TRUE STORIES OF EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES- April, the month dedicated to the Holy Eucharist

[Dawn Marie]

April, the month dedicated to the Holy Eucharist

 

J.M.J.

Stories of Eucharistic Miracles
Taken from http://www.olrl.org/sacramen/ihsmrcls.shtml

TRUE STORIES OF EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES

We who hold faithful to what the Roman Catholic Church teaches,
believe that Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is truly present in
the Most Holy Eucharist. We believe it on the words of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, who promised to give us His flesh to eat and blood to
drink, at the lakeside of Galilee (John 6, 48-60), and who fulfilled
that promise at the Last Supper (Matt. 26: 26-28; Luke 22: 19-20;
Mark 14: 22-24; 1 Cor. 11: 23-25). We have also the divine,
infallible testimony of the Catholic Church which He established. The
Holy Synod (the Council of Trent) decreed in Canon 1 on the Most Holy
Sacrament of the Eucharist: "If anyone denies that in the sacrament
of the most Holy Eucharist are contained truly, really and
substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ, but says
that He is in it only as in a sign, or figure or force, let him be
anathema."

Over the centuries, Our Dear Lord has seen fit to work over 100
miracles confirming His real presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
What is the purpose of these miracles? To prove what He said is true
as the scripture says: "The Lord confirmed the word with signs that
followed." (Mark 16:16) He wants us to believe His teaching and
threatens us with damnation if we do not. "He that believeth not
shall be condemned." (Mark 16:16) God is willing to give
extraordinary means to help our faith because He desires our
salvation. Jesus goes so far as to say: "Though you will not believe
Me, believe the works." (John 10:38) "They give testimony of Me."

Related below are four wonderful Eucharistic miracles confirming Our
Lord's real presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

1. For a long time the parish priest of Moncada in Spain had
celebrated Mass without any scruples of conscience, when suddenly he
became the prey of a violent doubt as to whether he had been rightly
ordained. In his distress, to allay his doubts he determined to put
his case before his bishop. He immediately set out on foot and
journeyed to Valencia, the seat of the diocese. In this place it
pleased Almighty God to deliver him from his trouble, and to give him
light and peace by means of a very remarkable miracle.

The priest had been appointed to say Christmas Mass. He had reached
the awful moment of Consecration, and with trembling hands took the
host and pronounced the words of transubstantiation with a quivering
voice. As he raised the Sacred Host aloft, and knelt again in
trembling adoration, the cry of a little five-year-old child rang out
from the congregation: "O Mama, what a lovely child! See there, Mama!
He is up on the altar." A little lad nearby, apparently forgetful of
everything else, stood upon the chair and clapped his hands with joy.
The boy's mother was embarrassed and bade him hush, for no one else
had seen the vision of beauty; only the innocent child saw it when
the Sacred Host was raised on high. Again and again he entreated his
mother to look. "Such a beautiful child, Mama," he whispered, "just
like the little baby over there in the crib."

The mother and child awaited to hear a second Mass which was said by
the same priest at dawn, and again at the Elevation the little boy
exclaimed, "Oh, there he is again, Mama, don't you see? The priest is
holding him up in his hands and now he has laid him on the altar!" The
mother bade the child be silent; she could not see anything, the great
grace being granted only to her little son.

The priest completed the Christmas offering by saying the third Mass.
At the Elevation the boy was all excitement, and the same scene was
enacted as before. The happy mother repeated this strange occurrence
to others, and through them it reached the ears of the priest himself
who, it may be believed, was greatly comforted thereby. However, his
scruples were not entirely removed. He doubted whether the child
might not have been deceived, and therefore he requested that the
little boy be cross-examined by him. But the answers of the child
were so accurate that he found no reason to doubt the reality of the
manifestation. Full of joy and filled with gratitude towards God, he
invited the little boy and his mother to be present as often as
possible at his Mass, and on each occasion the miracle was renewed.
As doubts still lingered in his mind, he resolved to receive a final
convincing proof. Taking three particles with him to the altar, he
placed two upon the corporal and consecrated them, leaving the third
one unconsecrated but within reach. After Holy Mass was ended he
called the little boy to the altar, and asked him if he saw the
divine Infant in either of the particles, and, if so, in which. "Oh
yes, Father," said the boy, "there He is! See, He is stretching out
His hands." The little fellow seemed quite ravished with delight. On
pointing to the other host the priest asked: "And what about it? Is
the Divine Infant also in that other host?" The child answered, "No."
"But are you sure?" queried the priest. "Oh yes, Father, there is
nothing there." At the last manifestation the peace of the good
priest returned to him. Unrest and scruple vanished from his mind
forever, and for the remainder of his life he served God with greater
love and piety.

PRAYER: "O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and
thanksgiving be every moment Thine.

2. In Valpariso, Chile, at the beginning of the 20th century, Fr.
Mateo Crawley-Boevey SS, CC., well known as the great Apostle of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, was a young priest. Fr. Mateo told this story
wherever he preached and he found that where people were prepared to
earn "three golden coins" with love, many graces were obtained and
many conversions followed.

