Stigmata

Dear Catholic Exchange:

What is the Church's view on stigmata?

Lindy

Dear Lindy,

Peace in Christ!

You asked about the stigmata, i.e., marks or wounds that typically appear on the skin of unusually holy Christians and which correspond to the crucifixional wounds of Jesus Christ, i.e., the hands, feet, side and/or forehead. Great pain usually accompanies the wounds (Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., Ed., Our Sunday Vistor’s Catholic Encyclopedia, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN, 1998, p. 938).

There are disputes about whether stigmata are of supernatural or human origin. Some skeptical scholars often associate the stigmata with the human-related effects of ecstasy. But even some of these scholars recognize that the stigmata might, at least in some cases, be the fruit of a “supernatural contemplation or vision” and thus “supernatural in cause” (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1967, p. 713).

Other scholars argue that there is a strong correlation between living a holy life and the appearance of the stigmata. Indeed, many canonized saints received the stigmata, though others did not. Perhaps the greatest known stigmatist is St. Francis of Assisi. A much more recent case is St. Padre Pio of Italy.

Further, these other scholars argue that critics have not been able to explain the following phenomena among stigmatists:

&#8226 Physicians do not succeed in curing these phenomena;

&#8226 Unlike natural wounds, stigmata do not give off a bad odor, the only exception being a forehead wound of St. Rita of Cascia, who nevertheless did not suffer a morbid alteration of her affected skin tissue;

&#8226 Sometimes these wounds give off the odor of perfumes (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 15, The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1913, p.296).

As far as the location of the wounds themselves on the body of Christ, many questions arise because of the tradition in artwork and sculpture through the centuries of picturing the wounds of Christ on the hands, as well as the wounds of many of the stigmatists appearing on the palms of the hands and in the small of the feet. Without any historical or biblical proof, medieval and Renaissance painters have given us our picture of Christ carrying the entire cross. Many of these painters and most of the sculptors of crucifixes today show the nails through the palms. Roman historical accounts and experimental work, such as the study titled “On the Physical death of Jesus Christ” by Dr. William Edwards and Dr. Wesley Gobel, and the study by Dr. Zias and Dr. Sekeles published in the Israel Exploratory Journal in 1985, have shown that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrist and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when they support the weight of a human body. The misconception may have come through a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Behold my hands.” Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand.

Dr. Pierre Barbet, M.D. has probably done the most extensive research on the issue, and released his opinions in writing in the book A Doctor at Calvary (Doubleday Press, 1963). He makes the point that throughout history stigmatists have received wounds of all shapes and sizes. Wounds have been received on the wrists, the feet, the palms, even the forehead. Many of the wounds are quite large and raw, while others are small and do not bleed much. This variation seems to strengthen the conclusion that the wounds of the stigmata are not meant to represent the wounds of Christ exactly, but are meant to be a visible sign of the wounds that Christ received at Calvary as well as a spiritual union of the stigmatist to the sufferings of Christ.

Theresa Neumann, a stigmatist, was quoted as saying, “do not think that Our Savior was nailed in the hands, where I have my stigmata. These marks only have a mystical meaning. Jesus must have been fixed more firmly on the cross” (Barbet, 105). St. Brigit, who received private apparitions from the Virgin Mary, described these words of the Blessed Mother: “My Son’s hands were pierced at the spot where the bone was most solid.” While these quotes are not statements of definitive authority, they can be said to be a reflection of the general tradition of the Church regarding the whole question of the wounds of Christ and what we know of stigmatists.

While the traditions vary, and Scripture leaves us no definitive answer as to where exactly the wounds of Christ were, we look to the phenomenon of the stigmata as another grace given to us by God as an aid to increase our faith. While only few men and women have ever been given the honor of receiving the holy wounds of Christ, those individuals stand out as a light for others to be reminded of the reality of Christ’s suffering and the fact that Christ died for the redemption and sanctification of each one of us.

United in the Faith,

Sarah Rozman

Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

827 North Fourth Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)

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