Medieval knight forces priest to give him the Magna Host at communion and immediately falls into a hole that opens up in the ground: the incredible Eucharistic miracle of Seefeld

This is the story of an incredible Eucharistic miracle involving a proud and authoritative medieval knight  that occurred on March 25, 1384 in the small Austrian village of Seefeld, located among the mountains of the province of Tyrol.

The knight was called Oswald Milser and was responsible for the surveillance of Schlossberg Castle, a real fortress of the village for the protection of its population as well as the access road to the place.

Due to the small number of residents, his position of authority made him stand out in the community, making him immensely proud of it, but reaching the point of being snobbish, presumptuous and threatening  with others. All the events surrounding him, as well as the people in his closest circle, required the publication of notes in the local newspaper called "The Golden Chronicle of Hohenschwangau". Oh, and at village meetings? The front seat that stood in the way of others should be his, to force everyone to pass by him and greet him.

Coming close to Holy Thursday 1384, the entire community entered the process of reparation, confession and preparation to receive Holy Communion. Certainly a significant part of the village would be present at the mass.

Soon, Knight Milser noticed the movement of the citizens and decided to also participate in the communion, but not out of devotion to the Holy Eucharist, but because it was a great opportunity to be put in evidence before the whole community. Of course, he began to plan something different for his fellowship, it couldn't be the same as the others, it had to stand out!

Then he remembered that the vicar raised a large Host (the Magna Host of priests) after the Consecration . Okay, that was it. He would have to receive the larger Eucharist that belonged to the priest, in this way everyone would see him as being more important, as he considered the smaller Hosts that everyone received to be of lesser value...However, he first had to "convince" the priest. He uses his simple method: in the morning he goes to the church with some armed men and surrounds him, demanding that after the Consecration he give him that big Host. The priest knew that if he refused he could die, leaving him very worried until the time of mass.On Holy Thursday, March 25th, the whole community was gathered in the church to celebrate Holy Mass. The priest lifts the Great Host after the Consecration and immediately the knight, with his rich garments of cape and hood, goes to the priest with sword in hand and stands at his left side. Everyone remains static watching the situation... The priest, still fearful, ends up giving in... he folds the large Host and places it in the mouth of the desecrator. The great miracle that occurs next turned out to be so incredible that it profoundly changed the life of this tremendous heretic:

As soon as the knight receives the Magna Host in his mouth, the ground opens up under his feet and he sinks to his knees. He couldn't get out and felt like a whirlpool was pulling him down further. Deeply desperate and deathly pale, he tried to cling to the stone altar. He held on so tightly that supernaturally the stone "melted" over his fingers so that his hands and fingerprints were sunk and engraved on the altar (seen to this day). Still, the Host was suffocating him, he couldn't swallow and it burned his tongue. The arrogant knight, now humiliated by God, begged the vicar to take the Eucharist from his mouth... The whole community and the priest himself were terrified by the scene they saw before their eyes.As soon as the priest approaches and removes the Holy Eucharist from the desecrator's mouth, it was all red with the blood of Jesus!!! The ground finally becomes firm and the man manages to get out of that hole.

Then the parishioners were in worship keeping a contained cry. Oswald Milser, on the other hand, kneels and breaks down in tears, deeply repentant of his attitude and his sinful life. He immediately leaves the church and heads to Stams Monastery, the closest one there. He asks to confess, showing real repentance.

From that day on, his life changed radically. Now he helped those in need, prayed constantly and did penance. He led a truly holy life.

Because the miracle was witnessed by numerous people present at that mass, soon the news of the miracle spread throughout Austria. But the knight's wife was reluctant to believe it and even launched an aggressive request for proof to God saying: "This is as little true as roses can bloom from this dry and rotten branch". But the Father in his infinite mercy also wanted to convert the knight's wife with another miracle, but she didn't seem willing to bow down to the Almighty as her husband did:

And when she pointed to the dry branch, three beautiful and showy roses immediately sprouted right in front of him, showing God his omnipotence. But the arrogant woman still didn't want to believe it: she plucked the roses, threw them to the ground and destroyed their petals. Her punishment also followed: she went mad and ran up and down the mountains, howling like a wolf, until the next day she fell dead to the ground.

Knight Oswald Milser died two years later. He first commissioned a beautiful silver reliquary for the Magna Host of the miracle, which to this day can be seen in the Church of St. Oswald in the city of Seefeld in public visitation, including pilgrimages (CLICK HERE to see the exact location). At the site, the hole in the ground that opened where the knight sank is still preserved, only protected by an iron grid but removed for inspections by those who wish to examine it.

Here's a video we've produced summarizing the story of this Eucharistic miracle:

_{References: Miracoli Eucaristici, Eucharistic Miracles: And Eucharistic Phenomenon in The Lives of The Saints, Universo Católico, Alimentos da Fé, Sagen, Glória TV, Alpen Guide.}