A priest who was weak in his belief that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, was called to visit a sick man. He took a Host from the Tabernacle, put it between the pages of his Prayer Book (or Brievary), and off he went.
He did not put the Host in a pyx (or small box) which is used to bring Holy Communion to the sick.
When he opened his Prayer Book to give Holy Communion to the sick man, he found 2 round bloodstains on pages facing each other, but no Host. He was in shock and went to another priest who had one of the pages placed in a tabernacle in Perugia and the other in a monastery in Cascia.
A special chapel has been built to house the Eucharistic Miracle. If a light is focused on the page from the rear, and a person looks at it from the front, a face can be clearly seen in the bloodstain.
This miracle shows us:
Jesus keeps His promises that He would give us His Flesh to eat and His Blood to drink (John 6:48-59).
At every Mass, for the last 2,000 years, when the priest says the words of consecration (this is My Body and this is My Blood) the bread and wine are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity of Jesus Christ. All Christians believed this miracle happens at Mass for the first 1,500 years until the Protestant Reformation.
The red blood cells in fresh blood break down over time (24 to 48 hours) without refrigeration.
Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association 718 Liberty Lane Lombard, IL 60148 Phone: 815-254-4420 Contact Us Internet: www.therealpresence.org
or Carol J. Seydel The Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association Phone: 815-609-7331 - [email protected] - http://www.therealpresence.org