Eucharistic miracle

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Sacrarium of the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano; it is maintained that the upper portion contains the heart tissue, while the lower receptacle contains the pellets of clotted blood. Miracolo Eucaristico di Lanciano - foto dal vivo.JPG
Sacrarium of the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano; it is maintained that the upper portion contains the heart tissue, while the lower receptacle contains the pellets of clotted blood.

Eucharistic miracle is any miracle involving the Eucharist, regarding which the most prominent Christian denominations, especially the Catholic Church, teach that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, which is by itself a Eucharistic miracle; however, this is to be distinguished from other manifestations of God. Eucharistic miracles are most known and emphasized within the context of the Catholic Church, which distinguishes between divine revelation, such as the Eucharist, and private revelation, such as Eucharistic miracles.

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In general, reported Eucharistic miracles usually consist of unexplainable phenomena such as consecrated Hosts visibly transforming into myocardium tissue, being preserved for extremely long stretches of time, surviving being thrown into fire, bleeding, or even sustaining people for decades. In the Catholic Church, a special task-force [1] or commission scientifically investigates supposed Eucharistic miracles before deciding whether they are "worthy of belief," in order to differentiate real Eucharistic miracles from cases of contamination by bacteria, such as Neurospora crassa or Serratia marcescens .

As with other private revelations, such as Marian apparitions, belief in approved miracles is not mandated by the Catholic Church, but often serves to reassure believers of God's presence or as the means to "send a message" to the population at large.[ citation needed ]

The Catholic Church differentiates between true miracles and occurrences that are explainable by natural causes. For example, in 2006, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas gave over a Eucharist host that turned red while in a glass for the analysis by two University of Dallas biology professors who concluded it was naturally explicable, as Bishop Charles Victor Grahmann wrote that "… the object is a combination of fungal mycelia and bacterial colonies that have been incubated within the aquatic environment of the glass during the four-week period in which it was stored in the open air." [2] In contrast, with regards to the Eucharistic miracle at Sokółka in 2008, "The results of the testing by Professor Maria Sobaniec-Łotowska  [ pl ] (from the Department of Medical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Białystok (UMB)) and by Professor Stanisław Sulkowski (from the Department of General Pathomorphology, UMB) are consistent and indicate the presence of human heart tissue with specific pathomorphological changes." [3] The professors wrote in an academic article that "the tissue fragments observed under the microscope undoubtedly belong to the human heart and look as if the sample had been taken from the heart of a living person in agony." [3] Further details in the article were provided that affirmed the presence of heart muscle, negating a bacterial explanation: "Important evidence that the tested material is the muscle of the human heart was mainly the central arrangement of cell nuclei in the observed fibers, which is a characteristic phenomenon for this muscle. (...) in the electron microscopic examination, clear outlines of inserts and bundles of delicate myocardium were visible." [3]

Real Presence

Roman Catholic Eucharistic doctrine draws upon a quasi-Aristotelian understanding of reality, [4] in which the core substance or essential reality of a given thing is bound to, but not equivalent with, its sensible realities or accidents. In the celebration of the Eucharist, by means of the consecratory Eucharistic Prayer, the actual substance of the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. This change in substance is not, however, the outward appearances of the bread and wine—their accidents—which remain as before. This substantial change is called transubstantiation, a term reserved to describe the change itself. Scholastic philosophical terminology was used but is not a part of the dogma that defined Christ's presence for the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent. [5] In the 13th session of 11 October 1551, it promulgated the following conciliar decree:

"if anyone says that the substance of bread and wine remains in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist together with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and denies that wonderful and extraordinary change of the whole substance of the wine into His blood, while only the species of bread and wine remain, a change which the Catholic Church has most fittingly called transubstantiation, let him be anathema ." (Session 13, can.2)". [6] [5] [7]

Protestant views on the fact of Christ's presence in the Eucharist vary significantly from one denomination to another: while many, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists and the Reformed agree with Roman Catholics that Christ is really present in the Eucharist, they do not accept the definition of transubstantiation to describe it. [8] According to Thomas Aquinas, in the case of extraordinary Eucharistic Miracles in which the appearance of the accidents are altered, this further alteration is not considered to be transubstantiation, but is a subsequent miracle that takes place for the building up of faith. Nor does the extraordinary manifestation alter or heighten the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as the miracle does not manifest the physical presence of Christ:

