Eucharistic Miracles

Can a person survive on Holy Communion as their only food?

Jesus understands that it can be difficult to believe that he is truly present in Holy Communion. To help strengthen our faith, Jesus has allowed many Eucharistic miracles to happen throughout history. Some of the most common are those of miraculous nourishment, in which holy men and women have lived for months or even years with the Eucharist as their only food or drink. Of these, the most recent and best-documented is the story of Alexandrina da Costa.

Alexandrina was born in Portugal in 1904.

When she was fourteen years old, she shattered her back trying to escape from an attacker. Over the next six years, she gradually lost her ability to walk. She became completely bedridden at the age of twenty, with every movement causing her great agony. Alexandrina gradually came to accept these sufferings as an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus and pray for those in need of mercy. Though she was in such pain, she continued to fall more deeply in love with Jesus.

At the age of 38, she began to live on the Eucharist alone.

Beginning on Good Friday in 1942, Alexandrina could not keep down any food or drink other than the Eucharist. At first she thought it was an illness, but Jesus revealed to her that he was allowing this as a miraculous sign for others. For the next thirteen years, Alexandrina’s only nourishment was a single host (wafer) of Holy Communion, brought to her every morning by her parish priest. Despite this, she was not hungry or thirsty. Other than the damage to her back, her health remained strong and she kept a joyful spirit.

Medical experts could not explain the phenomenon.

As people began to hear about this miracle, some were skeptical. In 1943 at the urging of her family, Alexandrina consented to stay in the nearby hospital for a medical observation. She was under the constant surveillance of skeptical doctors and nurses for forty days. Afterward, they confirmed that she had received no food or drink whatsoever during all that time, yet her vital signs were strong, her weight stable, and her blood tests those of a well-fed person. They could offer no explanation for what they witnessed.

Alexandrina lived for thirteen years on the Eucharist alone.

Until her death in 1955, Alexandrina lived on nothing more than Holy Communion each morning. She once asked Jesus in prayer why he was allowing this to happen, and she heard him respond, “You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls.”

Alexandrina’s story shows the importance of the Eucharist.

One can see photos of Alexandrina and read more about her online. Jesus worked this miracle in her life to remind the world that he is truly present in the Eucharist, and how deeply he desires to be one with each of us in this beautiful sacrament. If Jesus can choose to give a person physical nourishment in such a miraculous way through the Eucharist, how much more powerful must the Bread of Life be for your spiritual nourishment and growth?

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Manna from Heaven

The Eucharist Today

What is the center of a church’s worship?

In many Christian traditions, the sermon is the focus on Sunday mornings. The service is primarily the sermon, preceded and followed by music and prayers. In other traditions, the music might be the focus. Both preaching and music are important for Catholics, but these are not our focus. We strive for beautiful music and excellent preaching so that we can more fully enter into the heart of our worship, the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is the center of Catholic worship.

We celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday in our services, which we call the Mass. At the beginning of the Mass, we listen to several readings from Sacred Scripture, followed by a sermon of modest length. In this way, we prepare our hearts to encounter Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. As the priest prays the Lord’s words at the Last Supper, Jesus works a miracle. Jesus becomes truly present in Holy Communion, giving himself to us in a supernatural manner.

The Eucharist is not a symbol but truly Jesus himself.

This Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is not something made up in the Middle Ages. All the way back to the earliest days of Christianity, one finds Christians proclaiming that when they come together to worship, they receive the very Body and Blood of Jesus in what appears to be ordinary bread and wine. In churches founded since the sixteenth century, it has become common to view Communion as a symbol or reminder of Jesus.

This gift has been passed down through the centuries.

Jesus gave authority to celebrate the Lord’s Supper to his apostles, who passed it on to other chosen leaders through the laying on of hands. This authority has been passed down through the centuries by this laying on of hands, which is now known as the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Through the ministry of priests who have received Holy Orders in this way, Jesus continues to work the miracle of the Eucharist, feeding his people with the Bread of Life.

Catholics see the Eucharist as our greatest treasure.

In most Catholic parishes, people can participate in Mass every day of the week and receive Holy Communion daily. Since we believe that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, we believe that to receive Holy Communion, a person must be Catholic and spiritually prepared. When we receive Holy Communion, we give ourselves completely to Jesus and become one with him, in body and soul. It is the closest union we can have with Jesus this side of heaven.

On our way to heaven, Jesus feeds us with the true manna.

