When two people truly love each other, they want to draw as close to their beloved as humanly possible. They not only want to know as much as they can about the object of their love, but they also want to experience what their beloved experiences. If the one they love is undergoing severe trials and suffering, the lover either wishes to remove that pain and anguish from the beloved or they wish to experience their suffering so that they might better understand what their beloved is going through. This is akin to a mother watching her child suffering from an incurable health condition and desiring the child’s healing or that some of the child’s suffering might be taken from the child and given to the mother. It is an odd paradox of life that lovers tend to draw closer to one another when they go through suffering together. Their love is strengthened through their mutual bond of sympathy and compassion.
Today Franciscans everywhere celebrate the feast of the Sacred Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis, who is the first saint in recorded history to receive the stigmata, regarded the sacred wounds in his hands, feet, and side, the wounds of Jesus Christ, as an awesome gift from the Lord. The Saint received it on a day close to the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross following a special request he had made to the Lord in prayer. He asked the Lord, his Beloved, for two graces before his death: first, that he might feel in his soul and body, as much as possible, the pain that Jesus felt at the hour of his Passion, and second that he might feel in his heart, as much as possible, the excessive love that Jesus felt as he willingly endured suffering and death on the Cross for us sinners.
In answer to this prayer, Francis had a vision of a six-winged Seraph descending from heaven and having the appearance of a man who had been crucified. Francis and the angel conversed with each other for a long time before the vision disappeared. It was then that the marks of the stigmata became visible on the body of Francis. The flesh of his hands and feet appeared to show the marks of the heads of nails with the points extended through to the other side and beaten back. The wound in his side appeared to be caused by a spear and blood frequently flowed from it. While Francis had desired to experience the pain of Christ’s wounds, he was embarrassed by these visible wounds in his flesh. He did not wish to draw undue attention to himself. In his remarkable humility, Francis tried to conceal the stigmata from everyone including his fellow friars, but quickly realized that this would be an impossible task. Francis was overjoyed at having received the gift of the sacred wounds of Christ in his own flesh, yet it was these same wounds that also caused him significant pain. Hence, the first grace that Francis had requested from Christ was granted to him.
The second grace St. Francis had requested was to feel in his heart the excessive love that the Lord Jesus had felt for sinners while hanging on the Cross. When Francis had the vision of the angel in the form of Christ crucified, his heart was filled with both joy and grief. He felt intense joy when he beheld the friendly countenance of Christ as he gazed upon him lovingly. At the same time, St. Francis felt intense grief and compassion when he saw how his Beloved had been nailed to the Cross with such cruelty and malice. Yet, the joy that Francis felt because of the immense love of Christ outweighed his grief. Francis carried with him the joy from this profound encounter with the love of Christ when he departed Mount Alverna, where the vision had taken place, and made his return journey to St. Mary of the Angels.
While on the way, he encountered many people who came out to meet him. Some of them suffered from serious ailments or had sick relatives with them. St. Francis prayed for those who came to him, and he cured their diseases and sicknesses. There was one woman in a village who wept loudly as she carried in her arms her eight-year-old son suffering with dropsy. His stomach was so swollen that when he stood straight up, he couldn’t see his legs or his feet. The woman placed the child before Francis and begged the Saint for his prayers. He prayed for the child and then placed his hands over the boy’s stomach. As soon as his hands touched the stomach, the swelling rapidly disappeared, and the boy was completely cured.
Another time, Francis heard from his brothers that one of his friars was suffering from a severe illness. He took a piece of bread that he was eating, made the Sign of the Cross over it with his stigmatized hands and sent it to the sick friar. As soon as the friar ate it, he was healed and the illness never returned. There are many other accounts of healings that took place either through St. Francis’ intercession and intervention or by taking something that he had touched and placing it on a sick person for healing. He was so moved by his immense love for Jesus Christ and the experience of His Passion that he desired to remove the ailments and the burdens of every sick person who approached him in faith and in hopeful expectation. He could see and feel clearly the love that Christ had for poor sinners.
This feast of the Sacred Stigmata of St. Francis is not only about the love of St. Francis for Jesus Christ but is a reminder of Our Blessed Lord’s great love for humanity. St. Francis was so intimately united with the Lord in love that he wanted to experience everything his Divine Beloved experienced. He wanted to become completely and entirely like Jesus in every way humanly possible, which involved suffering like Christ and loving like Christ. This relationship of love between Francis and Our Lord is beyond words to describe. While it is highly unlikely that any one of us will experience the Sacred Stigmata like St. Francis, we can imitate the Saint in his love for Christ by our love for our neighbor. It is through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, by showing compassion for others, and by willingly accepting our trials and sufferings for the sake of others that we catch glimpses of Christ’s immense love for humanity. Thus, we not only experience the love of Christ in our own hearts, but we become conduits of his love for others, especially those who are in most need of his mercy.
– Fr. Matthew Mary, MFVA