The Miracles of Transverberation
Miracles of transverberation are not the most well-known miracles, despite the fact that they can be similar to the miracle of the stigmata. This phenomenon, unexplained by science, is recognized by the Catholic Church. The saints who experienced a transverberation explained that they felt as though their heart was pierced by an arrow or a sword. Even if this may seem difficult to prove at first, the wounds are indeed real. Saint Teresa of Ávila and Saint Padre Pio recounted their transverberations in writings that have come down to us. Their bodies were also sufficient proof of the veracity of their accounts. Saint Veronica Giuliani is also said to have experienced a transverberation, but there is no precise writing describing this event.
What is Transverberation?
The word transverberation comes from the Latin transverberare and means "to pierce through" or even "to traverse completely". It is a mystical phenomenon recognized by the Catholic Church, essentially among saints. Accounts of these phenomena report that it sometimes leaves physical marks on the body of the person touched by the Lord (like stigmata, for example). It happens that autopsies are performed on the bodies of saints who experienced a transverberation. The various doctors then revealed that all were wounded in the heart with a cut resembling that of a sword. But no healthcare professional was able to give its exact cause and origin.
The Transverberations of Saint Padre Pio
Saint Padre Pio experienced three transverberations. The first in August 1912, the second in August 1919, and the last took place the same year, in December. From these transverberations, Saint Padre Pio would keep the stigmata of Christ for 50 years. During these long years, the wounds on the hands, feet, and side of the saint never healed and never ceased to cause him suffering. The many doctors who examined him could not explain this phenomenon. However, just one month after his death, the wounds began to heal.
Padre Pio wrote a letter on October 22, 1918, to Father Benedetto to tell him about his transverberation in August:
“How can I describe my crucifixion... I was in the sanctuary, after having celebrated Mass, when I was overcome by a peace that resembled a sweet sleep. All my senses entered an indescribable quietude. This happened in the blink of an eye. At the same moment, a mysterious figure appeared, resembling the one I had seen on the evening of August 5, with the difference that his hands and side were bleeding. The sight of him seized me. I could not say what I felt at that moment and I would have died if the Lord had not intervened to support my heart, which was leaping in my chest. […] The figure disappeared and I found that my hands, my feet, and my side were bleeding. You can imagine the torment I experienced; moreover, I still feel it, almost every day. The wound in my side bleeds continually, but especially from Thursday evening to Saturday. Father, I am dying of grief for the torment and confusion I feel in my soul... Will Jesus, so good, grant me the grace to relieve the confusion I feel for these external signs? I will raise my voice high, ceaselessly imploring Him to remove from me, by His infinite mercy, not the torment, not the suffering... but these external signs which cause me almost unbearable confusion and humiliation.”
After reading this letter, one can suppose that it was Christ himself who came to mark the holy man with his own stigmata.
The Transverberation of Saint Teresa of Ávila
The transverberation of Saint Teresa, celebrated on August 26, is certainly the most well-known because her account gave rise to many artistic representations, both in sculpture and painting. She recounted this event in her autobiography, The Book of Her Life. According to her, it would have happened in April 1560, in the palace of Doria.
Here is an excerpt from her work:
"But it pleased the Lord to show me the angel in this form. He was not large, but rather small, of great beauty, his face so aflame that he must be one of the highest ranks of angels, who seem to be all on fire. I think he must be one of those called cherubim, for they do not tell me their names, but I see clearly that in heaven there is so much difference between some angels and others, and between these and others still, that I cannot affirm anything. I saw in his hands a long golden dart, and at the tip of the spearhead, it seemed to me, there was a little fire. I felt him plunge it into my heart several times, it penetrated to my very entrails, and when he drew it out, it seemed he tore them out with it, leaving me completely afire with a great love of God. The pain was so sharp that it made me utter those moans I spoke of, and the sweetness this intense pain caused me was so extreme that one can never wish it to cease, and the soul can never be content with less than God. It is not a bodily pain, but a spiritual one, though the body does not fail to share in it somewhat, and even greatly. It is such a tender caress that takes place between the soul and God that I beg Him to give a taste of it to whoever thinks I am lying."
Saint Teresa had initiated a profound reform of the Carmelite Order, which led, a few years later, to the creation of the branch of the Discalced Carmelites. The authorities of this branch considered that Saint Teresa's transverberation was an important turning point in the Teresian work. They then obtained that this great event be celebrated every August 26.
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