CUILAPA, Guatemala (LifeSiteNews) — A diocesan cathedral in Guatemala has reported a possible Eucharistic miracle after a consecrated Host did not dissolve and later appeared to contain blood.
The Parish of the Child Jesus Cathedral Church, in an August 22 statement published in full by InfoVaticana, explained that during a July 30 Mass for Missionary Eucharistic Week, a teenager who had received Holy Communion was seen by the priest removing the Sacred Host from his mouth, with the priest quickly stepping in and preventing him from throwing Our Lord onto the floor.
Following the Church’s protocols for such cases, the priest placed the Host in a glass of water. A week later, a parish worker noticed that the Sacred Host had not only failed to dissolve but also showed red stains, and this was quickly verified by a deacon and another priest.
Over the next several days, the pastor of the Child Jesus Cathedral Church questioned the parish worker and the other deacon, priest, and three other laypeople who personally observed the Host in that state. On August 15, the pastor shared pictures of the Host with Rev. José Cayetano Parra Novo, O.P., the bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa.
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“In light of this event, it is necessary to remember that the Church asks that the matter be judged with prudence and moderation,” the parish statement said. “Throughout history, the Church has received testimony of the real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, under this singular form of manifestation. Such cases have been neither common nor easy to discern, and therefore cannot be called miracles until a full investigation is carried out, which must be done and will take time.”
“The sign we now share with you has already been reserved in a special place and will not be on public display,” the statement continued. “In due course, the Bishop will give us instructions for the necessary discernment and to conduct a study of this possible eucharistic manifestation.”
As previously reported by LifeSiteNews, the Catholic Church has officially recognized more than 100 Eucharistic miracles over the centuries, including four that have occurred in the 21st century in Poland, India, and Mexico. At least a few other potential Eucharistic miracles are currently under investigation.
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Eucharistic miracles most commonly consist of the bleeding of the consecrated Host, or visible transformation of parts of the Host into bloody flesh, considered a visible sign of what has already occurred in a manner undetectable to the senses during the consecration.
For an alleged Eucharistic miracle to be approved, it must pass a rigorous investigation by the Church and meet all of the following criteria:
- There must be “absolute certainty” of the chain of custody of the Eucharistic Host.
- The bishop or archbishop must testify to an extraordinary occurrence.
- The bishop or archbishop must “convene a scientific panel with a principal scientist, credible experts and tests.”
- These different scientific tests analyzing the Eucharistic Host must all corroborate one another.
Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church have often occurred when a priest struggled to believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Christ declared in His Bread of Life Discourse, “Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.” This was immediately controversial. Many of his disciples replied, “This saying is hard, and who can hear it?” and many afterward “walked no more with him.”
While there are no statistics available on the percentage of Guatemalan Catholics who believe in the Real Presence, only 45 percent of the historically Catholic country’s citizens currently identify as Catholic, with the percentage of Protestants not far behind at 42 percent.
The cathedral parish’s statement concluded by prompting the faithful to “renew our faith and devotion in the greatest miracle: the real presence of Jesus Christ in every celebration of the Holy Mass.”
This story has been updated.