What does a stigmata mean in Catholic tradition?

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critorri

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I am a devoted Catholic and I truly love my faith! There is nothing that bothers me about it at all and I am trying to do everything I can to get my daughters to love and know the faith. We were watching some movies on the Saints, specifically about St. Francis and Padre Pio. We know that they received the Stigmata, but how come they receive it in the center of their hand when Jesus was supposedly crucified through the wrist? I just need to know how to explain this to my daughters as they ask questions. Thanks and God Bless!

Christopher Torres
 
They weren’t saints because they had stigmata, but because of the kind of lives they led. Perhaps there’s a way to help them understand this?
 
I am fascinated by stigmata. I saw a movie, titled the same and it was scary but amazing at the same time.

I would just say to google more info on it. I found out so much on St Padre Pio, he was truly an amazing man and withstood a lot of pain, but his love for Christ never shifted.

If your daughters are young, I probably wouldn’t be going into too much detail, it can be a little scary I think.:confused:

God Bless you and your family. 🙂
 
critorri said:
I am a devoted Catholic and I truly love my faith! There is nothing that bothers me about it at all and I am trying to do everything I can to get my daughters to love and know the faith. We were watching some movies on the Saints, specifically about St. Francis and Padre Pio. We know that they received the Stigmata, but how come they receive it in the center of their hand when Jesus was supposedly crucified through the wrist? I just need to know how to explain this to my daughters as they ask questions. Thanks and God Bless!

Christopher Torres
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Who said Jesus was crucified through the wrists?
 
okay, I wasn’t expecting that many responds that quickly.

First, my daughters are 8, 5, and 3. They ask questions because they are curious and because we are constantly teaching them about the faith. My wife and I also teach faith Formation and I am also involved with the ACTS ministry. We just spend a lot of our time talking about the faith and history of the Church. The question came about when my wife and I were watching the movies. And to who ever told me that the Saints were Saints because of the lives they lived and not because of the Stigmata, I know that! I am not an idiot! I know what a Saint is. I never mentioned that so please re-read my first posting. I clearly mentioned just St. Francis and Padre Pio having the Stigmata.

Thanks! Anyways, my question was because my wife and I thought about it. We will have to explain to them one day. It is a proven fact that people back in the days of crucifixions, the Romans nailed them through the wrist because it he;d them up easier. It has also been “understood” that Jesus was crucified this was as well especially when you look at the Shroud of Turin which shows this. This shroud has also proven to be something 'not of this world!" I simply ask the question because I just want to know why and see if anyone has an answer? Can anyone explain this? Thanks!

Christopher
 
critorri said:
okay, I wasn’t expecting that many responds that quickly.

First, my daughters are 8, 5, and 3. They ask questions because they are curious and because we are constantly teaching them about the faith. My wife and I also teach faith Formation and I am also involved with the ACTS ministry. We just spend a lot of our time talking about the faith and history of the Church. The question came about when my wife and I were watching the movies. And to who ever told me that the Saints were Saints because of the lives they lived and not because of the Stigmata, I know that! I am not an idiot! I know what a Saint is. I never mentioned that so please re-read my first posting. I clearly mentioned just St. Francis and Padre Pio having the Stigmata.

Thanks! Anyways, my question was because my wife and I thought about it. We will have to explain to them one day. It is a proven fact that people back in the days of crucifixions, the Romans nailed them through the wrist because it he;d them up easier. It has also been “understood” that Jesus was crucified this was as well especially when you look at the Shroud of Turin which shows this. This shroud has also proven to be something 'not of this world!" I simply ask the question because I just want to know why and see if anyone has an answer? Can anyone explain this? Thanks!

Christopher
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Simply stated no one knows how or why the stignata occur. They have occurred repeatedly throughout the ages, some apparently genuine and others false. Some have occurred with the nail prints through the palms and some through the wrists. While not taking sides on the issue I will relate that it was not uncommon for the Romans to bind ones arms with rope to the cross and nail the hands simutaneously, in order to prolong the suffering a bit more.

As far as the Shroud, again, no one knows exactly how, when or why it came into existance. As far as I know the Church has said that it is worthy of veneration, but makes no claim that it is the burial cloth of Jesus.
 
critorri said:
okay, I wasn’t expecting that many responds that quickly.

