The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-02-05
What is meant by the word, "stie-
mata"? came across it in the life
of saint and it puzzled me.

of saint and it puzzled me.
1t is certain fact of history which
as a general thing, is no longer dis
puted even by unbelieyers, that many
holy persons in the Catholic Church
bear ON their hands, feet, side, or
brow the marks of the Passion of
Christ, with corresponding and intense
suffering. These stigmata are called
visible. Other holy persons have the
stigmata which is without the visible
mark and which is called invisible
An attempt to count the number of
stigmatics was made by DIR. Imbert
with the following results: Cd There
is no mention of any stigmatic before
the thirteenth century. The first one
known was ST. Francis of Assist. The
have not since been seen. In the
wounds of his feet and hands were
eXcrescences of flesh representing
nails, which on one side had round
black heads and on the other rather
long points bending backward. AL
though the saint in his humility tried
to conceal these from his brethren,
yet many of them beheld these stig-
mata during his life and after his
death. The facts OF this case are at
tested to by Il number of historians
who lived at that time. The Feast of
the Stigmata of st. Francis is cele-
brated in the Church on the seven
teenth of September. CD Three hum
dred and twenty-one stigmatics were
counted by Dr. Imbert. These he be-
lieved with every reason to have re-
ceived the Stigmata in supernatural
manner; and he believed that many
other like cases would be found if the
libraries of Germany, Spain and Italy
We're consulted CD OF these stig-
mates forty-one were men, and sixty
two were canonized or beatified by the
Church, among whom were, besides st.
Francis of Assist (11S6-1226), st. Lut-
garde (11S2) -1246), st. Margaret of
Cortona (1247-97), st. Gertrude (1256-
1902, st. Clare of Montefalco (126S-
1909 st. Catherine of Siena (1347-
S0), st. Lidwine (13S0-1433), st. Fran
els of Rome (1384-1440), St Colette
(13S0-144O, st. Rita of Cassia (13S6-
1860, st. John of God (1495-1550), st.
Veronica Guiliana (16O0-1727), and st.
Mary Frances I1759-91). (D He
found that in tile nineteenth century
there were twenty-nine persons known
to be stigmatics, the most famous of
whom was Catherine Emmeric (774-
1924. The fact of the existence of
stigmata in the case of many ecstatics
is most certainly established. The
only controversial questions regards
the nature of their cause. Many have
endeayored to prove that stigmata
were the result of auto-suggestion or
of some other psycho-physiolog
phenomena. IN proof of this, however,
no scientific arguments have been adj
duced On the contrary, there is every
reason to believe that their cause is
supernatural, coming directly as a spe-
cial favor from God. If it could be
ever shown, however, that they are of
natural origin, it must be remembered
that religion or mysticism does not de-
pend upon them, and that in the pro-
cess of canonizing a saint stigmata,
are not accepted by the Church as an
incontestablo miracle.
For the benefit of a clerical reader
of The Catholic Bulletin, who misIaid
his copy of the decision of the Biblical
Commission regarding the second COM
ing Of Christ, would you please pub
lish the decree, at least in substance?
The official decree is as follows:
The Pontifical Commission on the
Biblical Question has decided that the
following proposed doubts should be
answered thus:
j, Whether where there is discus
sion of the "Parousia,o as they call it,
or the second coming of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Catholic exegete is all
lowed, for the purpose of solving diff
culties which occur in the epistIes of
st. Paul and of the other Apostles,
to assert that the Apostles, although
they teach no error under the inspira-
ton of the Holy Ghost, nevertheless
express their own human views in
which there can be error and decep-
ton?
Ans. No.
2. Whether having in view the gen
uinc idea Of the Apostolic office and
the undoubted fidelity of st. Paul to
the doctrine Of the master; the Cath
Ole dogma likewise concerning the
inspiration and inerrancy of the Sa-
cred Scriptures by which everything
that the Sacred writer asserts, enun-
ciates and insinuates should be held
as asserted, enunciated, and insinuated
by the Holy Spirit; weighing also the
text Of the. Epistles of the Apostle,
considered in themselves in entire
agreement with the method of speak
ing of the Lord Himself, the declara-
ton should be made that the Apostle
Paul has said nothing whatever in his
writings which is not in perfect &C
cord with that lack of knowledge of
the time of the Parousia, which Christ
Himself proclaimed men should have?
Ans. Yes.
3. Whether considering the Greek
phrase (trans.l we who are alive
who are left" taking full account also
of the explanation of the Fathers es-
pecially of st, John Chrysostom, who
was particularly well versed in his own
tongue, and in the Pauline Epistles,
it is lawful to reject as far-fetched
and destitute Of solid foundation
the Interpretation, traditional in Cath