Eucharistic miracle is anymiracle involving theEucharist, regarding which the most prominentChristian denominations, especially theCatholic Church, teach thatChrist is truly present in the Eucharist, which is by itself a Eucharistic miracle; however, this is to be distinguished from other manifestations ofGod. Eucharistic miracles are most known and emphasized within the context of the Catholic Church, which distinguishes betweendivine revelation, such as the Eucharist, andprivate revelation, such as Eucharistic miracles.
In general, reported Eucharistic miracles usually consist of unexplainable phenomena such as consecratedHosts visibly transforming intomyocardium tissue, being preserved for extremely long stretches of time, surviving being thrown into fire, bleeding, or even sustaining people for decades. In the modern 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 red colored microorganisms, such asNeurospora crassa orSerratia marcescens.
As with other private revelations, such asMarian 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]
Roman Catholic Eucharistic doctrine draws upon a quasi-Aristotelian understanding of reality,[2] 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 consecratoryEucharistic 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—theiraccidents—which remain as before. This substantial change is calledtransubstantiation, 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 theCouncil of Trent.[3] In the 13th session of 11 October 1551, it promulgated the following conciliar decree:
"if anyone says that thesubstance of bread and wine remains in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist together with theBody andBlood 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 calledtransubstantiation, let him beanathema." (Session 13, can.2)".[4][3][5]
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.[6]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."[7]
Some denominations, especially Lutherans, have similar beliefs regarding the Eucharist and theReal Presence, though they reject the Roman Catholic concept of transubstantiation, preferring instead, the doctrine of thesacramental 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."[8]
Lutherans hold that the miracle of the Eucharist is effected during theWords of Institution.[9] Both the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, such as theCoptic Church, insist "on thereality 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 themanner of the change,"[10] thus rejecting philosophical terms to describe it.[11] TheMethodist 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.[12][13] AllAnglicans affirm the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, thoughEvangelical Anglicans (as with otherReformed Christians) believe that this is apneumatic presence, while those of anAnglo-Catholic churchmanship believe this is a corporeal presence, but at the same time questioning the philosophical explanation of transubstantiation.[14][15]
The Catholic Church regards every administration of the Eucharist to be a miracle, as in their conception the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ.[16][17] The title 'extraordinary Eucharistic miracle' is used to distinguish numerous reported miracles regarding the Eucharist from the miracle of standard transubstantiation.[18]
One type of Eucharistic miracle is where the Eucharist becomes humanflesh as in themiracle of Lanciano which some believe occurred atLanciano,Italy, in the 8th century,[19][20] or the Eucharist becomes humanblood as in themiracle of Santarém which some believe occurred atSantarém, Portugal, in the 13th century.[21] TheCatholic 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.[22][23] Other miracles include a stolen consecrated hosts vanishing and turning up in churches.The Mass at Bolsena, depicted in a famous fresco byRaphael at the Vatican in Rome, was an incident said to have taken place in 1263. ABohemian priest who doubted the doctrine oftransubstantiation celebrated Mass atBolsena, a town north of Rome. During the Mass the bread of theeucharist 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 theFeast of Corpus Christi.[24] This feast was, according to legend, prompted by themiracle at Bolsena.[25]
Analleged 1370 Brussels miracle involves an allegation ofhost desecration; someone attempted to stab several Hosts, but they miraculously bled and were otherwise unharmed. The Hosts were venerated in later centuries.[26]
Caesarius of Heisterbach recounts various tales of Eucharistic miracles in his bookDialogue on Miracles;[27] 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,[27]: 130 a church that was burnt to ashes while thepyx containing the Eucharist was still intact,[27]: 136 and a woman who found the Host transformed into congealed blood after she stored it in a box.[27]: 142
In 2016, inAalst, a small town inFlanders (Belgium), a 200-year-old[28] eucharistic host in amonstrance, suddenly showed blood red color. On 7 July at 17:45 this Eucharistic host spontaneously started coloring, in the presence of several witnesses. The phenomenon occurred in the home of Father Eric Jacqmin, asedevacantist, who was formerly a member ofSSPX. Professor Liesbeth Jacxsens has offered to scientifically investigate the host and thinks the color could be caused bySerratia marcescens,Monilia sitophila orOidium.[29]
In March 2024, inChümoukedima,Nagaland, a consecrated host that was not consumed and had been kept for dissolving in water developed a layer from which blood oozed out.[30]
The Catholic Church differentiates between true miracles and occurrences that are explainable by natural causes. For example, in 2006, theRoman Catholic Diocese of Dallas gave over a Eucharist host that turned red while in a glass for the analysis by twoUniversity of Dallas biology professors who concluded it was naturally explicable, as BishopCharles 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."[31] In contrast, with regards to theEucharistic miracle at Sokółka in 2008, "The results of the testing by ProfessorMaria 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."[32] The professors wrote in an academic article that "the tissue fragments observed under the microscope undoubtedly belong to thehuman heart and look as if the sample had been taken from the heart of a living person in agony."[32] 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 ofcell nuclei in the observed fibers, which is a characteristic phenomenon for this muscle. (...) in theelectron microscopic examination, clear outlines of inserts and bundles of delicatemyocardium were visible.[32] However, the scientific investigation into the Sokółka phenomenon later faced significant scrutiny and allegations of procedural irregularities. While the professors' findings were published inTeologia i Człowiek, a journal primarily focused on theology and related humanities, rather than natural sciences or medicine, subsequent reports raised questions about the methodology and conclusions.[33]
