Marks or wounds appearing on the human body, similar to those of the crucified Jesus. They may be temporary (related to ecstasy or revelation) or permanent, and are alleged to be a sign of miraculous participation in Christ's passion.
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ. An individual bearing stigmata is referred to as a stigmatic.
The causes of stigmata are well-recognized and documented by the Catholic Church but the subject of considerable debate outside of it.
Stigmata are primarily associated with the Roman Catholic faith.
Description
Reported cases of stigmata take various forms. Many show some or all of the five Holy Wounds that were, according to the Bible, inflicted on Jesus during his crucifixion: wounds in the hands and feet, from nails, and in the side, from a lance. Other reported forms include tears of blood or sweating blood, wounds to the back as from scourging, or wounds to the shoulder as from bearing the cross.
Some stigmatics feel the pain of wounds with no external marks; In other cases, stigmata are accompanied by extreme pain.
Cases of stigmata have been reported at different ages for different stigmatics. Some have manifested stigmata continually after the first appearance; others have shown periodic stigmata that re-occur at certain times of the day or on certain, sometimes holy, days through out the year.
History
The first reported cases of stigmata, in a Flemish nun and a young Englishman, occurred in the early 13th century. The first well-documented case, and the first to be accepted by Roman Catholic authorities as authentic, was that of Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226), who first experienced stigmata in La Verna, Italy, in 1224 .
In the century after St. Francis's death, more than twenty additional cases of stigmata were reported. Stigmata have continued to be reported since, with over three hundred cases by the end of the 19th century . In modern times, increasing numbers of ordinary people – rather than mystics or members of religious orders – began to report stigmata.
The first woman reported to have received stigmata was the Blessed Christina von Stommeln, or Christina Bruso, whose relics rest in the Propsteikirche in Jülich, near Aachen .
Famous stigmatics
Saint Catherine of Siena Saint John of God Saint Marie of the Incarnation Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Brother Roque Therese Neumann Lilian Bernas Saint Francis of Assisi Saint Gemma GalganiSkepticism
There have been historical stigmatics that were known to have faked wounds, such as Magdalena de la Cruz (1487–1560), who admitted the fraud.
Similarly self-inflicted wounds can be associated with certain mental illnesses. Some people who fake stigmata suffer from Munchausen syndrome which is characterised by an intense desire for attention.
People also fake stigmata knowing that some who had stigmata were declared holy by the Pope.
Skeptics also point out that stigmata have appeared on hands in some cases, wrists in others, and the lance wound has appeared on different sides of the body.
It should be noted however, that many stigmatics have wounds piercing the palms of their hands as is common in our conception of Christ hanging on the cross and is visible in much of Christian imagery.
Similarly, no case of stigmata is known to have occurred before the thirteenth century, when the crucified Jesus became a standard icon of Christianity in the west.. This also fits with the fact that stigmata was first observed at around the time when graphic detail of the crucifixion started to appear in Christian art, making the wounds and suffering easier to comprehend and imagine in the minds of observers of the art.
Psychosomatic explanation
In his paper Hospitality and Pain, iconoclastic Christian theologian Ivan Illich touches on the phenomenon of stigmata with characteristic terseness: "Compassion with Christ... His thesis is that stigmata result from exceptional poignancy of religious faith and desire to associate oneself with the suffering Messiah. Featured a young boy, played by Kevin Zegers, who gets the stigmata. In the anime series Chrono Crusade, Rosette Christopher develops stigmata. In an episode of Picket Fences, Adam Wylie is blessed with the stigmata and with an ability to effect miraculous faith healings. A season two episode of Nip/Tuck involved a woman who claimed to suffer from stigmata. In an episode of The Simpsons, Milhouse has stigmata, and lifting his arms to show Bart on the playground, he has blood oozing from the palm of his hands, down to his elbow. episode 105 "Damned If You Do", the primary patient is mistaken to have stigmata by her Catholic sisters. In episode 46 of Sealab 2021, entitled "Butchslap", Debbie misinterprets the laser beams focused on her chest as "nipple stigmata." Agnes of God (1985), starring Meg Tilly and Jane Fonda In The End of Evangelion (1997), Shinji produces stigmata during the initiation of Instrumentality. In The Butterfly Effect (2004), Evan produces stigmata to trick his religious cellmate in to helping him. In The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), the title character supposedly receives the stigmata for her sacrifice of burdening six evil spirits to prove the existence of Satan, and therefore as a balance, God.
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