BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI - Get a Free Blog

prayers, and so everything ended well.'
The following temptation was perhaps the worst that could afflict the soul of one who was so full of love for
God. Here is her own description of it :
‘At about half-past nine, he (the Devil) left me for a while because I said very fervently:
"Welcome sufferings, welcome the Cross." Hardly had I said these words when he went away. I took the
Crucifix between my hands and became a little recollected. Jesus came to give me His Cross. I took it and at
that moment He gave me the marks in my hands and feet, with great pain. I wanted to get up and go down
on my knees to make the Holy Hour, but just then that beast returned, this time in the form of a young man
who whispered into my ear: "What are you doing ? You are indeed stupid to pray to a malefactor, One who
desires to be revenged upon you. See what He has done to you, nailed you to a cross just the same as He
is! See the harm He does to you! Trample upon Him; spit in His face, tell Him to leave you alone, and that I
am going to be your guide." I kissed Jesus to spite the Devil and said : " 0 my Jesus, I thank Thee for all the
graces You have given me, and I desire to love Thee with all my heart." And all the while he (the Devil) was
whispering in my ear: "How can you love a malefactor condemned to death; a man you do not know? Look at
me! I am a fine young man who does no one any harm. That person, however, makes you suffer always; I on
the contrary would make you always happy. If you obey me I shall free you from all the pain in your hands
and feet. If you pay attention to me I shall make you happy and bring you with me." Having said all these
things to me, he left me, and I began to make the Holy Hour, and I made It well. Scarcely had I knelt down
when Jesus came and I conversed with Him for a little while. I asked Him where He had been. "I was near
you," He answered.’
Against these assaults of the enemy, which became more and more frequent, God gave Gemma one
particular help among others in St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin. After one of these attacks, she invoked
him. He appeared to her and said: 'If the temptation fills your heart with fear, and your soul is on the point of
yielding to the enemy, have recourse to me, and then you can rest assured of victory.' On other occasions he
appeared to her, and placing his hand on her head, made her say three times: ' From the snares of the Devil,
deliver us, 0 Lord!' And thus she was freed from the temptation.
Even in her ecstasies she was subjected to these diabolical attacks, and the bystanders were often moved to
pity and terror as she struggled against the Angel of Darkness.
VICTORIOUS
This bitter and painful struggle lasted throughout the life of the Servant of God. But notwithstanding the
astuteness of the enemy she was always victorious. He assailed her in every way. He attacked every virtue.
He even appealed to that weakness in women which caused Eve to fall in the earthly paradise, for on one
occasion he made it appear that there were about fifty children with candles in their hands around her bed,
and that, led by a bishop, they bowed down and honored her. But this time the Devil suffered a complete
defeat.
Later on we shall tell of the efforts the Devil made to disturb the last hours of Gemma's earthly life. Here we
cannot omit to quote the hymn of thanksgiving she was heard to utter in ecstasy towards the end of her life,
as she reflected on the battles she had fought and the victories she had gained.
‘I have begun to consider the great battles which with Thy aid I have won against the demon. They are so
many! Is it possible, 0 Lord, that without Thy assistance I could have conquered in such violent conflicts?
Who knows how many times my faith would have wavered, if You had not helped me. If You had not come to
my aid, my hope and my charity would have grown weak. If You, the eternal Light, had not enlightened my
intellect, it would have become obscured! And, 0 Jesus, how many times my love would have become weak,
if You had not strengthened it with Thy caresses! And my will-the power of my soul which counts most-this
will of mine would have become slothful many times, if You had not come with Thy fire to inflame it. I
acknowledge that all my victories were the work of Thy infinite love." [Lettere ed estasi, p. 209.]
CHAPTER XIX
TO THE HEIGHTS! -SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA
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