Objectives of Session 1:
1) Define the "stigmata" and review the Biblical foundation for the word
2) Recognize the relation of the "visible" and "invisible" stigmata.
3) Appreciate the basic historical facts and statistics related to the stigmata.
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Adult
Formation Series
The
Stigmatic Saints
Corpus Christi Catholic Parish
I.
Overview of the course: In this series, we will consider the mysterious gift of
the stigmata. “To decide merely the
facts without deciding whether or not they may be explained by supernatural
causes, history tells us that many ecstatics bear on hands, feet, side, or brow
the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These
are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any
outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata.” (Catholic
Encyclopedia)
Three
sessions:
September 4 – What are the
“stigmata”? Introduction to the Course
September 11 – The stigmata in St
Francis of Assisi and St Padre Pio
September 18 – Other stigmatic
saints and what the stigmata mean for us
II. What does “stigmata” mean? From St Paul, “From henceforth let no man be
troublesome to me: for I bear the marks
of the Lord Jesus in my body.” (Galatians 6:17)
Marks or wounds from the Greek word “stigmata”. While it is most likely that St Paul refers
to the wounds and marks he has received for preaching the Gospel (we know that
he was scourged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, etc), this verse immediately
comes to the Catholic mind when considering the mysterious marks or wounds received
by certain saints which are patterned upon the Passion of our Lord.
A. We do not necessarily maintain
that St Paul was a “stigmatist” – indeed, Fr Cornelius a Lapide notes that no
saint is known to have received the stigmata prior to St Francis of Assisi (and St Paul is never pictured as having the
stigmata).
B. This verse places the
mysterious gift of the stigmata within the context of union with the Passion of
Christ and the work of evangelization. St Paul received the marks (stigamata) of Christ in his body
through preaching the Gospel and working for the salvation of others.
Furthermore, the marks in St Paul’s
body are an indication of his union with the suffering Christ – even as Jesus
received the wounds for the salvation of the world, so too St Paul carries the
cross daily for his salvation and that of the world.
C. Nevertheless, there are some
theologians and perhaps some mystics who have claimed that St Paul did indeed
have the visible gift of the stigmata.
III. The
Visible and Invisible Stigmata: There are many saints who would feel the pains
of the Passion of Jesus in various visions and mystical experiences. We can think
of St Catharine of Siena as a most famous example – though she regularly felt
the pain of the wounds of Christ in the hands, feet, side, and even throughout
her body, these wounds were not visibly manifest.
A. It seems that all the saints
who received the gift of the visible stigmata, first experienced the invisible
stigmata – or, at least, experienced the invisible stigmata to a greater degree
or more frequently than the visible stigmata. Thus, as we will see next week,
St Padre Pio had experienced the pains of the stigmata before he received the
visible wounds and also experienced more of the pains of the Passion (for
example, the scourging and the crowning with thorns) than were visibly
manifest.
B. While the visible stigmata
cause wonder and amazement to the faithful (and even to non-believers), they
are a source of great shame to the stigmatist. This is because “shame” comes
from the public revelation of that which is private – not “shame” in the
negative sense that we think of today (example, shame for sins). However, the
invisible stigmata are cherished by the stigmatist but unknown to the world.
Thus, the stigmatic saints hide the visible markings from the view of the
world, but continue to strive for more perfect union with Christ’s Passion.
IV. The
Stigmata, Transverberation, and a life of mortification: St Paul presents the
stigmata as union with Christ Crucified for the salvation of the world.
A. From Cornelius a Lapide: S.
Ambrose (in Ps. cxix. 120) writes: “That man is pierced with the nails of God’s
fear who bears in his body the mortification of Jesus. He merits to hear his
Lord saying: ‘Set Me as a seal upon thy hears, as a seal upon thine arm.’ Place
then on thy breast and on thy heart the seal of the Crucified; place it too on
thy arm, that thy works may be dead unto sin. Perchance not only fear but love
also will pierce thee with its nails, for love is strong as death, jealousy is
cruel as the grave. May our souls be wounded by these nails of charity, that
they may cry out: ‘We bear the wounds of charity.’ […] They bear the marks of
Christ, says S. Jerome, who for love of Christ afflict their bodies, or who are
afflicted with illness.”
B. Our Lady of Sorrows (September
15) traditionally speaks of the “Transfixion” of Mary’s Heart – “And thy own
soul a sword shall pierce” (St Simeon to Our Lady, Luke 2:35). Mary’s heart was truly pierced as she shared
most intimately in the work of the Redeemer.
C. St Teresa of Avila writes of
the “Transverberation” of the heart: “Our Lord was pleased that I should have
at times a vision of this kind: I saw an angel close by me, on my left side, in
bodily form. […] I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron’s
point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at
times into my heart and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he
seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of
God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the
sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The
soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but
spiritual; though the body has its share in it, even a large one.”
