Eucharistic Miracles
Published: Friday, January 24, 2025Who is Bl. Carlo Acutis?
Blessed Carlo Acutis, will be the first millennial saint once he is canonized (probably in 2025). The Vatican announced that they will be moving forward with his canonization in 2024. He was born in London, but both of his parents were Italian, on May 3, 1991. When he was extremely little, they moved back to Milan, Italy. He is most well known for being adept at all things relating to computers and the internet. He created several websites, including ones to document all Eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions.
Bl. Carlo Acutis passed away after an illness caused by his leukemia on October 11, 2006, at fifteen years old. Even with a short life and dying young, he had a strong devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin. On October 10, 2020, he was declared a blessed of the Church, and many more miracles have been attributed to him since then.
Pope Francis in Christus Vivit said of Bl. Carlo "He saw that many young people, wanting to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of consumerism and distraction. In this way they do not bring forth the gifts the Lord has given them; they do not offer the world those unique personal talents that God has given to each of them. As a result, Carlo said, ‘Everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies.’ Don’t let that happen to you!" (Christus Vivit 106). Despite his youth, he was very mature spiritually and had much wisdom.
However, the focus today is on Eucharistic miracles, an interest of Bl. Carlo Acutis. He inspired much of this article and blog as a whole. As a young Catholic, he inspired me to be stronger in my faith, use my skills for the glory of God's Kingdom, and keeps me hopeful about the uses of the Internet.
Bl. Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
What is a Eucharistic Miracle?
A Eucharistic miracle is any miracle having to do with the Eucharist, and miracles verified by the church are given permission for private devotion. Private devotions, for those who don't know, are spiritual practices that the church doesn't require you to do, but you are allowed to. Some common examples are devotions such as the rosary, wearing a scapular, or doing a consecration to the Blessed Virgin. Eucharistic miracles are also considered private revelation, which is any revelation after the death of St. John the Apostle, which also marked the end of public revelation. Catholic Answers defines revelation as "... the communication of some truth by God to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature. The truths revealed may be such as are otherwise inaccessible to the human mind—mysteries, which even when revealed, the intellect of man is incapable of fully penetrating. But Revelation is not restricted to these. God may see fit to employ supernatural means to affirm truths, the discovery of which is not per se beyond the powers of reason. The essence of Revelation lies in the fact that it is the direct speech of God to man. The mode of communication, however, may be mediate. Revelation does not cease to be such if God‘s message is delivered to us by a prophet, who alone is the recipient of the immediate communication." In other words, it is the communication of God with us, as he reveals truth, or affirms truth.
Now, what does this mean in the case of Eucharistic miracles? Simply put, Eucharistic miracles are God's interventions meant to reaffirm the truth that is the real presence of our lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, his whole body, blood, soul, and divinity. They are private revelation, and those approved by the Catholic Church are allowed for private devotion. You might be wondering how something is considered and approved to be a miracle. The Church for a long time now has a very thorough way of confirming miracles, and the process can take years, possibly even decades or centuries. Depending on the type of miracle, many blind tests are done using professionals in the relevant fields, who come from all sorts of different backgrounds and faiths. There is also a role in the Vatican which is meant to critique the supposed miracle in order to see if it can withstand criticism. The process is extremely rigorous and has only become more so as time has gone on. If you want to know more about the process, especially in relation to Eucharistic miracles, the book A Cardiologist Examines Jesus: The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles comes highly recommended. So, in short, a Eucharistic miracle is a miracle that God uses to reaffirm the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. But what does this typically look like?
The Eucharistic Miracles of the World- St. Carlos Acutis.pdfThemes & Types of Eucharistic Miracles
The more you read the documented cases, the more you'll notice that there are obvious patterns in how these miracles occur. Often times they start with a priest who is doubting his faith, or more specifically, whether the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is truly a reality. Or they occur to stop an atrocity from happening inside a church. Sometimes they happen during a natural disaster, or when a host is stolen and dropped. There are exceptions to these causes, of course, but there are obvious common themes among many of the recorded and confirmed cases of these Eucharistic Miracles.
