Let us join Father McKeon during the “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” and explore the many “Eucharistic Miracles” that have taken place from around the world.
What are 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. 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, 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. Eucharistic miracles are meant to confirm this faith, a faith based on the words of Jesus. A faith that informs us that what seems like bread is no longer bread, and what seems like wine is no longer wine. The purpose of these miracles is to reaffirm our belief that the external ap