Siena

In the Basilica of Saint Francis in Siena, Italy, there is a permanent Eucharistic miracle.

The miracle consists in the extraordinary preservation of 223 small consecrated Hosts, which were consecrated on August 14, 1730, in the Basilica of Saint Francis. The Hosts have been preserved even though, according to all physical, chemical, and biological laws, the matter of the Hosts should have deteriorated.

On the very night they were consecrated, they were stolen along with the silver ciborium in which they were kept. Despite all the efforts of both the Church and the civil authorities of Siena at the time, the consecrated Hosts were found only on the morning of August 17, completely by chance, near the Church of Saint Mary in Provenzano. The thieves who had committed this sacrilege had hidden them in a church poor box.

They were reverently removed from the box, cleaned of dust and from contact with the money, and then, with great care and due reverence, they were solemnly returned to the Basilica of Saint Francis in a procession of lamps, hymns, and prayers, accompanied by the devotion and deep faith of the citizens.

Devotions began to flourish, with profound expressions of faith and hope offered not only by the people of Siena but also by many from the surrounding area. For reasons of hygiene, however, the Conventual Franciscans decided to keep the Hosts and did not distribute them for Holy Communion.

As time passed, no signs of deterioration could be observed in the Hosts, even though such deterioration would have been natural.

Thus, what had begun as an act of desecration became a grace from God—a source of Eucharistic faith for many and a testimony to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

The Hosts have been scientifically examined several times using every available technical means. They were even subjected to conditions under which they should have deteriorated, yet no deterioration occurred.

Science has consistently found the same remarkable facts: the sacred Hosts remain fresh, intact, materially preserved, chemically pure, and without signs of decay. They are an object of wonder, amazement, and veneration.

Groups and pilgrims come to see them. Among the pilgrims was the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who visited Siena on September 14, 1980. After hearing the testimony concerning the history of the Hosts, he exclaimed with deep emotion:

“HE IS PRESENT HERE!”

The permanent Eucharistic miracle of Siena, for which time seems to have stood still, offers everyone—even the most skeptical—the opportunity to see with their own eyes and, as it were, touch with their own hands the great miracle on earth before which even science bows.

May this living miracle awaken in every Christian heart a living longing for the Bread that came down from Heaven. May it renew our adoring love for Him who became our companion and fellow traveler until the end of time, and who gives Himself to satisfy our hunger and thirst and to offer us life and salvation.

The Eternal Bread

Reflections of Saint Augustine

Have you heard the words with which the Lord calls you?

Who is calling?
Who is being called?
What feast is being prepared?

One Master calls His servants and prepares His own Body as food for them.

Who would dare to consume his own Lord?

And yet He says:

“Whoever consumes Me will live because of Me.”

To consume Christ is to consume Life.

He was not handed over to death so that He might be consumed, but so that He might give life to the dead.

When He is consumed, He gives His strength without losing anything.

My brothers and sisters, let us not hesitate to receive this Bread. There is no danger that He will disappear or cease to exist.

Let us consume Christ: consumed, He lives; given over to death, He rises again.

When we receive Him, we do not divide Him into pieces.

This is a mystery, and believers know how the Body of Christ is received: each person receives a portion, yet every portion possesses the same grace.

Christ is received in fragments of bread, yet He always remains One and Whole.

He is received in the Eucharist, yet He remains One and Whole in Heaven and dwells within your heart.

He was completely with the Father when He descended into the womb of the Virgin: He filled Her womb without leaving the Father.

He became incarnate so that people might receive Him as food, and He remained with the Father to nourish the angels.