Francis and the stigmata of the crucifix

Francesco and the stigmata of the crucifix. During the Christmas period of 1223, Francesco attended an important ceremony. Where the birth of Jesus was celebrated by recreating the manger of Bethlehem in a church in Greccio, Italy This celebration demonstrated his devotion to the human Jesus. A devotion that would be dramatically rewarded the following year.

In the summer of 1224, Francis went to the La Verna retreat, not far from the mountain of Assisi, to celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15) and to prepare for St. Michael's Day (September 29) by fasting for 40 days. He prayed that he would know the best way to please God; opening the Gospels for the answer, he came across references to the Christ's passion. While praying on the morning of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14), he saw a figure coming towards him from heaven.

Francis: Christian faith

Francis: Christian faith. Saint Bonaventure, general minister of the Franciscans from 1257 to 1274 and one of the leading thinkers of the thirteenth century, wrote: As he stood above him, he saw that it was a man and yet a six-winged seraph; his arms were extended and his feet joined, and his body was attached to a cross. Two wings were raised above his head, two were extended as if in flight, and two covered his entire body. Her face was beautiful beyond earthly beauty, and she smiled sweetly at Francis.

Francis and his stigmata

Francis and his stigmata. Contrasting emotions filled his heart, because although the vision brought great joy, the sight of the suffering and crucified figure drove him to the deepest pain. Reflecting on what this vision might mean, he finally realized that by the providence of God he would have been made similar to the crucified Christ not by physical martyrdom but by conformity of mind and heart. Then, when the vision disappeared, he not only left a greater ardor of love in the inner man, but no less marvelously marked him on the outside with the stigmata of the Crucifix.

Francesco his stigmata and the after

Francesco his stigmata and the after. For the rest of his life, Francis took the utmost care to hide the stigmata (signs that resembled the wounds on the crucified body of Jesus Christ). After Francis' death, Brother Elias announced the stigmata to the order with a circular letter. Later, Brother Leo, the confessor and intimate companion of the saint who also left a written testimony of the event, said that in death Francis looked like someone who had just been taken down from the cross.