This post is also available in:
A Cardiologist Examines Jesus. The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles
Has Jesus of Nazareth ever had a medical check-up?
In recent years, five Eucharistic miracles have been investigated with sophisticated analytical methods. The most cutting-edge technology that is used in forensic medicine and TV detective series has also been applied, just like at a crime scene, to consecrated communion hosts that have been bleeding. What were the outcomes of clinical, laboratory, histological and genetic analyses performed on these mysterious and bewildering tissues?
A medical doctor will guide us through the results, and reveal to us a common pattern arising from comparing one event to the next: a pattern repeating itself with reassuring and baffling punctuality.
For the first time in the history of Christianity, Eucharistic miracles can finally also speak the “aseptic” and “authoritative” language of science… And what do they have to say to modern people?
We shall attempt describing these human tissues that were remarkably still alive at the time of sampling: agonizing heart muscle tissue and blood that reveal a precise diagnosis. We shall see the recurrence of the same blood group, leading to an embarrassing and ever more unarguable statistical conclusion. Finally, we shall also reflect on the bizarre and elusive, but also rational behavior of the most sought-after DNA in the world.
This is a fascinating read. Dr Serafini is never overtaken by his Faith, but rather – and thanks to it – he is looking for the Truth in every laboratory result and in all of his colleagues’ reports. He strives to make sense of all the data to make it understandable. He maintains a “skeptical” scientific and Christian attitude while acknowledging to be facing a Mystery at the same time.
AleteiaCardiologist Franco Serafini examines all of the five eucharistic miracles that have been studied by science and draws connections between them and the scientific research on the Passion Cloths. The final result is astonishing.
La Nuova Bussola QuotidianaPREVIEW
REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS
Italian
LA STAMPA
Scienza e fede, quei miracoli eucaristici che mettono d’accordo l’una e l’altra (solo per abbonati)
LA NUOVA BUSSOLA QUOTIDIANA
«Un cuore vivo che soffre» L’Eucaristia, parla la scienza
DUC IN ALTUM (blog di Aldo Maria Valli)
Se un cardiologo visita Gesù. I miracoli eucaristici visti al microscopio
LETTURE
“Un cardiologo visita Gesù. I miracoli eucaristici alla prova della scienza” di Franco Serafini
SALUTE.EUROPA
Quando la scienza incontra il miracolo: intervista al cardiologo che ha “visitato” Gesù
FAMIGLIA CRISTIANA
Un cardiologo “visita” Gesù: indagine sui miracoli eucaristici
RADICI CRISTIANE
La Scienza riconosce i segni della passione – Intervista al dott. Franco Serafini (solo per abbonati)
ALETEIA
I miracoli eucaristici alla prova della scienza
SOVVENIRE
“Voi chi dite che io sia?”
BERLICCHE
Non basta il miracolo (interessante l’accesa discussione nei commenti)
Dalla pagina facebook di Costanza Miriano
IL TALEBANO
La scienza in soccorso della fede. Un’intervista talebana
Other languages
ALETEIA
¿Existe una relación entre los Milagros Eucarísticos y la Sábana de Turín?
El milagro eucarístico del que papa Francisco fue custodio
Traduzione intervista Nuova Bussola Quotidiana: La sangre de cinco milagros eucarísticos estudiados por la ciencia, un reconocimiento al Sagrado Corazón
Readers’ comments
Anna De Piaggi wrote on 24 January 2019 at 09:12:
First and foremost, the book’s precision and meticulousness should be acknowledged, besides its clear explanation of the medico-scientific details that are essential for widespread divulgation.
Secondly, its frank reflections are truly excellent. Although, at present, Catholics are too often crushed by a paralyzing sense of inferiority, the author is not afraid to affirm his Faith: he does not fear it as something thatcould cloud his clarity of mind or the transparency or scientific value of his work. He expresses his thoughts with fine humor when commenting on gawky ideological opinions. In addition, he has the disarming courage required to not weaken his final conclusions with “politically correct” statements such as “according to me” when the objective evidence demands to be believed as a matter of intellectual honesty and loyalty.
This attitude is hard to find these days.
18/07/2019 21:14:12
Faith and science are often considered to be diametrically opposed. Moreover, the world of logical rationalism completely rejects the idea that the body of Christ could be in that little piece of bread that is the consecrated host, let alone the possibility that blood or cardiac tissue could emerge from it.
This book, written by a cardiologist, dispels these ideological standpoints and builds up a coherent and overarching scientific interpretation of Eucharistic miracles, based on the results of investigations grounded in the scientific method and its techniques.
Reading it is an exercise in humility for those who only believe in reason, and an injection of faith and hope for those who have met Christ in that Bread and his Word.
Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars
A surprise coming from a scientific perspective on Eucharistic miracles.
Reviewed in Italy on 9 December 2018.
Purchase verified.This book is peculiar and against mainstream thinking. It analyzes scientific data related to Eucharistic miracles with clear and cutting words.
This book explains and analyzes what has been observed and verified in a rational way
Reviewed in Italy on 14 July 2019.
Purchase verified.
I suggest reading this book to anyone seeking personal enrichment, as it provides many
Very interesting. Not to be missed.
Very interesting read, written by a medical doctor, rich in scientific data. It strikes a very good balance between Faith and Reason, shedding light on the subject of Eucharistic miracles. At present, I think this is the only text providing a clear and accurate scientific interpretation of what, up until recently, has been a mystery that could only be comprehensible through Faith. This is a book that is certainly open to future developments and further medical analyses.
Amazon customer
Very accurate work, gathering the best scientific research, tests and evidence on some Eucharistic miracles (more or less well-known). It is engaging and objective at the same time. Enjoyable even by those who have no background medical knowledge.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, despite its awful title which really spoils it.
Reviewed in Italy on 7 November 2020
Purchase verified.
This book is objective, well-written and scientifically correct. It touches on a subject at a crossroads of individual opinions that are heavily conditioned by a person’s upbringing, his or her culture, previous life and the answers to the big questions of life that anyone holds deep inside, such as whether God exists or not and whether it would be possible that He revealed himself visibly in our lives in some occasions, to bridge, even if just for a moment, the infinite distance that separates Him from us, even for those who believe.
I think that for many, even the topic of the book itself may evoke skepticism and a loss of interest. The author, instead, declares it from the first few pages that these events, involving bleeding hosts, will be dealt with in a purely scientific manner when it comes to describing their features as phenomena, as well as considering potential non-miraculous causes for them.
Every piece of information related to the five miracles is absolutely well supported by evidence, direct witnesses, photos, videos and laboratory studies that were often repeated and “blinded” to preserve their integrity, for instance by not revealing information on the origin of the samples to the researchers conducting the experiments.
It is written by a doctor, a cardiologist, who can offer his peculiar specialist knowledge. By the way, this explains the horrible title probably chosen by someone else. The reader is taken by surprise, even more surprised by the consistency of the various but also infrequent events that took place in different places at different times. As an example, it is impossible not to be touched by the histologic images of the sacred Hosts identified as heart tissue of AB blood group, the same one of the Shroud of Turin. This group is very rare among human beings (about 5%). Such coincidence has an extremely low likelihood of being due to chance alone. The reader can hardly dismiss such compelling evidence and will probably feel baffled an unable to lightly disregard the argument.
In essence, it is a captivating read which cannot leave the reader unperturbed
5.0 out of 5 stars, exceptional.
Reviewed in Italy on 11 May 2019
Purchase verified.
This book is very special. Its subject is always very relevant, although sometimes undervalued or mistreated. However, the author does justice to the subject through the medico-scientific approach. Nothing is put down to randomness or unclear explanations.
