Corpus Christi Special: Possible 2013 Eucharistic Miracle in Poland?

Raphael [Public domain]

The Feast of Corpus Christi is especially close to those who have a deep love for Jesus and praying in front of the tabernacle.  Depending on where you live, I think there's a growing number of Filipinos who pray at adoration chapels or wherever there's a tabernacle and they talk to Jesus.

It's really part of Catholic vocabulary: the Real Presence is an appropriate term and its doctrine has been in the church since the early fathers like St. Ignatius of Antioch, successor to St. Peter. Well, the technical theological term is the doctrine of Transubstantiation.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it as a "presence in the fullest sense".  That's why we kneel during consecration, and go to confession first before taking communion.  In shortened Filipino, si Kristo ay naroon sa tinapay at alak.

Today's feast celebrates this.  In 1264, Pope Urban IV paved the way for the Church to remember the Body and Blood of Christ with the feast of Corpus Christi.  He was inspired by the eucharistic miracle at Bolsena-Orvieto in Italy.

In relation to miracles, there was a recent eucharistic miracle that has been approved for veneration in Poland by the Bishop of Legnica Bishop Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski last April 17, 2016,  During Christmas of 2013, a consecrated Host fell to the floor, was picked up and reverently put in a vasculum.  Soon after, red stains began to be seen on the host.  The bishop of Legnica at the time Bishop Stefan Cichy formed a commission to investigate the phenomenon.  After testing a small stained piece of the Host, the research team found it to be human tissue "containing the fragmented parts of cross striated muscle... similar to the heart muscle with alterations that often appear during the agony."

These types of miracles involving the Eucharist are not new.  According to Catholic Answers, there have been over one hundred eucharistic miracles over the centuries and the common theme was a crisis of faith in the Real Presence.  The earliest recorded was in Egypt among monks with one in particular having doubts.  At realpresence.org they mention the miracle in Siena, Italy in 1730 where the consecrated Host has been preserved in its state until this present day.

If you think about it, it's an everyday miracle right before our eyes.

* EN: The Eucharist is Jesus himself who gives himself entirely to us. * PT: A Eucaristia é o próprio Jesus que se entrega inteiramente por nós. * ES: La Eucaristía es Jesús mismo que se dona por entero a nosotros. * ITA: L’Eucaristia è Gesù stesso che si dona interamente a noi. * FR: L’Eucharistie est Jésus lui-même qui se donne entièrement à nous. * DE: Die Eucharistie ist Jesus selbst, der sich uns ganz hingibt. #CorpusDomini, #Jesus, #Jesús, #Gesù, #Eucharist, #Eucaristia, #Eucaristía, #Eucharistie

A photo posted by Pope Francis (@franciscus) on May 26, 2016 at 9:10am PDT

Sources:

1374. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Read May 29, 2016. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm

1376. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Read May 29, 2016. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm

Aleteia.org. The Daily WOW: Eucharistic Miracle in Poland Approved by Bishop After Testing. Read May 29, 2016. http://aleteia.org/blogs/the-daily-catch/the-daily-wow-eucharistic-miracle-in-poland-approved-by-bishop-after-testing/#sthash.PFLN4lps.dpuf

The Real Presence. Catholic Answers. Read May 29, 2016. http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-real-presence

Rychlak, R., Eucharistic Miracles: Evidence of the Real Presence. Catholic Answers. Read May 29, 2016.  http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/eucharistic-miracles-evidence-of-the-real-presence-0