Eucharistic Miracle of Santarém, Portugal, 1266.
Evil
things result from evil behavior. But God is Lord of all and well capable of bringing
a greater good out of every evil for those who believe and trust (cf., Romans8:28). Sometimes God even intervenes publicly and miraculously to wake humanity
up.
The
events begin with an unfaithful husband who continually violates his marriage vows
to his wife. (First evil.) The wife becomes more and more miserable. Instead of
turning to God alone, she seeks the help of the devil by going to a sorceress. (Second
evil.) The sorceress promises a result if the wife would bring her a
consecrated Host from the Catholic Church to concoct a love potion. (Third
evil, the sorceress’ intent.) The wife hesitates, but eventually agreed to
commit the sacrilege. (Fourth evil, her intent, and subsequent action.)
It
is February 16, 1266, Santarém, Portugal. The wife goes to Mass at the Church
of St. Stephen and receives communion. Then secretly, she removes the Host from
her mouth and wraps It in her veil. She leaves the church intending to go to
the sorceress. She doesn’t get there. God intervenes.
Immediately
she discovers the Host is bleeding. Blood seeps through the veil and onto her hands.
In the street, people try to come to her assistance thinking she’s hurt, but
she brushes them off and rushes home. She hides the bloody Host inside a chest,
and washes up.
That
night, after her husband had got home late (again), they are both awakened from
sleep by a bright light in the house. They find it coming from the chest,
emanating through the wood to illuminating the entire house. Well, now the wife
has to speak. She tells her husband all. God then works the miracle of
spiritual healing in both of them. They kneel with sincere repentance. They
remain before the lighted chest in prayerful adoration of the Lord the rest of
the night.
At
dawn, they go to the pastor and tell him all. Of course, news spread
immediately. They return to the house and the priest places the bleeding Host
into a wax container (a pyx). He brings it in procession to the church, a line
of the faithful behind him. He places the bleeding Host in the Tabernacle of
the church (a locked container where Hosts are retained in case of need for the
sick or dying). The Host continues to bleed for three consecutive days. After
the bleeding ceases, the pastor places the Host and its Precious Blood in a
more suitable beeswax reliquary, kept in the Tabernacle.
74
years pass. It is now 1340. The same beeswax reliquary with the consecrated
Host and Its surrounding Blood, remains in the Tabernacle. But today is
different. The parish priest opens the Tabernacle to find many broken pieces of
the beeswax reliquary, but the Host and its Blood, mixed with some beeswax, are
now are within a crystal vase (reliquary).
Each
year, since the miracle first occurred, on the second Sunday of April, the
Eucharistic Miracle is carried in procession from the home of the couple (a
chapel since 1684) to the church. These precious Eucharistic relics may still
be seen today at the Church of St. Stephen (rebuilt in the 16th Century). The
Eucharist has been “upheld” in existence still today by God’s “word of power”
(Hebrews 1:3).
The inscription above the main altar at of the Church of St. Stephen reads (from Genesis 28:16): “Indeed, the Lord is in this place.”
Dibby Allan Green