(146)   Tue 9 Dec 97 18:50
By: William Putnam
To: All
Re: Case #2
St:
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@EID:68b5 23899640
@MSGID: 1:3612/63.0 8BBC5512
@TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12  92-0430
                        THE EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE OF
                              LANCIANO, ITALY

In the eighth century, a priest-monk, whose name has escaped the
pen of history, was celebrating Mass one morning.  Apparently,
he was having doubts concerning the doctrine of transubstantiation,
where at the solemn consecration, the bread and wine changes into
the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Upon speaking the words of consecration, the host in his hand
suddenly changed into actual flesh (actually, a circle of flesh
around the host, with the species of consecrated bread in the
center) and the wine became actual blood!  Witnesses to this
phenomenon at Mass heard the priest acclaim the fact, rejoicing
that the host was truly the body and blood of Christ, and thus
clearing-up all doubts in his mind.

Gathering around, is was recorded what they saw in testimony. The
circle of flesh remained intact, and the blood in the chalice
changed into solidified pellets, and has been preserved to this
day. The church passed through several religious orders, each in
turn, preserving the relics of this miracle. Documents of testimony
and medical and scientific examinations have likewise been preserved
over the many years.

The flesh has been examined and found to be real human flesh, and it's
circular shape was precise, it could not be duplicated by cutting a
similar shape from a cadaver without great difficulty.  The pellets of
blood have been examined and found to be real human blood.

I will quote from the book recommended below:

    In February of 1574, Monsignor Rodrigues verified in the presence
    of reputable witnesses that the combined weight of the five pellets
    of congealed blood was equal to the individual weight of any of them,
    a fact that was later memorialized by being chiseled on a marble tablet,
    dated 1636, which is still located in the church.  During subsequent
    authentications of the blood, however, this prodigy was not repeated.

    A number of these authentications have been performed throughout
    the centuries, but the last verification, in 1970, is the most
    scientifically complete, and it is that examination which we will
    now consider.

    Performed under strict scientific criteria, the task was assigned
    to Professor Doctor Odoardo Linoli, university professor-at-large
    in anatomy and pathological histology, and in chemistry and clinical
    microscopy, head physician of the united hospitals of Arezzo.
    Professor Linoli availed himself of the services of Doctor Ruggero
    Bertelli, a professor emeritus of normal human anatomy at the
    University of Siena.  Dr. Bertelli not only concurred with all
    of Professor Linoli's conclusions, but also presented an official
    document to that effect.
    ...

    As a result of the histological (microscopic) studies, the following
    facts were ascertained and documented: The flesh was identified as
    striated muscular tissue of the myocardium (heart wall), having no
    trace whatsoever of any materials or agents used for the preservation
    of flesh.  Both the flesh and the sample of blood were found to be of
    human origin, emphatically excluding the possibility that it was from
    an animal species.  The blood and the flesh were found to belong to
    the same blood type, AB.  The blood of the Eucharistic miracle was
    found to contain the following minerals: chlorides, phosphorus,
    magnesium, potassium, sodium in a lesser degree, and a greater quantity
    of calcium. Proteins in the clotted blood were found to be normally
    fractionated, with the same percentage ratio as those found in normal
    fresh blood.

    Professor Linoli further noted that the blood, had it been taken from
    a cadaver, would have altered rapidly through spoilage and decay.  His
    findings conclusively exclude the possibility of a fraud perpetrated
    centuries ago. In fact, he maintained that only a hand experienced in
    anatomic dissection could have obtained from a hollow internal organ,
    the heart, such an expert cut, made tangentially-that is, a round cut,
    thick on the outer edges and lessening gradually and uniformly into
    nothingness in the central area.  The doctor ended his report by
    stating that while the flesh and blood were conserved in receptacles
    not hermetically sealed, they were not damaged, although they had been
    exposed to the influences of physical, atmospheric and biological
    agents.

The Church of St. Francis in Laciano, Italy is the repository of the
species and can be viewed to this day.  They are contained in a
special repository, for all to see, atop of the tabernacle over the
main altar of the Church.

I recommend the below book for those who are interested in the details
not presented here, as well as reports of 32 additional miracles that
have been investigated at various times.

           EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES
            Joan Carroll Cruz
         TAN Books and Publishers,
         P.O. Box 424, Rockford, IL
           ISBN: 0-89555-303-1
          LibrCong CC: 86-50850













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