Eucharistic Miracles: Tixla, 2006
In October of 2006, a church in the diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Mexico, was celebrating Mass during an annual parish retreat. During the Mass, as the two parish priests and a religious sister were distributing Holy Communion to the faithful, the sister turned to the priest celebrant with tears in her eyes and showed him that one of the hosts in her ciborium had begun to emit a reddish substance. Filled with amazement, and unsure what to make of the host, the priests informed the bishop.
Bishop Alejo Zavala Castro formed a theological commission to investigate the phenomenon, and to determine whether the host was supernatural or simply a hoax of some kind. Dr. Ricardo Castañón Gomez, who had also investigated the Buenos Aires miracle of 1996, led a team of scientists in an intensive study of the host between 2009 and 2012. The study reported the following findings:
The reddish substance “corresponds to blood in which there are hemoglobin and DNA of human origin.
The blood type was found to be AB, which corresponds to the miracles at Buenos Aires and Lanciano, as well as traces found on the Shroud of Turin.
Forensic experts found that the substance originates from the interior of the host, which would seem to discount the theory that it was somehow planted from outside.
Part of the blood was found to have been coagulated since 2006, but further examination shows the presence of flesh blood from 2010.
The blood contains intact white blood cells, red blood cells, and active macrophages that engulf lipids, indicating an active metabolism.
The tissue seems to correspond to the muscle of the heart, the myocardium, as found in other Eucharistic miracles. Further, this was found to be living cardiac muscle. Normally after 48 hours, the tissue dies, but this case, 3 months had passed before the results could actually be obtained.
The study concluded that “the event has no natural explanation.”
This miracle is sometimes attributed to the young Blessed Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia just a few days before the miracle took place. Blessed Carlo is an incredibly charming modern-day saint who combined a love for video games, soccer, and computer programming with a deep devotion to the Eucharist. After receiving his First Communion, he worked to bring his parents back to the practice of their faith by cataloguing the hundreds of Eucharistic miracles throughout the world, including those we have discussed. Blessed Carlo found himself continually amazed by what he found, but was always content looking for Jesus hidden within the tabernacle, saying “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven.” May the Lord continue to fill us with wonder and awe at these miracles, and to give us a deep fervor for the Eucharist at every Mass.