Is the stigmata given to a person for himself personally(do you think there have been people who have had stigmata and no one never knew)or is it some sort of sign that which brings people’s attention to this holy person who may otherwise never have been noticed?I know that the people who have recieved it see it as a way of sharing in Christ’s passion and they feel that they are sharing in God’s redemptive act.Do you know of any other reasons for the stigmata?
Miracles serve several purposes.
Consolation: They serve to remind us that we are not alone. God has not abandoned us.
Strengthen the faith of God’s people: They remind us that everything that has been revealed to us about the Glory of God through Christ is true. They will always draw attention to Christ, not the individual subject of the miracle.
Salvation of the recipient: They draw the recipient into the life of the Trinity.
There have been other saints who had invisible stigmata: Catherine of Siena and Faustina. St. Rita had it on her forehead.
To the best of my knowledge, the only stigmata that ever factored into a canonization was that of St. Francis of Assisi. The reason was very obvious. Pope Gregory IX, formerly Cardinal Hugolino, had been the Cardinal Protector of the Franciscans. He was a close friend to Francis, Anthony of Padua and Clare of Assisi. He knew Francis, first-hand. When Francis died, he said that he knew enough about the man’s sanctity to believe that God had truly rewarded him with the ultimate identification with Christ.
Unlike other saints, Francis did not wish to share in the sufferings of Christ. His theology was very different. He was Trinitarian. He taught that our journey is to the Father, but no one gets to the Father except by conforming to the Son, which is impossible to do without the life of the Holy Spirit. His desire and prayer was that the Holy Spirit would allow him to love as Christ had loved from the cross. His focus was on love, not suffering. Though he understood that love is a choice that hurts. Pope Gregory would later say that Francis had become so much like Christ that there was nothing else but to become physically like him as well. In the pope’s mind, the miracle of the stigmata was simply the next logical step to becoming the Mirror of Perfection. Christ was reflected in Francis. St. Bonaventure would later prove Pope Gregory’s statement to be true using scripture and philosophy.
St. Pio’s stigmata has a different history. The fullness of its implication is still to be understood. However, we can believe that it did provide consolation to Pio, strengthen the faith of the people, and drew Pio into a deeper communion with the Trinity than most of us will ever experience on this side of heaven.
We also know something about St. Pio that the laity seems to blow off or not know at all. St. Pio was in love with his spiritual father, Francis. His mystical journey began during his childhood. He could have become a secular priest and join the local diocese or join another religious community. That was not to be, because once he became familiar with Francis of Assisi he was completely sure that only by following Francis’ lead could he save his soul and that of others. He was convinced that the way of life that St. Francis had set up, if it was lived as Francis envisioned it, would lead to the Trinity. Francis became his teacher and master and he became the student. It was this intense desire and choice to live the Gospel and his fidelity to the way of life that had been handed down to him that earned him sainthood. Like Francis, his greatest attributes were poverty and unquestioning obedience.
That’s why I always feel so sad for those who go around shouting and making accusations about how much St. Pio suffered at the hands of the Church and the order. The truth is that he made two statements about this when asked. “Obedience, obedience, obedience.” He was happy to obey. The other was similar, “Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament.” As we can see from his own words, he did not see the negative that everyone else sees. He understood human limitations, fears and the concerns of the Church and the Order. He also knew that Christ wanted him to obey and that the Church alone would give him peace. For him, this was all part of a process that begins with obedience and ends in peace that only the Church can give, because she possesses Christ.
Maybe that’s the similarity and difference in the stigmata between the father and the son (Francis and Pio). In Francis’ case, God reveals that it is possible for a soul to love as Jesus loved. In Pio’s case, God reveals that passion is a journey that begins with unquestioning obedience and ends with divine peace.
As we can see, Bl. John Paul walked down a different path . . . but to the same end. He too obeyed. He suffered and he ended his life in the hands of the Father.
Fraternally,
Br.JR, OSF
