The Stigmata

“O Lord Jesus Christ, before I die I ask you for two graces; first, that (in my lifetime) I may feel(, as far as possible, both in my soul and body,) that pain which you(, sweet Lord,) endured in the hour of your most bitter Passion; second, that I may feel in my heart (as far as possible) that excess of love which moved you(, O Son of God,) to suffer so cruel a Passion for us sinners.”

I am a friar. I am the youngest child in my family. I studied engineering. I am an introvert. I love food. I enjoy playing badminton, tennis, and ping pong. And so on and on and on. That is how I usually describe myself. But really, saying those things does not really tell the complete truth. Who am I really? Who knows the answer, because I myself don’t really know.

For St Francis, the only person that he asked this question to is Jesus. He knew that only God, our Creator, who truly knows who we are. His prayer is simple,

“Who are you Lord? and who am I?”

As his faith grew, he learned that the truth for him, and for all of us, is that our identity is God’s beloved. That is the foundation of all other identities that we may have.

God’s beloved. That’s who we are. Let’s just stop here for a moment. To be loved is great. To be loved by God is all we need. If we truly believe this, what other people say or judge will not matter anymore. Even my own judgement does not matter anymore. What matter is who I am in the Lord’s eyes.

Let us take as much time as we need to stop, reflect, discern, and give thanks for this. I am God’s beloved. When we truly believe this, we will be filled with Joy, and we will not be able to stop talking and sharing about this.

For St Francis, as he grew in realization of God’s love for us, he desired something even deeper, to feel the pain of the Lord’s bitter Passion and to feel the Love that endured that Passion.

God loves us. What do we ask from the Lord?

For Reflection,

• Who are you? Whose definition(s) of you have you been listening to?
• What do you desire? Does your desire move you closer to God?