Eight hundred one years ago, St. Francis of Assisi received the wounds of Christ—the stigmata—on Mount La Verna. These marks of the Passion, appearing on his hands, feet, and side, were not symbols or metaphors but a mysterious sharing in the very wounds of Jesus.
Francis had prayed to experience, in his body and heart, something of Christ’s suffering on the Cross. God answered that prayer in a unique way. While most of us will not receive the stigmata, this event continues to teach us something profound about the mystery of suffering and love.
Suffering Purifies the Heart
In moments of trial, God does not abandon us—He draws near. The saints discovered that hardship, though never easy, often became the place where their love for God grew deeper and more trusting. As the Catechism teaches: “Through the trials of life, God strengthens and purifies our faith” (CCC 164).
Suffering Can Be Offered
No pain is wasted in God’s hands. Scripture reminds us: “I complete in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his Body, the Church” (Col 1:24). When we unite our own sufferings to Christ’s, they take on a new meaning: they become a participation in His saving work (CCC 1521).
The Cross is the Measure of Love
Christian faith begins at the Cross, where Christ gave Himself without reserve. As the Catechism puts it: “The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men’” (CCC 618). Love is measured by the gift of self—and the Cross is its fullest expression. Francis longed to love Christ in return with that same completeness.
Suffering is Never the End
The Christian story never stops at the Cross—it always leads to the Resurrection. St. Paul writes: “If we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him” (Rom 8:17). By His death, Christ frees us from sin; by His Resurrection, He opens the way to new life (CCC 654). The saints endured suffering with hope, knowing it leads into joy.
Suffering Unites Us to Christ
The heart of discipleship is communion with Jesus, even in His Passion. “That I may know him… and share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10). Christ gave suffering a new meaning: it now configures us to Him and unites us with His redemptive Passion (CCC 1505). In our pain, we are not alone—we are sharing in His life.
Eight centuries later, the stigmata of St. Francis remain a mystery of grace. They remind us that the Cross is not merely about suffering, but about love—a love that draws us deeper into communion with Christ, who transforms even our wounds into places of hope and redemption.
