BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI - Get a Free Blog

entreaties. But Gemma was not deterred by these refusals and continued: "Why to-day do You not grant my
request? For one soul only You have done so much! Why then will You not save this one? Save him, 0
Jesus, save him! ... Be good, Jesus. Do not say that to me. In Thy mouth, You who art Mercy itself, that
word, ' abandon,' sounds badly; You must not say it. You have not measured the blood You have shed for
sinners, and now do You wish to measure the enormity of our sins? . . . Will You not give in? To whom then
shall I turn? You have shed Thy Blood for him as well as for me. Will You save me and not him? I will not rise
from here until You save him; promise me that You will save him. I offer myself victim for all, but particularly
for him. I promise not to refuse Thee anything. Will You not grant my request? Remember, 0 Jesus, a soul is
at stake! A soul, Jesus, that cost Thee so much. He will become good and will not fall again."
‘In answer to all her pleading the Saviour put forward the claims of Divine Justice. She, however, grew still
more earnest, and replied: " I am not seeking Thy justice; I am imploring Thy Mercy. My Jesus, go and find
this poor sinner; make him repent." And here to prove to Gemma what reason He had for remaining firm, Our
Lord began to show her one by one, with the most minute circumstances of time and place, the evil deeds of
that sinner, adding that he had filled up their measure. The poor girl showed her dismay; she let her hands
fall down and sighed deeply, as if she had lost hope of succeeding. But recovering quickly from the shock,
she returned to the attack. "I know, 0 Jesus," she said, "I know it; that he has offended Thee thus grievously;
but I have done worse and yet You have shown me Mercy .... What immense Charity, 0 Jesus, have You not
lavished upon me! Treat my sinner, I implore of Thee, with those delicacies of infinite Love with which You
have treated me. Remember, 0 Jesus, that I want him to be saved. Triumph, triumph! I ask this of Thee; oh,
do not refuse me."
In spite of all these efforts, Our Lord remained inflexible, and Gemma, again becoming downhearted and
discouraged, remained silent as if she had abandoned the struggle. Then of a sudden another motive
flashed to her mind-a motive that seemed invincible against all resistance. Again becoming all animated she
spoke thus: " Well, I am a sinner; You Thyself have told me so; that worse than me You couldst not find. Yes,
I confess it, I am unworthy that You should listen to me ; yet I present to Thee another advocate for my
sinner; it is Thine own Mother who asks Thee to forgive him. Canst You say 'no' to Thy Mother? Surely You
canst not say' no' to her. Answer me now, 0 Jesus; say that You have saved my sinner." The victory was
gained, the whole scene changed its aspect, the merciful Savior had granted the grace, and Gemma, with a
look of indescribable joy, exclaimed: " He is saved, he is saved! Jesus, You have conquered; triumph always
thus." Then she came out of her ecstasy.'
Gemma had indeed prayed earnestly for her sinner! But her charity was to have its reward, not only in the
triumph of Divine Mercy, but also by the changing of Father Germanus's mind in her favour.
When the ecstasy was over and Father Germanus, a. prey to the deepest emotion, retired to his room, there
was a knock at his door. 'Father, a gentleman has called and wishes to see you.' A man entered and weeping
threw himself at the priest's feet. 'Father, hear my confession ... ' He was Gemma's sinner. Father Germanus
heard his confession, the man accusing himself of all the sins that were mentioned in the ecstasy, except
one which he had forgotten and which Father Germanus recalled to his mind, telling him at the same time
what had happened. The man willingly gave Father Germanus permission to publish these wonders of the
Lord, and after embracing one another they parted. 'The devil is able to drag sinners to perdition,' said Father
Germanus in concluding his account of these incidents, ' but not to convert them.' And with these words he
declared himself conquered.
HER NEW DIRECTOR AT WORK
But Father Germanus was not so completely conquered that he could rest satisfied with mere wonder and
approval. He had come to make an examination, and he determined to do it thoroughly. 'I began my studies
with great earnestness,' he said, ' in order to make certain of Gemma's spirit. These studies lasted nearly
three years without interruption. Guided by ascetical and mystical Theology and by modern physiological
science I put her through a long trial so as to be able to say in the end that I had not neglected any means of
ascertaining the truth, and I can say that none of my tests failed. The Bishop, her confessor, in his turn, was
satisfied; . he approved of all that I had done, and expressed his desire that I should take up the direction of
Gemma.'
As the first words of Jesus to Gemma were verified, so also these other words would be verified: 'It is he who
will recognize in you, a miserable creature, the work of My infinite Mercy.' Father Germanus did indeed
recognize the work of God, and on September 6, 1900, he wrote to Monsignor these precise words: 'Gemma
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