A Cardiologist Examines Jesus: The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles

by Franco Serafini

The Gospels might not be “good enough” for modernity, and science is certainly its god. But neither is an impediment to the one, true God. Indeed, He is using methods of the twenty-first century — His twenty-first century — to show how our Faith can be proven through Eucharistic miracles with clinical scientific precision.

In this astounding book, prominent cardiologist and author Dr. Franco Serafini walks us through the extensive medical and scientific research into five Eucharistic miracles, unveiling the stunning testimonies of hematologists, oncologists, neurologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, and more who all concluded the same thing: the five Eucharistic miracles are undeniably authentic.

In surprising and fascinating ways, each of these miracles relates to the others: all reveal heart muscle tissue, many reveal a heart that was experiencing extreme suffering, and some reveal a heart still enduring tissue trauma.

You’ll learn how the human DNA found in Eucharistic substances was identified, what kept a revered eighth-century relic alive until the twenty-first century, and how the identical blood group recurred in the unique miracles to provide contemporary man with a thrilling statistical fortress. Best of all, you’ll be armed with the scientific data to prove not only that God is still active in the world but that He desires all of us to be in union with Him through His Most Precious Body and Blood.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Science, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Christian

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2021

Reviews

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Further deepened my conviction about the real presence.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read. This book challenges the science vs religion debate, as the author argues that the forensic evidence supports religious belief. At times some of the medical evidence can be hard to follow for a person without a medical background. Overall, highly recommended.

[Susanna Testa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy I finished this book on Divine Mercy Sunday! I enjoyed learning about the miraculous ways God makes himself known to us through the Holy Eucharist and it has further increased my faith and conviction of the True Presence during Mass.

However, I believe the author included WAY too many scientific concepts and details to make his points. If the audience is aimed at a medical/scientific crowd, such as myself, the book is satisfactory as I have the requisite knowledge to understand what is said. But for someone with no background in science/genetics/medicine, I would imagine this book to be a very difficult read as it has an abundance of medical jargon to make a simple point. It is not an accessible read to the average person and I found myself skimming over a good deal of the scientific explanations throughout the chapters.

[Madison Hammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting read and the science explained about each of the Eucharistic miracles was mind-boggling, but sometimes it got just a little too full of medical jargon so i lost it a bit.

[Bill Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scientific documentation of Eucharistic miracles, including forensic studies and histological slides. The book will not be an easy read for some due to huge amount of detailed scientific information but it is well worth the effort.

[Allison Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cross-posted to StoryGraph

Dr. Serafini provides a satisfactory overview of five Eucharistic "events" which hold up to documented studies. As a practicing Catholic with interest in biology, I found the scientific aspect of this book absolutely fascinating. My knowledge of Eucharistic miracles and Passion relics was limited prior to reading this book, but now I'm curious to learn more.

The tragic downfall of Serafini's review is that he can't seem to keep his bias professional - because let's be honest, there's no such thing as an unbiased study. Our author often makes snide comments against claims, beliefs, and persons with which he disagrees. The book would have benefited greatly from the culling of such commentary.

If you're wondering about the difficulty level of this text, I can confidently say that between footnotes, a basic understanding of biology, and Kindle's brilliant Wikipedia function, it's completely workable. Without these things, however, it may be best to stop after making it through the chapter on Passion relics as the technical language only increases from there.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Religious bigotry

[Paul H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars). Sophia Institute Press = barely better than self-published, alas, and this book is badly written, very biased, etc., but valuable insofar as Serafini has done serious investigative work both of the science behind various Eucharistic miracles, and also follow-up interviews with the scientists themselves. Cruz's book on the topic is probably better overall, but this is a serious contribution from Serafini, despite its flaws; probably his strongest point, mentioned by Cruz in passing, is that the five most prominent Eucharistic miracles all share the same rare blood type (AB), which is very difficult for skeptics to explain. The world awaits a definitive and comprehensive scholarly book on this topic, though.

