The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ

One of the most compelling witness stories I have ever heard about the True Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament was what moved the Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen to make a daily Holy Hour (Adoration) for the rest of his life.  Bishop Sheen tells what was shared with him… a testimony of a young Chinese girl, living under the religious persecution of Communism, who was hiding in the rear of a Catholic Church when communist soldiers placed the Catholic priest under house arrest and then broke into and ransacked the church, including breaking open the Tabernacle and spewing the Most Blessed Sacrament all over the floor, even stomping on Him.

After the soldiers left the church, they remained outside to guard the priest who they locked up in his own rectory.  This young girl in hiding quietly came to the front of the church, risking her life to kneel down before the Consecrated Host spewed on the floor for one hour of Adoration, before she would bend over with her face to the floor, stick out her tongue, and consume one Host. (Receiving Holy Communion on the hand was not a practice.) She returned each night for 30 consecutive days to keep a Holy Hour and consume one Host. On the last evening, she accidentally made a noise which woke a soldier, who then rushed in and proceeded to club her to death with the end of his rifle.

This testimony comes from the parish priest who observed all of this and personally shared with Bishop Sheen. One might say, literally, “Out of the mouths of babes!” comes the Truth that Jesus is fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  We live in a time when approximately 70% of Catholics do not believe in the True Presence and yet one little girl can convince us. I can only imagine the devout practice of her parents and the priest(s) who taught her the Catholic faith.

Interestingly, an equally incredible testimony to the True Presence is coming from the fields of science.  When many Catholics are distancing themselves from Mass, we are experiencing an uptick of scientific evidence in many aspects of our Catholic faith. Often believers and non‑believers will quip, I follow the science, as if it were the trump card over religious beliefs. Beautifully, scientists in many fields are pointing the way – with the means of modern technology – to the truth of such things as the True Presence.  In fact, we know that the scientific fields of archeology, cosmology and cardiology are proving such things as the location of Biblical sites previously thought to be mythical; the necessity of an Intelligent Being as Creator of the Universe; and that – for our purposes today –  the research on a specimen of the Eucharistic Host revealed the living Heart tissue of a traumatized and badly beaten man (think the Passion!). It’s amazing what science can teach us and undoubtedly will do so much more! (Interestingly, a survey of medical doctors verifies that a vast majority believe in God.)

Little Christina Dangond would be another young girl who believed in the True Presence. In fact, because of her devout love for Jesus in the Eucharist, she was receiving Holy Communion almost every day when she was not even able to attend Mass due to the decline of her health. Her beautiful daily testimony of, “JESUS, I Trust in You!” may very well one day be the inspiration that leads many more people to believe and ‘turn the tide’ to the number of Catholics who come to believe in the True Presence.

For sure, we know she is already on her way to amassing more believers because the foundation she inspired, Build the Faith, continues to build churches in the poorest areas of the world so more and more families, especially children, can come to learn about and receive Jesus’ in His Most Holy Body & Blood! Another little surprise: this little Chinese girl was thought to be about eleven years old, the same age as Christina when she, too, entered heaven!