"in apparitions of this sort ... the proper species [actual flesh and blood] of Christ is not seen, but a species formed miraculously either in the eyes of the viewers, or in the sacramental dimensions themselves." [9]

Some denominations, especially Lutherans, have similar beliefs regarding the Eucharist and the Real Presence, though they reject the Roman Catholic concept of transubstantiation, preferring instead, the doctrine of the sacramental union, in which

"the body and blood of Christ are so truly united to the bread and wine of the Holy Communion that the two may be identified. They are at the same time body and blood, bread and wine. ...In this sacrament the Lutheran Christian receives the very body and blood of Christ precisely for the strengthening of the union of faith." [10]

Lutherans hold that the miracle of the Eucharist is effected during the Words of Institution. [11] Both the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, such as the Coptic Church, insist "on the reality of the change from bread and wine into the body and the blood of Christ at the consecration of the elements," although they have "never attempted to explain the manner of the change," [12] thus rejecting philosophical terms to describe it. [13] The Methodist Church similarly holds that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist "through the elements of bread and wine," but maintains that how He is present is a Holy Mystery. [14] [15] All Anglicans affirm the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, though Evangelical Anglicans (as with other Reformed Christians) believe that this is a pneumatic presence, while those of an Anglo-Catholic churchmanship believe this is a corporeal presence, but at the same time still rejecting the philosophical explanation of transubstantiation. [16] [17]

Extraordinary Eucharistic miracles

The Mass at Bolsena, fresco of Raphael (1512, in Raphael Rooms of Apostolic Palace, Vatican City) Massatbolsena.jpg
The Mass at Bolsena , fresco of Raphael (1512, in Raphael Rooms of Apostolic Palace, Vatican City)
Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena in a reliquary made by Ugolino di Vieri Duomo orvieto - reliquario del corporale.JPG
Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena in a reliquary made by Ugolino di Vieri

Mystical Fasting

Some Catholic saints reportedly survived for years on nothing but the Eucharist. Marthe Robin (Venerable) fasted from all food and drink except the Eucharist from 1930 to her death in 1981.[ citation needed ]

Brazilian Servant of God Floripes Dornellas de Jesus reportedly lived for 60 years feeding with Eucharist only. [18] [ unreliable fringe source? ] [19] [ unreliable fringe source? ]

Teresa Neumann, the famed Catholic Stigmatic from Bavaria subsisted on no solid food but the Holy Eucharist from 1926 until her death in 1962 some 36 years later. In a biography written about her she stated that numerous times she attempted to eat other things only to have them regurgitate immediately upon attempting to swallow them.[ citation needed ]

Supernatural Communion

Some saints reportedly received Holy Communion from angels. One example is the visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima receiving the Eucharist from an angel. The angel, "whiter than snow, ... quite transparent, and as brilliant as crystal in the rays of the sun," proffered the Eucharist host and chalice to the Holy Trinity in reparation for the sins committed against Jesus Christ, then administered the Eucharist to the visionaries and instructed them to make acts of reparation. [20] [ unreliable fringe source? ] Another example is Saint Faustina receiving the Eucharist from a seraph. At one time, she saw a dazzling seraph dressed in a gold robe, with a transparent surplice and stole, holding a crystal chalice covered in a transparent veil, which he gave Faustina to drink. [21] [ non-primary source needed ] At another time, when she was doubting, Jesus and a seraph appeared before her. She asked Jesus, but when he did not reply, she asked the seraph if he could hear her confession. The seraph replied, "no spirit in heaven has that power" and administered the Eucharist to her. [22] [ non-primary source needed ]

Flesh, blood and levitation

The Sanctuary of the Most Holy Miracle in Santarem, Portugal Igreja do Santissimo Milagre 01.jpg
The Sanctuary of the Most Holy Miracle in Santarém, Portugal

The rarest reported types of Eucharistic miracle is where the Eucharist becomes human flesh as in the miracle of Lanciano which some believe occurred at Lanciano, Italy, in the 8th century, [23] [24] or the Eucharist becomes human blood as in the miracle of Santarém which some believe occurred at Santarém, Portugal, in the 13th century. [25] The Catholic Church officially recognized both miracles as authentic. However, a Eucharistic miracle more commonly reported is that of the Bleeding Host, where blood starts to trickle from a consecrated host, the bread consecrated during Mass. Other types of purported miracles include consecrated hosts being preserved for hundreds of years, such as the event of the Miraculous Hosts of Siena. [26] [ unreliable fringe source? ] Other miracles include a consecrated host passing through a fire unscathed, stolen consecrated hosts vanishing and turning up in churches, and levitating consecrated hosts.

