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Dear Father Angelo,

I have a particular question to ask you regarding the Portugal Angel and the three little shepherds. In particular on the difference that he used in giving the Eucharist to Lucia and only drinking the Blood of Christ from the goblet to Giacinta and Francesco. I have always wondered myself why he didn’t give to each of them the Eucharist. I have always thought the difference was that Lucia had already received the first Communion while her little cousins ( considering the age ) hadn’t. I address myself to you that most likely will have a deep theological knowledge in order to explain to me the reason for the difference. Thanking you again, I offer you my best regards.

Praised be Jesus Christ.

Dearest,

1- Communicating with the Blood of Christ offered to them by the Angel of Portugal , Francesco and Giacinta received the Eucharist. In fact, as in the Body of Christ by real concomitance it is also present his Blood, and not only, but also the Divinity and the Soul, so , by communicating with the Blood they have communicated – by real concomitance – with the body of Jesus, with his soul a with his divinity

2- Definitely when Jesus said: This is my body, his words ended with the presence of his body.

But his body is not without the presence of his soul and his divinity. That’s what St.Thomas says: “For since the Godhead never set aside the assumed body, wherever the body of Christ is, there, of necessity, must the Godhead be; and therefore it is necessary for the Godhead to be in this sacrament concomitantly with His body.” ( Summa Theologica, III, III, 76, 1, ad 1).

And later : “ After what we have said above, it must be held most certainly that the whole Christ is under each sacramental species yet not alike in each. For the body of Christ is indeed present under the species of bread by the power of the sacrament, while the blood is there from real concomitance, as stated above in regard to the soul and Godhead of Christ; and under the species of wine the blood is present by the power of the sacrament, and His body by real concomitance, as is also His soul and Godhead: because now Christ’s blood is not separated from His body, as it was at the time of His Passion and death.( lb.,III, 76, 2).

3- The reason why Lucia was given the Eucharist under the species of Bread is  understandable due the fact that Lucia had already made the first communion .Instead, he gave the Eucharist under the species of wine to Francesco and Giacintaa so that it would not be said that they had already received First Communion in this way, as is commonly understood by this expression. And so that they could receive it in subsequent Masses without preparing the Catechism.

4- However, I take this opportunity to say what the fruits of that Communion were produced in Jacinta and in Francis. After receiving in a direct way with the Angel the first Communion, Giacinta felt the feeling to suffer for the conversion of sinners and for the Pope, arising in herself. She was only 7 years old when she started to feel an authentic attraction towards the means of our Redemption to the point of undergoing sacrifices in front of which we adults feel humiliated. To Francesco after the First Communion a transport towards Jesus was introduced into his soul, an insuppressible desire to be with him. Francesco spent hours and hours in Church enjoying the presence of the “ Hidden Jesus” , as he used to call him.

With the hope that Holy Communion can produce similar effects in us, I remind you to the Lord and I bless you.

Father Angelo