Holy Wounds
The five Holy Wounds of Christ were the five piercing wounds inflicted upon Jesus during his crucifixion. Two of the wounds were either through the hands or the lower wrists, two were through the feet, and the final wound was in the side of Jesus' chest, where, according to the New Testament, his body was pierced by a lance in order to be sure that he was dead. The Gospel of John states that blood and water poured out of this wound (John 19:34). These wounds are not explicitly mentioned in any of the canonical Gospels until the Resurrection, although John the Evangelist states that no bones were broken. The Crusades brought a renewed enthusiasm for religious devotion, especially for the Passion of Christ.
Read more about this topic: Roman Catholic Devotions To Jesus Christ
Famous quotes containing the words holy and/or wounds:
“Europe has always owed to oriental genius its divine impulses. What these holy bards said, all sane men found agreeable and true.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The last faint spark
In the self-murdered heart, the wounds of the sad uncomprehending
dark,
The wounds of the baited bear,—
The blind and weeping bear whom the keepers beat
On his helpless flesh . . . the tears of the hunted hare.”
—Dame Edith Sitwell (1887–1964)