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An eBay Auction
and a Eucharistic Miracle
By Gary Isbell
Upon returning from a trip to Portugal, I
heard about the attempt to auction a consecrated host on eBay.
While the thought of this is enough to raise the ire of even
the lukewarm, I readily recalled another Eucharistic sacrilege
and a marvelous host I had just seen near Fatima.
It was in a small town called Santarem about
35 miles south of the shrine. Saint Stephen's Catholic Church,
now known as The Church of the Holy Miracle, is a building
nestled amongst a cluster of simple, brick and stone homes.
Little has changed over the centuries on the narrow cobblestone
streets with children playing and traffic moving slowly along
reflecting a calm pace of life.
However, it was precisely here where in 1247
a horrible sacrilege took place that produced the miracle
of the Holy Host.
There lived at that time a Catholic woman
suffering from the abuse and infidelity of her husband and
was convinced that her husband no longer loved her. After
many prayers and no relief from her problems, she turned to
a sorceress for help.
Upon explaining her problems, she was told
to bring a consecrated host with the promise that her husband
would soon return to his loving ways. The woman was aware
of the grave offense to God, and was frightened with the prospect
of committing a horrible sacrilege. Unfortunately, she gave
in to temptation and went to Mass at Saint Stephen's and received
Holy Communion, removed the host from her mouth and put it
into her veil.
As she headed for the sorceress' cave, the
first miracle occurred. Within moments, blood began to issue
from the host. The amount of blood was such that it soon dripped
from the cloth and attracted the attention of bystanders who
asked if she needed assistance. Becoming even more frightened
by the unexpected turn of events, she hurried home instead
of the sorcerer's cave, and put the veil with the host in
a wooden chest in the bedroom.
The second miracle took place that very night
when both she and her husband were awakened by a mysterious
light penetrating through the wooden chest. The woman then
confessed her sin to her husband and they both spent the remainder
of the night on their knees in adoration. The following morning,
the parish priest was informed and people rushed to the house
to contemplate the Holy Miracle. The priest brought the host
back to the church in solemn procession, placed it in a small
case of wax; and deposited it in the tabernacle.
A third miracle occurred later when the priest
opened the tabernacle door and found the wax container had
broken into small pieces. In its place was a beautiful crystal
pyx with the blood of the host inside. The pyx is approximately
1/2" thick and 2" in diameter, crystalline clear
and with a small protrusion on the side that contains the
largest collection of blood. It is irregularly shaped crystal
through which can be seen the real flesh with delicate veins
running from top to bottom and a quantity of blood which is
collected at one end. It was later placed in a gold and silver
pear-shaped monstrance with a sunburst of 33 rays where it
remains today. The reliquary that houses the miraculous Host
rests above the tabernacle, and can be viewed atop a set of
stairs from behind the main altar.
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The small house where the miracle occurred
is three blocks from the church. On the second Sunday of every
April, this incident is re-enacted by local actors. The actual
Holy Host is taken in solemn procession from the woman's house,
which was converted into a chapel in 1684, to the church.
This case, along with many other Eucharistic
miracles, gives witness to the real presence of Our Lord Jesus
Christ in the Eucharist.
For those who do not believe, no explanation
is possible. For those who believe, no explanation is necessary.
During the Age of Faith, even those who committed such sacrileges
believed in the Real Presence. Building upon that faith, God
called them to repentance and often rewarded them with impressive
miracles.
In light of such miracles, the eBay controversy
is a tragic sign of our times. We have lost the notion of
our God in the Eucharist to the point that consecrated hosts
become collectibles to be bought and sold as merchandise.
It is the task of the Faithful to protest loudly and peacefully
to bring back that faith. We must affirm the Real Presence
even when others do not believe. We must trust in God that
he will reward our efforts maybe not with miraculous hosts
but with souls all aflame with love of Him and renewed strength
to confront our secular culture.
EBay
has withdrawn the second host that appeared on its site. However,
it has yet to change its policy. Please consider sending an
email noting our satisfaction that eBay removed the host but
firmly asking once again that it change its policy to include
consecrated hosts on its lists of prohibited items. Even if
you have already protested, please send a second protest asking
a change of policy.
Click here
for more.
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