First, my daughters are 8, 5, and 3. They ask questions because they are curious and because we are constantly teaching them about the faith. My wife and I also teach faith Formation and I am also involved with the ACTS ministry. We just spend a lot of our time talking about the faith and history of the Church. The question came about when my wife and I were watching the movies. And to who ever told me that the Saints were Saints because of the lives they lived and not because of the Stigmata, I know that! I am not an idiot! I know what a Saint is. I never mentioned that so please re-read my first posting. I clearly mentioned just St. Francis and Padre Pio having the Stigmata.

Thanks! Anyways, my question was because my wife and I thought about it. We will have to explain to them one day. It is a proven fact that people back in the days of crucifixions, the Romans nailed them through the wrist because it he;d them up easier. It has also been “understood” that Jesus was crucified this was as well especially when you look at the Shroud of Turin which shows this. This shroud has also proven to be something 'not of this world!" I simply ask the question because I just want to know why and see if anyone has an answer? Can anyone explain this? Thanks!

Christopher
Click to expand...
The Shroud has not proven anything because the Shroud itself is not proven to be genuine.
I wish people would stop trying to use the Shroud as evidence for this or that. It is still stuck being a cloth from the middle ages based on the testing that was done. Unless it can be proven to be a 2000 year old cloth instead of only a few hundred years cloth it does not support anything.

It is also a fallacy for people to think that nailing through the wrists was required otherwise the body would not be supported. Forensically that has easily been debunked. Nailing through the palm at the base of the thumb not only can support the body but can support the body even without the feet being nailed. With the feet also being nailed this is simply additional support.
 
I believe as a Catholic, that Jesus was nail to the Cross in his Hands, because I read up on Jesus being nail to the cross, they said in the article I read that in those times of Jesus, those who were nail in their hands had ropes wrapped around their arms to lessen the weight on their hands so they won,t tear from the cross, but we see Jesus nail threw his hands,but no ropes are show-en on the Cross of Jesus,don,t ask me why, i,am just telling you what I read. Thats why we see St Francie’s and St Padre pio with them in their hand,s.
 
Sacred Scripture tells us that Jesus was nailed through the hands:
24:39. See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.
 
I had a mystical experience where I felt holes in my hands, not my wrists. I believe Jesus was tied and the nails driven through his palms. Perhaps the wrists were bleeding and bruised? Might explain the Shroud.
 
I believe it was done in a manner where the nail went in an angle affecting the hand and the wrist.

Overall, the location isn’t the importance. The sacrifice he made is what we should reflect on when think thinking of the cross. IMHO
 
There is no certain proof of where the nails entered Jesus’ hands. There are many speculations based on what we know about the Romans’ means of execution. We don’t have Jesus’ body to confirm or refute any of them. At the end of the day, it does not matter where the nails went through, not to the Apostolic Churches. It’s more of a question for history buffs.

As to why men like Our Holy Father and St.Pio had it in their hands, the answer is simple. God always works miracles in a way that is easier for the beneficiary to understand. Since most representations of Christ have the nails going through the hands, that is much easier to recognize than having them elsewhere.

There were some differences between St. Francis’ stigmata and that of any other stigmatist, which makes the whole story rather interesting.
  1. St. Francis’ stigmata came with nails. They were not literally wooden or metal nails. From the description given by the early brothers, they seem to have been made of dead tissue. From the little that I know of dermatology, it sounds like the material of which the nails of our fingers are made.
  2. The penetrated from the heal of the hand and came out at the wrist on the top side of the hand. They appeared to be entering at an angle.
  3. St. Francis stigmata is the only stigmata that has ever been formally accepted by a Pontiff as a sign of sanctity. That makes is rather rare. When he canonized our Holy Father, Pope Gregory IX said that Christ had signed the life of this holy brother with the mark of his crucifixion. He refers to the stigmata as a signature that an artist puts on his work. The work being St.Francis and the artist being Christ.
  4. St. Francis’ stigmata did not disappear after death. Other stigmatists did not have them after death. No one knows why. It’s one of those miraculous mysteries that we’ll have to wait for heaven to understand.
  5. Finally, Francis prayed for it. No other stigmatist has ever prayed for it. Francis prayed, “Grant me O Lord, that I may experience in my own body what you experienced on the cross out of love for me.” He composed this prayer on the Solemnity of the Holy Cross and three days later, he received the stigmata from a Seraph.
Other than St. Francis’ case, the Church never uses the stigmata to determine if someone is a saint. In St. Francis’ case, the stigmata was part of a big picture. Pope Gregory IX was a personal friend of St. Francis. Francis had been his superior before he became pope. He knew how the stigmata fit into Francis’ life of heroic virtue. That’s not always easy to determine.

