Body and Blood Made True Flesh

Lanciano is a small, medieval town, nestled in from the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Italy, and halfway between San Giovanni Rotondo and Loreto. In ancient times, the city was named Anxanum, but later on renamed Lanciano (“the lance”) in honor of centurion Longinus who came from this city. Longinus was the soldier who was tasked to pierce of heart of Jesus while hanging on the cross. After seeing the darkening of the sun, and the earthquake, he believed that Christ was the Savior. His poor eyes went back to normal when his eyes were touched with the water and blood from the side of Jesus.

One morning, around AD 700, a Basilian monk-priest celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the small parochial church of St. Legontian and St. Domitian using leavened bread in the Greek Rite. This church was under the custody of the basilian Monks of the Greek Orthodox Rite.

But that morning he had a strong attack of doubts about the real presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

While celebrating the Mass, he spoke the Words of Consecration–“This is my body. This is my blood”–with doubt in his soul. Suddenly the monk saw the bread changed into living flesh and the wine into a living blood. The blood coagulated into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size (corresponding to the number of wounds that Jesus received on the cross: one in each hand and foot from the nails, and the would from the centurion’s spear in his side).

Scientific Investigations [Since 1574]

Weight of the blood globules. Each of the five different blood globules, each varying in size, all each weigh the same weight no matter what the amount these globules appears to have. In the examination that Doctor Odoardo Linoli conducted in 1971, he found the irregularly shaped blood pellets to be human blood of the AB type (“universal receiver”). Its protein profile showed the same percentage ratio normal in human fresh blood. [Doctor Linoli was professor in Anatomy and Pathological Histology and in Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy.]

Examination of the living Eucharistic flesh. Physician Odoardo Linoli conducted an examination in 1971, and the results confirmed by another doctor, Ruggero Bertelli. The flesh was confirmed human–a striated muscular tissue of the heart wall (myocardium), and absolutely free of any agents used for preserving flesh. The scientific journal Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori published the report in 1971. [Doctor Bertelli was professor at the University of Siena.]

In the report, Linoli described as present in the tissue section the following tissues–myocardium, endocardium, vagus nerve, and left ventricle. The flesh is a heart complete in its essential structure.

In addition, both the flesh and the blood have the same blood type AB. Minerals found in the blood include chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and calcium.

Today

The living Eucharistic flesh and blood can still be seen today. The flesh (the same size as the large Host) is fibrous and light brown, which becomes rose-colored when lighted from the back. The five coagulated globules has an eartly color resembling the yellow of ochre.