Topic:  Where were the wounds of Jesus?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: June 13, 2003

Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Phillip

Question:   I was just wondering where the church says the wounds of Jesus were? Growing up, I was always taught that the nails went through his hands, but I have also heard many arguments saying they were placed in his writs. I know the specifics aren't what we should be focusing on, but when meditating on them, (like while praying the Sorrowful Mysteries),it becomes distracting to me and I try to figure out where the wounds were. Also, where do people who recieve the stigmata (like Padre Pio) get the wounds, in the writs or hands?

Answer: 

As with so many of the questions we would LIKE to know the answer to, the question of precisely where the wounds of our Blessed Lord were is not one on which the Church has spoken authoritatively.

The Church's reluctance to make a definitive statement about topics such as the one you raise, Richard, is yet another sign of the Church's wisdom. The Church speaks when it has something important to say and generally tries to keep silent on those questions which are not central to its/our mission.

In the case of the wounds of the Lord, what's important is that Jesus was, in deed and in truth, wounded for our salvation. Exactly WHERE those wounds were 'placed' on His Incarnate Body is just not something any of us can know with positive assurance. So, neither I nor anybody can really answer your question with absolute certainty.

That being said, I would make two comments about your quesiton. First, artists have for many centuries generally tended to illustrate the wounds of the Lord in His hands -- probably in much the way you say you were taught as you were growing up. There's nothing definitive in the Bible or in the Church's teaching which gives these artists any clue that the wounds were definitely in His hands. I suspect that their willingness to picture the wounds of Jesus in His hands was largely the result of their being familiar with what artists before them had done. It was a pious guess on the basis of the best information available to them at the time.

Second, as our knowledge over-all has grown, we live in an era when our knowledge of human anatomy has grown enormously. Scientists and researchers who are interested in questions such as the one you ask have studied these artists various renditions as well as the accounts in the Scriptures. Their conclusions, based on the best information available to them at this time, seem to suggest that the wounds of the Lord were, probably, more in the wrists of Jesus. They base these conclusions on probable body weight, angle of insertion of the stakes/nails, length of time on the Cross and other such considerations -- most of which I don't really understand (not being a science-minded person myself!). But again, the theories of even faithful scientists don't really "prove" anything about where the wounds of the Lord were.

Remember: What's REALLY important is that God, Who assumed flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, loved humankind so much that He allowed His Body to be pierced for our salvation.

And about your other question regarding where various Stigmatists, like Padre Pio, received their wounds in imitation (in a perfectly positive sense) of Jesus, I would just 'repeat' something similar to what I said above: Many of the Stigmatists lived before we had "cameras" to render a precise likeness, so we have to rely on contemporary accounts and artists renditions. That is to say, we can't be SURE of the exact placement of the Stigmata in the lives of all those who may have received them.

If you're interested in learning more about Padre Pio, I would suggest looking at

http://www.padrepio.com/

and there are many books available on this remarkable man who was recently canonized.

Hope this helps some...have a great day!

Blessings,
Father Phillip