In 2024 the Franciscan Family is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Stigmata of St. Francis. Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mariella Erdmann reflects on this event.
Let us not believe we can love without suffering. I am not talking about masochistic kind of suffering but rather suffering that is motivated by love of Christ Crucified. St. Francis was so in love with Christ crucified that his whole life became an imitation of Christ to the point of his receiving the stigmata. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Jn 3:16
Sanctity and suffering seem to go hand in hand. The words of the song, Holy Darkness come to mind,] “I have tried you in the fires of affliction; I have taught your soul to grieve, In the baron soil of your loneliness, there I will plant my seed.” Today more than ever we need God to plant that seed in our hearts in order to embrace suffering that will transform us into true His disciples of love. In this Ecce Homo that I painted, I tried to emphasize God’s tremendous love for each of us. God’s love is shown to us through Christ. The painting shows Christ with a crown of thorns symbolizing his passion. Christ’s eyes are sad but very loving and compassionate. He is sad because of the lack of so many to accept his sacrifice for our salvation. He was sent by the Father and is longing to bring us all back to his Father so we can enjoy the fullness of life in God. His hands are extended in invitation and blessing and his heart is white and aglow with love. It is Eucharistic; it becomes a monstrance. He has given us his body and his blood – the perfect sacrifice that we can with him offer each day to the Father at Mass as well as receive him in the Eucharist. Our God lavishes us with his love but he does not oblige us to accept it.
We all experience suffering in the world around us. such as addictions, emotional and physical sickness, jealousy, injustice, family problems, sexual abuse, hate, war and so on. I have experienced two very painful personal tragedies: the loss of a niece to suicide and another niece to a heroin overdose under suspicious circumstances. These painful losses brought me to my knees in prayer. I have chosen to allow the grace of the Spirit to work through me to transform pain into love making me more into a true disciple of Christ. This choice did not take away suffering but freed me from its hold. Suffering must be faced and excepted if it is to be life-giving and efficacious. Through daily conversion, suffering does open our hearts to the broader world where so much suffering exists amidst the good.
But why is there so much suffering in our world today? Christ came out of love to free us from the chains of sin and death. Still, today suffering seems to be escalating. So many people in our post-Christian era, do not seem to need God or even believe in God, but rather make themselves gods. I, also, wonder if possibly many people do not know how to deal with suffering and become angered, embittered and revengeful, which only leads to conflict and all sorts of evil. All the more need for God in our lives who heals our wounds! Instead, many turn to false gods of drugs, sex, power, revenge, control, and prestige to name a few. These lead ultimately to human destruction.
All this said, there is great hope amidst the sufferings in our Modern World. This all comes down to that one word, LOVE. Like Francis we are called to love God above all and identify with Christ crucified. God is Love and we are asked to cooperate with the grace of the Spirit and become love for one another in order to bring ourselves and others back to the God of Love who longs for us to share in the fullness of his life.
