xxii + 330 = 352 pages
Had to think hard about which of the many books in my Want To Read pile should be next. But since reading the St. Carlo book to Jacqueline--which went into some detail about several eucharistic miracles--I've been very interested in this topic...which was new to me. And just for the record, I'm not becoming a religious nut, just doing due diligence in the name of my reigning philosophy: What the hell do I know? Thus....
Day 1 (DDRD 3,064) March 22, 2026)
Read to page 57.
I've read The New Testament four times, but somehow this section...which was referred to on page xiv...escaped me:
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
That is some very, very heavy material. The flesh counts for nothing. It also seems to imply that once you have taken communion, Christ is in and stats in you...which is definitely not Catholic teaching. Must ask ex-wife about this. She'll laugh at me, but she'll probably have an answer.
And...
So that wasn't very satisfying, but since she's got a Master's Degree in Divinty studies from Notre Dame and a couple of decades' worth of working in Catholic education programs, I guess it's as good as I'm going to get.
😕
Meanwhile, I've been thinking about My Life With Communion. I grew up in the Lutheran Church, was Confirmed, and have a distinct memory of my first Communion...though I'm not sure how old I was then. 13? I might have to check on that. At any rate, even though communion was not offered every Sunday at Emmanuel Christian Church. I'm sure that I partook of it a fair number of times until I went into the Army at the age of 19. And continued for a bit even then, but fell off the wagon by the time I'd gotten to AIT at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts. And since then (1977), I've probably had communion less than a dozen times, because most of the time I attend Catholic services, and non-Catholics aren't welcome at that table.
Day 2 (DDRD 3,065) March 23, 2026)
Read to page 140.
This book is pretty interesting, but some of these miracles are...dissettling? Like the guy who had communion, later threw up, and after the vomit was pitched into the fireplace (questionable solution) the host reappeared. These Catholics just Go There, y'know? I like the fact that the book has many pictures, but I wish they had gone the extra mile and made them color pictures with better definition / reproduction value. It's often difficult to discern what is even in the picture.
Day 3 (DDRD 3,066) March 24, 2026)
Read to page 213.
Oh man this book. Chapter 22 describes Sir Oswald's experience of demanding the Large Host at communion-- with his armed fellows and while clothed in his full armor. According to the story, Oswald sank into the floor up to his knees, then reached out and grabbed the altar to steady himself and left his handprints in the altar. We're told that the hole in the floor and the handprints in the altar still exist, yet the pictures which follow the story show neither of these. What the actual fuck?
More "What?" After Chapter 32 (which ends on page 201) we have Chapter 33, "More Eucharistic Miracles." And then follow short (a paragraph or two), unverified Eucharistic Miracles. The puzzlement here is that there were some really good EM stories in the St. Carlo book I just finished reading to Jacqueline which have not been included here. What up? This book is copyrighted 1987, so I don't think it's a time issue. But it IS a puzzlement!
You know, if I keep up this pace, I'm going to finish this book in two more days.
Day 4 (DDRD 3,067) March 25, 2026)
Read to page 253.
Stories of levitating hosts and people living on the Eucharist alone for years and years. Also, priests who say mass from daybreak to nightfall because they get caught up in rapture. Which is kind of cool.
Day 5 (DDRD 3,068) March 26, 2026)
Read to page
There's a reference to Jesus spending 40 hours in the tomb. I had to stop and count, and that seemed like a reasonable estimate. But just to be sure I Googled, and sure enough.... Learn something new every day. So when I write that novel, there going to be 40 chapters, and, needless to say, we'll be moving from darkness and pain to light and joy.
