In the Basilica of Saint Christina of Bolsena, the lesser relics of the miracle of Bolsena have been zealously preserved for seven centuries: one of the sacred stones on which clearly visible clots of the precious Blood of the Redeemer can still be seen, nourishing the piety of generations upon generations of the faithful.
The miraculous Eucharistic event took place around 1264, in a region that witnessed the vicissitudes of the papacy, and it is linked to the names of two of the most powerful exponents of theological thought: Thomas Aquinas and John Fidanza, better known as Saint Bonaventure.
A priest from Prague, tormented by doubts about the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, while breaking the holy Host during the celebration of Mass, saw the corporal filled with blood flowing from the sacred species. Astonished and bewildered by so great a prodigy, he wondered whether he should finish or continue the Mass.
Hoping to hide from those present what had happened and wishing to seek help and explanation from the competent authority, he resolved to suspend the celebration of the Holy Mass and, after gathering the sacred species in sacred linens, ran to the sacristy, without noticing that, along the way, some drops of the most precious Blood had fallen on the marble floor. This happened in the Basilica of Saint Christina, on the altar placed under the Lombard marble baldachin.
When this miracle occurred, the Minister General of the Franciscans was John Fidanza, known by the name Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, the saint’s native town, a few kilometers from Bolsena. A profound connoisseur of men and places, the Seraphic Doctor was commissioned by Pope Urban IV to preside over the commission of theologians established to verify the truth of the events.
After the commission had carried out its task, the truth of the miracle was confirmed, and the Pope ordered James Maltraga, Bishop of Bolsena, to bring to Orvieto, where he resided, the sacred corporal, the purificator, and the linens stained with blood. Accompanied by his court, the Pope went out to meet the sacred relics and, at the bridge of Rivochiero, took the sacred deposit in his hands and carried it in procession to Orvieto.
News item published in L’Osservatore Romano, May 21, 1961, p. 6. Fr. Deodato Carbajo, O.F.M.
Source: Web Católico de Javier