On their journey through the desert on the way to the Promised Land, God fed the Israelites with special bread called manna. As followers of Jesus, we are the New Israel, journeying to our true heavenly homeland. Through the Eucharist, Jesus nourishes us as we travel through the “desert” of this world, helping us to turn away from sin and love him with all our heart. With this heavenly food, Jesus prepares us for eternal life. “Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:58)

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Not Common Food or Drink

The Witness of Justin Martyr

What if the early Christians left us a time capsule?

It is always fun when time capsules are discovered and opened up. Hidden or buried generations ago, they allow us to see how the people of that time lived and what they treasured. We are blessed to have a written time capsule from the early Christians, thanks to Justin Martyr, a famous Christian teacher in the second century who gave his life for Jesus and whose writings can still be read today.

Justin defended the Christian faith to the Roman Emperor.

In order to end the empire’s persecution of Christians, Justin wrote an open letter to the emperor himself around the year 150, explaining and defending Christianity in great detail. His account offers us a fascinating snapshot of Christian beliefs and practices in his day, barely a century after Jesus. Unlike the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, written to fellow Christians a few decades earlier, Justin’s work is a systematic explanation for the benefit of non-Christians.

Justin describes the Christian worship and practices of his day.

He writes that they gather together every Sunday, for “Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on the same day.” There are readings from “the memoirs of the Apostles and the Prophets.” The leader verbally instructs those present, “exhorting the imitation of these good things.” Then bread and wine are brought forward, and the leader prays over them at considerable length, using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. The bread and wine are then given to the people to receive. Afterward, deacons take a portion of this bread to those who are too sick to come to the worship.

Justin explains, “This food is called among us the Eucharist.”

Not everyone is allowed to receive the Eucharist, he explains, but only those who share their beliefs, have been baptized, and are living a holy life. “For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of his word… is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.” The Christians of Justin’s day believed that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Jesus, not a symbol.

Justin is one of many “Early Church Fathers.”

The Early Church Fathers are Christian leaders from the first few centuries. As one reads their writings, one recognizes worship, practices, and beliefs that are still associated with the Catholic Church today. In particular, it is striking how much the Eucharist is central to their Sunday worship, and how these early Christians truly believed that Jesus is miraculously present in the Eucharist. Today, in Catholic churches throughout the world, Jesus continues to be present in our midst and offer himself to us as the Bread of Life.

One can read Justin’s letter by searching online for “The First Apology of Justin Martyr.” (“Apology” here means “explanation.”) He describes Sunday worship in the final three paragraphs.

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Medicine of Immortality

The Witness of Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of John the Apostle.

Born around the year 50, Ignatius learned the faith directly from the apostle John! Ignatius became the bishop of Antioch in modern-day Turkey. In the year 108, he was arrested for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. Soldiers took him in chains to Rome to be put to death. Along the way, he wrote seven short letters to the local Christian communities. These letters can still be read today, offering an amazing glimpse into the faith of the early Christians.

In his letters, we find the first uses of the word “Eucharist.”

From the verb meaning “to give thanks” in Greek, Ignatius uses Eucharist to describe the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and the blessed bread and wine one receives in the Supper. He writes as if it is already a common expression among the Christians of his day, rather than a new word he is introducing for the first time.

The Eucharist is central to Christian life.

In his writings, the Eucharist is at the heart of Christian worship and spiritual life. Christians are united by their common celebration of the Eucharist, led by their bishop, presbyters (priests), and deacons. The Eucharist is not a symbol, but truly Jesus giving himself as the Bread of Life. In his letter to the Ephesians, he beautifully describes the Eucharist as “the medicine of immortality, and the antidote we take in order not to die but to live forever in Christ Jesus.”

The Eucharist is truly the flesh and blood of Jesus.

Cautioning the church at Smyrna against the errors of a heretical group, Ignatius writes, “They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again.” Ignatius takes for granted that authentic Christians participate in the Lord’s Supper and that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Jesus. The Eucharist is a union with the Lord’s glorified body: his body which has been crucified, raised from the dead, and is now in heaven.

The Eucharist is the source of Christian unity.

In his letter to the church at Philadelphia, he writes, “Make it a point, then, to participate in one Eucharist. For the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ is one, and one is the cup that yields unity in his blood.” Here, Ignatius echoes the teaching of Paul. (1 Cor 10:17) The Eucharist does not celebrate the unity of Christians, but actually brings that unity about, for the believers each become truly one with Jesus as they receive him in Holy Communion, and thus one with each other.