As to how these miracles appear? Many times they appear as the host or wine turning into blood and/or flesh. Sometimes they involve other supernatural phenomena, such as the levitation of the host, or the host emitting an unnatural strong light. Once again, these are not strict rules on how they happen, as when or how is up to God, through whom all is possible. That said, the miracles themselves also follow certain patterns.
Carlo Acutis's "The Eucharistic Miracles of the World"
Bl. Carlo Acutis created many websites, including one about Marian apparitions, but perhaps his most famous is his "The Eucharistic Miracles of the World". This exhibition is currently maintained by the Carlo Acutis Association. They upkeep the site and also help distribute it (for free) for display at various parishes and Catholic settings. Check out the official site of the exhibition, along with some extra articles about Eucharistic miracles, and Bl. Carlo Acutis himself (I would recommend reading the article "Presentation - The Eucharistic Miracles: Limits and Positive Aspects" by Raffaello Martinelli, as it sets a good basis on how to realistically view and think of Eucharistic Miracles). They also have it in multiple languages.
In the exhibition, he goes over 187 miracles, organized by country, then city/region in alphabetical order. In thorough detail, he goes over every single miracle equally. He also has sections on miraculous communions, saints associated with Eucharistic Miracles, and Marian apparitions which relate to Eucharistic Miracles.
Example of a Eucharistic Miracle
Of the 187 miracles that Bl. Carlos covered, my personal favorite happened in 1640 in Turin, Italy. When a French army ransacked the church of St. Maria del Monte, in which Capuchin Friars had given protection to the town's civilians, the soldiers not caring about the sanctity of the church, killed and raped the civilians, even as they held onto the altar rails and even the Capuchins themselves, for dear life. None of the Friars were harmed, and though distraught, the Friars endured even as the soldiers destroyed sacred vessels and vestments. That is, until one unbelieving French soldier tried to ransack the Tabernacle in order to desecrate the hosts, and once he managed to open the Tabernacle, a sudden burst of flame came out of the Ciborium and burned his face and clothes! As he screamed and rolled on the ground begging God for forgiveness, the church filled with thick smoke and all the sacrilegious acts stopped at once. The soldier survived, albeit burned, and the imprint of his scorched hand can still be seen to this day on the door to the Tabernacle.
Saints & the Eucharist
Bl. Carlo also has a section in his exhibit called "Saints, Mystics, and the Eucharist" in which he talked about some saints and their experiences with the Eucharist. For example, in one retelling of a story, he writes about St. Thomas Aquinas. While in Paris, St. Thomas Aquinas was asked to help settle a dispute among Parisian theologians about the Eucharist. After much prayer and writing, Aquinas put the writings down in front of the crucifix/altar in a church, asking God to give him a sign whether the writings were correct or not in relation to the truth about the Eucharist. After an extremely humble prayer, with several witnesses around, Jesus appeared to him and told him the the writings were well written and accurate to the truth of the mystery of the true presence.
Bl. Carlo also has a section talking about Marian apparitions in which the Eucharist is mentioned, one being the story of the Fatima apparition, where the angel gave the three children communion, where the host bled into the chalice. One of the children was old enough and had done her first communion, but the other two hadn't, so the angel gave them the contents of the chalice. All the while saying the words "Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ terribly outraged by the ingratitude of men. Offer reparation for their sakes and console God.".
The final section is about miraculous communions. A great example would be the story of St. Teresa of Avila (who was a mystic), who experienced visions of heaven often during mass, especially during communion.
Resources to Learn More
I would totally recommend and encourage reading through at least some of Bl. Carlo Acutis's work on Eucharistic Miracles, and hopefully that further curiosity. If it does spark something in you, here are some great books I'd recommend on the subject: Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz, & A Cardiologist Examines Jesus by Dr. Franco Serafini. Just remember that Catholics are not required to believe in these miracles, that they are private revelations and are for private devotion, that is not to say that God can't perform these miracles, but rather that our faith isn't based upon these miracles, but rather by the words and gospel given to us by our lord Jesus Christ.