Mystical Church - Gift of Multiplication of food - Saint Dominic:

“Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.” John 6:11

In the above Gospel passage, we read about how Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying five barley loaves and two fish to feed nearly five thousand people who had followed him. After they finished eating, when the disciples gathered the fragments of left- over, it filled twelve baskets! Several saints have been blessed with this gift of multiplying food. Saint Dominic (1170-1221), the founder of the Order of Preachers or Dominican Order was known to have had this gift.

In the life of Saint Dominic, several such incidents have been documented. When Saint Dominic was at the Friary of Saint Sixtus, as was the general custom, he sent two friars to the city to beg alms for the community. Poverty was the general rule with the friars and it often happened that they were forced to do without their meals for days at a time. They had no regular income and lived on alms collected by the friars each day. On that day, the two friars who were sent to beg alms, were returning empty handed to the friary when a pious woman took pity on them and gave them a loaf of bread. However, before they could reach the friary, they met a young man who seemed in greater need and happily gave the bread to him. When they reached the friary, they narrated what had happened to Saint Dominic who was very pleased with their generosity and believed it was a test from God. At supper time, Saint Dominic trusted in the Divine Providence and summoned all the brethren to the refectory. The table was prepared, dishes and cups placed and all the friars sat down. They bowed their heads in prayer. St. Dominic with his hands on the table too bowed his head in prayer. As they were praying, suddenly, two beautiful young men appeared in the midst of the refectory, carrying loaves of bread in two white cloths which hung from their shoulders before and behind. They began to distribute the bread, beginning at the lower rows, placing before each brother one whole loaf of bread. Then, when they came to St. Dominic, they placed an entire loaf of bread, bowed and disappeared. No one knew where they came from and where they went.

Another miracle also took place. There was a shortage of wine in the cellar. Again by his prayers St. Dominic increased the wine so that the friars ate and drank all they wanted, both for that day, the next and the day after that. The wine was known to have had a celestial flavour too! After the third day he did not allow any of the multiplied bread to remain in the house. They distributed the remaining to the poor. Though it is believed that some of the miraculous bread and wine were preserved as relics for a long time.

In another account, after Saint Dominic had finished some matters with the Holy Pope in Rome, he went to Bologna and lodged with the friars of his Order at Santa Maria Mascharella. There again the miracle of multiplication of bread and wine happened for three days. In total the miracle of multiplication of food is believed to have taken place twice at Bologna and twice at Rome. At Bologna, after one of the miraculous distributions of bread, the two beautiful young men gave each friar a handful of dried figs, of which one brother testified to Pope Gregory IX under oath, “Never had I eaten better figs”.

Three centuries later, in 1528, the Rector of Santa Maria Mascharella reported that every year, on the same day when the holy angels bought the heavenly bread, a most delightful perfume was perceived in the place where the refectory had been located-a scent that lasted forty hours.