The Healing Rays

The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion, has always been considered the "source and summit of the Christian life" for Catholics. The wafer of bread along with the wine that the priest consecrates during a Catholic Mass becomes the actual body and blood of Christ (which we call the Eucharist). Unfortunately, because of poor catechesis, I didn't know this truth until I was over 30 years old. Of course, there is the possibility that I just didn’t pay attention in religion class as a kid, but I also think that a lot of what we were learning in the 70’s was a watered-down version of our Catholic faith. Because of not knowing this important truth, it follows that I didn't know the importance of the Mass and the Eucharist. It wasn't long before I left the Catholic Church for a time in my twenties and attended a Lutheran church for a few years. Eventually, however, I began to feel a yearning for the Catholic faith. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, I am certain I was missing the Eucharist.

After returning to the Catholic Church, my husband and I decided we needed to take some time to learn all we could about what it taught. We read books and went to conferences, listening to some great speakers. Learning all about the beautiful treasures of our faith was an amazing experience, especially the teaching of our Lord’s true presence in the Eucharistic Host. The bread and wine are not mere symbols of Jesus Christ, but after consecration at the Mass are truly His body, blood, soul, and divinity. If you're not sure about this and would like to know more, I would start with the incredible scholars and theologians that explained the scripture, history, and the keys to understanding the mysteries of what occurs at every Mass. Since they can explain the scriptures and traditions behind the Mass much better than I can, I would recommend that anyone interested check out the books I've listed at the bottom of this post. For this post, though, I will just focus on one thing: a supernatural miracle that shows us the true presence of Jesus. Miracles upon miracles of the Holy Eucharist have been recorded in the lives of the saints throughout history. For this story, however, I am going to share one that’s closer to home.

When we returned to the Catholic Church, Greg and I started a prayer group that met two Sunday evenings a month, and occasionally we would bring a speaker in to give a talk. We heard from a priest friend of ours about a man who had a miraculous healing, and he was from a town not far away. We contacted him to ask if he would share his testimony at our Sunday night prayer group, and he agreed.

The testimony of this man, who I’ll call Ronnie, involved a healing that took place when he was at Eucharistic Adoration. For those who are not Catholic, Adoration is when the consecrated Host (the Eucharist) is placed in a monstrance on the Altar. It is a time for silent prayer, reflection, and a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. On this particular night, the Lord in His miraculous Mercy gave us a glimpse of His Grace in action.

But let’s back up a bit, and what led up to this miracle. In late November, the doctors had discovered a large bone tumor in Ronnie’s right shoulder socket that caused him a lot of pain and restrictive movement. A week later they brought Ronnie in to perform a frozen section biopsy of the tumor. After the procedure, the doctor met with Ronnie and his wife stating the cells from the biopsy and aggressive nature of the tumor indicated cancer, and they discussed surgery and chemotherapy. Another specialist with 10 years’ experience at Mayo clinic also concluded it was a cancerous tumor, and the frozen section was sent to Mayo Clinic for evaluation.

A few days later, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th), Ronnie went to Church for a special night of Adoration and knelt before Jesus in the Eucharist. He said a prayer that the Lord’s Will would be done in him, and said he felt a great deal of peace and a closeness to God unlike anything he had ever experienced. At this exact moment, a woman who was also at Adoration looked up and saw beautiful golden rays coming out of the monstrance from the Eucharist descend over Ronnie’s right shoulder and down his back. The same shoulder where the cancerous tumor had been detected! The woman said that the golden rays remained there as long as he prayed.

The woman approached Ronnie’s wife as they were leaving. This woman did not know Ronnie or anything about the tumor in his right shoulder. She told them what she had seen, with the rays coming from the Host and landing on Ronnie’s shoulder.

On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th), Ronnie had the doctor’s appointment to find out the results from the frozen section taken in the biopsy of the tumor. An intern came in and told Ronnie that the tumor was benign and then went out and told the doctor who had performed the biopsy. They overheard the doctor say, “What? You’re kidding me! That type of benign tumor is only found in children. This one is for the books!” The doctor was shocked since his study of the cells showed cancer. Ronnie was then cautioned that there could still be cancer when they removed the tumor.

However, as the Lord would have it, the results after the removal of the tumor still came back as benign. The doctor said he would document this case, as both he and the other physician who had been doing the procedure for 10 years looked at the early biopsy under the microscope, and they both concurred that anyway you looked at it, it was cancer.

Both Ronnie and his wife said they knew what had happened. After the frozen section surgery, the doctors were right, and it was cancer. However, after the prayers and the experience at the Adoration Chapel, a miracle had taken place, and Ronnie was healed.

We were blessed to meet and talk with Ronnie and his wife when we invited them to speak at our Parish about His miracle. We learned that His healing was not the only miraculous event, and that there was another miracle that took place at that same time. A woman from their Parish had started a prayer 2 weeks before Ronnie’s healing asking the Lord for a miracle to take place on December 8th to encourage people to come to the Adoration Chapel. December 8th was the day that the rays came out from the monstrance and healed Ronnie!

This is just one of the many miracles of the Eucharist, and many have been documented and authenticated by the Church. Our Lord truly is present in the Eucharist, and he wants us to know that! He longs for us to spend time with Him in Adoration to grow in our closeness and intimacy with Him, increase our trust in His plan, and transform us. As St. Mother Theresa often said, “The time you spend with Jesus in the Eucharist is the best time that you will spend on earth.”

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." ~ Luke 22:19

Books on the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist:

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Petre

The Lambs Supper by Scott Hahn

The Fourth Cup by Scott Hahn

The Power of the Sacraments by Sister Briege McKenna, OSC