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Padre Pio - the Stigmata

The objections of those who at all costs want to find a "rational" explanation of the phenomena surrounding padre Pio, are not sufficient to convincingly contradict all aspects of the manifestations that were part of this particular Capuchin monk’s life.

Did padre Pio have a special mission? He has been successful in making us understand that we are not alone – that God exists and that He is always close to us. Padre Pio has consolidated the faith of many, and he has been capable of awakening the faith in God in many others who were sceptical, before. Probably this is the greatest of all his ‘miracles’.

However, seemingly there are some weak points in the story of padre Pio’s life that not everyone has understood, even though they have comprehended and shared his state of mind and his reactions: this is demonstrated by padre Pio’s fear when confronted with some of his darkest and most anguishing experiences. Besides his good, even though "grumbling" personality, padre Pio was also very authoritative at times, but he had his moments of insecurity, doubt, and of a prevailing sensation of being inadequate. Often padre Pio felt lost in the middle of the events that surrounded him. These feelings are extremely human and natural, and we all recognize them. In the case of padre Pio, although being a religious person, the torments grew until they confused him and made some of his conclusions appear less clear – or, perhaps he was close to the right conclusions, only that he hesitated in expressing them – leaving this to others who would come up with the wrong results – because no one, if not the person in the centre of the events, is actually capable of arriving at understanding the sense of it all. But even this is not always possible – these are the conditions of life on Earth, where we are surrounded by so much confusing chaos.

Let us examine the example of the stigmata. The Catholic Church does not recognize this physical manifestation as a sign of sainthood – and rightly, for there is a lot of confusion connected with this phenomenon. Thus, during the years, many persons have exhibited stigmata – making psychologists and anthropologists draw their inevitable scientific conclusions: the persons themselves have provoked the stigmata physically or psychologically, in order to make a show of themselves or because of some particular hysterical form of mystical ecstacy.

Probably this is true in many cases – but padre Pio suffered greatly because of his stigmata, physically as well as psychologically – it is evident that he would gladly have done without them.

On the other hand, he already had an abundance of peculiar, psychical gifts, so if his aim had been that of wanting to shock people and make a show of himself – why then add the stigmata to all the rest?

We may read in one of his letters, addressed to his spiritual advisor padre Agostino (August, 1918):

"I was confessing our boys on the evening of the 5^th, when, all of a sudden, I was filled with an extreme terror at the sight of a Celestial Person that presented himself before the eyes of the intelligence. In his hand he held a kind of tool, similar to a long iron spear with a very sharp point, and it seemed to me as is fire came out of this point. Seeing all this and watching this person throw the mentioned weapon into my soul, was one and the same thing!
   I was hardly able to utter a moan, I felt as if I should die! I asked the boy to go away, because I did not feel well and I did not have the strength to continue. This torment lasted without interruption until the morning of the 7^th. What I suffered in this tragic period, I cannot say! Even the bowels I saw being torn out of me and pulled at by that tool, and everything was laid waste!
   Ever since that day I have been fatally injured. In my innermost soul I feel a wound that never heals and that has me assiduously racked with pain.
   Is this not perhaps a new punishment inflicted by Divine Justice? You judge how much truth is contained in this statement, and if I do not have every reason to fear, to be in extreme agony.
   I kiss your hand with profound respect asking you for the holy blessing, confirming to be your son brother Pio."

This testimony alone should make us think. What does this mean? Suffering is inflicted upon padre Pio. By whom? By God? Why? Has padre Pio perhaps anything to fear, has he done something that is so terrible as to awaken the wrath of God to this degree?

Rather, between the lines of padre Pio’s spiritual suffering, do we not see an attack that is anything but divine? Who would God be to want to inflict such physical and spiritual suffering on His chosen? Is this not rather a trick, an attempt of negative forces to make padre Pio believe that he deserves such a punishment? Is it not rather a distortion, a malign mirage transpiring from padre Pio’s vision, and certainly not the work of God?

For too long mankind has considered God an angry god of revenge. This is the concept we find in the ancient sacred scriptures, when man still thought that God wanted to punish him, rather than help and sustain him throughout the difficult human life. We totally ignore the change represented by Jesus Christ’s teachings, if we prefer to believe that God wishes to punish us and not to love us and help us!

