The miracle of Ludbreg

The Croatian village of Ludbreg welcomed thousands of believers from all corners of the country and abroad on the first Sunday of September, known as “Sveta Nedilija – Holy Sunday”. The reason was the celebration of the 6th centenary of the eucharistic miracle, officially recognized by the Bull of Pope Leo X in 1513. After thoroughly examining the circumstances of the miracle and authorizing veneration of the holy relic, the Pope himself carried it in procession several times through the streets of Rome, before returning it to Croatia. Many people bore witness to miraculous cures while praying in the relic’s presence. In the 18th century, the northern part of the country was ravaged by plague. People turned to God to call upon His help, and so too did the Croatian Parliament. During its session held in 1739 in the city of Varaždin, they vowed to build a chapel in Ludbreg in honour of the miracle if the plague should end. The spread of the plague was averted, but the promised vow was only fulfilled in 1994, when democracy was restored in Croatia.The procession during this year’s grand celebration in Ludbreg, with the participation of an estimated 60,000 pilgrims, was led by all 25 Croatian bishops and a special guest – special papal envoy for this occasion, Slovak Cardinal Jozef Tomko. The cardinal shared his opinions and impressions of the event in an interview he gave to our correspondent for the Eastern European countries, Danka Jaceckova from Bratislava.What kind of eucharistic miracle occurred 600 years ago in Ludbreg?“A priest was celebrating holy mass in the chapel of the local castle and he doubted the truth of transubstantiation, the real presence of the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Suddenly the wine in the chalice turned into blood. The priest was gripped by fear and not knowing what to do he embedded this relic in the wall behind the main altar. He kept it secret and revealed it only at the time of his death. After this revelation the news immediately spread and people began to worship the relic. The ampule containing the blood has since been placed in a monstrance. It is carried in procession every year”.How did you present the Eucharist of your homily? “I concentrated on the mystery of faith and the mystery of Blood, on the fact that Christ continues to redeem us in the Mass. His presence – the Eucharist – is something living. It’s not just the past, it’s a living presence. It’s an actual mystery of salvation that takes place on our altars – for us and also for the times we live in, for our nations, for Europe. In this regard I mentioned the Blessed Croatian Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac, who had the reputation of giving wonderful sermons. He exhorted people to let God enter their lives, to keep Him in the centre, to let Him speak to them so they could understand Him as a moving and living presence. Only in this way would we be able to worship Him in the life of society as a whole, not only in our private prayers. He made some interesting remarks about united Europe, saying how essential it is for Christ to be placed at the centre of European life. These words were courageous and are even more topical today… and I noticed that people were listening with great attention”.The 25th National Eucharistic Congress has just finished in Ancona, with the presence of the Pope Benedict XVI, who recalled that we are living in a period of great challenges. Do you think that the Eucharist can help us to tackle them?“The Eucharist is the Body and the Blood of Christ. Those who have faith – spouses, children, youth, sons, daughters… those who find this way, find also a way to faith, to the strengthening of their life, and this can save them. The Eucharist undoubtedly converts. Let’s take this example: a group of jolly and noisy young people come to an event. Then comes the exposition of the Eucharist… and suddenly an absolute silence falls on everything. Two million people, and not even a single whisper is heard. That is an amazing impression. That silence, as everybody dwells in adoration. Faith always remains inside people; we just need to know how to inflame and stimulate it over and over again. We need to revive the courage to express it. This is important today”.How did you feel in a country in which 90% of the inhabitants are Catholics?“When one goes to Croatia, it’s like going to find one’s own family, one’s own friends; they are all very open. I had some wonderful experiences with them, and new friendships were created. Of course, they treat Slovaks as brothers. They even informed the Holy Father of this, and that’s why he mentions it in his letter to me, telling me he had nominated me as his special envoy for the celebrations because I come from a brother nation, Slovakia”.