It's difficult to comprehend that a miracle occurs at every Mass, but in essence, that's what the Catholic Church teaches. According to the Church, the bread and wine become the real presence of Jesus, not just a symbol.
Though there are plenty of Biblical references to support this, other religions disagree. Many Catholics also believe that the bread and wine are just symbolic. I'm not sure why people who don't believe this continue to consider themselves Catholic because the belief in the Real Presence is central to Church teachings.
So where do you stand on the issue?
Before you answer, take a look at the article I've linked in the next paragraph. My first knowledge of this came from a book by James J. Drummey called Catholic Replies. In it, he talked about a priest in Italy in the early 8th century who doubted the Real Presence.
His doubts were laid to rest. One day during the words of consecration, the bread and wine were changed to look like what they actually were: flesh and blood.
The reason this story interested me is because of the follow-up in 1970. If you want to read more, just follow this link: Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano.
You may have already figured that this article will retell the story, and you would be right. You will also find proof of the claims.
But it's even better than that. This wasn't just any piece of flesh.
Just read the article. Note the specifics of what was found.
I hope it moves you as much as it moved me.
I'm discovering there are many other similar stories. I'll be looking into those in the next days.
Even though I've believed in the Church teachings regarding the Eucharist, after reading this article I'll never approach communion quite the same way again.
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