V. The associated
mystical experiences: The stimgatics are
all visionaries, mystics, ecstatics. Generally also miracle workers. Many have at least periodically the gift of
inedia (living only on the Eucharist).
VI. Some
surprising statistics about the stigmata:
“Their
existence is so well established historically that, as a general thing, they
are no longer disputed by unbelievers, who now seek only to explain them
naturally.” (Catholic Encyclopedia)
A. There have been over 321 cases
(perhaps even some 400 cases) of the stigmata which are credible, though the
Church never pronounces an official ruling (except, perhaps, in the case of St
Francis, since his stigmata were honored in a universal liturgical feast of
September 17).
B. Over 62 stigmatists have been
beatified or canonized by the Church
1. The stigmata are never used as
a “miracle” to justify canonization
2. If a stigmatist is
beatified/canonized this implicitly approves the stigmata, since the saint
would otherwise be fraudulent or insane.
C. Over 80% of the stigmatists
are women. There are some lay people as well.
D. The first saint known to have
received the stigmata is St Francis of Assisi in 1224, however St Lutgarde was
also a stigmatist and she lived at the same time.
E. The first priest credibly to
receive the stigmata was St Padre Pio in 1918. (St Francis was only a deacon).
F. There have been many fake
stigmatists, and perhaps even some who received stigmatic marks from the devil
– Sr Magdalena of the Cross, “The Devil’s Saint” +1560. There have also been
non-Catholic Christian stigmatists. Even some non-Christians have claimed to
receive mystical wounds (demonic).
VII.
Medical research about the stigmata
Scientific
inquiry about the stigmata is difficult to assess since it relates to the study
of the stigmata in particular individuals, and we know that the stigmata is
manifested in a great variety of ways.
A. The wounds have been isolated
to ensure that they are not self-inflicted: “Another explanation of these
phenomena is that the patients produce the wounds either fraudulently or during
attacks of somnambulism, unconsciously. But physicians have always taken
measures to avoid these sources of error, proceeding with great strictness,
particularly in modern times. Sometimes the patient has been watched night and
day, sometimes the limbs have been enveloped in sealed bandages. Mr. Pierre
Janet placed on one foot of a stigmatic a copper shoe with a window in it
through which the development of the wound might be watched, while it was
impossible for anyone to touch it.”
(Cath Encyc)
B. It is unthinkable that saints
such as Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, Gemma Galgani etc would have mocked the
Passion by falsifying stigmata.
C. Neither can we believe (as
many modern sources claim) that the stigmata were a means whereby women could
gain power in the Church. Consider that St Catherine of Siena retained only the
invisible stigmata – if any woman needed “power” it was her! Or again, think of
the female saints who had the stigmata, were they “powerful”? Gemma Galgani,
Anne Catherine Emmerich, Rita of Cascia, Frances of Rome, etc.
D. No reasonable explanation from
psychological suggestion – The wounds are not “created” by the psyche of the
mystic.
“Moreover, no explanation has
been offered of three circumstances presented by the stigmata of the saints:
1) Physicians do not succeed in
curing these wounds with remedies.
2) On the other hand, unlike
natural wounds of a certain duration, those of stigmatics do not give forth a
fetid odour. To this there is known but one exception: St. Rita of Cassia had
received on her brow a supernatural wound produced by a thorn detached from the
crown of the crucifix. Though this emitted an unbearable odour, there was never
any suppuration or morbid alteration of the tissues.
3) Sometimes these wounds give
forth perfumes.
“To sum up, there is only one
means of proving scientifically that the imagination, that is auto-suggestion,
may produce stigmata: instead of hypothesis, analogous facts in the natural
order must be produced, namely wounds produced apart from a religious idea.
This had not been done.” (Catholic Encyclopedia)
E. Other details that are
reported by some: The blood flows from the wounds in the direction it had flown
on the Cross (example: Even though the stigmatist is lying down, the blood
flows up and over the toes as though the saint were hanging upon the cross, and
likewise with the flow from the hands down the wrists and arms, etc.). The
blood is of the type AB (which matches that of Eucharistic miracles), even
though the saint’s blood type is not AB. The saint is said to be without any
blood in the body at the time of death (as was Jesus after the piercing of his
Heart). These details we cannot confirm
as true.
VIII. The
two most extraordinary stigmatic saints are St Francis of Assisi and St Padre
Pio. Unlikely, since they are both men, and female stigmatists outnumber males
7 to 1. Likewise, both were clerics which is exceptional among stigmatics.
A. St Francis of Assisi: Because
he was first, and also because of the visible nails.
B. St Padre Pio: Because he was
the first priest, and because his stigmata remained visible for 50 years and
were prominent in many photographs, and were also subject to medical study.