The Mass at Bolsena , depicted in a famous fresco by Raphael at the Vatican in Rome, was an incident said to have taken place in 1263. A Bohemian priest who doubted the doctrine of transubstantiation celebrated Mass at Bolsena, a town north of Rome. During the Mass the bread of the eucharist began to bleed. The blood from the host fell onto the altar linen in the shape of the face of Jesus as traditionally represented, and the priest came to believe.[ citation needed ]

In 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi. [27]

There have been numerous other alleged miracles involving consecrated Hosts. Several of these are described below.

A story from Amsterdam, 1345, claims that a priest was called to administer Viaticum to a dying man. He told the family that if the man threw up, they were to take the contents and throw it in the fire. The man threw up, and the family did what the priest had advised them to do. The next morning, one of the women went to rake the fire and noticed the Host sitting on the grate, unscathed and surrounded by a light. It had apparently passed into both the man's digestive system and the fire unscathed. The story is commemorated with an annual silent procession through central Amsterdam. [28]

According to another story, a farmer in Bavaria took a consecrated Host from Mass to his house, believing that it would bring him and his family good fortune. However he was plagued by the feeling that what he had done was very wrong and turned to go back to the church to confess his sin. As he turned, the Host flew from his hand, floated in the air and landed on the ground. He searched for it, but he could not see it. He went back accompanied by many villagers and the priest who bent to pick up the Host, having seen it from some distance off. It again flew up into the air, floated, and fell to the ground and disappeared. The bishop was informed and he came to the site and bent to pick up the Host. Again it flew into the air, remained suspended for an extended time, fell to the ground and disappeared. [29] [ unreliable fringe source? ]

An alleged 1370 Brussels miracle involves an allegation of host desecration; someone attempted to stab several Hosts, but they miraculously bled and were otherwise unharmed. The Hosts were venerated in later centuries. [30]

Caesarius of Heisterbach recounts various tales of Eucharistic miracles in his book Dialogue on Miracles; [31] most of the stories he tells are from word of mouth. They include Gotteschalk of Volmarstein who saw an infant in the Eucharist, a priest from Wickindisburg who saw the Host turn into raw flesh, and a man from Hemmenrode who saw an image of a crucified Jesus and blood dripping from the Host. All of these images, however, eventually reverted into the Host. Caesarius also recounts more extraordinary tales, such as bees creating a shrine to Jesus after a piece of the Eucharist was placed in a beehive, [31] : 130  a church that was burnt to ashes while the pyx containing the Eucharist was still intact, [31] : 136  and a woman who found the Host transformed into congealed blood after she stored it in a box. [31] : 142 

Corpus Christi Anglican Church Eucharistic Miracle at Corpus Christi Anglican Church.jpg
Corpus Christi Anglican Church

In 2016, in Aalst, a small town in Flanders (Belgium), a 200-year-old [32] eucharistic host in a monstrance, suddenly showed blood red colour. On 7 July at 17:45 this Eucharistic host spontaneously started colouring, in the presence of several witnesses. The phenomenon occurred in the home of Father Eric Jacqmin, a sedevacantist, formerly member of SSPX. Professor Liesbeth Jacxsens has offered to scientifically investigate the host and thinks the colour could be caused by Serratia marcescens , Monilia sitophila or Oidium. [33]

Appearance of image of Jesus

Two eucharistic miracles were reported in the 21st century in Kerala, India. One was at Chirattakonam in Kollam district, [34] and the other was at Vilakkannur in Naduvil. [35] [36] In both cases, an image that resembles Jesus appeared on consecrated host.

