Eucharistic Miracle of Herentals - Belgium 1412
In 1412, a certain Jan van Langerstede who obtain their living by stealing sacred objects from the churches who then resold around Europe, went to the nearby village of Poederlee, entered the church and stole the chalice and ciborium containing five consecrated hosts. While returning to Herentals, where he was staying at a hotel in the area known as the 'De Hegge "the hedge", felt restrained by a mysterious force that kept him from continuing the journey, then hid in a field in the Hosts a large rabbit hole and then returned quietly to Herentals. Jan was sentenced to hang by Judge Gilbert De Pape, as the police searching his luggage found the stolen goods, but before his death the prisoner pointed to where he had hidden the consecrated Hosts, then the court suspended the sentence and ordered to Jan return to the crime scene to verify the authenticity of the confession. A multitude of crowd followed them and wonder just came in, saw the radiant Hosts all arranged so as to form a cross. The Hosts miraculously remained intact, despite the weather (it had been raining). Were immediately reported in procession, partly in Herentals, and partly Poederlee, where they remained until the sixteenth century. On January 2, 1442, the miracle was declared authentic by the magistrate of Herentals and place of discovery of Hosts was built a small chapel.This text and more like it:
http://digilander.libero.it/rexur/miracoli/inglese/ostia.htm
Roman Catholics around the world have been duped into believing that on many occasions the blood of Christ has dripped out of a wafer, and they claim this phenomena constitutes proof for "The Real Presence". What most people are unaware of is the history of red bacteria called Serratia marcesens . In the 6th century B.C., Pythagoras reported on a substance that was said to look like blood which sometimes appeared on food. Then in 332 B.C., soldiers of the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great, found that from time to time, their bread appeared to have blood on it also. Later in the Middle Ages, it was regularly observed to grow on communion wafers. This led multitudes to think that this was the blood of Christ, hence a miracle. In the dark, damp churches of medieval times, wafers used in Holy Communion often became contaminated with S. marcescens. In 1264, Pope Urban instituted the feast of Corpus Christi {"Body of Christ"} to honor another one of these sightings and there stands today a "Corpus Christi" church in practically every state in the U.S. named after this fake miracle centuries ago. It was 400 years later when Anton van Leeuwenhoek would observe the red bacteria under the microscope. But even today, ignorance prevails and many are deceived {"The Genesis of Germs" by A. Gillen, p. 15}.
ReplyDeleteHi mo, the problem is you're not responding to the topic of this posting at all! There is nothing in the Miracle of Herentals which speaks of blood. However, there is the fact that the hosts were found, laying on the ground after it had been raining - and wholly intact!
ReplyDeleteI really don't mind challengers posting here - in fact, I encourage it - but please stick to the actual topic of the posted article(s).
Thank you for your cooperation,
Scott<<<
aka: CathApol
Consider as well, mere bread doesn't last for YEARS, much less mere bread which had been left on the ground and drenched by rain! Yet these hosts found in the middle of the 15th century remained until some point in the 16th century (and we're not told if they were consumed or what happened to them after that point).
ReplyDeleteIn JMJ,
Scott<<<
While it may be true you were not speaking of bleeding hosts in particular, what I had said is indicative of the general delusion regarding these outrageous eucharistic "miracles" for hundreds of years---of which you are apparently a "fan". And THAT is the main point, which overshadows your main point, which was to lull your audience into gawking at something that is unbelievable as well as unbiblical. No one can possibly know what actually happened so many hundreds of years ago with wafers on a rain-drenched floor, and neither would the Lord require it of us, since He has, "in these last days, spoken unto us by His Son"
ReplyDelete(Heb 1:2). True Christians are simply not interested in reports of "pulsating, levitating, speaking, well-preserved or bleeding" wafers because they do nothing but blow smoke over the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To begin with, after the passover was eaten, none of it was to remain until morning {Exodus 12:10}. Catholicism detracts from this typology by reserving the elements for another day and another purpose, and sometimes storing it for hundreds of years when red spots appear on it so future generations may gawk at it.
