Stigmata is something that doesn't occur very often, but when is does it is considered a blessing or sometimes not. People have many different theories on the mystery of stigmata. It can be very pain full and can be drawn out for a long period time. One major theory that is usually brought to peoples attention when stigmata occurs, is whether the person was selected as a blessing by God, to go through the suffering like Jesus did while on the cross at his death. The other is that the person physically thinks that the wounds are there, which makes the mind give the body the wounds. The theory that best describes the reasoning behind stigmata is that it is given as a blessing by God.
Stigmata comes from the Greek word meaning, "to pierce or prick with a sharp object" (Vertosick 156). Stigmata are the wounds of Christ. The wounds that the people get during stigmata are very similar to the wounds that Christ had throughout his time on the cross. The location, shape, and the number of wounds vary from one person to another. The wounds are on the hands, feet, forehead, and the side of the body that mysteriously appear. The cuts or holes, on the wrists or hands, and feet, are where the nails would have been driven into Jesus on the cross. Some wounds have been so profound that doctors could see the light from the other side of the wounds. There are sometimes marks on the side of the body that look like slash marks from a whip while Jesus was beaten. In some rare cases the heart of a stigmatist was wounded or shaped in to a cross. Most of the people lose a lot of blood while experiencing the blessing of stigmata. One person can lose up to one and a half pints of blood per day throughout their occurrence of the mystery. Scientist and churches have not been able to agree on an explanation to stigmata. One suggestion is that God is the one that chooses the one to be blessed with stigmata.