Carlo Acutis list

Carlo Acutis was an Italian Catholic youth and website designer, who is best known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them onto a website which he created before his death from leukemia. The following list shows some of these miracles: [37]

Miracle CityYearCountrySummary
Buenos Aires1992-1994-1996ArgentinaBleeding Host
Fiecht1310AustriaWine turns into blood boils overflows chalice, doubting priest
Seefeld1384AustriaEarthquake at same time as bleeding host
Weiten-Raxendorf1411AustriaGlowing Host
Bois-Seigneur-Isaac1405BelgiumBleeding Host
Bruges1203BelgiumRelic of Jesus blood
Brussels1370BelgiumBleeding Host; Stolen Host
Herentals1412BelgiumStolen Hosts intact after eight days in form of cross
Herkenrode-Hasselt1317BelgiumBleeding Host
Liège1374BelgiumLed to Feast of Corpus Christi
Middleburg-Lovanio1374BelgiumBleeding Host
Tumaco1906ColombiaIsland saved by Blessed Sacrament
Ludbreg1411CroatiaWine turned to blood
SceteIII-V cent.EgyptInfant Jesus seen in place of bread
St. Mary of EgyptIV-V cent.EgyptBishop walks on water to receive communion
Avignon1433FranceEucharist Survives flood
Blanot1331FranceBleeding Host
Bordeaux1822FranceJesus appears in Host
Dijon1430FranceBleeding Host
Douai1254FranceChild appears after Host dropped
Faverney1608FranceFire destroys altar but not Host
La Rochelle1461FranceHost cures paralyzed boy
Les Ulmes1668FranceHost replace by man
Marseille-En-Beauvais1533FranceStolen Hosts found in perfect condition
Neuvy Saint Sepulcre1257FranceHost cures paralyzed boy
Paris1290FranceHost stolen and returned.
Pressac1643FranceHost survives fire
Augsburg1194GermanyBleeding Host
Benningen1216GermanyBleeding Host
Bettbrunn1125GermanyStolen Host could not be picked up until Bishop's prayer
Erding1417GermanyStolen Host found
Kranenburg1280GermanyHost thrown near tree, tree forms crucifix
Regensburg1255GermanyThe Lord takes Host from doubting priest
Walldürn1330GermanyWine turned into blood in form of Crucified Christ
Wilsnack1383GermanyHost survives fire
Weingarten1094GermanyRelic of Jesus blood
Alkmaar1429NetherlandsWine turns to blood
Amsterdam1345NetherlandsHost survives vomiting and fire
Bergen1421NetherlandsDoubting priest throws Hosts in river. Hosts found Bleeding
Boxmeer1400NetherlandsWine turned into blood
Boxtel-Hoogstraten1380NetherlandsWine turned into blood
Breda-Niervaart1300NetherlandsStolen Host found in perfect condition
Meerssen1222NetherlandsBleeding Host
Meerssen1465NetherlandsHost Rescued from fire
Stiphout1342NetherlandsHost survives fire
Alatri1228ItalyHost stolen and becomes flesh
Asti1535ItalyBleeding Host
Bagno di Romagna1412ItalyBleeding Host; Doubting priest
Bolsena1264ItalyHost turns into Flesh. Pope and T. Aquinas witness host.
Canosio1630ItalyFlood stops; Priest with Eucharist prayed at flood waters
Cascia1330ItalyBleeding Host
Cava dei Tirreni1656ItalyPlague stopped by Eucharistic procession
Dronero1631ItalyFire stopped; Priest with Eucharist prayed at fire
Ferrara1171ItalyBleeding Host; stains ceiling
Florence1230ItalyWine becomes blood
Florence1595ItalyEucharist survives fire
Gruaro (Valvasone)1294ItalyBleeding Host
Lanciano750ItalyHost turns to flesh; Wine into Blood. Doubting priest
Macerata1356ItalyBleeding Host; Doubting priest
Mogoro1604ItalySinful men spit out Host; Hosts became hot, leaves imprint on floor
Morrovalle1560ItalyHosts survive fire
Offida1273ItalyHost becomes flesh after attempt to use in witchcraft
Patierno (Naples)1772ItalyStolen Hosts found
Rimini1227Italy St. Anthony wagers with disbeliever that starving mule will pick Host to food
Rome1610ItalyHost becomes flesh
RomeVI-VII cent.ItalyHost becomes flesh
Rosano1948ItalyHost leaves imprint on floor; Doubting priest
Fonte Avellana11th CenturyItalyHost turns to flesh; was to be used in witchcraft; witnessed by St. Peter Damian
Assisi1240Italy St. Clare turns away invaders by displaying Eucharist
Salzano1517ItalyPriest gives Viaticum; donkeys led procession and genuflect
San Mauro La Bruca1969ItalyStolen Host found
Scala1732ItalySigns of Passion appear in Host
Siena1730ItalyConsecrated Hosts intact for 276 years, unconsecrated hosts rot away
Trani11th CenturyItalyBleeding Host. Stolen, thief tries to fry Host, Host bleeds
Turin1453ItalyStolen Host and Monstrance rise; later Host becomes illuminated
Turin1640ItalyAttempt to steal host prevented by flames
Veroli1570ItalyJesus appears in Host
Volterra1472ItalyStolen Hosts; Hosts rise and illuminated
Morne-Rouge1902MartiniqueTown survives volcano; Afterwards image Jesus in Host
Tixtla2006MexicoBleeding Host
Eten1649PeruJesus appears in Host
Glotowo1290PolandBuried Host found illuminated
Kraków1345PolandStolen Host found illuminated
Legnica2013PolandBleeding Host
Poznań1399PolandStolen and destroyed Host; Found Particles illuminated
Sokółka2008PolandBleeding Host
Santarém1247PortugalBleeding Host turns to flesh
Saint-André de la Réunion1902Reunion IslandsFace of Jesus appears in Host
Alboraya-Almacéra1348SpainHost dropped in river; saved by fish
Alcalà1597SpainStolen Hosts returned; Host intact after 11 years
Alcoy1568SpainStolen Hosts found
Caravaca de la Cruz1231SpainImage of Jesus in Host; Muslim king converts
Cimballa1370SpainBleeding Host; doubting priest
Daroca1239SpainBleeding Host; Led to military victory
Gerona1297SpainBleeding Host; Doubting priest; Priest could not swallow Host.
Gorkum-El Escorial1572SpainBleeding Host. Desecrated before bleeding
Guadalupe1420SpainBleeding Host
Ivorra1010SpainWine into Blood. Doubting Priest
Moncada1392SpainGirl wants to play with Jesus; Priest doubts ordination
Montserrat1657SpainDuring consecration girl sees father in purgatory surrounded by flames; tissue ignites
O'Cebreiro1300SpainHost to flesh; doubting priest
Onil1824SpainStolen Host found
Ponferrada1533SpainStolen Host found. Tabernacle stolen.
S. John of the Abbesses1251SpainStolen Host; Jesus image in Host
Silla1907SpainStolen Hosts found in perfect condition
ValenciaSpainChalice used by Jesus in his Last Supper
Zaragoza1427SpainStolen Host; Image of Jesus in Host
Ettiswil1447SwitzerlandStolen Host found lighted in seven pieces in air in form of flower
Betania1991VenezuelaBleeding Host

