The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist "Confirmed" by Police Dogs*

Some believers find it difficult to convince themselves of the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Here is an anecdote from John Paul II's trip to Baltimore in the United States in 1995 that may convince them of it. (...)

It happened during the fourth pastoral visit of the Polish Pope to the United States. It all started with a slight last-minute change to the program, as John Paul II often practiced.

*John Paul II and police dogs*

It was October 8, 1995, the last day of the papal visit to Baltimore. John Paul II was to meet with students of the St Mary Seminary. It should be specified that the meeting was to take place in the gardens of the seminary.

Upon arrival, despite a very full programme, the pope asked if he could pray first in the seminary chapel. The security services, who had not anticipated the Pope's visit to the chapel inside the building, quickly took action.

In accordance with the procedures, they carefully searched the entire building, with particular emphasis on the chapel where the Pope wanted to pray.

For this purpose, police dogs were brought in, specially trained to detect any hidden living human presence, in order to prevent any possible assassination or attack on the pope.

These specially trained dogs are often used, for example, in earthquake-affected areas, where they find living people lying under rubble.

*The living Jesus in the tabernacle*

After checking the corridors and offices of the seminary, the dogs were led to the chapel, where they stopped barking loudly in front of the tabernacle and would not move from there, which clearly indicated that someone was hiding inside!

Moved by this story, Father Élisée Noël, the author of Adoration That Pleases God (Saint-Paul Publishing House), wrote in his book that one day in church he told this story to children preparing for their First Communion.

Then he asked them why the dogs had stopped in front of the tabernacle.

All the children answered without hesitation that this meant the presence of a living person in the tabernacle.

“Then I asked them who this person was. And again they all answered in unison: "It is Jesus!"

I would like you all to have a faith similar to those of these children and, above all, to express it through adoration in spirit and truth, as our heavenly Father wishes, "he added.

This beautiful story can certainly help doubters to come to fervent adoration.

source: aleteia(.)org