Strengthened by the Eucharist, Ignatius gave his life for Jesus.

When he arrived in Rome, he was put to death by being fed to wild animals for public entertainment. He declared, “It is better for me to die on behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.” After a lifetime of uniting himself to Jesus in the Eucharist, Ignatius was ready to imitate his Lord and Savior, courageously sacrificing his life out of love for Jesus.

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The Lord’s Supper

The Eucharist in the New Testament

The apostles worshipped by celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

In the Acts of the Apostles, this worship is referred to as “the breaking of the bread.” Instead of worshipping on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, the early Christians broke bread on the first day of the week, Sunday. (Acts 20:7) Sunday is the day that Jesus rose from the dead, and the Christians understood their worship as a sacred participation in the Lord’s death and resurrection.

Paul gives us greater insight into this early worship.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul teaches at length about the Lord’s Supper. He reminds them, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16) Paul is emphasizing that when the bread and wine have been blessed in the Lord’s Supper, they are no longer ordinary food and drink, but a sharing in the body and blood of Jesus himself.

The Lord’s Supper is the source of Christian unity.

Paul continues, “Since there is one bread, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor 10:17) He is saying here that their unity as a community comes from the Lord’s Supper; the Lord’s Supper is not a sign of their unity, but its source. Since the blessed bread is truly Jesus himself, when the Corinthians receive this gift, they are each united supernaturally with Jesus. By being each united with Jesus in this way, the Corinthians are also united supernaturally with one another as members of his body.

Jesus gave us this gift at the Last Supper.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that these teachings are not his own. These mysteries come from Jesus himself, who on the night before he died, said of the bread, “This is my body,” and of the cup, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” (1 Cor 11:23-25).

One must be properly prepared to receive Communion.

Because he understands Communion in this supernatural manner, Paul warns that one must be spiritually prepared to receive this gift: “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor 11:28-29)

Paul recognizes the body and blood of Jesus in Communion.

If the early Christians regarded the bread and wine as only symbols of Jesus or reminders of what he did for us, receiving them in an unworthy manner would not be a sin against his body and blood. Paul’s warning only makes sense if he understands Holy Communion not as ordinary food, but as Jesus truly giving his body and blood in a miraculous way: a belief held by Christians in every generation since apostolic times.

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Fed by the Lamb

The Passover Fulfilled

By the blood of the lamb, the Israelites were set free.

When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God instructed them to sacrifice a lamb that was male, in its prime, and without blemish. They were to put its blood on their doorposts and then eat the lamb in a special meal. That night, in every house that was not marked by the blood of the lamb, the first born son died. The Israelites were finally allowed to leave Egypt and journey to the Promised Land. Through the blood of the lamb, the Israelites were brought from slavery to freedom, from death to life. (Exodus 12)

Jesus is the true lamb of God, whose blood sets us free.

These events in Exodus became known as the Passover. All of this was intended by God to point forward to Jesus, who would be the true “Lamb of God.” (John 1:29, Rev. 5:6) Jesus purposefully chose Passover as the time he would offer his life for us on the cross. He too is male, in the prime of life, and without blemish. By his sacrifice, we are freed from slavery to sin. By his blood, death is defeated and eternal life is made possible for us all.

Passover was commemorated each year with a sacred meal.

God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb each year on the anniversary of Passover. Each family eats the lamb in a sacred meal, calling to mind how God saved their ancestors and remained faithful to his promises. By this eating and drinking, they physically express their covenant relationship with God: how God has said to them, “You are mine,” and how they respond, “I am yours.”

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us a new sacred meal.

He chose the Passover meal as the setting for his final evening with the apostles. He took the unleavened bread and said to the apostles, “Take and eat; this is my body.” He took the cup of wine and said, “Drink; this is my blood of the covenant.” (Matt 26:26-28) The apostles would begin to understand the Lord’s mysterious words from the previous Passover, when he spoke of becoming one with him by eating his body and drinking his blood. (John 6:51-58)

We celebrate this sacred meal every Sunday.

Jesus instructed his followers to continue to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in his memory (Luke 22:19), and this is what Catholics do each Sunday as we celebrate the Eucharist, giving thanks for the sacrifice that Jesus offered for our salvation. Just as Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover lamb, the Eucharist is the fulfillment of the Passover meal. By our participation in this sacred meal, we physically express our covenant relationship with Jesus. He says to each of us, “You are mine,” and we respond, “I am yours.”

