The Neverending Fast

Short Summary: Teresa Neumann survived for 36 years on only the Eucharist.

Details

Location: Konnersreuth, Germany

Year: 1962

Prayer: God our Father, You reveal your almighty power in your saints and glorified children on earth. Inspire and fill us with the Spirit that you granted them, so that we may walk in utter faith and trust in you. Forgive our failings, keep us in your peace, and lead us in the way of salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Verse: You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. -Ps 91:1-6

Full Story

At age 25, Teresa Neumann was healed from her blindness and paralysis after praying to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She began fasting, and her only nourishment became the Holy Eucharist for the next 36 years. She was said to have maintained her existence without the need for any additional food or water. Over 200 doctors had visited her throughout her lifetime (largely in treatment and analysis of her stigmatism), many giving credible testimony to her lack of consumption. Her fasting was first investigated in 1927, when the Bavarian Episcopate commissioned Dr. Seidels of Waldassen to monitor Teresa for 15 days. The doctor assigned 4 nurses to rotate across a 24-hour watch, in which even the water for toothbrushing was carefully measured. At the close of the trial, each swore that she unceasingly fasted from both food and drink. When asked how she does it, Teresa replied, “The Savior can do all things.” Another investigator, Dr. Grobach from Heerlen, Netherlands, also analyzed her case over time. He concluded, “My scientific conviction is that they will not succeed in explaining the Konnersruther events with natural arguments.” It was observed by many that Teresa would become low in energy, but recuperate after receiving the Eucharist. Fr. Fahsel writes, “The phenomenal results of her receiving Holy Communion are the following: First, a distinct strengthening of the body is immediately noticeable. She has often been found in a pitiable state of weakness before receiving… All these signs of weakness disappear as soon as she has received Holy Communion.” There have been other similar accounts of people surviving only on the Eucharist, such as with Catherine of Siena and Catherine Emmerich. Interestingly, these cases are found mainly among the stigmatists, of which Teresa is one of the most well known.

Related Miracles