Posted on 02/10/2007 6:02:28 AM PST by stfassisi
The Eucharistic Miracles Eucharistic miracles are God's extraordinary interventions, meant to confirm faith in the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist. We know the Catholic teaching on the real presence. With the words of consecration: "This is my body," "This is my blood," the substance of bread becomes the body of Christ, and the substance of wine His blood. This marvelous change is called transubstantiation, that is to say, the passage of substance. Of the bread and wine there remain only the appearances or species, which, with a philosophical term, are called accidents. In other words, only the dimensions, color, taste, smell and even the nutritive capacity remain. But the substance, that is to say, the true reality does not remain, for it has become the body and blood of the Lord.
Transubstantiation can in no way be experienced by the senses; only faith assures us of this marvelous change.
The Eucharistic miracles are meant to confirm this faith, which is based on Jesus's words according to which what seems like bread is no longer bread, and what seems wine is no longer wine. In fact, in the Eucharistic miracles the flesh and blood—or one or the other—appear, depending on the situation. The purpose of these miracles is to show that we must not look at the external appearance (bread and wine) but at the substance, to the true reality of the thing, which is flesh and blood.
Medieval theologians have carefully examined the matter of Eucharistic Miracles (which were very frequent in their day) and have given various interpretations; but the best founded and most reasonable one seems to be that of St. Thomas Aquinas, the “Eucharistic Doctor” par excellence (Summa Theolgica III, q. 76, a. 8).
He says that the body and blood which appear after a miracle are due to the transformation of the Eucharistic species, namely, of the accidents, and do not touch the true substance of the body and blood of Christ. In other words, the species of bread and wine are miraculously changed into the species of flesh and blood; but the true body and true blood of Jesus are not those which appear but those which, even before the miracle, were hidden beneath the species of flesh and blood.
If, in fact, the flesh and blood which appear were truly the flesh and blood of Christ, we would have to say that the risen Jesus, who reigns impassibly at the right hand of the Father, loses a part of his flesh and blood, something which in no way can be accepted.
We must therefore say that the flesh and blood which appear in the miracles are in the order of species or appearances, neither more nor less than the order of the species of bread and wine.
The Lord performs these miracles to give us a sign, easy and visible to all, that in the Eucharist there is the true body and true blood of the Lord.
But this true body and this true blood are not those that appear, but rather those that are substantially contained under the species or appearances, species and appearances that, before the miracle, were those of bread and wine, and after the miracle are those of flesh and blood.
Under the appearances of flesh and blood Jesus is truly and substantially contained as He was before the miracle. For this reason we can adore Jesus truly present under the species of flesh and blood.
Father Roberto Coggi, O.P.
Ping!
But this true body and this true blood are not those that appear, but rather those that are substantially contained under the species or appearances, species and appearances that, before the miracle, were those of bread and wine, and after the miracle are those of flesh and blood.
Under the appearances of flesh and blood Jesus is truly and substantially contained as He was before the miracle. For this reason we can adore Jesus truly present under the species of flesh and blood.
The above two paragraphs are contrary to the plain and simple words of Jesus and Paul. St. Paul writes: "As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He comes. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." So not only does He give His real, true and substantial body and blood, but also the communicant eats bread and drinks the cup (that is, what is in the cup, wine.).
The second paragraph is a logical conclusion that is not based on any clear text. Aquinas was way off base to assume that it is the body and blood of the risen Christ that is offered in the Sacrament. Jesus says it is the body "given for the remission of sins" and the "blood shed for you." Now, He is clearly saying that this is the body and blood which died on the cross to atone for sins, not the body and blood given from heaven as the Protestants claim.
Transubstatiation and Concomitance are logical doctrines, not Biblical ones.
BLOOD TYPE FOUND IN ICONS IS SAME AS IN SHROUD OF TURIN AND 'LANCIANO MIRACLE'
Physician Tells of Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano -Verifies Authenticity of the Phenomenon
Eucharistic Miracle - Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy
2) Please re-read the accounts of the Last Supper, as recorded in the Holy Gospel accounts of Sts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
"This is my body" and "this is my blood" are fairly unambiguous statements. Unless we are going to engage in clintonian word games, we should take Our Lord at His word.
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