I Loved being Wounded!
It’s been a long time since I read a book that was hard to put down touched my emotions on all levels, and had me thinking about its characters way past the ending. Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney is one book that did all that.
When she first told me about this book at ICRS was about a stigmatic (think bloody wounds of Christ manifested on a person,) I had the same reaction you’re having right now! What the…? It’s the stuff weird Christianity is made of, right? My mind immediately went to my past when a “stigmatic” who was later said to be a fraud, professed to have the bloody hand wounds of Christ. But I loved Burney’s style and knew her writing is genuine, so I thought I’d give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. The characters gripped me from page one. Regina Delores Merritt, a bi-polar, fibromyalgia, charismatic wounded single mom only attended Ash Wednesday service at The Vineyard, only wanting to honor her Jesus, share in his pain, and be healed of her own. God answered her prayers through stigmata.
Witness to the entire first event was Anthony Priest, a heroine junkie, has-been, Pulitzer prizewinning journalist with a momma wound so big you could drive a freight train through it. He went to church high, hoping to leave with a church bulletin to show his boss he’s getting his act together so he wouldn’t get fired. Being instantly healed, he leaves with a burning desire to know about the woman who touched him.
What follows is a tale a uncertainty, pain, lots of pain, hope, healing and sacrifice. Even though the story centered around a main character who was a stigmatic, I didn’t see it an issue driven story to promote stigmatics, saints or the Catholic church. Those who think that have missed the entire point of the story!
It’s a story about two wounded people (actually more) coming to rely on each other and Jesus in the only way they know how. It’s about their struggle with their own humanity and desires and wanting to be whole, and holy and honorable, all while dealing with this unexplainable miracle which turns both their lives upside down.
As I got to know Gina and Priest more and more, the stigmata blended into the background. It was there, but the characters were bigger. It drove the story, but the character WERE the story. It touched my heart on a deep level and went over my head on other levels, but it delivered a satisfying, weepy, joyful ending.
Thank you Claudia Mair Burney for listening to your heart and writing this story despite the flack from those who just don’t get it!