Furthermore, it is inconceivable that the Lord would have anything to do with such hocus-pocus dominocus because neither by instruction, example or even one syllable out of the mouth of our Savior were we mandated to dilute the wine, as Catholicism teaches; or withhold the cup from the worshippers, exhibit the wafer in a vessel for adoration, carry it about town so a religious spectacle can be made; to refrain from it unless we have fasted first, or attempt to "offer" the elements as a sacrifice to God for the sins of the living and the dead! Nor were we ever asked to believe, as is so often alleged, that the "appearance" of bread and wine would remain as such so they might become more palatable to the sensitivities of squeamish humans--as the Council of Trent taught.
Therefore, what you are promoting is nothing less than pious nonsense---which is the logical outcome of those who choose to downplay the veracity of the word of God. And that Word, I will remind you, tells us that Satan has the power to pull the wool over your eyes by all "signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess 2:9). I trust you are smart enough not to argue that the Roman Catholic Church is IMMUNE to these lying deceits?
Good.
Then consider that it is indeed a waste of time to promote things you are only hoping to be true. On top of everything else, since your church teaches that Transubstantiation is the "fount and apex of the whole Christian life", it would put God in the position of having to go "one up" on His allegedly already most glorious miracle of Transubstantiation, happening everyday 24/7, by pressing the issue with further miracles such as non-decomposing Hosts.
But this is simply OUT His character; He being displeased with those who were always asking for a sign (Matthew 12:39) as well as refusing a miracle to the man in Hell who pleaded that someone go back from the dead and warn his family of that terrible place. If people will not believe the Scriptures or any one of a million items in the created universe, then neither will anybody suddenly come to their senses and start believing in the gospel through the use of eucharistic miracles. He has not instituted that be the way people be reached, but rather, through, "the foolishness of preaching" (1 Cor 1:21).
I responded to this at length. I saw it posted, and today it is gone.
ReplyDeleteSo much for that.
mo said: I responded to this at length. I saw it posted, and today it is gone.
ReplyDeleteSo much for that.
Don't be too hasty in judgment (I've done that too on another blog). Your post got caught up in Blogger's spam filter (I have no control over which posts are selected as spam) and it remained there until I released it. Posts will show up for a moment then if the spam filter kicks in they will disappear until I release them. It seems rather random. As you can see, your longer post is actually published prior to your "so much for that" post. Again, I have no control over that feature, except to shut it off - but then we literally get spammed so I can't shut it off.
I'll be responding to your longer post separately.
Scott<<<
mo, whether or not I am a "fan" of Eucharistic miracles is what is beside the point... who cares if I am a fan? Now if you have PROOF that a particular declared Eucharistic Miracle is a hoax, fine we can examine your (hopefully) impartial evidence.
ReplyDeleteTrue Christians do not need to seek out signs and wonders - but when they happen we should not ignore them either, not should they be hidden. If God has indeed provided a miracle for His People which can be preserved for future generations - why hide it?
You claim this is a distraction from the Gospel, I respectfully disagree - it IS the Gospel that the bread IS His body and the wine IS His blood - but both remain hidden under their physical accidents. What we perceive in the flesh we believe otherwise in the spirit for we know and trust our Savior and His Word when He declared this is so. (John 6:51-56; Matt. 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20;1 Cor. 10:16; 1 Cor. 11:27-29). So recognizing and worshipping the Eucharist, as Catholics do, is a recognition of the Gospel, the Word of Christ, to the Real Presence of the Eucharist.
Does Satan have the power to "pull the wool over our eyes?" Certainly, for he shall attempt to tempt and fool "even the elect." That does not mean throw out the baby with the bathwater! Just because SOME may be hoaxes does not mean we should reject ALL as such.
