Deepertruth: The Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Weingarten, Germany 1055

This Eucharistic Miracle literally is taken from the foot of the cross. Saint Matthew the Evangelist, in describing the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, says: “The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).

St. Longinus was the Roman soldier who pierced the side of the Crucified Savior with a spear. He was the chief of the soldiers who were present at the Crucifixion of the Lord on Golgotha.

St. Longinus previously having been wounded in a past battle, he was blind in one eye. He was healed when he pierced the side of Jesus with his spear and some of the blood and water from Jesus fell into his eyes. Upon his healing, St. Longinus gives his profession of faith, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Recognizing the power of the Blood of Christ, gathered a portion of blood-soaked earth at the foot of the cross.

Having come to believe in the Savior, St. Longinus received Baptism from the apostles, and decided to leave military service. St Longinus secretly left Judea to preach about Jesus Christ the Son of God in his native land (Cappadocia), and two of his comrades followed him. He had always maintained the relic of the Blood of Christ taken from the foot of the cross.

St. Longinus had carried the relic of the Most Precious Blood of Christ to Mantua but in the process of time, was placed in a safe place and forgotten. Accordingly, it is reported that St Andrew, the disciple of Jesus and brother of St Peter, appeared in the dreams of two different seekers of the relic. As a result, the location of the Holy Blood in both the ninth and the eleventh centuries were located.