According to an investigation byRzeczpospolita, the Archbishop sent the host directly to Sobaniec-Łotowska, bypassing standard university protocol which dictates samples be submitted to the department's management. Professor Sobaniec-Łotowska is noted as a public supporter of the Archbishop and a fervent supporter of the Church. Professor Lech Chyczewski, the head of the Department of Medical Pathomorphology at the Medical University of Białystok, stated that 'the sample fromSokółka was tested informally.' He reportedly issued an official reprimand to Sobaniec-Łotowska, deeming her actions 'reprehensible,' and clarified that the department did not officially endorse or stand behind these tests.[34]
TheRzeczpospolita report further detailed that Sobaniec-Łotowska and her chosen colleague performed the analyses, but she was reluctant to speak to the newspaper, citing strict secrecy. She released only a general summary report that lacked pictures and provided only a high-level description of a simple histopathological test. This report claimed the sample was heart muscle, but crucially, it did not specify whether its origin was human or animal, and a detailed report was reportedly never released. Contradictorily, her colleague, Professor Sulkowski, in an oral description to the department head, reportedly stated that the nuclei in the sample were not centrally located, a characteristic that would contradict a finding of heart muscle. When questioned byRzeczpospolita about the arrangement of the nuclei, he also refused to answer, citing secrecy. No other personnel at the University, including Professor Chyczewski, were permitted to view the samples, associated pictures, or a detailed report despite inquiries.[35] Furthermore, the Medical University of Białystok reportedly offered to conduct DNA tests on the sample, but the Archbishop declined this offer. The Archbishop also did not submit the 'miracle' for approval to the Vatican.[36]
According to a local 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.[37][unreliable fringe source?]
A story from Amsterdam, 1345, claims that a priest was called to administerViaticum 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 annualsilent procession through central Amsterdam.[38]
Two eucharistic miracles were reported in the 21st century inKerala, India, both of which involved an image that resembles Jesus appearing on consecrated host. One was at Chirattakonam inKollam district,[39] and the other was at Vilakkannur inNaduvil.[40][41]
In 2023, a Catholic church inThomaston, United States, reported that the hosts they distributed for communion never ran out. The Catholic Church is investigating the event.[42]
Some Catholics reportedly survived for years while eating nothing but the Eucharist. Some sources have likened this toinedia.[43]
Marthe Robin, declared to be Venerable by the church, reportedly fasted from all food and drink except the Eucharist (and drops of liquid meant to moisten her lips)[43] from 1930 to her death in 1981.[citation needed]
Brazilian Servant of GodFloripes Dornellas de Jesus reportedly lived for 60 years feeding with Eucharist only.[44][unreliable fringe source?][45][unreliable fringe source?]
Teresa Neumann, a CatholicStigmatic from Bavaria, reportedly subsisted on no food but the Holy Eucharist for decades. From 1927, she ate no food other than daily communion, reportedly keeping this standard until her death in 1962.[46][47] 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]
Some saints reportedly received Holy Communion from angels. One example is the visionaries ofOur 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 andchalice to theHoly Trinity in reparation for the sins committed againstJesus Christ, then administered the Eucharist to the visionaries and instructed them to makeacts of reparation.[48][unreliable fringe source?] Another example isSaint Faustina receiving the Eucharist from aseraph. At one time, she saw a dazzling seraph dressed in a gold robe, with a transparentsurplice andstole, holding a crystal chalice covered in a transparent veil, which he gave Faustina to drink.[49][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.[50][non-primary source needed]
TheMass of Saint Gregory is a subject of Catholic art that showsPope Gregory I and others seeing a miraculous vision of Christ after praying for a sign to convince doubters of real presence theology.[51]
Raphael's fresco,The Mass at Bolsena, is a 1512 depiction of an event inBolsena in the 1200s, where a Bohemian priest doubted the real presence. Blood trickled from the host during mass, thus removing the doubts of the priest.[52]
Carlo Acutis was an Italian Catholic youth and website designer, who is known fordocumenting numerous Eucharistic miracles and cataloguing over 150 of them onto a website which he created before his 2006 death from leukemia.[53] He was canonized a Saint in 2025.[53]
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)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.
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.
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.
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 likeThis Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.
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.
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.
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.
To the faithful Catholic, every Eucharist is a miracle
A true Eucharistic miracle occurs at every holy mass
sometimes refers to extraordinary empirical signs of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist
{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)extraordinary events said to have marked Robin's life: her inedia (that is, her total fasting, apart from the weekly host and a few drops of liquid Finet used to moisten her lips)