All of the above ancient Christians believe that when the priest says the words of Consecration, the bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are participating in the Last Supper and we are transcending through time and taking part in the one Sacrifice. If you are a Christian that relies solely on the Bible as your authority, then there are plenty of Biblical passages to suggest that this isn't merely symbolic. However, since you may be doing your own interpretation and perhaps interpret it to be symbolic, then no amount of my pointing out bible passages is going sway you.
Instead, I will suggest that any Christian look into the early Church fathers and read what they believed. These men were around in the first century Church and they were taught by the apostles themselves. St. Ignatius of Antioch who was a student of St. John the apostle was very specific.
Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes. — Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1
That is just one example from the very beginning of Christianity.
I could go on and on but there are plenty of places and books to research early Church fathers.
Even so, it takes a leap of faith to believe that Jesus comes to us in the bread and wine. Even a priest can have doubts.
And that appears to be the circumstance for this famous Eucharistic miracle which occurred in Lanciano, Italy around 750 AD. There's actually an interesting story as to why the town is named Lanciano but I must stay focused on the Eucharistic miracle. It all started when a Basilian Monk who was having a crisis in his faith and was having serious doubts about the True Presence. One morning as his doubts were at their peak, during Mass he began the Consecration of the host. Back in those days the priest faced the alter. He stood there in shock and started shaking because in his hands the host turned into visible flesh and the wine turned into visible blood. He stood there for some time and finally slowly turned around and said,
"O fortunate witnesses to whom the Blessed God, to confound my disbelief, has wished to reveal Himself in this Most Blessed Sacrament and to render Himself visible to our eyes. Come, brethren, and marvel at our God so close to us. Behold the Flesh and Blood of our most beloved Christ."
The people witnessing this miracle started crying, asking forgiveness, begging for mercy, confessing their sins, kneeling ect. News of this spread like wild fire and the priest's and laity's faith were renewed at the site of this phenomena. Pilgrims flocked to the place and it was accepted by the Church as a miracle.
Now, the curious thing about this is that normally something like flesh and blood would disintegrate over time. This is the other miraculous thing about it. It is still there to this day for pilgrims to witness and experience Adoration.
It was examined by two separate teams of doctors in the 70's. I will let this Franciscan Friar explain.
So, there you have the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. The interesting theme in these miracles is that the blood type is the same AB blood type in all of them. This is also same blood type in the Shroud of Turin. That will be another story for another day.
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