Like the Israelites, we also are fed by the Lamb of God.

The Passover meal would not be complete without eating the lamb. In this new Passover meal, we also receive the true Lamb of God. If we are spiritually prepared, we can become one with Jesus in both body and soul in Holy Communion. In a beautiful and mysterious way, we are fed with the Lamb of God.

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True Food, True Drink

Jesus is the Bread of Life

For the first time, disciples abandoned Jesus and walked away.

They said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60) Many left Jesus, although they had been following him for a while. They were dismayed by a sermon unlike any they had ever heard: the Bread of Life discourse found in the sixth chapter of John.

The crowd wanted another miracle, but Jesus had other ideas.

Jesus had just fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread, miraculously multiplying the loaves so that all had plenty to eat. The crowd wants him to work another such miracle. Instead, he urges them to seek the bread that comes from heaven and lasts forever. He declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (v. 36) He has come down from heaven to bring eternal life.

When the crowd objects, Jesus emphasizes his point even more.

They ask themselves how Jesus can say that he comes down from heaven. Isn’t he just an ordinary man? In response, Jesus continues to speak as if he believes himself to be God: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died… I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (v. 48-51) His sermon then takes an even more surprising turn: “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (v. 51)

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

The crowd takes Jesus literally and begins to object. At other times when Jesus is misunderstood, he explains that he is speaking metaphorically (see Matt 16:11 or John 11:14). Instead, he does the opposite here, switching to even more forceful language, using words in the original language that mean “to gnaw on,” as animals eat, rather than the usual word for eating or feeding.

“My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

He proclaims: “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them… Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (v. 54-58)

Many of his followers leave, and Jesus lets them leave.

This is the only time in the Gospels when disciples of Jesus leave him due to one of his teachings. He does not run after them and exclaim that it is all an elaborate metaphor. He allows them to leave, for they have understood him correctly. When he asks the apostles if they too will leave, Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.” (v. 68) Their faith would be rewarded a year later at the Last Supper, when Jesus will feed them for the first time with the Bread of Life.

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United in Love

The Bread of Life

A father surprises his daughter on her birthday.

During his time away on deployment, she has been able to look at his photo and read his letters. She has been able to speak with him on the phone, or even see him on a video call. All of this is helpful, but nothing can top her dad being back home, right there with her. She can run over to him and be wrapped in his arms.

When we love someone, we want to be physically with them.

Photos, letters, phone calls, and even video chats can only go so far. As human beings, we crave to be physically united with our loved ones. This is because God created us as embodied spirits: an immaterial spirit united with a material body. Since we are “body-persons,” our bodies matter in our expressions of love and affection. When the father and daughter hug, for example, they are together not just spiritually but their entire selves, both body and soul.

As Christians, we yearn to be close to Jesus.

Like the deployed father in our example, Jesus can seem to be far away from us. We can grow closer to him in various ways, such as looking at a depiction of him in sacred art, reading his words in the Gospels, and speaking with him each day in our prayer time. While such opportunities are important and beautiful, wouldn’t it be amazing if Jesus were to actually become present in our midst, and we could spend time with him? And even more, what if we were able to become united with him in love, in both body and soul?

Jesus loves you and wants to be united with you!

Because Jesus loves each of us so much, he did plan for there to be a way that he could continue to be physically present with us, and even to become physically one with us. He promised that he would give himself to us as the Bread of Life. Ever since the earliest days of Christianity, one finds Christians proclaiming that when they come together for worship, they receive Jesus himself in what appears to be ordinary bread and wine. This gift is called the Eucharist.

As explore this mystery, we discover its beauty.

In this message series, we will seek to answer some important questions about the Eucharist. What did Jesus teach in the Gospels? How did God prepare for this gift in the Old Testament? What can we find in the writings of Paul and the apostles? How did Christians worship in the early centuries, and what did they believe about Communion? How does this gift make a difference in our lives today as Christians? The more one learns about the Eucharist, the more beautiful it becomes.

If Jesus is offering such an amazing gift, wouldn’t you want to experience it?

In every Catholic church throughout the world, Christians continue to experience this wonderful treasure in our worship, as Jesus commanded. Jesus wants to unite himself with you, not only in spirit, but as you are, both body and soul. He wants to be truly one with you, much more than the closest embrace. He wants to feed you with the true Bread of Life.

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Sent by God

The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Jesus sent his apostles to continue his ministry.