He relates that one day an 8 year old girl told him that Jesus spoke
to her every time she received Holy Communion. Father was somewhat
skeptical and requested her to ask Jesus to give him proof. The proof
Father requested was the sudden conversion of a certain man who was a
big sinner, a fallen away Catholic, and enemy of the Church ... and
also that this man should come to him for Confession.

About a week later when Fr. Mateo was hearing confessions, the young
girl told him that this sinner was coming up to the church. As the
priest was leaving the confessional, the fallen away Catholic came
into the church and walked over to Fr. Mateo and asked him to help
him with his confession. He said that it was the first one since he
was baptized. He did not know what came over him that morning but he
suddenly understood the necessity of going to confession. Father
realized that he had received the proof he requested.

The young girl told the priest that Our Lord revealed to her that He
would give the graces to repent and mend his ways to this fallen away
Catholic, and also to many other souls. He said, "Always ask Me for
souls and I will give them to you, and tell Father Mateo to ask Me
for souls. I will give them to him, too, but first you must become My
missionary."

She thought she was too young to be a missionary. Our Lord assured
her that He would make her His missionary and that she would have to
pay a certain price for souls. "I want you," said Jesus, "to earn
three golden coins a day." Our Lord then explained what He meant by
golden coins.
1) The first golden coin was her prayers to Him for souls.
2) The second golden coin was her little sacrifices, especially acts
of obedience.
3) The third golden coin was a promise: "never to miss Mass or Holy
Communion through your own fault and to visit Me often in the Blessed
Sacrament."

3. On the 17th of December, 1899, the fast mail on the way from
Bordeaux to Paris met with a collision. In the mail car was Gabriel
Gargam, a 30-year-old post office express clerk. At the time of the
wreck the train was going at the speed of fifty miles an hour. By the
crash Gargam was thrown fifty-two feet. He was terribly bruised and
broken and paralyzed from the waist down. He was barely alive when
lifted onto a stretcher. Taken to a hospital, his existence for some
time was a living death. After eight months he had wasted away to a
mere skeleton, weighing but seventy-eight pounds, although normally a
big man. His feet became gangrenous. He could take no solid food and
was obliged to take nourishment by a tube. Only once in twenty-four
hours could he be fed even that way.

Gargam's condition was pitiable in the extreme. He could not help
himself even in the most trifling needs. Two trained nurses were
needed day and night to assist him. Previous to the accident, Gargam
had not been to church for fifteen years. His aunt, who was a nun of
the Order of the Sacred Heart, begged him to go to Lourdes. He
refused. She continued her appeals to him to place himself in the
hands of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was deaf to all her prayers. After
continuous pleading of his mother he consented to go to Lourdes. It
was now two years since the accident, and not for a moment had he
left his bed all that time. He was carried on a stretcher to the
train. The exertion caused him to faint, and for a full hour he was
unconscious. They were on the point of abandoning the pilgrimage, as
it looked as if he would die on the way, but the mother insisted, and
the journey was made.

Arrived at Lourdes, he was carried to the miraculous pool and
tenderly placed in its watersno effect. Rather a bad effect
resulted, for the exertion threw him into a swoon and he lay
apparently dead. On the way back they saw the procession of the
Blessed Sacrament approaching. They stood aside to let it pass,
having placed a cloth over the face of the man whom they supposed to
be dead.

As the priest passed carrying the Sacred Host, he pronounced
Benediction over the sorrowful group around the covered body. Soon
there was a movement from under the covering. To the amazement of the
bystanders, the body raised itself to a sitting posture. While the
family were looking dumbfounded and the spectators gazed in
amazement, Gargam said in a full, strong voice that he wanted to get
up. He got up and stood erect, walked a few paces and said that he
was cured. The multitude looked in wonder, and then fell on their
knees and thanked God for this new sign of His power at the shrine of
His Blessed Mother. For two years hardly any food had passed his lips
but now he sat down to the table and ate a hearty meal.

On August 20th, 1901, sixty prominent doctors examined Gargam.
Without stating the nature of the cure, they pronounced him entirely
cured. Gargam, out of gratitude to God in the Holy Eucharist and His
Blessed Mother, consecrated himself to the service of the invalids at
Lourdes. Fifteen years after his miraculous cure he was still engaged
in his strenuous and devoted work. He was for years a living, visible
testimony of the supernatural.

PRAYER: May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be
praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment,
in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time.