As for being out of character - God Himself performs many miracles as recorded IN Scripture AND states that His bishops will do these things and more - so where or when do you think such signs and wonders were to come to a complete halt? On the contrary to what you're saying, I'd say it would be more out of character if God did not continue to perform signs and wonders through His bishops and even through those who are faithful to Him and His Word.
In JMJ,
Scott<<<
You ask, "why hide a miracle if God has indeed provided one?"
ReplyDeleteOf course, the word "IF" is the mitigating factor, and taken together with everything else I said before, it is quite certain He is not involved in any "wafer miracle" because the biblical record indicates that when He wishes to demonstrate His power by miracles, they must be SEEN! Consequently, because the very essence of Transubstantiation falls into the category of "invisible", this becomes a fundamental disjuncture to what we see in the Bible; i.e., we are never told of a miracle taking place--- where all the evidence indicated NO miracle had taken place. That being so, a further "miracle" of a non-decomposing wafer (visible) resting on the shaky "invisible" foundation of another (i.e., Transubstantiation), cannot possibly be true. The wafer looks, tastes, smells and feels like a wafer--- and that is exactly what it is. How can we forget water changing into wine, a rod being changed into a serpent, the sea being split down the middle, the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and even dry bones are changed into an army of men, all to the amazement of the onlookers {Ezekiel 37:5-10}. And John the Baptist said that God could of these very stones, raise up children to Abraham {Matt 3:9}. But if He did, they would no longer retain the appearance of stones! Moreover, lest we forget that Jesus turned water into wine, we are reminded that the guests did not say, "Why are you serving us water?". Neither did Jesus respond, "It may look and taste like water, but it is actually wine under the appearance of water." No, in fact the guests considered the wine to be the finest served that night" (John 2:1-10). Ergo, we must conclude that invisible miracles such as disguising Himself "under the form of bread and wine" is saying something about God which is incorrect {Job 42:8}, and the alleged miracles that follow this lame foundation, are fraudulent.
(continued in next post)
You then go on to boldly declare that the gospel be defined by the fact that the bread and wine ARE His actual body and blood, "hidden" under other elements, "because He has said so". I trust you recall He also said He was a "door", but that did not mean He was made of wood and hinges.
ReplyDeleteNext you say that worshipping the Eucharist is a recognition of His "Real Presence". In your view maybe, but I trust you already know that all non-Catholics on earth utterly reject such a notion, and for solidly good reasons, not the least of which was that Jesus said His physical presence was "going away" (I would imagine no less than 10 times), promising to send the Comforter in the absense of His physical body. This is also confirmed by Paul where we read that, "Though we have known Christ after the flesh, now henceforth know we Him NO MORE" (2 Cor 5:16).
As for "worshipping" the Eucharist, I must classify this as pure idolatry. Your catechism states, "The Eucharist is the efficacious sign. . .of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the WORSHIP men offer" (# 1325, #1380}. Not only does this clash with "worshipping God in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23) by supposing He means worship through a material object, but also the catechism's shocking claim of SANCTIFICATION through worshipping the Eucharist! This directly contradicts the Bible which says that we are sanctified by the operation of the Holy Spirit who dwells within
{1 Cor 6:11} . Sanctification is a lifelong process wherein we are "conformed to the image of His Son" {Romans 8:29} and Jesus prayed that we would be "sanctified through thy truth; thy WORD is truth " {Jn 17:17}. That being so, the process of advancing along on the road of holiness can only come about through "eating" the Word of God (and not the Eucharist!) because, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste; yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth ......and "How then shall a young man cleanse his way? [sanctification]. By taking heed according to thy word" {Ps 119:9/103}.
I'm not going to continue this off-topic discussion in this combox, but I'm also not ignoring your comments. I have created a blog article which is directly "on topic" of your comments - for it is a direct response to them. Feel free to continue this discussion there. Further comments from you ("mo") here under this article about the Miracle of Herentals will be deleted.
ReplyDeleteAgain, to continue this discussion, please go to this entry:
Is Jesus a Door?
Thank you,
Scott<<<