On the Sunday after the Ascension, during the distribution of Holy Communion at Holy Mass, I found myself in a situation in which I have never found myself before. Having returned to my pew after receiving Our Lord, I became aware that a young boy was walking away from the altar rail still holding the Holy Eucharist, obviously confused and gesturing as if he was going to place Our Lord in his pocket. It is important to note that the boy and the mother obviously had no ill-intent, and the pastor is one who is most protective of the Holy Eucharist.

The significance of this event, as will be explained, was still coming into focus on the following day, as more details were being brought to my attention. To partially set the stage, this occurred on the anniversary of my Baptism, something we celebrate for all the members of my family on each respective date. Collectively, the event highlighted the mysterious workings of Divine Providence. Specifically, it highlighted the power of the Saints to intervene in our lives, something I have written about in my co-authored book, The Most Powerful Saints in Exorcisms.

Having just received Holy Communion at the altar rail, my family and I returned to our pew and began our prayers of thanksgiving, indifferently observing the movement of the people who were now going up to receive Our Lord. I just so happened to be looking ahead when a mother and her young son, apparently visitors to the parish, were standing up from kneeling at the altar rail, having just received Holy Communion. Quickly, the boy caught my eye, as he was still holding the sacred Host in his hand as he walked away. He was no longer visible to the priest, nor could he be seen by the usher (who was carefully observing everyone as they received the Holy Eucharist) since he was then walking directly behind his mother. 

As my memory serves me, he first began to put the sacred Host in his pocket, though he hesitated and brought his hand back in front of him. I was seated toward the front of the Church, at the edge of the pew, and his path back to his own pew brought him right next to me. I gestured toward him in some manner and, though his mother did not take note of him or of me, the boy was now aware that I was watching him. He then proceeded to place the sacred Host in his mouth, but he immediately retrieved It again. He clearly did not know what Holy Communion was nor what he was expected to do with It. I was then able to get the mother’s attention just enough so the boy would not proceed quickly past me, and I was able to say toward her and him, “He needs to consume the Host.” 

While speaking, I was making a simple gesture toward the boy with my hand, at which point he then saw his opportunity to escape from the confusing situation. He extended his hand toward mine with the clear intent of placing the sacred Host thereupon. Instinctively, I opened my hand and allowed him to do so. He then proceeded on his way. I covered the sacred Host with my other hand, sat very still, and pondered the best course I should take. Should I receive the sacred Host myself? I just received Holy Communion, and the sacred Host had been in the boy’s mouth – but It is Our Lord. Should I take the sacred Host to the priest at the altar rail at the end of the distribution of Holy Communion? Without a clear plan, and knowing that the usher was nearby, I carefully went up to him and explained the situation. Equally surprised, he calmly offered to take the sacred Host and present It to the priest. An opportunity quickly emerged when the priest left the sanctuary to take Holy Communion to a parishioner at the back of the Church. The usher simply followed the priest to the back, explained the situation to him, and handed him the sacred Host, which the priest then carried back up into the sanctuary.

It was not until the ride home from Mass that another detail emerged, which took some time to fully factor into the significance of the event. As I was then informed, at the same moment that the boy had turned from the altar rail and began fumbling with the sacred Host, a female parishioner, just a few feet away from the boy, stumbled and fell to the ground. Most people in the pews toward the front of the Church, where we were seated, were distracted by this event and no one seemed to notice the boy walking away with the sacred Host. A few parishioners had come to her aid and lifted her back up, after which she regained her composure and returned to her pew. Somehow, I did not see the lady at all, nor notice any of the commotion that arose around her. My attention was guided to the boy and fixed on him and on the situation presented to me in that moment.

It was not until the following morning, when reading the Collect prayers for the traditional Saint of the day, that another critical detail emerged, building the story more completely: this event occurred on the feast of St. Paschal Baylon. This Saint was noted in his youth for his strong devotion toward the Holy Eucharist and for once, famously, defending the dogma of the Real Presence against the blasphemies of a Calvinist preacher in the 16th century, hardly escaping death at the hands of the angry mob that was stirred up by his defense of the Truth. As a result of his reputation for a great love of the Holy Eucharist, St. Paschal was made the patron of all Eucharistic Congresses by Pope Leo XIII. His devotion for the Holy Eucharist is captured in the Collect prayer for his feast day, which reads in part, “O God, who didst adorn blessed Paschal Thy Confessor with a wonderful love for the holy Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, etc.” Clearly, his love for the Holy Eucharist still shines down upon earth today.

While there was no ill-intent on the part of the boy (nothing more than pure ignorance regarding the Holy Eucharist), it seems quite possible that a spiritual conflict had unfolded during that time of Holy Communion. We should all stop and ponder the mystery of it all: Could it have been that, on the anniversary of my Baptism, on the Feast of St. Paschal Baylon, a special grace was afforded me through the intercession of a Saint whose love for the Holy Eucharist greatly surpassed my own? Did he supply me with fortitude and an ardent attentiveness toward Our Lord’s Presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament, such that I did not hesitate to act in the situation which was both surprising and uncomfortable? Further, was it the case that the Enemy of our souls, fully aware of the boy’s action, stirred up a distraction at the very same moment, seeking to pull everyone’s attention away from the potential sacrilege that was unfolding? Did St. Paschal Baylon give witness to his triumph in Christ on earth, and to his present reign with Christ in Heaven (2 Tim 2:12), by stepping in and alerting me, a Christian who had received him as a special heavenly patron in Baptism, to the actions of the boy? Further, did this great Saint, exercising a power of the angelic nature, and thus a power of those human beings who are now in full glory with Christ, essentially blind me to the commotion unfolding as people aided the woman who fell, and keenly focus my attention elsewhere?

It was indeed a wonderful and mysterious performance of Divine Providence! One who has the virtue of faith would easily be inclined to adopt a supernatural explanation for an event with so many factors indicating the presence of the hand of God. Let us always be attentive to the power and desire of Heaven to intervene in our lives, to steal our attention suddenly, and to act in a way that can build up faith within the greater Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.

Learn more about the power of the Saints in these great books from Slaying Dragons Press
- The Most Powerful Saints in Exorcisms: What Exorcists Want You to Know (Sophia Press)
- The Saints and the Sources of Holiness: How To Live Like the Few Who are Chosen
- Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See & What We Should Know
- and the many books by or about St. Alphonsus Liguori!