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The grace of God is—

Holy. Abundant. Timely.

Natural.

Let God surprise you.

There are moments in our journey with God when faith comes easily, when trusting Him feels as natural as breathing. In these seasons, belief flows without resistance, prayer rises effortlessly, and we feel surrounded by God's presence. Doubt fades into the background. Obedience feels light rather than costly. And our hearts respond to God not out of discipline, but out of delight. Faith in these moments is not something we strain to hold onto. It's something that carries us, steady and sure, as though grace itself were doing the believing for us. But there are also times when faith feels fragile, stretched thin by doubt, disappointment, and the weariness of daily life.

God understands both. He knows the human heart. He knows how easily our confidence in His presence can erode under the weight of uncertainty. And so throughout history, He has given us signs, gestures of divine tenderness to strengthen our belief. One of the most astonishing of these occurred in the 8th century in a small church in Lanciano, Italy. It remains to this day one of the most studied and scientifically examined miracles in the history of Christianity. But behind the science and the spectacle is a simple truth. God performed a miracle to heal a priest's doubt. That priest, like many of us, wrestled with the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He knew the theology. He knew the teaching. He knew the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. But something in Him was still uncertain. Something in him whispered, "Can this really be true?"

On the morning this miracle occurred, the priest approached the altar with a trembling heart. As he spoke the words of consecration, "Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you," something happened that would change Eucharistic faith for generations to come. The host, in his hands, transformed into visible flesh, and the wine in the chalice transformed into real blood. This wasn't a spiritual vision. It wasn't a mystical illumination. It was physical, tangible, real. Examinations would later confirm that the flesh is actual human cardiac tissue. Heart tissue. And the blood has the same rare genetic markers found in another miraculous relic 1,200 years later, the Shroud of Turin. God did not simply perform a miracle. He offered his heart. For more than 1,200 years, this miracle has remained visible for all to see. No preservatives were ever used. Modern testing has confirmed this is human heart muscle, belonging to a living person at the moment the sample was taken.

Pause for a moment that sink in a little bit. When God chose a way to affirm His presence in the Eucharist, He offered the world His heart. Not a symbol of His heart, not a poetic representation, but the very tissue of his human heart. The miracle of Lanciano confronts us with a fundamental question: Do we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist? Not metaphorically, not symbolically, but that the bread and wine really become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. The miracle of Lanciano also answers the question. But Lanciano also invites us to recover a sense of awe and wonder. The priest in Lanciano struggled with doubt, and God answered him. He didn't punish him. He didn't shame him. He showered him with grace, wonders, and a miracle. God looked at a heart wrestling with uncertainty and responded with a miracle that would echo throughout history. Perhaps God wants to speak a similar word of encouragement into your life today. What questions are you carrying in your heart? Is your faith tired? Do you have doubts about the faith? Are you longing for a deeper experience of God but don't know how to find it? Maybe you've received the Eucharist thousands of times but never really grasped the magnitude of the gift. God knows how to revive a weary soul. This was Jesus' invitation. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

The miracle of Lanciano is a reminder that God is patient, understanding, kind, gentle, and merciful. This miracle also invites us to make a simple but life-changing shift. Approach the Eucharist with expectation. Not obligation, not habit, holy expectation. Expectation opens the soul to grace. Expectation awakens wonder. Expectation transforms a routine moment into a sacred encounter. Next time you receive the Eucharist, whisper in your heart, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Whisper in your heart, "Jesus, give me a heart like yours." Whisper in your heart, "I am totally yours. Totally yours." Whisper in your heart, "Teach my heart to trust you more deeply, or heal what is wounded in me, or soften my heart where it has become hardened, or enter every place that I keep closed, or reorder my desires with your love, settle my anxiety and fill me with your peace, or take what is fearful in me and make it faithful, or help me receive you as you truly are." You see, the priest Elanciano was transformed by the miracle he witnessed. But every time we receive the Eucharist, we are offered something even greater. Not a glimpse of Jesus's heart, but His heart itself. This is the miracle God wants to perform in you not just once, but every time you come to the altar, a miracle of allowing his heart to transform your heart.

Trust, surrender believe, receive. Your greatest ability is your availability.

So what's today's lesson? Great faith and great doubt often go hand in hand, especially when it comes to believing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. Ask Jesus to strengthen your faith in His true presence in the Eucharist until it becomes unshakable. And the virtue of the day? Awe. The virtue of awe is a profound respect and reverence for the source of all life. Contemplation of life, truth, beauty, goodness, and the sheer power of God, all nurture the virtue of awe. If you haven't picked up a copy of the book yet, I encourage you to pick up a copy of 33 Days of Miracles, Wonders, and Grace. In fact, grab the bundle, the book and the limited-edition workbook. Click the button below and get yours today. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

God of miracles, wonders, and grace.

I thank you for all the good you have done in my life.

For the miracles I recognize—

And the many graces I so often overlook.

I open my heart completely to you today—

Inviting you to completely inhabit my soul—

So that through me—

Others may encounter your love—

Your mercy—

Your compassion—

Your kindness—

and your staggering generosity. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Don't let the world steal your wonder.

See you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

You want to give us a slate?

Go.

Simple.

Simple.

Quiet.

Quiet.

You are a miracle.

You are a miracle.

I love the Cubs.

We've been over this.

Oh, you specifically would like that. Okay.

Okay. Well, you come over here. You're not in this one?

Oh, okay.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Oh, amen.

All right. Now you're going to do all of that the same, except then you're all going to do receive.

Trust.

Surrender.

Believe.

Receive.

Okay.

Can you do a big smile?

He's like, "This is my big smile."

Hello?

Let's take that puppy back outside.

Okay. Come on, baby.