Eucharistic Miracles: Legnica, 2013
As we’ve been discussing these Eucharistic Miracles that have occurred throughout history, the studies of these phenomena have yielded incredible results that can potentially wake us up to the reality of what it is that we celebrate. When we truly consider that the host we receive is the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, it changes everything about how we go about the Mass and how we handle Eucharist. We genuflect not as a simple practice, but to the Lord. We handle the chalice and ciboria with the great care reserved not for “dishes,” but for sacred vessels holding the Body and Blood of the Lord. Even when accidents happen, like dropping a host, we try to fix them carefully and intentionally as if we were handling the greatest treasure.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget these things, but God is very good at reminding us that he is present with us. In 2013, during the Christmas Day Mass at St. Hyacinth Parish in Legnica, Poland, a host fell to the ground during the distribution of Holy Communion. Of course, the host was quickly retrieved, and the priest chose to dispose of it by allowing it to dissolve in a water-filled vessel. When the priest checked the host a few days later, it appeared with a red discoloration, which the priest reported to Bishop Stefan Cichy.
Bishop Cichy commissioned a scientific investigation of the host, and in 2014, sent a particle of the host in for research at independent forensic medicine departments at universities in Wroclaw and Szczecin. The results stated, “In the histopathological image, the tissue fragments were found which contained the fragmented parts of striated muscle. The whole image […] is most similar to cardiac (heart) muscle […] with changes that often accompany agony.”DNA was also discovered, and tests indicate that both the tissue and DNA are of human origin.
In 2016, the results of these tests were presented to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican, which, after investigation, affirmed it as another Eucharistic miracle, and asked that the host be made available for veneration. Today, St. Hyacinth is a destination for pilgrims from all over the world, and the miraculous host has even been the source of conversions to the faith. As we reflect on these miracles, may the Lord in the Eucharist strengthen our faith too, and help us to approach the altar with respect and devotion.