Tattoo Optional
AM Psalm 37:1-18 • PM Psalm 37:19-42
Deut. 4:32-40 • 2 Cor. 3:1-18 • Luke 16:1-9
St. Paul says that true Christians ought to be recognizable to the general public by their having incorporated Christ’s message within their hearts, and therefore behaving in a positive manner. A good corollary might be that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
It has always struck me as odd that in some faith traditions the sign of being a true follower of Christ is presenting to the world a suffering countenance including particularly painful versions of the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion, in a phenomenon called having a “stigmata.” The Roman Catholic Church formally recognizes 321 such persons, of whom 62 have been beatified or canonized. It is interesting that there were no stigmatics reported before 1182, the first being St. Francis of Assisi. But Francis was not primarily noted for being dour or baleful. A review referencing scholarly studies on the personality and character of St. Francis by Dr. Ryan M. Niemiec, in the October 2017 issue of Psychology Today, not only mentions the usual stories of empathy with the poor, and his kindness to small animals, but also that Francis had a zest for life and a notable sense of humor. He did not attempt to play up his stigmata.
Much more typical was Catherine of Siena, who not only bore the usual stigmata, but displayed welts from being whipped, presumably by the Roman soldiers who reported to Pontius Pilate, during one of her routine 28 hour “ecstasies.” Frances of Cassia in Italy in the 1480s, had a large hole in her forehead, purportedly caused by a particularly large thorn from the crown of thorns, from which came foul-smelling discharges. She was particularly renowned for undertaking additional acts of self-mortification. (Not surprisingly she is a patron saint of women in loveless marriages.)
What would Christ say about those who were big on showing themselves to be particularly holy, through their mournful faces, disheveled appearance, and perhaps by extension, their oozing stigmatic wounds? In Matthew 6:16-18, Christ says: “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Remember, we’re Episcopalians: You can always go to church with just tattoos, if you’d like, but they’re not required.
Written by Tony Stankus
Tony Stankus is the first U of A librarian ever promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor. Now 70, he became an Episcopalian at age 66, because he could no longer resist the transcendent liturgies at St. Paul’s, nor the warmth of its priests and people. (While admittedly very eccentric, his only self-inflicted pain with regard to going to church or anywhere else, involves trying to hand-tie his bowties with increasingly arthritic fingers.)