One of those days is today. And today the miracle happened too.
Newsroom (September 19, 2020 11:05 pm Gaudium Press) — Saint Genaro is known today for the miracle of the liquefaction of his blood, which occurs three times a year, in May, in December, and on September 19, as announced today by the Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe Archbishop of Naples,
In a speech to Neapolitan pilgrims in 1966, Pope Paul VI himself stated: “…just as this blood boils on every feast, so may the faith of the Neapolitans boil, blossom and be affirmed.”
But who was this man whose memory still lives on after so many centuries?
He was one of the bishops of Naples when Diocletian unleashed terrible persecution. It was the last; the bloodiest; the one they called the “Great Persecution,” where the devil unleashed his latest and deadliest blows of persecution under the Roman Empire. They first captured the bishop with his deacons and other Christians and took them to the coliseum. They had not fed the beasts, but, oh miracle, they just surrounded them, watched them, and did not touch them.
The angry mob demanded that they be beheaded, and so they did. The faithful collected some of the bishop’s precious blood and kept it.
For about 400 years, the miracle has been taking place.
On the expected day, a priest or the bishop exposes the vial containing the blood, which can be seen in solid-state, which is normal after so many centuries. As people have already gathered and start to pray, suddenly the blood turns from solid to liquid. From a black colour, it becomes thick, and grows in size. Neapolitans say that when the miracle of the liquefaction does not occur, it is a sign of imminent danger.
The inhabitants of Naples believe that Saint Genaro has saved them from many catastrophes, especially the eruptions of Vesuvius. For example, in 1631, a river of lava flowed towards the city, threatening to destroy it. The bishop carried the blood of the saint in procession and the river of lava changed course; the city was saved.
With information from EWTN
