The Stigmata of St. Francis
Today is the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. What is the "stigmata?" It is when a person receives, mystically but also physically, the wounds of Christ's Passion in their own flesh. Very few saints in the history of the Church have received such a gift, but they have existed, and some of them even in our own times.
Near the end of his life, St. Francis retired to a mountaintop to live out the rest of his life in prayer and penance. The story goes like this:
"'O my God, Jesus Christ! On this Feast of the Holy Cross, I ask for two things before I die: that during my short life I may feel Your sufferings and Your love in my soul and in my body!'
Francis was kneeling outside his hut. His prayer quivered in the silence of the night. Dawn was near. It was bitingly cold, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. And then, as the first glimmer of light appeared in the dark, what he had lived for all his life happened.
All of a sudden there was a dazzling light. It was as though the heavens were exploding and splashing forth all their glory in millions of waterfalls of colors and stars. And in the center of that bright whirlpool was a core of blinding light that flashed down from the depths of the sky with terrifying speed until suddenly it stopped, motionless and sacred, above a pointed rock in front of Francis. It was a fiery figure with wings, nailed to a cross of fire. Two flaming wings rose straight upward, two others opened out horizontally, and two more covered the figure. And the wounds in the hands and feet and heart were blazing rays of blood. The sparkling features of the Being wore an expression of supernatural beauty and grief.
It was the face of Jesus, and Jesus spoke.
Then suddenly streams of fire and blood shot from His wounds and pierced the hands and feet of Francis with nails and his heart with the stab of a lance. As Francis uttered a mighty shout of joy and pain, the fiery image impressed itself into his body, as into a mirrored reflection of itself, with all its love, its beauty, and its grief. And it vanished within him. Another cry pierced the air. Then, with nails and wounds through his body, and with his soul and spirit aflame, Francis sank down, unconscious, in his blood."
Cited here.
As I said, we have had holy souls in our own times who have also received the stigmata, or portions of it - perhaps just the wounds in the hand, or just the wounds of the head, etc.
The two who come to mind most readily are Sr. Therese Neumann (d. 1962) and, of course, St. Padre Pio (d. 1968). In the case of St. Padre Pio, his wounds were examined several times (upon orders from his superiors) by medical doctors who could find no natural explanation for the phenomena.
Some are of the opinion that St. Paul the Apostle bore the wounds of Christ as well, although this is not confirmed. He was one of the first to use the term however: "From henceforth let no man be troublesome to me: for I bear the marks [Greek: stigmata] of the Lord Jesus in my body." (Gal. 6:17)
This is indeed a great gift to receive from Our Lord, but certainly not something to be sought after or - God forbid - romanticized. Some people foolishly think, "Oh, I would love it if I received the stigmata!" Anyone who has studied this phenomena, or has read of the saints who experienced it, knows that the stigmata is extremely painful. It's not just a "neat" little miracle that God grants, it is primarily intended for the person who receives it, that they may truly share in the suffering of Our Lord - and it would hardly be a real sharing in His suffering if it caused no physical suffering for the recipient.
St. Padre Pio bore the marks for nearly 50 years (they healed a few days before his death), and he lived in almost constant pain. It was hard for him to walk, because of the wounds in his feet; it was hard for him to say Mass, because of the wounds in his hands.
The stigmata can be visible or invisible. Many have simply suffered pain (with no visible bleeding or tears on the skin) in their hands, feet, and side. But some have actually suffered physical wounds, including a wounded heart. When St. Veronica Giuliani (17th-18th century) died, her post-mortem revealed wounds on her heart, and also a deformation of her shoulder bone (from carrying an invisble cross). Similarly, Sr. Neumann had a wound in her side and heart that was confirmed by an x-ray.
There is little doubt that these occurences are authentic, but there have also been cases where the "stigmatized" person had faked the wounds. The difference between a true stigmatic and a false one is that the truly stigmatized are usually quiet about the miracle. They don't want the publicity and they don't want to go on display - it is usually their superiors who order that the miracle should be made public for the edification of the Faithful, and so, out of obedience, the stigmatist will suffer the publicizing of their otherwise-private encounter with Jesus.
