Did you know that this was declared by the former pope?
Rome, Italy, Oct 7, 2013 / 06:49 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In light of the
jubilee instituted by Benedict XVI in honor of the Eucharistic miracle in Orvieto, Italy, the number of pilgrims coming to the area has increased,
deepening the faith of those who come.
[ On that note, is your faith about the Real Presence deepened by your experience of Communion in the Hand? Ask those who receive through this method.]
“
It just makes you thankful that you can come somewhere where these things have happened that just reiterate the faith. It’s so real, it’s so tangible,” Jenna Schaffer of San Francisco, Calif., told CNA Oct. 6.
While he was Pope, Benedict XVI dedicated the years 2
013 and 2014 as an Extraordinary Eucharistic Jubilee. The event celebrates the
750th Anniversary of the Bolsena Miracle of 1263, in which the Host began to bleed in the hands of the priest during the prayer of consecration.
Schaffer, who visited Orvieto with her mother and a close family friend, shared that she grew up Catholic, but has become especially close to God in recent years, and that being in the cathedral for her was “an honor.”
“It’s a great honor,” she emphasized, “to be able to hear and see what all of these people believe in and see it come true.”
The miracle occurred in 1263 when a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, stopped in Bolsena, Italy during a pilgrimage to Rome. The priest is described as having been pious, but found it difficult to believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
During his stay, the priest was saying Mass in the Church of St. Christina in Bolsena, and had just finished the words of consecration when blood began to seep from the Host onto the altar and corporal, a special linen used during Mass in order to catch any fragments of the host which might fall.
Fr. Peter immediately journeyed to Orvieto where Pope Urban VI was residing at the time, and informed the pontiff of what had just occurred.
After hearing the priest’s account,
the pontiff absolved the priest for his disbelief and had the host and blood-stained corporal brought to the Cathedral in Orvieto where they are still venerated today, and instituted the feast of “Corpus Christi” a year later.
[The events related here are depicted in paintings in the chapel of the Corporal in the Orvieto Cathedral. I have seen it for myself.]
Upon seeing the corporal in the Cathedral, Schaffer said it was “almost like trying to grasp the concept of God himself.”
“It’s a lot to take in, and it gives you a lot to reflect on, and to sit there and see where it happened, see the dedication to it,” she said. “It’s just hard to grasp that concept that this happened here. It’s just an honor.”
“
It really enriched my faith.”
Gianlucca Piazza, who works at the Orvieto cathedral as a part of their security personnel, told CNA in an Oct. 6 interview that although there are
many people who visit the cathedral for “artistic purposes,” most of the pilgrims come “for religious purposes.”
In context of the Jubilee called by Benedict XVI, Piazza noted that the number of pilgrims coming to the area has increased, stating that the miracle is “especially important” for Catholics.
According to Piazza, the Orvieto Cathedral still functions as a Church, with daily Mass during the week and four Masses on Sunday for those who wish to attend.
***
A fitting post number 3,001 don't you think? Especially after that post about Robby Okol taking home the Blessed Sacrament gathered some cobwebs from the priests who are supposed to protect the Blessed Sacrament.
Do you think they cared about Church regulations about bringing the Blessed Sacrament to a building not approved by the Church? By a person not even a cleric?
I had a gut feeling about this and I was right. They'd sweep it under the rug and act as it nothing bad happened.
Surprised?
Don't be.
This is the Archdiocese of Manila we are talking about.
We do not need to go to Orvieto to witness this miracle. It happens at every single Mass.
Oh did I say that this Mass celebrated by the priest does not resemble the Mass we have right now, like in SM Megamall and ABS-CBN?
It looks like this.
Go and spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, either in the Adoration Chapel or in front of the Tabernacle.
Whichever you choose, He is there!
Just go!
***
One unknown fact about the cathedral is that it already was a popular site for pilgrimage due to the fact that the it houses the relics of
St. Pietro Parenzo martyred by the Cathar heretics in 1199. Many favors are granted through this saint's intercession.
On hindsight, I remember the late Ernie Baron of DZMM and ABS-CBN's Knowledge Power saying that the liturgical revolution after Vatican II took out "fictitious saints" from the Church's Liturgical Calendar. If he were alive today, he would've probably said that there is no saint named Pietro Parenzo and that his name most likely was taken off the calendar by the Vatican.
Some knowledge no?
God have mercy on his soul.
