BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI - Get a Free Blog

knock at the door, she would ask my permission to give it away. I used to answer: " Yes, but you must not
bring them into the house." She then took whatever she could and brought it to them. She used to sit with the
poor person at the back of the stairs in the loggia, and it was while I watched from a window looking on to the
stairs that I heard the good advice she gave her poor.'
Gemma used to give the poor short and comprehensive instructions in the Catechism, hoping thereby to
raise their thoughts to Heaven and thus make the sorrows of life more tolerable.
Aunt Cecilia declared that Gemma often urged her to visit certain sick people who otherwise would never
have been visited, and for this purpose put forward such arguments that she was obliged to yield, and
Mother Gemma attests that it can truly be said that all her aunt's charities were inspired by Gemma.
In fact Gemma had to be closely watched, for she would have given away everything that belonged to her,
although she was scrupulous in her care of the goods of the house. She had not much to give, however. Her
furniture consisted of a rough chest of drawers in which she kept her linen, and a little table. Every month her
aunt at Camaiore sent her five or six lire, but her various charities claimed this money immediately. When
she first came to the Gianninis' she had about thirty lire which she had given to Palmira Valentini for safe
keeping. A certain person in need asked for it, and Gemma would have given it away at once, only she was
accustomed to ask permission in such circumstances from Aunt Cecilia. However, both Aunt Cecilia and
Monsignor Volpi opposed this, and the former kept the money for the use of Gemma and her family.
But Gemma's charity was not confined to the material sphere. Matthew Giannini deposed that when she
went with them to the country, 'she instructed the men and the boys, teaching them their catechism, and
giving good advice to all.' And Joseph, the lawyer, adds: 'She taught the little children to have devotion to the
Blessed Virgin and to their Guardian Angels.' Once when Euphemia gave way somewhat to vanity on going
out for a walk with her father, Gemma met her on the stairs, and smilingly said: 'Whoever tries to please
men, does not succeed in pleasing Jesus.' These words haunted the girl during the whole walk. Gemma
never let slip a chance of doing good. On another occasion Euphemia asked her to give her a thought that
would serve as a headline when practicing handwriting, and Gemma suggested the following words: 'If every
one would endeavor to know and love God, this world would be changed into a Paradise.'
LIFE OF FAITH
Having studied Gemma's relations with her neighbor, we must now examine her relations with God. Leaving
to another chapter the more particular and the extraordinary manifestations of her union with God, there will
be recorded a few of the many depositions made in the Processes for the Beatification.. The following is by
Aunt Cecilia:
“The Eucharist was her principal devotion. Communion meant everything to her, and she prepared for it the
night before. In the church she remained beside me, with her eyes fixed upon the Tabernacle. When the
moment came to receive Holy Communion I got up first and she followed me, and she always kept beside
me with her hands under her mantle. Afterwards we went to some place where there were no people,
because as she herself used to say, she went, as it were, out of herself. People often came to ask her
prayers. She used not to answer, and therefore lest they might perceive something, I asked Monsignor Volpi
what I ought to do, and he said that I should tell them that she did not speak because after Holy Communion
she was making her thanksgiving and did not want to be distracted. . . . Some criticized her for this silence,
although good people remarked upon her recollected and edifying demeanor. As a rule we heard two
Masses, if there were two and if there was time. She continued her thanksgiving right through the morning,
even after she went home and was occupied with her household duties. We used to go to several
churches . . . and I did this in order that she might escape being noticed by people, although I did not tell her
my reason for so doing.
‘At Benediction in the evening she was as recollected as in the morning, with her eyes fixed upon the
Tabernacle. Sometimes we made the Stations of the Cross, and one evening after we had made them with
greater devotion and recollection than usual, she said: "Let us always make them like that !" And I believe
she said this because we had prayed a little longer, especially at the Death of Jesus. . . . We went to the
church also for the Forty Hours or to hear a sermon, but we never went to the general Communions or to
functions where there were great crowds, although we paid visits to churches where particular feasts were
being celebrated. Sometimes she said to me: "We do not know how to behave when we are in the church. It
would not be so if we could see how the Angels and the Seraphim around the Altar behave."
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