of great veneration by the inhabitants of the village and of foreigners. God performed many miracles there. The chapel and the altar were consecrated on December 28, 1448: a year and half after the events.
A shrine to this miracle still exists there to this day. The great feast of the miracle’s chapel takes place on “Laetare Sunday and on the two following days.
Source: “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” a Vatican international exhibition, as reported by The Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration and Association, http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Ettiswil.pdf.
A Mother and Her Treasure
Maria’s mother was alone in Santo Tomas Church in Batangas, Philippines. It was 3:00 in the afternoon. She was praying in front of the Tabernacle, full of resentment.
She had 13 children and her husband had recently died. She did not understand why the Lord had seen fit to take him from her. She was there, putting all of this before the Lord, crying.
Suddenly, as she would later write, there was a “glow in the Tabernacle and a loud voice telling me, ‘Is it not enough I have given you thirteen children?'”
She was “stunned” and “dazed,” “blinded by the glow.”
After several minutes, she sat down, trying to make sense of what had just happened. All she could think was that her children were a treasure.
She came away from the event with a different perspective, not only on her children, but on life. Afterwards, She never complained about her hardships, but considered herself blessed because of her family.
Source: Proctor, Sr. Patricia, OSC, 201 Inspirational Stories of the Eucharist (Spokane, Washington, The Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare, 2004) p. 246.
St. Lutgaard
St. Lutgaard made it a practice to receive Communion very frequently. At one point, her superioress forbade her from doing so. She could, of course, continue to take the Eucharist, but not nearly as often. The Saint obeyed and did as she was instructed.
From the moment the direction was obeyed, her superioress, however, became ill. She developed pains that were quite intense. After some time, the superioress feared the pains could be a chastisement for preventing St. Lutgaard from receiving Communion as she wished. The superioress withdrew her direction to St. Lutgaard and the pains ceased immediately thereafter.
Source: Mueller, Michael, C.S.S.R., The Blessed Eucharist Our Greatest Treasure (Charlotte, N.C., Tan Books, 2011) p. 130.
One Day Later
Roberta’s mom had a sore throat that was worse than a normal one and so she went to see her regular physician. He immediately sent her to a throat specialist. The verdict was quickly pronounced that this was not just a sore throat. She would need surgery, right away. Further, there was the possibility, even with the surgery, that she would lose the ability to speak. He wanted her to come back the very next day.
Upon leaving the specialist’s office, she headed straight to church, St. Rose of Lima, in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. The priest there, Fr. Harrity, blessed her throat, but also told her that, when she attended Mass the next morning, she should offer her reception of the Eucharist for this difficulty.
She did and then proceeded to the specialist. He once again looked into her throat but, in astonishment, proclaimed, “My God, you are healed.” He had seen convincing evidence of disease in her throat only one day before. Now, it was gone.
In the interval, she had received a blessing from a priest, but also, as he thought was very important, she had received the Eucharist.
Source: McKenna, Briege, O.S.C. and Libersat, Henry, Miracles Do Happen (Cincinnati, Ohio, Servant Books, 1996) p. 194.
Herkenrode
| Viversel is a hamlet and the oldest parish in the district of Zolder, in the present Belgian municipality of Heusden-Zolder. It was there, on July 25, 1317, that the pastor of the local church was called to the bedside of one his parishioners. The man was seriously ill and the priest had been summoned to hear the man’s confession, distribute Holy Viaticum and prepare the man for death in a state of grace. | |
| Upon arriving at the man’s home, the priest left the bad he had been carrying at the entrance. He then went in further to the man’s bedside, to hear his confession. The bag was not simply any bag, for it carried a pyx containing the Blessed Sacrament.While the priest was attending to the sick man, a member of his family, who reportedly was in a state of mortal sin, took the bag, opened the pyx and put his hand inside. Discovering the Host, he put everything back the way it was, to hopefully keep his intrusion secret.
The priest then returned and discovered that the Host, which he recognized as one he himself had consecrated at Mass, was stained with blood which caused it to stick to the linen cloth covering the bottom of the pyx.
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| The priest was understandably troubled and, unsure of what should properly be done, make an excuse of having forgotten something, rushed out of the house. He consulted the pastor if the church in nearby Lumen, who advised him to take the Host to the Benedictine monastery in Herkenrode. The priest left and, as he reported it, extraordinary things took place along the road.
At the monastery, he displayed the Host to everybody there. Numerous witnesses saw, and later attested to having seen in the Host, the face of Christ crowned with thorns. In this place, called Sacramentsberg, a chapel was built as a perpetual memorial. From that time on, “the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle,” which had been placed in a reliquary and exposed to public veneration, more than once protected the monastery of Herkenrode from fire. The reliquary of the miracle was kept at the Abbey until 1796, and in 1804, it was transferred to the Church of St. Quintinus in Hasselt, where it can still be seen to this day. As has been documented on this webpage before, a piece of bread or article made of wheat flour will seriously begin to decompose within six months. Here, some 700 years later, that has still not taken place although the Host has not been treated with any chemical preservative. Sources: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Herkenrode.pdf;https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viversel; https://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Miracles/eucharistic-miracle-in-hasselt-belgium.html.
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The Boy with the Facial Deformity
Sister Briege McKenna was attending a Mass in a Latin American country. The people were poor. The Mass was being said outside, with an old table being used for the altar.
At the beginning of the Mass, Sister McKenna noticed a little boy. He had a “terrible facial deformity.”
At the end of Mass, the child’s mother came running up to Sister McKenna, with the boy in her arms. She wanted Sister McKenna to look at her boy. Sister McKenna did. The facial deformity was that had been there only a short time ago was now gone.
In the meantime, the Mass, the great celebration of the coming and the presence of the Lord among His people, had taken place. He had come. The boy was changed. The mother was ecstatic.
Source: McKenna, Briege, O.S.C. and Libersat, Henry, Miracles Do Happen (Cincinnati, Ohio, Servant Books, 1996) p. 60.
St. Lidwina
It is reported that saints and mystics have had the ability to perceive the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and likewise, the ability to perceive when He is not present.
Once, a priest thought to test St. Lidwina of Holland in this regard. He attempted to give her an unconsecrated host, but she said to him, “Your Reverence will please to give me another host, for that which you hold in your hand is not Jesus Christ.”
The priest had obviously not told her ahead of time of his modest deception. This story was remembered and recorded precisely because of this fact and that, nonetheless, the Saint knew Jesus was not present in the Blessed Sacrament — an ability she had only because she had the ability to know, at other times, He was.
Source: Mueller, Michael, C.S.S.R., The Blessed Eucharist Our Greatest Treasure (Charlotte, N.C., Tan Books, 2011) p. 18.