BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI - Get a Free Blog

Recommendations

Info

‘A few minutes ago I received Jesus. I know that I deserve to have to live with the devils, but instead I am surrounded every morning by the Saints and Angels, and continuously and intimately united with Jesus! How good and merciful is not Jesus! What is there worth loving on earth, now that I possess Jesus? . . . I live upon the earth, but it seems to me, like one who has lost his way, for never is the thought of Jesus absent from my mind.' Nevertheless Gemma feared that in spite of the candor of her desires, she did not receive Holy Communion with the requisite dispositions, and that she did not obtain from its reception all the fruit she ought. 'Tell me, Mother,' she wrote to a religious, 'why notwithstanding the frequency of my Communions, I do not obtain the benefit from them which others do?' And to her spiritual director she wrote: 'Day and night Jesus remains shut up, out of love for us, in that poor ciborium, and all around Him there is silence and squalor ; and then if in addition to this we also were to grieve Him, what a heart-rending thought.' And in her humility she said: 'I am so undeserving, that it will be necessary for me to make restitution for all the particles I have stolen and all that Blood! ' ‘How happy Jesus makes me! But I am full of confusion at the thought. What was it that induced Jesus to communicate Himself to us in such a beautiful and wonderful manner? Let us reflect: Jesus, our food! Jesus, my food! At this moment there are many things I should like to say, but I cannot. I can only weep, saying again and again: " Jesus, my food ! "’ ‘Holy Sacrament, welcome me, receive me, grant me a tiny place in the ciborium, for You art my peace, my rest. . . . How can I hide my heart, oh Jesus, within Thy fire? Come, 0 Jesus, I open my heart to Thee; enkindle therein the fire of Thy divine love. You art a flame of fire, 0 Jesus, and You desire to change my heart into a fire also. Open Thy heart to me, 0 Jesus, for I have opened mine to Thee; set my heart on fire, 0 Jesus, and consume it with Thy burning love. . . . And You, the Lily of purity, the Fountain of all beauty, how is it that You dwell in the midst of such misery ? You nourish me and sustain me, but how do I repay Thee? You do feed among the lilies, but there are no such flowers within my heart. . . . Thy bed is of ebony, and Thy columns are of gold, and Thy stairways are carpeted with purple. But there are no such colors within my heart ! ' ‘I WISH THAT MY HEART COULD BEAT ONLY FOR JESUS' There were flowers indeed, and those colors, within Gemma's heart-a heart burnt up with love of God. For this is what first strikes the reader of her writings and ecstasies, her extraordinary love for Jesus. To use the words of Father Germanus, in his introduction to the first edition of her letters and ecstasies in 1909, Gemma's love was' tender and animated, constant and generous, fruitful of holy desires and the most ardent affections.' The Holy Name enriches every phrase, but so natural is its use that the reader, far from being wearied, is, on the contrary, pleased. In the Epistles of that great lover of the Divine Master, St. Paul the Apostle, one notices with admiration that the most Holy Name is used no fewer than four hundred and fifty times. In her letters Gemma mentions it one thousand and eighty-two times in her ecstasies. We shall now quote some passages taken here and there from these sublime outpourings of her heart: ‘How sweet and good Jesus is to me, in spite of my being so wicked! How shall I ever correspond with the mercy Jesus shows me? What shall I give to Jesus in exchange for all the benefits He showers upon me?' ‘It is true, is it not, Jesus, that love is the best exchange for Thy gifts? And even I can love Thee. But I do not love Thee because of Thy gifts to me. I love Thee because You art my Jesus, I love Thee because You alone art worthy of being loved. I love Thee because You art good, because You have promised, have sworn never to abandon me .... ' ‘I love Thee because You art my benefactor, my preserver, because You do consume my soul, do make my soul divine. Because You art my Spouse, I seek Thee always, I seek Thy affection, Thy friendship, Thy glory.' ‘You ask me how I should like to love Thee? With that purity with which the virgins loved Thee; with that fortitude with which the martyrs loved Thee. Yes,... You know, 0 Jesus (but do I say it too often ?), I want to love Thee as Thy holy Mother loved Thee.' 94
‘I should like to possess the purity of the Angels, and even that of our Mother, most holy Mary.' ‘Do You know what chastisement I fear to merit? I t is that of being condemned not to love Thee any more, my Jesus.' ‘Love demands love, and fire calls upon fire-Even from the depths of my unworthiness I love Thee, 0 my Jesus, and intensely. It would be impossible for me to think of Thee. . . . I spend my days uttering burning aspirations of love.' ‘But what do You call me? What do You say to me ? I am Thy delight, 0 Jesus? I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. You art the staff of my life, the flame of my heart, the apple of my eye.' ‘See, 0 Jesus, if You had shown Thyself less lovable, if You had not made me understand the extent of Thy love for me, I should have loved Thee less. But You have made me love Thee, and now I cannot do without Thee.' ‘What would happen to me if Jesus ceased to love me? I, not to love Jesus, and Jesus not to love me? But it is a thought that terrifies me, and I beseech Jesus to continue to love me, to think of me, even though I do not succeed in loving Him as I ought.' ‘0 dear Jesus, come to me, come! Do not be disgusted with my misery, for although it is great, Thy mercy is greater still. Come, and with Thy purity, make clean my heart; with Thy meekness, beat down my pride. Visit my conscience, and if there is anything. that displeases Thee; root it out and destroy it. Until my heart is full of true and solid virtue, do not come to it, do not expose to insult the honor of Thy glory, the greatness of Thy Majesty. 