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consubstantiation</span> Christian theological doctrine

Consubstantiation is a Christian theological doctrine that describes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It holds that during the sacrament, the substance of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. It was part of the doctrines of Lollardy, and considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. It was later championed by Edward Pusey of the Oxford Movement, and is therefore held by many high church Anglicans. The Irvingian Churches adhere to consubstantiation as the explanation of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharist</span> Christian rite and sacrament

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion, giving his disciples bread and wine. Passages in the New Testament state that he commanded them to "do this in memory of me" while referring to the bread as "my body" and the cup of wine as "the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many". According to the synoptic Gospels this was at a Passover meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transubstantiation</span> Catholic sacramental doctrine

Transubstantiation is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of the Blood of Christ". This change is brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. However, "the outward characteristics of bread and wine, that is the 'eucharistic species', remain unaltered". In this teaching, the notions of "substance" and "transubstantiation" are not linked with any particular theory of metaphysics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Host desecration</span> Form of sacrilege in some Christian denominations

Host desecration is a form of sacrilege in Christian denominations that follow the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It involves the mistreatment or malicious use of a consecrated host—the bread used in the Eucharistic service of the Divine Liturgy or Mass. It is forbidden by the Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, as well as in certain Protestant traditions. In Catholicism, where the host is held to have been transubstantiated into the body of Jesus Christ, host desecration is one of the gravest sins. Intentional host desecration incurs the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae. Throughout history, a number of groups have been accused of desecrating the Eucharist, often with grave consequences due to the spiritual importance of the consecrated host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist</span> Doctrine that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically

The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically, but in a true, real and substantial way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monstrance</span> Vessel used to display religious object in the Christian tradition

