In the Cathedral’s Chapel of the Treasury, where the sacred relics of Naples’ patron saint, Januarius (known as San Gennaro in Italian) are housed, a momentous event occurred. Saint Januarius, martyred around 305 A.D. during Emperor Diocletian’s reign, is venerated here, with his relics including two glass ampoules containing his dried blood. When Patriarch Bartholomew I held the relic, the dried blood within the ampoules unexpectedly liquefied. This miraculous occurrence, which remains unexplained by science, is traditionally believed to happen in response to the dedication and prayers of the local Napolitane faithful.
"The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? For we, being many, are one bread, one body: all that partake of one bread." (1 Cor 10:16-17)
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
An ecumenical miracle
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