+

Eucharistic Miracle
Lanciano, Italy 8th Century AD

In the city of Lanciano, Italy, around 700 AD, a Basilian monk and priest was assigned to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice in the Latin Rite in the small Church of St.Legontian.

Usually celebrating in the Greek Rite and using leavened bread and having been taught that unleavened bread was invalid matter for the Holy Sacrifice he was disturbed to be constrained to use unleavened bread and had trouble believing that the miracle of transubtantiation would take place with unleavened bread.

During the Mass, when he said the words of consecration : This is my Body...This is my Blood. He saw the bread change into live flesh and the wine change into live blood, which coagulated into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size. He was frightened and confused by the miracle, and stood a while as if in divine ecstasy, but eventually he turned his face to the congregation, and said "Behold the Flesh and the blood of our Most Beloved Christ." At those words, the congregation members ran to the altar and began to cry for mercy.


╬ ╬ ╬