[Concetta Kellough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Serafini presents results and commentary on laboratory testing done on Eucharistic miracles, as well as The Shroud of Turin, The Sudarium of Oviedo and The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil. There are copious footnotes on the same page as the word(s) being commented on, which I appreciate compared to footnotes listed at the end of a chapter or book. Dr.Serafini explains medical vocabulary in layman’s terms that are crucial for understanding to laymen, like myself. I am convinced of the authenticity of these miracles. The Lord has blessed me with these miracles and laying it on Dr. Serafini’s heart to write about them. I am praying for others to read and be blessed as well.

[Aime · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A stunning bridge between clinical science and faith."

I had been curious about this book for a long time, and I am so glad I finally read it. Dr. Franco Serafini does an incredible job analyzing five Eucharistic miracles through the lens of a cardiologist.

What struck me most was the consistency of the findings—the same blood type and the clear evidence of the trauma and suffering endured by the Heart of Jesus. The fact that science can confirm such specific biological details while the DNA remains a mystery is absolutely fascinating. A deeply moving and high-quality read that I highly recommend to anyone interested in the intersection of medicine and the miraculous.
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[diane]

Goes into depth the science used to prove the Holy Eucharist is for real. One interesting aspect with the miracle in Buenos Aires; White blood cells have been found in the samples three years after the host was put into a container with tap water. Normally, the cells disintegrate within a few minutes. In fact, a complete blood cell count is collected into a tube with EDTA and the cells break down at 12-24 hours. Pretty amazing book.

[John Teske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, Italian in origin and translated into English.

Delightful. I read the first half and then skimmed a bunch until the later chapters, which I once again read.

Discussion of the Eucharistic Miracles is great; have been to Europe a couple of times and look forward on my next trip to seeing some of these sites!

[Silvana Gomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with a lot of information

Great book. A lot of explanations to help those who are not on the medical field to understand about our body and more specifically about our heart. Oir Church, our Christ, our faith is beautiful. The Catholic Church is the real Church. Only in oir Church we have miracles like those. Christ is alive on the Eucharist.

[Monica Bulowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

As a Catholic, I was interested in the study of eucharistic miracles. This book was spot on with the studies, evidence, etc.
I suggest this book for those with a little medical or anatomy background since it gets involved with the anatomy of the heart.
It could be daunting for those unfamiliar with the medical terms. Otherwise, great book!

[Justin Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Eucharist at every Mass is a miracle in itself. Sometimes God reveals himself in even more extraordinary ways. The scrupulously obtained findings outlined in this book strengthen our faith in the Incarnate Lord in a time of great doubt.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters on the miracles was quite engaging. The later chapters analyzing DNA and other medical characteristics was supportive of the miracles but at times drier reading. But overall I am glad to read a Cardiologists opinion and found it faith filled.

[Vittorio Villa Violin Maker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! High quality science analysis.

[Lisa Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly written with full accounting of tests and test results on several eucharistic miracles and the Passion cloths. 💖🙏

[Allyson Espinal]

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[Yosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entirety of this book made me think about the quote:

“For those with faith, no evidence is necessary. For those without it, no evidence will suffice.”

-St. Thomas Aquinas

[Louis dM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je suis un peu déçu par ce livre qui contient pourtant ce qu il annonce mais je n'en retire pas grand choses. J'ai l'impression que le lire en un condensé de 5 pages aurait suffi.

[Cristiana Facchini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro che si legge come un romanzo, ma è un saggio di una precisione e scientificità impressionante.
Analizzare i miracoli eucaristici con tanta bravura credo sia un talento raro dell'autore.
La sua grande esperienza accademica va di pari passo con una fede piena di entusiasmo.
E dalla lettura di questo piccolo libretto se ne esce migliori.
Lo consiglio vivamente a chi attraversa momenti di deserto nella vita spirituale.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating scientific review of these miracles.