Traveling broadens your horizon. It enriches your mind and your spirit. But traveling uses up a lot of your time and treasure. It would be a waste if you missed something on your trip you should’ve seen or experienced. It happened to me several times and I regretted that so much. If you’re planning a trip, I’d like to help you avoid missing out. So, let my blog show you what to look out for. Prepare for your trip by traveling with me through this post. Or you might still be in the praying and dreaming stage. Manifesting your dream into reality starts here!
A Happy Solo in Santarém, PortugalVisiting Lanciano in
2019 as part of our Marian Pilgrimage was a deeply spiritual experience for me.
Imagine viewing the relic of a Eucharistic Miracle! The host turned flesh that
was proven to have come from cardiac tissue. The wine turned blood tested to be
type AB. I had read about the miracle in Lanciano years ago, so our visit there
was a bucket list check.
But I had never heard
of Santarém, much less about its eucharistic miracle. So, when I found out it
was included in our itinerary, I did my research. I learned that like the one
in Lanciano, this is ranked among the most famous eucharistic miracles recognized
by the Church. And its story is even more dramatic. Just reading about it and
relating the story to my son and some friends already gave me goosebumps.
Before I take you to Santarém,
let me tell you the story first. Sometime in the 1200s (there are conflicting
reports on the exact year), there was a woman whose cheating husband caused her
so much grief. She went to a witch to find a solution for her heartache. For her
to cast a spell over the husband, the witch needed a consecrated host. Out of
desperation, the woman agreed to steal it. She went to the Church of St.
Stephen and received Holy Communion. She then took the host out of her mouth
and wrapped it in her veil or by some accounts a linen cloth. As she was
walking from the church, people noticed blood dripping from her veil. In great
fear, she rushed home and hid the still bleeding host in a chest/drawer/cabinet.
Later that night, as
she and her husband were sleeping, they were awakened by brilliant light
emanating from the hiding place. Some versions tell of an angel watching over
the host. Terrified, the couple repented of their sins and spent the night in
prayer. The next morning, the parish priest, upon learning about the miracle,
brought the Sacred Host to the church where it continued to bleed for three days.
He had it encased in a receptacle made of beeswax.
But that wasn’t the
only miracle. Another happened in 1340. When the relic was to be taken out of
the tabernacle for veneration, the wax receptacle was found broken into pieces.
The Sacred Host was now encapsulated in a crystal reliquary. Nobody knew where
the new receptacle came from. It appeared miraculously. The crystal with its
precious relic was placed in a silver-gilt monstrance where it is kept up to
this day.
It was there at the Igreja de Santo Estêvão (Church of St. Stephen) also known as the Igreja do Santissimo Milagre (Church of the Most Holy Miracle) that we had the great privilege of being allowed to have mass said by our pilgrimage leader, Fr. Javier,
and of viewing the
relic. It reposes in the Eucharistic throne above the altar.
At the right side of
the altar, you can take the stairs to the second floor to venerate the Sacred
Host. Each person is given a brief moment to go up the ladder to the relic and
say a prayer. Please note that photographing the relic that close is not
allowed.
The miracle continued over
the centuries when fresh blood would occasionally flow from the relic. In some
instances, the image of our Lord was formed. One witness to this occurrence was
St. Francis Xavier. For me, it was enough of a miracle to witness the reality of
Jesus making His presence felt in the Sacred Host.
When it’s your turn to visit
the Shrine of the Holy Miracle in Santarém, don’t forget to pose by the blue
and white print showing the crystal ampoule in which the Host was miraculously
found. It’s in the front façade of the church. That’s the exact spot where a
future saint, the Blessed Carlo Acutis, once had his solo pic taken. The Eucharistic
Miracle of Santarém was one of those documented in his website.
 |
| (ctto of the photo of Blessed Carlo Acutis which I found online) |
In honor of our visit
to Santarém, I painted this bird of paradise in watercolor.
(Bird of Paradise of Santarém)
It’s inspired by a
photo I took of the pocket garden behind the parish office of the Church of St.
Stephen.
Addendum: After first publishing this blog, something kept gnawing at me about the subject of my painting. Upon reflecting on it, I realized the significance of the flower to the place: Jesus is the bird bearing humanity on His wings back to Paradise. In the original photo, if you zoom in on the flower on the left, there is a bright red spot beside the blue floweret. While painting, I was intrigued by that spot because I couldn’t figure out what it was. For me, it represents the blood that Jesus shed for us and that gushed from the Sacred Host in Santarém.
My prayer for all those reading this blog: May God grant you the grace to see with the eyes of your spirit the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. And may He bless you with the chance to visit places where Eucharistic Miracles have proven this truth.
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