Today I’m thinking about the miraculous condition known as a stigmata, a
condition that certain Catholic saints have endured during their lifetime. A stigmata is characterized by severe wounds
in the hands, feet and side that resemble the five wounds that Jesus endured at
his crucifixion. I’m thinking about this
today, because as we celebrated the memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena this
week (Monday), I learned that she was one such saint.
Webster’s dictionary, as part of its definition of the word,
states that the “marks” appear on some devout persons while “in a state of
intense religious fervor.” A devout
Catholic like myself would consider it a miracle. Non-believers might say that intense
religious fervor can cause it, but that it is not a miracle. I presume this means that they think that the
power of the mind can somehow cause it. How
the wounds on Christ can appear on the body of any person and not be miraculous
is beyond me.
In the Wikipedia discussion of this phenomenon, it is stated
that some non-believers think that it may be fraudulent, meaning, I presume,
that the wounds did not miraculously appear, but that the person may have
intentionally harmed himself/herself or that someone else did so, or that the
story is simply a lie. Let’s take a look
at some examples.
St. Paul seemed to be the first to report this. Near the end of his Letter to the Galatians,
he says this: “From now on, let no one
make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.” (Gal 6:17). No
one can say with certainty these marks refer to stigmata, since there is no
other discussion about it. But if they
do, a non-believer would presumably rationalize this away and say that the
statement is somehow fraudulent, that he either did not write this or that it
does not refer to a stigmata.
The first to otherwise report it was St. Francis of Assisi
(1182-1226). The photograph accompanying
this post shows a painting I viewed in Florence, Italy, while on a pilgrimage
there in 2016. St. Francis is a highly
respected saint by most Christians, not just Catholics, and was known for his
humility and great sanctity. I would seriously
doubt that there was any fraud involved here.
Then, we have St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). I visited the St. Catherine sites in Siena,
Italy while in the same pilgrimage, and I don’t remember anyone mentioning her
stigmata. But she was also the epitome
of humility and respectability. She is
known for her religious writings (The Dialogue of Divine Providence) and her
adamant defense of the Catholic Church during a very stressful period in our
history when the papacy was divided between two popes, one in Avignon, France,
and one in Rome. Also, she is a doctor of the Church, the ultimate in respect by the Catholic Church.
The third example is that of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1877-1968). Since he lived more recently, we have actual
photographs of him showing his bloodied and bandaged hands. Once again, we have a person of great
sanctity and respect. He was known for
his skill in the confessional, often spending hours and hours with long lines
of penitents waiting for their chance.
All of these examples were highly respected Catholic saints,
not fraud specialists. Yes, the
miraculous wounds of Christ crucified.
What a Church we have! Amen!
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