A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium, is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharistic Sacramental bread (host) during Eucharistic adoration or during the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. A monstrance may also serve as a reliquary for the public display of relics of some saints. The word monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare, while the word ostensorium comes from the Latin word ostendere. Either term, each expressing the concept of "showing", can refer to a vessel intended for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, but ostensorium has only this meaning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body of Christ</span> Biblical phrase

In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus Christ's words over the bread at the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover that "This is my body" in Luke 22:19–20, or it may refer to all individuals who are "in Christ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharistic adoration</span> Christian rite

Eucharistic adoration is a devotional practice primarily in Western Catholicism and Western Rite Orthodoxy, but also to a lesser extent in certain Lutheran and Anglican traditions, in which the Blessed Sacrament is adored by the faithful. This practice may occur either when the Eucharist is exposed, or when it is not publicly viewable because it is reserved in a place such as a tabernacle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church tabernacle</span> Container for consecrated hosts in some Christian traditions

A tabernacle or a sacrament house is a fixed, locked box in which the Eucharist is stored as part of the "reserved sacrament" rite. A container for the same purpose, which is set directly into a wall, is called an aumbry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharistic theology</span> Branch of Christian theology

Eucharistic theology is a branch of Christian theology which treats doctrines concerning the Holy Eucharist, also commonly known as the Lord's Supper and Holy Communion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramental union</span> Lutheran doctrine of the real presence

Sacramental union is the Lutheran theological doctrine of the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Christian Eucharist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transignification</span> Explanation of transubstantiation

Transignification is an idea originating from the attempts of Roman Catholic theologians, especially Edward Schillebeeckx, to better understand the mystery of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in light of a new philosophy of the nature of reality that is more in line with contemporary physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharist in Anglicanism</span> Holy sacrament of the Eucharist in Anglicanism, a major branch of Protestantism

Anglican eucharistic theology is diverse in thought and practice. Its sources include prayer book rubrics, writings on sacramental theology by Anglican divines, and the regulations and orientations of ecclesiastical provinces. The principal source material is the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), specifically its eucharistic prayers and Article XXVIII of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Article XXVIII comprises the foundational Anglican doctrinal statement about the Eucharist, although its interpretation varies among churches of the Anglican Communion and in different traditions of churchmanship such as Anglo-Catholicism and Evangelical Anglicanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood of Christ</span> Concepts in Christianity

Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood, in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacramental blood (wine) present in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which some Christian denominations believe to be the same blood of Christ shed on the Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eucharist in the Catholic Church</span> Catholic sacrament

Eucharist is the name that Catholic Christians give to the sacrament by which, according to their belief, the body and blood of Christ are present in the bread and wine consecrated during the Catholic eucharistic liturgy, generally known as the Mass. The definition of the Eucharist in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as the sacrament where Christ himself “is contained, offered, and received” points to the three aspects of the Eucharist according to Catholic theology: the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Holy Communion, and the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

Mysterium Fidei is an encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI on the Eucharist, published in September 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Receptionism</span> Religious doctrine

Receptionism is a form of Anglican eucharistic theology which teaches that during the Eucharist the bread and wine remain unchanged after the consecration, but when communicants receive the bread and wine, they also receive the body and blood of Christ by faith. It was a common view among Anglicans in the 16th and 17th centuries, and prominent theologians who subscribed to this doctrine were Thomas Cranmer and Richard Hooker.

In Lutheranism, the Eucharist refers to the liturgical commemoration of the Last Supper. Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, affirming the doctrine of sacramental union, "in which the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present, offered, and received with the bread and wine."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord's Supper in Reformed theology</span> Sacrament that spiritually nourishes Christians

In Reformed theology, the Lord's Supper or Eucharist is a sacrament that spiritually nourishes Christians and strengthens their union with Christ. The outward or physical action of the sacrament is eating bread and drinking wine. Reformed confessions, which are official statements of the beliefs of Reformed churches, teach that Christ's body and blood are really present in the sacrament and that believers receive, in the words of the Belgic Confession, "the proper and natural body and the proper blood of Christ." The primary difference between the Reformed doctrine and that of Catholic and Lutheran Christians is that for the Reformed, this presence is believed to be communicated in a spiritual manner by faith rather than by oral consumption. The Reformed doctrine of real presence is called "pneumatic presence".