Another letter by padre Pio, written on September 22nd 1918, was sent to padre Benedetto of S. Marco in Lamis. Here, padre Pio accounts for the manifestation of the physical stigmata in the following excerpt:

"What to tell you as regards what you ask of me, about how my crucifixion came to pass?
   My God! what a confusion and what a humiliation I feel when having to express that which You have operated in this poor creature!!!
   It was on the morning of the 20th September. I was in the choir, after the celebration of Holy Mass, when I was surprised by a restful state similar to a sweet sleep. All the internal and external senses as well as the very faculties of my soul were immersed in indescribable stillness.
   During all this there was total silence around me. I was filled with a great sense of peace and abandonment which effaced everything else and caused a moment of rest in the turmoil.
   And all this happened in a flash. And while all this was taking place, I saw before me a mysterious Person, similar to the one I had seen on August 5^th, with the only difference that this time his hands, feet and ribs were dripping blood.
   The mere sight terrified me... what I felt in that moment I cannot tell you... I felt as if I should die and I would have died indeed, had the Lord not intervened to sustain my heart that was about to burst out of my chest.
   The vision of the Person disappeared, and I saw that my hands feet and side were pierced and dripping blood!
   Imagine the agony I felt then and that I continue to experiment almost every day; the wound of the heart always bleeds, especially from Thursday evening until Saturday.
   Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting confusion that I feel in my innermost soul! I fear that I shall die from the loss of blood, if the Lord will not listen to the supplications of my poor heart, to relieve me of this condition...
   Will Jesus, who is so good, grant me this grace? Will he free me from this confusion that I live through because of these visible signs? I will raise my voice to Him and I will not cease to implore for his Mercy to take away from me not the agony or the pain, because this is impossible, as I wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs that cause me such indescribable confusion.
   The Person that I intended to describe is none other than the one of whom I told you in my letter of August 5^th. He continues his workings without respite, with the result of the utmost suffering of the soul. Inside of me, I feel a constant noise similar to that of a cascade that gushes blood incessantly.
   My God! Your punishment is just and Your judgement is right, but use me for the purpose of grace. Domine in furore tuo arquas me ne in via tua corripias me.
   Dear Father, now that my innermost is known to you, do not hesitate to send me your words of comfort in this hard and fierce grief.
   I always pray for you, for poor father Agostino, for you all. Bless me always, your affectionate son brother Pio."

Confusion, pain, fear, agony, grief – these are the sentiments experimented by padre Pio. No serene acceptance, no blind trust that this is really God’s will – instead, the prayer that God use him in His chosen way, and the humble bending before a physical evidence that does not comfort him, does not give him peace... as would, on the other hand, a true act of God!

What is in reality the infliction of the stigmata? The dominating idea is that it happens to very few persons, chosen by God, so that they may atone for the sins of the entire human race. If we ask the world of science, the stigmata are the result of hysterical religious exaltation. We propose a third hypothesis: this mysterious manifestation might be a distortion, a move made by negative forces in order to create confusion and induce fear – which leads to a lack of clarity of thought in the suffering subject, as well as in those who witness the evidence. An ingenious move that we see repeated in the accounts of the past of similar sufferings sustained by different religious persons, first of all Francis of Assisi. Notably, important spiritual personalities have been haunted by this disquieting phenomenon.

We are inclined to consider this last hypothesis more probable. If we are taught that God is good and that He loves us all, we should refuse to believe that He wants to make anyone suffer.

Throughout the centuries the negative forces have ferociously fought any principle of good, of the light. It would be logical to suppose that especially in the religious ambient these forces have had a particular interest in sowing the seeds of doubts, distorted and unwholesome ideas. In fact, if it was possible to profoundly corrupt the religious ambient that was so strong in its own convictions, the negative forces would have gained great advantages. Could they possibly have chosen any better battlefield?

Who knows where padre Pio would have reached in his spiritual grandness, if he had known how to combat the forces of evil with the right weapons – not with aggression, althrough this is a direct and understandable result of his great fear – but with love, prayer, forgiveness...

What are consequences of these considerations seen in the perspective of padre Pio’s entire course of life? Is the phenomenon of the stigmata connected with the encounters with diabolical entities that he had to face so often? We will try to answer these questions. (to be continued)

July 12^th 2000