What does the stigmata mean to us? Like any other miracle that God grants through His Church, they serve as assurances for us of the Church's divine nature, and they lead us to love and adore our Church's Founder all the more. The stigmata also reminds us that we too are called by Our Lord to "take up the cross, and follow Me." St. Paul puts it quite nicely:
Near the end of his life, St. Francis retired to a mountaintop to live out the rest of his life in prayer and penance. The story goes like this:
"'O my God, Jesus Christ! On this Feast of the Holy Cross, I ask for two things before I die: that during my short life I may feel Your sufferings and Your love in my soul and in my body!'
Francis was kneeling outside his hut. His prayer quivered in the silence of the night. Dawn was near. It was bitingly cold, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. And then, as the first glimmer of light appeared in the dark, what he had lived for all his life happened.
All of a sudden there was a dazzling light. It was as though the heavens were exploding and splashing forth all their glory in millions of waterfalls of colors and stars. And in the center of that bright whirlpool was a core of blinding light that flashed down from the depths of the sky with terrifying speed until suddenly it stopped, motionless and sacred, above a pointed rock in front of Francis. It was a fiery figure with wings, nailed to a cross of fire. Two flaming wings rose straight upward, two others opened out horizontally, and two more covered the figure. And the wounds in the hands and feet and heart were blazing rays of blood. The sparkling features of the Being wore an expression of supernatural beauty and grief.
It was the face of Jesus, and Jesus spoke.
Then suddenly streams of fire and blood shot from His wounds and pierced the hands and feet of Francis with nails and his heart with the stab of a lance. As Francis uttered a mighty shout of joy and pain, the fiery image impressed itself into his body, as into a mirrored reflection of itself, with all its love, its beauty, and its grief. And it vanished within him. Another cry pierced the air. Then, with nails and wounds through his body, and with his soul and spirit aflame, Francis sank down, unconscious, in his blood."
Cited here.
As I said, we have had holy souls in our own times who have also received the stigmata, or portions of it - perhaps just the wounds in the hand, or just the wounds of the head, etc.
The two who come to mind most readily are Sr. Therese Neumann (d. 1962) and, of course, St. Padre Pio (d. 1968). In the case of St. Padre Pio, his wounds were examined several times (upon orders from his superiors) by medical doctors who could find no natural explanation for the phenomena.
Some are of the opinion that St. Paul the Apostle bore the wounds of Christ as well, although this is not confirmed. He was one of the first to use the term however: "From henceforth let no man be troublesome to me: for I bear the marks [Greek: stigmata] of the Lord Jesus in my body." (Gal. 6:17)
This is indeed a great gift to receive from Our Lord, but certainly not something to be sought after or - God forbid - romanticized. Some people foolishly think, "Oh, I would love it if I received the stigmata!" Anyone who has studied this phenomena, or has read of the saints who experienced it, knows that the stigmata is extremely painful. It's not just a "neat" little miracle that God grants, it is primarily intended for the person who receives it, that they may truly share in the suffering of Our Lord - and it would hardly be a real sharing in His suffering if it caused no physical suffering for the recipient.
St. Padre Pio bore the marks for nearly 50 years (they healed a few days before his death), and he lived in almost constant pain. It was hard for him to walk, because of the wounds in his feet; it was hard for him to say Mass, because of the wounds in his hands.
The stigmata can be visible or invisible. Many have simply suffered pain (with no visible bleeding or tears on the skin) in their hands, feet, and side. But some have actually suffered physical wounds, including a wounded heart. When St. Veronica Giuliani (17th-18th century) died, her post-mortem revealed wounds on her heart, and also a deformation of her shoulder bone (from carrying an invisble cross). Similarly, Sr. Neumann had a wound in her side and heart that was confirmed by an x-ray.
There is little doubt that these occurences are authentic, but there have also been cases where the "stigmatized" person had faked the wounds. The difference between a true stigmatic and a false one is that the truly stigmatized are usually quiet about the miracle. They don't want the publicity and they don't want to go on display - it is usually their superiors who order that the miracle should be made public for the edification of the Faithful, and so, out of obedience, the stigmatist will suffer the publicizing of their otherwise-private encounter with Jesus.
What does the stigmata mean to us? Like any other miracle that God grants through His Church, they serve as assurances for us of the Church's divine nature, and they lead us to love and adore our Church's Founder all the more. The stigmata also reminds us that we too are called by Our Lord to "take up the cross, and follow Me." St. Paul puts it quite nicely:
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2 Cor. 4:8-11)
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