Stercoranism is a supposed belief or doctrine attributed reciprocally to the other side by those who in the eleventh century upheld and those who denied the Christian doctrine of transubstantiation, that the bread and wine offered in the Eucharist become in substance, but not in form, the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

References

  1. ↑ Ghose, Tia (9 July 2013). "The Science of Miracles: How the Vatican Decides If They're Real". Live Science.
  2. ↑ "Communion wafer turns "blood red" in South St. Paul – miracle, or bacterial?". Twin Cities. 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  3. 1 2 3 Jacyna-Onyszkiewicz, Zbigniew; Sobaniec-Łotowska, Maria Elżbieta; Sulkowski, Stanisław Tadeusz; Kakareko, Andrzej; Rucki, Miroslaw (January 2019). "Eucharistic miracle from the scientific perspective". Teologia i Człowiek (in Polish). 43 (3) (published 2018-11-17): 87. doi: 10.12775/TiCz.2018.028 . ISSN   2391-7598.
  4. ↑ See Edward J. Kilmartin, The Eucharist in the West: History and Theology, ed. Robert J. Daly (Collegeville: Liturgical Press/Pueblo, 1998), 147-153.
  5. 1 2 Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. "Eucharistic Doctrine on the Real Presence". Archived from the original on 2003-08-04.
  6. ↑ Canones Et Decreta Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Tridentini ("Canons and decrees of the Most Holy Ecumenical Council of Trent") (in Latin). Lipsiae Tauchnitz. 1863. p.  54. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019– via archive.org.
  7. ↑ "Catechism of the Council of Trent (divulgative version)" (pdf). documentacatholicaomnia.eu (in English, French, and Italian). Archived from the original on January 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ See, e.g., Thomas J. Davis, This is My Body: The Presence of Christ in Reformation Thought (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008).
  9. ↑ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, 76.8 ad 2: "...In huiusmodi apparitionibus. . . non videtur propria species Christi, sed species miraculose formata vel in oculis intuentium, vel etiam in ipsis sacramentalibus dimensionibus...." Translated for Wikipedia.
  10. ↑ Mattox, Mickey L.; Roeber, A. G. (27 February 2012). Changing Churches: An Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran Theological Conversation. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 54. ISBN   9780802866943. In this "sacramental union," Lutherans taught, the body and blood of Christ are so truly united to the bread and wine of the Holy Communion that the two may be identified. They are at the same time body and blood, bread and wine. This divine food is given, more-over, not just for the strengthening of faith, nor only as a sign of our unity in faith, nor merely as an assurance of the forgiveness of sin. Even more, in this sacrament the Lutheran Christian receives the very body and blood of Christ precisely for the strengthening of the union of faith. The "real presence" of Christ in the Holy Sacrament is the means by which the union of faith, effected by God's Word and the sacrament of baptism, is strengthened and maintained. Intimate union with Christ, in other words, leads directly to the most intimate communion in his holy body and blood.
  11. ↑ Wandel, Lee Palmer (2006). The Eucharist in the Reformation. Cambridge University Press. p. 260. ISBN   9780521856799. While Luther had been quite clear that the words of institution themselves, quite autonomous of the minister, effected the miracle of consubstantiation, priests were the medium through which the miracle of transubstantiation occurred.
  12. ↑ Harper, Brad; Metzger, Paul Louis (1 March 2009). Exploring Ecclesiology. Brazos Press. p. 312. ISBN   9781587431739.
  13. ↑ Houlden, James Leslie (2003). Jesus in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 185. ISBN   9781576078563. The Copts are fearful of using philosophical terms concerning the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, preferring uncritical appeals to biblical passages like 1 Cor. 10.16; 11.23-29 or the discourse in John 6.26-58.
  14. ↑ Neal, Gregory S. (19 December 2014). Sacramental Theology and the Christian Life. WestBow Press. p. 111. ISBN   9781490860077. For Anglicans and Methodists the reality of the presence of Jesus as received through the sacramental elements is not in question. Real presence is simply accepted as being true, its mysterious nature being affirmed and even lauded in official statements like This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.
