by Theresa Cavicchio, OFS
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world … for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.” (Gal 6:14 – 17)
On September 17th each year, religious and lay Franciscans worldwide celebrate an extraordinary spiritual event: the imposition of the sacred Stigmata upon their beloved founder, Saint Francis of Assisi.
The “little poor man of Assisi” is historically the first recorded recipient of the Stigmata – the physical wounds on his hands, feet, and side, representative of those inflicted on Jesus at His Crucifixion.
For Franciscans of all three Orders, this year marks a significant milestone of the event: its 8th centenary.
The time was two years before his death. Saint Francis (1182 – 1226 A. D.) had made his way to the remote mountain location of La Verna in Tuscany for a private 40-day fast and retreat before the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, September 29th. At the hermitage there, he immersed himself in deep, profound prayerful contemplation.
Both the secluded setting and the solitude in prayer were typical of Francis in his desire to emulate and conform himself to Jesus ever more fully. On this occasion, the focus of his ardent prayer was twofold, reflecting his long-standing devotion to Jesus in His Crucifixion: to experience as fully as possible the suffering of Jesus’ Passion, and to feel the love with which He had endured it.
As the September 14th Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross approached, these impassioned prayers achieved full significance. It was then that Francis experienced a vision of a flaming 6-winged seraph bearing the figure of One crucified. As the vision approached, Francis felt himself plunged into depths of sorrow and lifted to heights of joy. At its conclusion, the physical marks sustained by Jesus during His final, agonized hours on earth were replicated on the body of Francis – hands, feet, and side.
Saint Bonaventure (c. 1221 – 1274 A.D.), Franciscan friar, early biographer of Saint Francis, and Doctor of the Church, writes: “Because of this new and astounding miracle unheard of in times past, Francis came down from the mountain a new man adorned with the sacred stigmata, bearing in his body the image of the Crucified not made by a craftsman in wood or stone, but fashioned in his members by the hand of the living God.”
The final two years of Francis’ life were characterized by searing pain from these wounds, over and above the physical ailments he had been suffering previously. Despite his efforts to conceal them, the wounds of the Stigmata marked him in an extraordinary way as a human being specifically chosen by God to participate physically in the Passion of His Son.
As Catholic Christians, we are marked, too, but with a spiritual “character” on our souls, at Baptism and again at Confirmation, to remain there throughout our earthly life and into eternal life (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 1272, 1304). We are marked as belonging to Christ and to His Church, set apart as chosen in a specific way and for a specific purpose.
Can the Stigmata of Saint Francis have a message for us toward fulfilling that purpose? Perhaps the answer can be found in the following prayer, composed by Pope Francis in recognition of this 8th centenary. The Holy Father sends us forth with a twofold challenge: to emulate Saint Francis’ burning love for Jesus through a life of virtue, and to transform that love into personal healing and peace, extending outward to our brothers and sisters. Saint Francis of Assisi, be our guide!
Prayer of Pope Francis to Saint Francis of Assisi ~ 2024
Saint Francis, man wounded by love, Crucified in body and in spirit,
we look to you, decorated with the holy stigmata, to learn how to love the Lord Jesus,
and our brothers and sisters with your love, with your passion.
With you it is easier to contemplate and follow Christ, poor and Crucified.
Give us, Francis, the freshness of your faith, the certainty of your hope, the gentleness of your charity.
Intercede for us, so that it may be sweet for us to bear the burdens of life,
and in trials, may we experience the tenderness of the Father and the balm of the Spirit.
May our wounds be healed by the Heart of Christ, to become, like you, witnesses of His mercy,
which continues to heal and renew the life of those who seek Him with a sincere heart.
O Francis, made to resemble the Crucified One, let your stigmata be for us and for the world
resplendent signs of life and resurrection, to show new ways of peace and reconciliation.
Amen.
