THE FIVE WOUNDS OF SAINT FRANCIS by Solanus Benfatti, C.F.R. Paper

Description

Many saints have borne "stigmata," wounds resembling Christ’s crucifixion wounds. Yet, the first of all saints to brandish this extraordinary sign was Francis of Assisi, and very little has been said about his thoughts on the matter. This is no surprise, of course, since for him it was a carefully guarded secret. But because of the uniqueness of Francis’s position in history, it is imperative to at least attempt to find out what, if anything, can be responsibly surmised about his own personal experience. The author makes a sober analysis of the pertinent medieval literature and the recent studies of the same, establishes the historicity of the event, and draws some surprising and, indeed, inspiring conclusions about the Assisian’s experience of God. Paper.