FOOTSTEPS On ThE WAY
italy’s “miracles of mercy” Places where the Physical world manifests the sPiritual in miraculous ways n BY ITV STAFF The entrance to the Church of San Francesco, which contains the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. It is annexed to the homonymous convent of the Friars Minor Conventual. Inside are the famous relics of the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano (photo in the center), dating from the early 700s. On the right, a painting illustrating the Miracle (Galazka photos)
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taly is famous for many spectacular sights – wonders of art, architecture, music, culture and cuisine – in addition to its wonders of nature – majestic mountain ranges, placid lakes, bucolic countrysides and sunny seashores. But none of them can quite match the sight that awaits tucked inside a church in the medium-sized city now called Lanciano, once called in ancient Roman times Anxanum. The name, “Lanciano,” itself bears witness to the Christian roots of the city: it refers to the “Lance” of St. Longinus, the Roman soldier in Scripture who was born in Lanciano and came to believe in Christ after witnessing his death on Golgotha and using his lance to pierce Our Lord’s side. The original Church of St. Longinus, namesake of the city, was built by Basilian monks in the 8th century (early 700s). The story goes that a monk who had been plagued by doubts about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was saying Mass there one day.
It was to be a day like no other: This time, when the monk pronounced the words of consecration, the host was miraculously changed into flesh and the wine into blood. The monk was awestruck. Weeping joyously, he regained his composure. He called the congregation around the altar and said, “O fortunate witnesses, to whom the Blessed God, to confound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself visible to our eyes! Come, brethren, and marvel at our God, so close to us. Behold the Flesh and Blood of our Most Beloved Christ.” Those who witnessed the miracle soon spread the news throughout the surrounding area. (Fr. William Saunders, Catholiceducation.org) In the 1970s, Pope Paul VI authorized scientific testing to be performed on samples of the flesh and blood in the centuries-old reliquary. The flesh was determined to be human heart muscle; the blood, human type AB. It contained no preservatives, yet after 13 centuries, it was fresh and whole.
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INSIDE THE VATICAN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022