4. Some years ago, a young man was unhappily led astray into the
paths of Jewish infidelity. While still in the flower of youth, his
heart was filled with dreams of glory to be attained as a
distinguished musician. One evening he was asked to play the organ in
one of the principal churches in Paris; there in that church God
awaited him, and prepared for him, not a triumph of his self-love,
but a humiliation a thousand times more glorious. Already the roof of
the sacred edifice re-echoed the sound of the solemn chants, and the
melodious tones of the organ had filled all hearts with recollection
and prayer; every head was bowed and the God of the Eucharist had
blessed His children prostrate in lowly adoration. The unbelieving
musician, alone, dared to raise his haughty brow before that God
despised by his forefathers, but in vain. A mysterious and invisible
hand bowed his head and humbled him to the ground. A miracle of grace
was effected; the young man was conquered; he knelt down a Jew; he
rose up a Catholic. His heart wounded by the Real Presence in the
Sacred Host, he left the church; soon the waters of Baptism were
poured upon him, and exchanging his fashionable attire for the coarse
serge of a monk, he bade an eternal farewell to the pleasures of the
world. A living example of the power of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament, he went from city to city, and from village to
village, proclaiming the love of God, repeating again and again: "The
days of grief are departed. I have found peace of heart since I have
tasted the delights of the tabernacle of the Lord." If you would know
the name of this privileged soul, ask it at the cloister of Mount
Carmel, and they will tell you it was Father Augustine of the Most
Blessed Sacrament. If one single visit to the God of the Eucharist
transformed an obstinate Jew into a good Catholic, what may we not
hope to obtain by devout visits to the Blessed Sacrament?
PRAYER: O my Jesus, I adore Thee in this Holy Sacrament, as my Lord
and my God, as my Redeemer and Savior.

5. About the year 1599, in the city of Posen, a very remarkable
incident took place in connection with the Blessed Sacrament. A
servant girl, who was bribed by some unbelievers, stole from the
chapel of the Dominicans three small Hosts, wrapped them in a linen
cloth, and carried them to the house of the wretches who had hired
her for the deed. The unbelievers treated the Sacred Hosts in a most
sacrilegious and shameful manner. They threw them on a table and cut
the Sacred Particles. Blood spurted out on the first one of the
sacrilegious creatures and left a stain that could not be removed.
The report of this strange occurrence soon spread abroad and crowds
ran to see for themselves. A blind woman insisted on being led to the
scene of this marvelous incident. Divinely inspired, she cried out:
"If Thou art the true God, He whom our ancestors nailed to the Cross,
restore to me my sight!" She was immediately cured, and went away
proclaiming the miracle. The guilty profaners, fearing the just
punishment of their heinous crime, wished to dispose of the
desecrated Hosts, and after several fruitless efforts buried them to
a great depth in a swamp.

One day on the octave of the Blessed Virgin, two herdsmen, father and
son, brought their cattle to pasture near this place. The father went
to a church not far off to hear Mass, while the son guarded the herd.
To his surprise the boy saw the cattle approach the swamp and kneel
down with their heads bent low. The shepherd raised his eyes and saw
in the air over the swamp three shining objects. In amazement he
perceived that they were three Hosts, and he instantly prostrated
himself and profoundly adored the God who revealed Himself by so
great a prodigy.

In the meantime, the father returned from Mass. As soon as the boy
saw him he ran to meet him. "Father," he shouted, "our oxen are
adoring the Blessed Sacrament!" "Nonsense!" replied the parent,
shrugging his shoulders, "what folly is this!" "Come and see for
yourself," protested the boy, "that I am telling the truth." While
proceeding on his way the old man suddenly paused, with feet fastened
to the ground and with eyes entranced as he beheld the astonishing
scene. There at the farthest end of the marsh three little lights
hung in the air, while the dumb beasts knelt with heads bowed to the
earth. The old herdsman, all doubts gone, knelt in adoration before
the three consecrated Hosts profaned by the unbelievers. After a
moment's prayer, the old man ran to the city and proclaimed the
wonder to all whom he met. The people, however, looked upon him as a
fool, and even cast him into prison. And now a new wonder
occurredthe prison door opened and freed the prisoner. This startled
the authorities and they began to investigate. The Bishop and the
clergy were informed and went in procession to the place indicated by
the herdsman. Then the Sacred Hosts, which had remained suspended in
the air, slowly descended and rested in the hands of a saintly
priest. They were taken back to the city amidst great pomp and
splendor. Then the authorities began to debate what disposition to
make of the miraculous Hosts. While they were arguing, the Hosts rose
from their hands, ascended into the air and returned to the marsh. The
wish of Our Lord was evident. So they erected an improvised sanctuary
on the spot, and this in turn was soon followed by a magnificent
basilica founded by Ladislaus Jagellon, King of Poland. Needless to
say, thousands of pilgrims have visited the famous shrine to adore
the miraculous Hosts.

PRAYER: O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may love Thee
more and more. Jesus meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like
unto Thine.

Only in the Catholic Church is Jesus truly present in the Holy
Eucharist. This is one of the great proofs that the Catholic Church
is the one true Church.

---------------------------------

The above article (brochure), "Prayers to the Blessed Sacrament" and
"Spiritual Communion" prayer cards are available in our Store
(http://www.olrl.org/mm5/merchant.mvc) - order several for
distribution.

--
Sincerely in Christ,
Our Lady of the Rosary Library
"Pray and work for souls"
http://olrl.org

[Cathleen]

Thank you for posting these edifying stories, and thank you Mary Ellen for sharing your story as well.