The Nazis Gave Her Extra Soap

Short Summary: Teresa Neumann, known for her visible stigmata, began experiencing the wounds of Christ in 1926, enduring severe bleeding during ecstasies.

Details

Location: Konnersreuth, Germany

Year: 1927

Prayer: Behold me, my beloved Jesus, weighed down under the burden of my trials and sufferings, I cast myself at Your feet, that You may renew my strength and my courage, while I rest here in Your Presence. Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart, for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me; only Your love can help me bear my cross; only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight. O Divine King, Jesus, whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted, I wish to live in You; suffer and die in You. During my life be to me my model and my support; At the hour of my death, be my hope and my refuge. Amen.

Verse: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. -Rom 8:18-23

Full Story

Very few mystics have had such a publicly visible stigmata as Teresa Neumann. She began to bear the five wounds of Christ in 1926 at the age of 27. The marks continued to reappear during her “Passion ecstasies”, which occurred about 35 times every year (typically on Fridays). Beyond the wounds on her hands and feet, Teresa would also bleed from marks on her head, akin to the crown of thorns. These were often accompanied by the appearance of a large wound on her shoulder, scourging marks on her back, and the sweating of blood. She would lose over 2 liters of blood during severe sessions. During World War II, the Nazis approved an extra ration of soap to help clean the bloodstains, but in exchange for removing her food ration. These events attracted great interest across Europe. Numerous written testimonies and documents have been carefully retained in Germany, as many doctors were able to examine Teresa over the years. Also included are details of experiments, such a case when Professor Papstmann directed a 5000-candela arc lamp into Teresa’s eyes during one of her ecstasies. She did not show any reaction, and remarkably even her pupils remained stationary. Another investigator, Dr. R. W. Hynek, first examined Teresa in 1928. He reported, “I was able to observe at close quarters the bleeding of the stigma on the back of the left hand; without any doubt one could see fresh, red human blood flow from the small aperture… That these (wounds) in spite of bleeding neither scar over nor inflame, but remain quite intact, in an especially hard nut for doubters to crack, and can in no way be explained.” Dr. Hynek had formerly worked as an Army chaplain, and witnessed countless horrors during World War I. However, he said that he never saw such as much pain as with Teresa. “The religious ecstasy of this poor girl… bears the stamp of something immeasurable, unending, and eternal.” When Teresa was asked about the pain of the stigmata, she replied, “There are many who work for love of God, but few who suffer for love of Him.” And as to the why of it, she responded, “The Savior gave them to me, so that the unbelievers may become converted, and that the believers may become strengthened in their faith.”

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