Advent Begins With a Miracle: Mary Returned a Man’s Amputated Leg

An amputated leg… restored overnight. On this first day of Advent, we begin with one of the most medically documented miracles in Catholic history—and the Marian apparition tradition connected to it.

If you’re starting Advent seeking hope, healing, or renewed faith, this miracle sets the tone for the entire season.

Transcript

A young man has his leg crushed underneath a cart, amputated without anesthesia, and buried in a hospital cemetery. 2 years later, in the middle of the night, the leg comes back. Witnesses swear it happened. Doctors examined him. The archbishop launched an investigation, and when officials dug up the place where his amputated leg had been buried, the box was empty. So, what happened in Coland, Spain in 1640? And what does this miracle have to do with the very first Marian apparition in Christian history? Let's find out. Okay, welcome to episode one of our Advent series where we are exploring each day a different Marian apparition as a preparation for Christmas. Today we're going to look at this incredible miracle and then look at an apparition that's directly connected to it. Miguel was a young farmand in 17th century Spain. One day while riding on a mule pulling a cart of grain, he slipped and the wheel crushed his right leg. The tibia was shattered beyond repair. He traveled to Zeruggoia there to the Royal Hospital of Our Lady of the Pillar and the doctors realized infection had just taken over his leg. So they made the decision to amputate it four fingers below the kneecap without anesthesia. Miguel testified that during the excruciating pain of the amputation and cauterization of the leg, he entrusted himself to our lady of the pillar and implored her help. His leg was buried in the cemetery which was next to the hospital and that was a local custom at the time and he barely survived. He was given some crutches and a wooden peg to rest his amputated stump on. Juan Garcia amputated the leg. Witnesses saw Miguel placed the stump of his leg on the wooden support. There's testimony of those who touched the stump. For 2 years, Miguel showed up at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar every single day. He begged on the steps and he prayed constantly. Thousands of people saw him there. His stumps still achd, but that didn't stop him. He would pull himself into the chapel, take oil from the sanctuary lamps, and rub it onto what remained of his leg, asking our lady for help. To the people of Zeruggoza, he became a familiar sight, the young man with one leg who refused to give up. And none of them knew his life was about to take an unexpected turn that no one could explain. After 2 years, his health seemed stable enough to return home. Then on the night of March 26th, 1640, everything changed. Miguel was at his parents' home in Col, sleeping on a straw mattress. According to his sworn testimony, he had a strange vivid dream. In it, he was inside the chapel of Our Lady of the Pillar, the same place he had crawled to every day for 2 years. He dreamed he was doing what had become routine for him. Taking oil from one of the sanctuary lamps and rubbing it onto the stump where his leg used to be. Nothing unusual about that, except this time it wasn't a prayer. It was the moment everything changed. His mom entered the bedroom with a lamp and what she saw astonished her. Two legs were coming out from underneath the blanket. That amputated leg that was gone for 2 years was back. The amputated stump was not healed. The leg was returned. It bore all the unmistakable marks of the amputated limb. The scar from the wagon wheel that had fractured the tibia in the accident that led to the amputation. Traces of a dog bite on the calf. The remains of a large cyst removed. two deep scratches left by a thorny plant. Word spread, doctors examined him, and a notorized testimony was taken. On April 2nd, 4 days after the miracle, the Archbishop of Zeruggoza launched a full canonical investigation 2 months after the miracle, and it lasted a year. At that time, one of the most thoroughly documented miracles in church history. And when officials dug up the cemetery plot where Miguel's amputated leg had been buried, the box was empty and Miguel walked normal for the rest of his life. The Archbishop's conclusion was the following. Therefore, considering all these and other things, with the advice of the illustrious doctors of both sacred theology and papal law below, we affirm, pronounce, and declare that Miguel, a native of Col, who has been discussed in this process, his right leg, which had previously been amputated, was miraculously restored, and that it must be judged and held as a miracle, meeting all the conditions required by law for this to be possible as we attribute to the prodigy in the case at hand. We therefore ascribe it among miracles and as such we approve, declare and authorize it. So why did Miguel go to Zerugosa? Why did he pray specifically outside of this basilica? Because Zeruggoza is the home to the oldest Marian shrine in the world built around a miracle that goes all the way back to the apostles. And that miracle begins with a discouraged apostle ready to give up. So tradition has it St. James the Greater goes to Spain to proclaim the gospel. And in his efforts um he's not very fruitful. Imagine being very fruitful with Jesus. Jesus ascends. You see all these signs and wonders and now you go to Spain and nothing's really taking. No conversions. So he's along the Ebero River very discouraged and it is in this moment that our lady appears to him in 40 AD. Now, for those of you who may be quick with math, you might realize, well, wasn't Mary still alive? And the answer, according to tradition, is yes. She still had her earthly life. She still was around and about. So, what this is actually is a billocation of Mary, considered the first Mary in apparition. She appears to St. James on a pillar of Jasper holding baby Jesus in her arms. She encouraged St. James consoled him and made a promise that the faith would take root in Spain, that the pillar upon which she stood would remain until the end of time, and that God would pour out graces, signs, and wonders through her intercession on that very spot. Our Lady also asked St. James to build a chapel there, a church. He and his apostles obeyed and they built this place around that very pillar of jasper that our lady appeared upon. Now throughout the history of the church uh that chapel now was replaced with now this huge basilica. That's very same place that Miguel would stay outside and and beg and ask our lady of the pillar's intercession of. So we find ourselves today on day one of Advent. What can we learn from this apparition and also this miracle? Well, firstly, do you feel like giving up? You know, St. James's apostolic efforts were kind of fruitless. And I think sometimes in life, we experience that. Maybe we've been praying for our children and we don't see the fruits of that in our sacrifices and prayers. Um, maybe we're been faithful in serving our church and we don't see any fruit. Maybe we've just been trying to serve God in a certain area and it just well it seems fruitless and uh you want to give up. Well, then you can ask our lady of the pillar's intercession. Secondly, do you need a miracle? I think this is an incredible story. Miguel asking our lady's intercession and his leg is returned. Now, I I'm sure there's going to be some people who say, "Is this really possible?" It sounds too good to be true. In fact, I said that to a friend recently. This story is that sounds too good to be true. And then I thought, but so does the resurrection. Think about the resurrection. A man, God with us comes, suffers, dies, and then we believe a dead man rose again. That sounds impossible. And that's part of our faith. In fact, a critical part. If you don't believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, well, well, then our faith is in vain. So our faith is based upon a miracle. Miracles, the impossible becomes possible. This is part of the Catholic faith. Now think, what's harder? To raise a dead man to life or to restore a limb? Well, we believe in Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. Cannot that same resurrection power go into a severed limb and then be reattached to the body? Well, look, we believe Jesus rose from the dead. I think he can restore a limb. I don't know about you. That's my position. You need a miracle, ask our lady of the pillars intercession. I I think it's just an incredible story. So with that, uh join us for episode two tomorrow as we continue examining other Marian apparitions. Our Lady of the Pillar, pray for us. And don't forget to pray a rosary because it can change your life.