Stigmata

There are some phenomena in the world that science cannot explain. A current example is the untouched bodies of more than three hundred saints which have not decayed since their death. I personally had the privilege of witnessing the incorruptible body of St. John Henry Cardinal Neumann, who passed in 1860, in Philadelphia. There have also been a number of miraculous healings both in scripture and in recent years of terminal illness and other physical ailments. But one of the most astonishing expressions of God’s love to those who follow Him to great ends happens when one bears the wounds of Jesus. 

This inexplicable wonder of Catholicism is called the stigmata. It occurs when the wounds that Jesus endured during the crucifixion appear on the flesh of a human, usually someone who becomes a saint. These blessed signs first appeared on St. Francis of Assisi. The holes in Francis’ hands, feet, and the wound in his side were confirmed both before and after his death by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. It is believed that Francis received these marks two years before his death during his time in deep prayer on Mt. Alvernia. God deemed Francis’ conversion from a life of drinking and partying to a devotion of prayer and poverty to be worthy of these signs. 

St. Catherine of Siena also was given the grace to bear these marks. At the age of seven, she made vows of austerity and consecrated her virginity to God. Despite the disapproval of her parents, Catherine became a Third Order Dominican at 18 in the year 1365. Ten years later, she was staring at the crucifix when a marvelous light appeared. She saw the cross come down to her and the five wounds of Jesus appeared on her person. Through a great act of humility, however, she asked God to make the signs of her commitment invisible. Her prayer was answered.

A more recent recipient of these signs is St. Pio di Pietrelcina, also known as Padre Pio. Padre Pio was born in 1887 in Italy. Born into a devout Roman Catholic family, he witnessed the faith of his family and consecrated himself to Christ when he was five years old. He became a priest at 22 and received the wounds of Christ, but they eventually healed. They came back to him in 1918 when he deepened his call to charity and piety. He performed miraculous healings and retained the stigmata until death 50 years later. He was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

The Catholic Church tells us that these are marks given to those who suffer similarly to Christ during His death before His Resurrection. Francis, Catherine, and Padre Pio chose a life devoted to Christ. Francis suffered in his voluntary impoverished life. Catherine took on relentless persecution by her family and friends in choosing God’s plan over what society deemed at that time “a normal life.” Padre Pio gave himself wholly to prayer and sacrifice. No matter if you dedicate yourself to the Lord as a child or on your deathbed, it is never too late to gain these marks of God’s undying love in the form of Christ’s suffering.