  15. ↑ Abraham, William J.; Watson, David F. (1 March 2013). Key United Methodist Beliefs. Abingdon Press. p. 1. ISBN   9781426771224. Charles Wesley wrote a marvelous collection of hymns that offer an amazing vision of Christ's mysterious, yet real, presence in the bread and the wine.
  16. ↑ Poulson, Christine (1999). The Quest for the Grail: Arthurian Legend in British Art, 1840-1920. Manchester University Press. p. 40. ISBN   9780719055379. By the late 1840s Anglo-Catholic interest in the revival of ritual had given new life to doctrinal debate over the nature of the Eucharist. Initially, 'the Tractarians were concerned only to exalt the importance of the sacrament and did not engage in doctrinal speculation'. Indeed they were generally hostile to the doctrine of transubstantiation. For an orthodox Anglo-Catholic such as Dyce the doctrine of the Real Presence was acceptable, but that of transubstantiation was not.
  17. ↑ Spurr, Barry (3 April 2010). Anglo-Catholic in Religion. Lutterworth Press. p. 100. ISBN   978-0718830731. The doctrine had been affirmed by Anglican theologians, through the ages, including Lancelot Andrewes, Jeremy Taylor (who taught the doctrine of the Real Presence at the eucharist, but attacked Roman transubstantiation), William Laud and John Cosin - all in the seventeenth century - as well as in the nineteenth century Tractarians and their successors.
  18. ↑ Comunicação, Assessoria de. "#9 DE ABRIL | DIA DA LOLA". Prefeitura Municipal de Rio Pomba (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  19. ↑ "Peregrinação ao sítio da Lola « Arquidiocese de Mariana" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  20. ↑ "Fatima 100th Anniversary - Third Apparition of the Angel of Portugal". www.ewtn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  21. ↑ Divine Mercy In My Soul 1676
  22. ↑ Divine Mercy In My Soul 1677
  23. ↑ Linoli O. "Histological, immunological and biochemical studies on the flesh and blood of the eucharistic miracle of Lanciano (8th century)." Quad Sclavo Diagn. 1971 Sep; 7(3):661-74
  24. ↑ The Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, Italy in The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (Catalogue of the Vatican International Exhibition). Eternal Life; 1st edition (January 1, 2009), 330 pages. ISBN 9781931101028
  25. ↑ The Eucharistic miracle of Santarém, Portugal in The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (Catalogue of the Vatican International Exhibition). Eternal Life; 1st edition (January 1, 2009), 330 pages. ISBN 9781931101028
  26. ↑ Aleteia (2015-06-20). "The Miraculous Hosts of Siena: The Body of Christ, Ever New". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  27. ↑ "Feast of Corpus Christi | Description & History". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  28. ↑ Dutch-language description: "In Amsterdam, gelegen binnen het bisdom Utrecht, was een man zwaar ziek en vreesde te sterven. Om hem de laatste sacramenten toe te dienen werd een priester geroepen. Deze gaf hem na de biecht het heilig sacrament van de eucharistie. Echter, na het eten van de geconsacreerde hostie kon de zieke een braakneiging niet onderdrukken. Hij ging naar de brandende haard van zijn kamer en braakte het sacrament daarin uit. Daarop bleek dat de zieke niet alleen de hostie onbeschadigd had uitgebraakt, maar dat bovendien het brood niet door het hoogopvlammende vuur werd aangetast."
  29. ↑ "Erding, Germany: Eucharistic Miracle in the Church of the Holy Blood". The Catholic Travel Guide. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  30. ↑ Commission Nationale Catholique pour les Relations avec le Monde Juif. "Le Miracle du St Sacrament" (in French). Brussels Cathedral. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Caesarius; Henry von Essen Scott; C. C. Swinton Bland (1929). Caesarius, The Dialogue On Miracles (vol. 2).
  32. ↑ "Bloedende hostie in Aalst: een mirakel?". TVOOST - Regionaal nieuws uit Oost-Vlaanderen (in Dutch). 24 August 2016. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  33. ↑ Vanhecke, Nikolas (24 August 2016). "Aalst in de ban van bloedende hostie: mirakel of een schimmel?". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  34. ↑ "Eucharistic Miracle of Chirattakonam" (PDF). therealpresence.org. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  35. ↑ ""Miracle" Host sent to Rome for scientific study". Matters India. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "Holy Face of Jesus Allegedly Appears on Eucharistic Host in India -". ChurchPOP. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  37. ↑ "MIRACOLI EUCARISTICI - Mostra Internazionale Ideata e Realizzata da Carlo Acutis e Nicola Gori". www.miracolieucaristici.org. Retrieved 2023-07-09.

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