EuBEcharistiTANIc MiraAcle of VENEZUELA, DECEMBER 8, 1991

On December 8 of 1991, Father Otty Ossa Aristizábal was celebrating in the chapel of the of Betania in Cúa and The new Tabernacle located in during the consecration, saw the the chapel of Perpetual Adoration at the convent of the Augustinians Recollects of Host bleeding. The miraculous the of Jesus in H. E. Most Reverend Pio Bello Los Teques, where the of Host is preserved in the city of Riccardo who has approved the the Eucharistic of Los Teques, at the convent of of Betania Betania have been transferred. the Augustinian Recollects Nuns of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where It is permanently exposed for the adoration of the faithful and It is visited every year by numerous pilgrims coming also from abroad. Many prodigious events have taken place, connected to the The Shrine of Finca Betania where the Miracle occurred Host of the Miracle, among the one which stands out that occurred to a young American who filmed the miraculous Host pulsating like a heart, while It was exposed to the faithful. The Tabernacle where the relics of the Host from which blood flowed were kept

his Eucharistic Miracle occurred during the stic species”. During the Mass there were numerous Los Teques to see the miraculous Host all the days of midnight Mass of December 8, 1991, at the pilgrims who immediately verified that the priest did the year at any hour in their chapel devoted to Perpe- Marian Shrine of Finca Betania in Cúa, Vene- not have wounds from which the blood present in the tual Adoration. A young faithful from New Jersey, zuela. Father Otty, Chaplain of the Shrine, thus Host could have flowed. Besides, from the analyses, the Daniel J. Sanford, having gone on a pilgrimage to the describes the event: “After having consumed one result concluded that the blood of the priest did not Convent of the Augustinians to see the bleeding Host, of the pieces of the large Host which I had divided into match the one of the Particle. The Host of the Miracle was able to film another miraculous episode. Here is 4 parts, I returned them to the . A little later I was subjected to some special studies, requested by the the story: “On the 12th of November of 1998 I went looked down towards the paten and I could not believe then Bishop of Los Teques, H. E. Most Reverend Pio on pilgrimage to Betania with a prayer group and they what I saw: one of the pieces of the Host that I divided Bello Ricardo, and the results confirmed that the blood took us to see the miraculous Host of Betania in the was showing a red spot and from It a red substance was human blood of type AB positive which matches Chapel of the Augustinian Sisters of Los Teques. Our Tbegan to emanate, similar to the manner in which the one found in the cloth of the Shroud of Turin and spiritual director, Father Mazzarella, celebrated the blood escapes from a wound. After Mass, I took the in the Host of the Eucharistic , Mass. After the celebration ended he opened the Host and preserved It safely in the of the that occurred in Italy in 750 AD and was analyzed by door of the Tabernacle which contained the Host Shrine. The next day, at 6 in the morning, I went to see 500 commissions of the World Health Organization. of the Miracle. With great astonishment I saw the Host and verified that some blood continued to Since then the Host has been an object of veneration that the Host was as if in flames, and there was a flow that a little later began to dry. However, still today, and of devotion on the part of thousands of pilgrims Pulsating Heart that was bleeding in Its center. I the blood appears as fresh. The strange thing is that the coming not only from Venezuela but from the whole saw this for about 30 seconds or so, then the blood flowed only from one side of the Particle, never- world. It is possible to go to the convent of the Augusti- Host returned to normal. I was able to film a part theless, without staining the remainder of the Euchari- nian Recollects Nuns of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in of this miracle with my video camera...”.

© 2006, Edizioni San Clemente What does fasting mean and what is the concept? What does the Church and Sacred Scripture say?

Fasting is practiced, since before Christ came into the world. Quite a few people in ancient times practiced fasting for two things. 1.) As a mortification for the body and the domination of instincts. 2.) A way to praise God from human mortification. One of the first things Christ does after his Baptism is he fasts and prays out in the desert to prepare for his public life. Fasting is promoted in 3 parts in the Bible. 1.) Christ fasted. 2.) To remove the demons since the word of God tells us that those demons - only with prayer and fasting can be expelled. 3.) A sin that is very difficult to confess - with fasting is easier to reconcile with God, so that when prayer rises to God with fasting it becomes more effective and stronger. There are two ways to fast. 1.) Don't eat anything until noon, only water. At noon make a strong meal without exceeding and at night make your dinner moderate. 2.) Have your coffee or fruit or a cookie in the morning and at noon make your meal without extended and at night a moderate dinner. The Church requires that a person over 18 years of age - 59 be obligated to fast. Only the sick person is excluded from fasting, since fasting is a way to obtain thanks before God. The requires that you fast twice a year - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and Fridays during lent is recommended, but not required. It is also recommended is that the fast is offered up in prayer.

¿Qué significa ayunar y cuál es el concepto? ¿Qué dice la Iglesia y la Sagrada Escritura?

Se practica el ayuno desde antes de que Cristo viniera al mundo. Muchas personas en la antigüedad practicaban el ayuno por dos cosas. 1.) Como mortificación del cuerpo y dominio de los instintos. 2.) Una forma de alabar a Dios desde la mortificación humana. Una de las primeras cosas que hace Cristo después de su bautismo es ayunar y orar en el desierto para prepararse para su vida pública. El ayuno se promueve en 3 partes en la Biblia. 1.) Cristo ayunó. 2.) Para quitar los demonios ya que la palabra de Dios nos dice que esos demonios - solo con oración y ayuno pueden ser expulsados. 3.) Un pecado que es muy difícil de confesar - con el ayuno es más fácil reconciliarse con Dios, de modo que cuando la oración se eleva a Dios con el ayuno se vuelve más eficaz y más fuerte. Hay dos formas de ayunar. 1.) No coma nada hasta el mediodía, solo agua. Al mediodía haz una comida fuerte sin excederte y por la noche haz tu cena moderada. 2.) Tome su café o fruta o una galleta por la mañana y al mediodía haga su comida sin prolongar y por la noche una cena moderada. La Iglesia requiere que una persona mayor de 18 a 59 de edad años esté obligada a ayunar. Solo el enfermo está excluido del ayuno, ya que el ayuno es una forma de obtener gracias ante Dios. La Iglesia Católica requiere que ayune dos veces al año: se recomienda el Miércoles de Ceniza y el Viernes Santo, y los viernes durante la Cuaresma, pero no es obligatorio. Otra cosa que se recomienda es que se ofrezca el ayuno, si no no tiene sentido. El ayuno consta de 3 partes, la ofrenda, luego el ayuno y finalmente la gratitud a Dios y a uno mismo por haberlo logrado con la ayuda de Dios y su voluntad. Domina tu cuerpo y demuéstrate que si puedes porque Dios nos formó y nos hizo libres y dueños de nuestro cuerpo y nuestro cuerpo es templo del Espíritu Santo y nuestro Padre que ve el secreto nos recompensará. Se recomienda ofrecer el ayuno em oracion.