Marco Carvalho
This is the story of a skeptical priest, consecrated host and a grace from God. In 1264, German priest Peter of Prague garnered a significant position in the history of the Catholic Church due to a discrepancy in his faith: incredulity. Troubled by doubt about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Father Peter went on pilgrimage to Rome to ask for an increase of faith at Saint Peter’s tomb.
On his way back to Bohemia, the anguished priest stopped at the town of Bolsena, north of Rome, and while he was celebrating the Eucharist at the tomb of Saint Christina, the Sacred Host bled, staining his clothes with the Most Precious Blood.
Bolsena’s miraculous revelation led to the establishment of the Feast of Corpus Christi, which Catholics around the world celebrated last week. The Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena is one of the 17 Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church that are on show on the ground floor of the Diocesan Center on Rua Formosa as part of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World international exhibition. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held last Friday and was officiated by the Director of the Macau Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and the Division Head of Secondary Education of the Education and Youth Development Bureau and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Macau, Stephen Lee Bun-sang.
Brought to the Special Administrative Region by the Macau Catholic Culture Association, the exhibition was conceived by Blessed Carlo Acutis and introduces some of the most emblematic moments in which God proved through the Eucharist his real presence. “These Church-approved Eucharistic miracles help us go beyond the visible and perceptible, and admit the existence of something beyond. Because it is recognized as an extraordinary happening, the Eucharistic miracle has no scientific explanation. It goes beyond human reason and challenges a person to ‘go beyond’ the perceptible, the visible and the human, and to admit that there is something incomprehensible and unexplainable with human reason alone; something that cannot be scientifically demonstrated,” Joni Cheng, a member of the board of directors of the Macau Catholic Culture Association told O Clarim.
Originally conceived as a virtual display with photographs and historical descriptions of the most important Eucharistic miracles that have taken place over the last few centuries, the exhibition has traveled the world and is considered one of Carlo Acutis’ greatest legacies. Moved by an intense faith, the Italian teenager –who died in 2006, aged 15, within a week of being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia – put his extensive computer knowledge at the service of the faith, creating several websites dedicated to the purpose of evangelization. In 2002, while visiting the Meeting Rimini exhibition, Carlo decided to stage an exhibition on the miracles of the Eucharist recognized by the Church. The spiritual effect brought about by this exhibition could not have been predicted before it opened,” Joni Cheng said. She added, “We can confirm that the exhibition has now been hosted on all five continents. It has been hosted in thousands of parishes and more than 100 universities. Several Episcopal Conferences have also promoted it. Important basilicas and sanctuaries have hosted Carlo’s exhibition, including the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima.”
Currently suspended due to the latest Covid-19 outbreak, the Eucharistic Miracles of the World international exhibition can be seen on the ground floor of the Diocesan Center until July 31st.
Follow
