The Stigmata

The Stigmata

The Stigmata is the mystical phenomena where holy men or women (mainly women, including Catherine of Siena) receive some or all of the bodily wounds of Christ’s crucifixion. 

“Stigmata” derives from the Greek word stígma (a mark) and the verb stízein, which means "to tattoo, prick, or puncture."  Historically, a stigma was a physical brand burned into the skin of slaves, criminals, or soldiers to mark them as property or denote a mark of disgrace. Over time, the plural form stigmata took on its modern spiritual meaning. It refers to the spontaneous appearance of bodily wounds or scars corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. 

There are over three hundred confirmed cases of the Stigmata. These may show some or all of the five Holy Wounds that Jesus received at the Crucifixion – wounds in the hands and feet, from nails, and in the side, from a lance, as well as wounds to the forehead similar to those caused by the crown of thorns. Other reported forms include tears of blood or sweating blood, wounds to the back as from scourging, or wounds to the shoulder as from bearing the cross. Some stigmatics' wounds do not appear to clot, and stay fresh and uninfected. The blood from the wounds is said, in some cases, to have a pleasant, perfumed odor. There are cases where the Stigmatics feel the extreme pain of wounds with no external marks. This is referred to as invisible stigmata. 

Cases of stigmata have been reported at different ages for different stigmatics. Some have manifested stigmata continually after the first appearance; others have shown periodic stigmata that re-occur at certain times of the day or on certain, sometimes holy, days throughout the year. Many of those who receive the Stigmata have been canonized by the church.

It is widely believed that St. Paul was referring to the Stigmata when he wrote to the Galatians,“Let no man trouble me, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body” (6:17). So it has been that down through the centuries a number of Christians have received the grace of having the stigmata, or marks of Jesus’ wounds, on their bodies; many of them were great saints, such as Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, and, of course, Padre Pio, a nineteenth-century Italian Capuchin friar and mystic, who is venerated by the Roman Catholic church.

This is not meant as cruel or as torture but is rather a grace of being deeply united to Christ in his sufferings for the sake of sinners. After all, all Christians must share in Christ’s sufferings, each one in his or her own way. Jesus tells us in the Gospel that everyone who would be his disciple must take up the cross and follow him. He even shared the cross with St. Simon of Cyrene, who carried it for a while for Jesus on the way to Calvary. So the stigmata can be understood in the light of the universal standard of being a follower of the crucified Savior, that we each carry our cross with him.

St. Bonaventure, writing about St. Francis, who was the first to receive the stigmata, speaks to the blessing and confirmation contained in sharing Christ’s own wounds:

“How is it that we, wretched as we are, have such cold hearts that we are not prepared to endure anything for our Lord’s sake? Our hearts neither burn nor glow with love. Ardent love is a quality of the heart and the stronger this love burns in a person’s heart, the more heroic and virtuous are his deeds. Do you desire to imprint Christ crucified on your heart? Do you long to be transformed into him to the point where your heart is aflame with love? Just as iron when heated to the point it becomes molten can take the imprint of any mark or sign, so a heart burning fervently with love of Christ crucified can receive the imprint of the Crucified Lord himself or his cross. Such a loving heart is carried over to the Crucified Lord or transformed into him. That is what happened with Saint Francis.” 

In St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, he encourages us to “put on Christ” (3:27). Simply wanting to follow and imitate Christ will not be enough; wanting to know him will not be enough. We need to become, and we need power to become more than we are by ourselves. The invitation is to grow into the “measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13). To “put on Christ” is to participate in his life and his atoning sacrifice. Through our ritual action, we embody how Christ was in the world. We are all familiar with the explanation, clearly elaborated in Paul’s writings, that in baptism we symbolically die, are buried, and are resurrected with Christ—a new being!

In Galatians 3:27, Paul says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Paul explains how we put on Christ in baptism. When we were “baptized into Jesus Christ [we] were baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3). Our immersion is a participation in his death. Then after “we are buried with him by baptism into death,” we also participate in his resurrection, “that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Many of those who have so completely embraced this truth receive the Stigmata, not as punishment but as a grace. We must go forward and walk in newness of life, putting on Christ in our daily life, just as we did in our Baptism. 

While the Stigmata may intrigue us, the sign itself and those who bear it, for example St. Francis, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Padre Pio, St. Faustinia of Kowalska, St. Rita of Cassia, should inspire us to seek a closer union with our Lord. In time, as that union is deepened, the explanation of the Stigmata may matter less than the experience.

Putting on Christ,
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Fr. Bill+
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