MARY, OUR MOTHER

CHAPTER LV: TWO HEARTS OF WIT & WISDOM

You don't believe it?--That's your tough luck!"
When I went to Fatima, Portugal the first time, many years ago, I got shook up just before I reached there. We were on a bus-ride for about 2 & a half hours from Lisbon, when we stopped at a little town called (Santarem) not far from Fatima.
Here is the story as Father Joseph Cacella, of happy memory, told it. Father Cacella was actually the first one in this country, spreading the Message of Fatima on a large scale--beginning already in 1922. God love him and bless his soul. His headquarters were in the Bronx, 443 East 135th St. at St. Anthony's.
Here are the details of Father's favorite true story:
It was 700 years ago.
In 1247, a woman was worried about her unfaithful husband. In desperation she consulted a pagan sorceress, who advised the woman to bring her a consecrated Host. After receiving Holy Communion, the unfortunate woman removed the Host from her mouth and hid it in her shawl. On her way home, the townspeople noticed drops of blood coming from the shawl. Ashamed and confused she hid the Bleeding Host in a trunk.
During the night she and her husband were awakened by a brilliant light, coming from the place of sacrilegious hiding. She confessed her sin to her husband and both spent the rest of the night in adoration before Christ in the Eucharist . . .
The next morning the parish priest was notified and in solemn procession the Consecrated Host was brought to St. Stephen's church and enclosed in a small wax case.
To this day, you still see pictured in the stain-glassed windows of the Church, the events step by step as they unfolded 700 years ago.
When a light is placed behind the 700-year-old Host you can see distinctly stains of blood. After all these years the frail Host remains intact fresh blood covers it.
The Church gives its approval by permitting Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Knowing how careful the Catholic Church is in approving miracles . . . we know if there was any doubt about this miracle, it would not permit the possibility of an act of idolatry. There it is before us . . . a permanent, living miracle continued for 700 years! Believe it or not!

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A little lady in New Orleans, LA by the name of Joan Carroll Cruz heard about this Miracle of the Sacred Host and other such miracles throughout the world. She took the difficult task to contact those many Shrines where these Miraculous Hosts are enthroned, requesting the Custodians of these Shrines to forward to her the detailed true stories of--these wonderful happenings. She put all this marvelous information in a book, with many pictures of these miraculous Hosts in their ciboriums. The name of this treasured book: "EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES"

P.S. You haven't lived unless you read this book. You might as well get hold of Cruz's companion book: "THE INCORRUPTIBLES," it gives you 103 Saints whose bodies never decomposed! Yes, believe it or not!

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To obtain these books go to www.tanbooks.com.

Also on Mother Angelica's EWTN Television Station you will find a weekly Program entitled: "Eucharistic Miracles" by Bob & Penny Lord. It's excellent!

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