Eucharistic Miracle of America?
In
light of this week’s celebration of America’s Independence Day on July 4th,
we did some research to try to discover whether there had been any documented
Eucharistic Miracles in the United States. We did not find any which have been
formally approved as Eucharistic Miracles, but we did find some recent
occurrences worth noting.
We’ve
seen in past articles on Eucharistic Miracles that after a Host is consecrated
by a Catholic Priest and becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, and if
it cannot be consumed (e.g., accidentally dropped on the floor and picked up
dirt, or handled by someone who may be contagions), the proper way to dispose
of the Host is to place It in a container of water. Ordinarily, the Host will
dissolve within a few days.
More
recently, on March 5, 2023, during Mass at St. Thomas Catholic Church in the
town of Thomaston, Diocese of Hartford, Connecticut, a different kind of
miracle allegedly occurred. (This is the same parish where Blessed Father
Michael McGivney once served.) We know from the Bible that Jesus multiplied
bread and fed 4,000 on one occasion, and 5,000 on another occasion. Well, that
sort of multiplication is what happened here. A lay Extraordinary Minister of
Holy Communion was assisting the Pastor in distributing communion and was
almost out of Hosts. But there were still many more people coming in line. When
the minister looked down again at the ciborium he was holding, suddenly there
were plenty more Hosts in there. One second, they’re almost gone; next second,
the ciborium is full of Hosts.
At
the end of Mass, the Pastor told the congregation what had happened. He said,
“God just duplicated Himself.... It’s really, really cool when God does these
things, and it’s really, really cool when we realize what He’s done. And it
just happened today.” The published news reports say the Archdiocese of
Hartford is investigating the possible miracle. There seems to be no final
report yet; it may be too soon.
The
last story turned out to not be a Eucharistic Miracle, but is a good lesson
with a good reminder. It took place at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kearns,
Salt Lake City, Utah, in November of 2015. A consecrated Host was which could
not be consumed was placed in a container of water. After three days, instead
of dissolving, It not only stayed intact, but started turning red in color. It
appeared to be a miraculously “bleeding Host.”
The
Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City took possession of the Host and conducted an
investigation. A scientific analysis fairly quickly determined that "the
observed change in the Host could be satisfactorily and conclusively explained
by natural causes, namely the growth of what is commonly known as 'red bread
mold,' or red bacteria." The investigatory committee officially declared,
“"the observed change in the Host was not miraculous." The Chair of
the committee, Msgr. M. Francis Mannion, stated that the Church "presumes
that most situations appearing to be extraordinary phenomena are actually the
result of natural causes," and he encouraged Catholics to "take this
opportunity to renew their faith and devotion in the great miracle of the Real
Presence which takes place at every Eucharist."
Yes, every Eucharist is a miracle. Notwithstanding mere appearance, the reality of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit, done supernaturally, outside the laws of nature.
Dibby Allan Green