But what is the `Real` Presence?

In the 8th century a monk from the order of St Basil was celebrating Mass in the Church of St Longinus in what is now Lanciano, Italy. He was plagued with doubts about what was the Real Presence since then as now this doctrine was being denied so there is nothing different happening today. He consecrated the Bread and the Wine then looked in amazement at what he saw. The host had been changed into a circle of flesh and the wine into visible blood. Nearly 1200 years later, in 1970 scientific evidence was produced by a Professor Linoli that what he had examine was a human heart still preserved in some miraculous way after hundreds of years. The wine was human blood, type AB. It is interesting that the blood on the Turin Shroud is also type AB. Many Eucharistic miracles have happened and I refer my readers to the wonderful book Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz This human heart and human blood can still be witnessed at Lanciano. At Orsino-Orvieto 1263 another priest with doubts had just said the words of consecration when blood poured from the host onto his hands and onto the corporal, a linen cloth, on the altar. He immediately got in touch with Pope Urban IV who was nearby. A year later Urban introduced the feast of Corpus Christi, that day when we celebrate in the Catholic Church the belief that the host is indeed changed into the substantial Body of Christ. Joan lists 33 miracles many from the past but some more recent and their evidence is there today to challenge science. But are we to be surprised at this lack of faith! Take the long discourse Jesus had with the Jews in John 6. He had just worked the miracle of the loaves and fishes but He told the crowd that this was food for the body but He wanted to give them food for their souls and He was that food. Despite the miracle of the loaves the Jews wanted a sign from Jesus that He was from God. In the desert God gave their fathers Manna from heaven. What sign would He give. "I am the Bread of Life" he said. The Jews muttered that this was nonsense. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you cannot have life in you" He told them. This bread was not like the Manna in the desert which kept the body alive but was food for the soul. It is important to read this whole dialogue rather than pick and choose. We are told that from then on many followed him no more. He had not given a sign but talked nonsense. Were they really stupid. Surely he was talking figuratively?. They were most certainly not and Jesus went out of hnis way to impress them that this was not figurative language. He was talking about flesh and blood - physical things. He was talking about His flesh and blood being given to them to feed their souls. Many walked away disgusted. When he turned to his disciples "Will you also go?" they did not say "Well Jesus we are not like them, we understand every word", they did not understand either but "To whom Lord shall we turn for you have the words of eternal life" In other words "We do not understand but if this is the sign you will give, we know it will happen" They could not connect physical flesh and blood with the good of the soul but they accepted the words of Jesus that he was spaking of spiritual matters. Is it not amazing that hundreds of years later proud men who were not there in the day of Jeus, suddenly understand he was talking figuratively. But the Real Presence, Body Blood Soul and Divinity is the great sign of the Presence of Christ in our Church today. Jesus turns bread into His Body and wine into his Blood and feeds us. What a wonderful gift this is. And this gift is part of our Catholic Church. Come let us Adore Him. Pray that you will believe in this gift.