Posted on 05/13/2005 5:16:04 AM PDT by murphE
ROME, MAY 12, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Understanding the true presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated host and wine is difficult for Catholics.
To this end, the Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum held a conference on miracles that are associated with the Eucharist as a way to help people comprehend the incomprehensible.
The May 5 Conference also opened an exhibition entitled "Eucharistic Miracles," continuing through May 19, brings attention to these miracles that support the phenomenon of the truth of the faith.
Giancarlo Casagrande, one of the event's organizers, and professor and dean of the Faculty of Science and Faith Studies, told me: "Our intention is to present the fact of Christ's presence in the Blessed Sacrament in light of scientific evidence which is at the heart of the work that most of us do."
Of those who spoke at the conference was renowned scientist and syndonologist of the Pontifical Lateran University, Father Gianfranco Berbenne, who came up with the idea of the conference.
"Father Berbenne proposed that we examine Eucharistic miracles in a historical context as well as a medical, scientific and physical one too, and I think we have definitely succeeded in this purpose," said Casagrande.
Some cases brought up were those of Orvieto and Lanciano.
Casagrande, who himself is an authority on the former, explained how it has and continues to influence our faith: "Back in 1263, a priest by the name of Petrus was struggling with the concept of the 'true presence,'" the professor explained. "One day, while saying Mass in Bolseno, Italy, blood began to stream out of the host and onto the corporal at the moment of consecration.
"After revealing all that had happened to Urban IV, who was based in Orvieto at the time, Urban's idea of creating a feast entirely dedicated to the devotion of the Eucharist was cemented."
In fact, Urban IV took it one step further and asked St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the office for the liturgical event of 'Corpus Christi,' more fully defined in 1312 which, apart from a couple of slight adaptations, is how we celebrate it today.
"Some of the relics of the miracle are still kept in Orvieto, where the papal court was located at the time, and every year it's possible to participate in this feast," Casagrande added.
Another case described as the "most scientifically impressive" by most in attendance, was that of Dr. Edoardo Linoli, the scientist charged with the analysis of the host and wine which turned into flesh and blood in the Italian city of Lanciano, by the custodians of the relics.
Casagrande explained that since beginning in the early 70's, Linoli has proved his findings time and time again that "the flesh in the host was part of a human heart." He also demonstrated "without any possibility of objection that the blood's group is AB -- rare to Europe but more popular in Palestine and Israel."
"Proof it wasn't a fake relic," he said, "was that back then, when the relic came into being for the first time, there were no sufficient scientific competences to make such a good, false relic … it has to be what it is!"
Everything presented at the event are examples of scientific evidence that, if "considered with a sufficiently open mind, the truth behind them strikes you at the core of your being," said the professor.
Yet, while recommending that those who struggle with the reality of Christ's eucharistic persona read the scientific studies done on these miracles, Casagrande insists that faith cannot be based on miracles alone.
"Everyone's response to miracles is very personal -- after all there are still some under 'subjudice' or being assessed, and some proposed have been rejected," he said.
"But, the idea is that, as I said, miracles are only a suggestion to go beyond the physical phenomenon ... they are still merely material evidence that we have. We should always think beyond that and consider the truth which the miracle intended to reveal," added Casagrande.
Interesting.
Not to sound stupid, but whut iz a syndonologist????
In the year 1969, on the direction of Cardinal Pellegrino of Turin the Shroud was subjected to further analysis by an international panel of scientists, that included a syndonologist to study the texture of the cloth.
So, we know they study the texture of cloth, beyond that I don't know.
They study the image in the shroud, ways the image may have been formed, fabric related issues, pollen counts, all sorts of things related to the shroud, like the mechanics of crucifixion and scourging in the Roman era; some try to discover the history of the cloth before it turned up in Italy, and so on.
Some of them believe it's a miraculous image, some of them believe it's a medieval image, made by human hands, some of them are probably somewhere in the middle.
I have no idea.
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