Fraternally,

Br.JR, OSF 🙂
 
Did any of these people suffering from stigmata know or have a belief that they would have the stigmata before it occurred?
 
Bix said:
Did any of these people suffering from stigmata know or have a belief that they would have the stigmata before it occurred?
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None. The first known stigmatist was our Holy Father. He did not know what was coming. He prayed to experience Christ’s physical suffering. How that was going to happen, he left in God’s hands. Others have said the same. They were taken by surprise.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
JReducation said:
There is no certain proof of where the nails entered Jesus’ hands. There are many speculations based on what we know about the Romans’ means of execution. We don’t have Jesus’ body to confirm or refute any of them. At the end of the day, it does not matter where the nails went through, not to the Apostolic Churches. It’s more of a question for history buffs.

As to why men like Our Holy Father and St.Pio had it in their hands, the answer is simple. God always works miracles in a way that is easier for the beneficiary to understand. Since most representations of Christ have the nails going through the hands, that is much easier to recognize than having them elsewhere.

There were some differences between St. Francis’ stigmata and that of any other stigmatist, which makes the whole story rather interesting.
  1. St. Francis’ stigmata came with nails. They were not literally wooden or metal nails. From the description given by the early brothers, they seem to have been made of dead tissue. From the little that I know of dermatology, it sounds like the material of which the nails of our fingers are made.
  2. The penetrated from the heal of the hand and came out at the wrist on the top side of the hand. They appeared to be entering at an angle.
  3. St. Francis stigmata is the only stigmata that has ever been formally accepted by a Pontiff as a sign of sanctity. That makes is rather rare. When he canonized our Holy Father, Pope Gregory IX said that Christ had signed the life of this holy brother with the mark of his crucifixion. He refers to the stigmata as a signature that an artist puts on his work. The work being St.Francis and the artist being Christ.
  4. St. Francis’ stigmata did not disappear after death. Other stigmatists did not have them after death. No one knows why. It’s one of those miraculous mysteries that we’ll have to wait for heaven to understand.
  5. Finally, Francis prayed for it. No other stigmatist has ever prayed for it. Francis prayed, “Grant me O Lord, that I may experience in my own body what you experienced on the cross out of love for me.” He composed this prayer on the Solemnity of the Holy Cross and three days later, he received the stigmata from a Seraph.
Other than St. Francis’ case, the Church never uses the stigmata to determine if someone is a saint. In St. Francis’ case, the stigmata was part of a big picture. Pope Gregory IX was a personal friend of St. Francis. Francis had been his superior before he became pope. He knew how the stigmata fit into Francis’ life of heroic virtue. That’s not always easy to determine.

Fraternally,

Br.JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
I had never heard that accou nt of St Francis stigmata.The accounts I read say he was stigmatised like all saints. The writing you seem to be referring to says the nail heads appeared in the wrist which seems odd.
 
In researching paintings too it seems all the depictions, especially one by Fra Angelico(born in 1387 and canonized by Pope JP2),show St Francis stigmata exactly as St Pio had it. There are many other beautiful works of sacred art depicting the same. I find that interesting
 
critorri said:
I am a devoted Catholic and I truly love my faith! There is nothing that bothers me about it at all and I am trying to do everything I can to get my daughters to love and know the faith. We were watching some movies on the Saints, specifically about St. Francis and Padre Pio. We know that they received the Stigmata, but how come they receive it in the center of their hand when Jesus was supposedly crucified through the wrist? I just need to know how to explain this to my daughters as they ask questions. Thanks and God Bless!

Christopher Torres
Click to expand...
The term in scripture I believe for hand --involves more than what we think of as hand. Indeed in other languages the word for hand involves more than the hand.

In any case in terms of the shroud -listen to catholic.com/search/content/shroud. As I recall --there it would not be exactly the wrist either -more of a both and. Entering one place exiting another.

As to stigmata. When such is authentic – it does not matter where it is on the body. It is not meant to be an copy of his wounds. And certainly in times past --when it was imagined to be in the palm of the hands (art etc) it would have seemed odd to receive stigmata in the wrist (though again remember even the shroud if it is of Christ can be said to be not only in the wrist).
 
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