Before returning to heaven, Jesus commanded the apostles, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” He entrusts the apostles with his divine authority and sends them forth to continue his ministry, promising to be with them until the end of time. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Through these shepherds, Jesus continued to care for his flock.

Although the apostles were imperfect instruments, with sins and weaknesses, Jesus worked through them to build the early Church. They preached the Gospel, baptized thousands of new believers, healed many who were sick, and authoritatively taught in Christ’s name when doctrinal controversies threatened the Church’s unity.

The apostles passed on their authority to new leaders.

As Christianity spread, the apostles chose leaders to continue their ministry. These leaders were called bishops, meaning “overseer.” Through the laying on of hands, the apostles passed to these bishops the authority they had received from Jesus. The bishops, in turn, chose respected men in their communities to assist them as presbyters (later translated as priests), giving them authority for their roles through the laying on of hands. For example, Paul made Timothy a bishop through the laying on of hands (2 Tim 1:5) and directed Titus to appoint presbyters in the same manner. (Titus 1:5)

We now call this gift the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Through this sacrament, Jesus provides his flock with shepherds in each generation. Holy Orders is received in a ceremony called an ordination, where a bishop lays hands on each candidate’s head and asks God to bestow the Holy Spirit upon him. In this way, the bishop passes on the authority that he himself received through Holy Orders, in a succession stretching all the way back through the centuries to the apostles and Jesus himself.

Jesus still serves us through his shepherds today.

A priest is meant to be a spiritual father to his people, serving them with a heart like the Lord’s. This is a difficult calling, as he is a sinner in need of God’s mercy, like each of us. Through Holy Orders, Jesus offers each priest special graces to live out his calling faithfully, similar to the way he helps married couples live out their marital covenant through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Priests are meant to reflect the Lord’s love for us.

If priests live out their calling worthily and faithfully, Jesus can work through them in beautiful ways to continue his ministry in our midst, just as he did two thousand years ago. Through his shepherds, Jesus desires to wash us clean in Baptism, strengthen us with the Gospel, feed us with the Bread of Life, forgive our sins, give us healing, and lead us one day to heaven.

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Joined by God

The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Imagine Jesus as a guest at your wedding!

At the start of his ministry, Jesus was invited to a wedding with his mother and disciples. It was there in the village of Cana that Jesus worked his first public miracle. At the wedding feast, the wine ran out, which would have been a great embarrassment for the couple and their families. Jesus discreetly told the servants to fill large jugs to the brim with water. After he prayed over the containers, the water became wine of the most excellent quality. (John 2:1-12)

Jesus shows how important marriage is in God’s plan.

God created us out of love, and he created us for love. Each of us will only be happy to the extent that we are making a sincere and total gift of ourselves in love. When God created Adam and Eve, our first parents, he joined them in a sacred union, calling them to lovingly care for one another and to bring forth new life. God intended for their faithful, unconditional love to be a visible sign in the world of his own love for us, freely given and without reserve.

For Christians, marriage is a call to become saints together.

Just as Jesus took ordinary water and made it into wine, he intended to take the seemingly “ordinary” married life and transform it into a supernatural calling. He expects husband and wife not only to care for one another in this life, but also to help each another become holy and reach heaven one day. They raise their children to be faith-filled disciples of Jesus. The home becomes like a miniature church, a community of love in which ordinary acts of caring and sacrifice become opportunities to give glory to God.

Jesus knew that such a high calling would need special graces.

Like Adam and Eve, all of us have been damaged by sin. We each struggle with selfishness and imperfection in many areas of our lives. It is not easy for Christian spouses to love selflessly as Jesus loves, and it is not easy to raise Christian children to be filled with love for the Lord. Knowing the difficulty of marital life, Jesus gave us a special gift to help Christian spouses to live out their calling.

This gift is the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

For his followers, Jesus made marriage into a sacrament, a visible sign through which Jesus gives spiritual gifts. This means that, when two baptized Christians are married, he offers them special graces each day of their marriage. He gives them strength to be faithful to their vows, to love and forgive each other, to bear one another’s burdens, to be holy parents, and help each other become saints.

Christian couples invite Jesus to their wedding, too!

When Catholics celebrate weddings, we usually celebrate them in a religious ceremony in church, with a priest leading the bride and groom through an exchange of vows. As they promise faithful, indissoluble, and fruitful love through their vows, God joins the two as one flesh. They exchange rings, symbolizing their new spiritual union, broken only by death. The spouses begin a new journey of faith, walking together with Jesus towards heaven.

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