0 my God, You who do lower Thyself to the vilest of Thy creatures, such as I am; repair the harm my sins have done, and raise me up, 0 Jesus! And then, come to me always, o Jesus ... .' 'I consider my soul as a high mountain with Jesus resting against it to prevent it from falling. Yes, it is indeed so! If Jesus did not sustain me I should fall. . . . 0 my God, make haste that I die, and die of love for Jesus! Do You not see that my heart and my body are in the throes of an agony and that I am on fire? Do You not see that I am a victim of love and that I shall soon die of love? The world wearies me; I long for one thing only, love, love, love.' 'What do You say, 0 Jesus? That I am small . . . that I am great! The smaller I feel, the more I feel I love Jesus. His love inebriates me, exhausting me ever more and more. I shall be alone with Jesus.' 'You art great, 0 Jesus, but notwithstanding Thy greatness, my soul shall succeed in making Thee greater.' (That is, by giving His Mercy an opportunity of triumphing.) ‘0 Jesus, I desire to please Thee, and what pleases Thee, pleases me. I long for Thee alone, and the accomplishment of Thy most holy Will.' ‘What joy one experiences when one abandons oneself into the arms of Jesus! The faithful soul becomes His dearest child. He opens His arms to receive it, and presses it to His most Sacred Heart. Oh Jesus, I am in such great need of Thy love! ' ‘Jesus is an irresistible and loving Spouse. The Mercy of Jesus astonishes me. How could anyone not love Jesus with their whole heart and soul? How could anyone not desire to be entirely absorbed in Him and consumed by His holy love? ' ‘Jesus is truth, but the truth is not in me. Jesus is perfect, but I am most imperfect. Jesus is pure ; I am so unclean that I am, as it were, wrapped round with uncleanness. Jesus is holiness itself, whereas I am the fruit of sin. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, I dare to go to Jesus. ‘Allow me, 0 Jesus, to call Thee Father, for no one forgives my weaknesses and inconsiderateness as You do. You art an abyss of love, Jesus, but I am an abyss of iniquity.' '0 Jesus, why should I love Thee for Thy favors alone, and not for Thy Cross? But what singularity of love You have chosen for me! 0 Jesus, hasten to consume me with the same fire that consumed Thee.' 95
Page 1 and 2:
1 BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI www
Page 3 and 4:
CHAPTER I BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS A d
Page 5 and 6:
not the child of prayer-the fulfill
Page 7 and 8:
taken to have Gemma raised to the a
Page 9 and 10:
ecomingly decorated, nor is it surp
Page 11 and 12:
decided to plead her cause with her
Page 13 and 14:
day was still very green : ‘I do
Page 15 and 16:
esolution: I will make acts of cont
Page 17 and 18:
punished the culprit.' In spite of
Page 19 and 20:
Another incident illustrates her an
Page 21 and 22:
eached home she would say that she
Page 23 and 24:
His holy Mother, along with a feeli
Page 25 and 26:
consultation, and the result was a
Page 27 and 28:
The biography of St. Gabriel which
Page 29 and 30:
'I said to her: "Gemma, I know that
Page 31 and 32:
from all His wounds. I lowered my e
Page 33 and 34:
At home Gemma continued to follow t
Page 35 and 36:
comfort. ‘ "The demons with My pe
Page 37 and 38:
In 1899, in preparation for the ope
Page 39 and 40:
their souls and become better instr
Page 41 and 42:
efore. she was convinced that Gemma
Page 43 and 44: visited her family or the Zitine Si
Page 45 and 46: wrote to the latter: 'Father, the m
Page 47 and 48: Her love for the Blessed Virgin was
Page 49 and 50: 'I saw on one occasion, I think it
Page 51 and 52: happening, but I heard her say in t
Page 53 and 54: will esteem it better than all the
Page 55 and 56: BLESSED GEMMA GALGANI (1878-1903) P
Page 57 and 58: 'I saw with my own eyes the wounds
Page 59 and 60: very near one another] A little whi
Page 61 and 62: elations with anybody. This wise pr
Page 63 and 64: is a true gem of the Sacred Heart o
Page 65 and 66: Perhaps more than one reader, even
Page 67 and 68: ‘It is some time since I began to
Page 69 and 70: that will compel Him to pour out Hi
Page 71 and 72: say more than this, that there were
Page 73 and 74: color of her eyes. The greater part
Page 75 and 76: towards the end of her life, she us
Page 77 and 78: why he endeavored in other ways to
Page 79 and 80: ‘One night-I do not remember what
Page 81 and 82: prayers, and so everything ended we
Page 83 and 84: These ecstasies lasted ordinarily f
Page 85 and 86: false devotion. Hide me away from t
Page 87 and 88: all being rapt in Jesus, that is, i
Page 89 and 90: Gianninis' (mentioning the exact ho
Page 91 and 92: loving Mom! If Jesus will persist i
Page 93: of confusion at the thought of such
Page 97 and 98: Lord, to die a victim of Thy love,
Page 99 and 100: of Gemma that the conversion of a m
Page 101 and 102: indeed have continued her intercess
Page 103 and 104: had been commanded to do so by St.
Page 105 and 106: never be happy except in a convent.
Page 107 and 108: how much ingratitude and malice the
Page 109 and 110: The foundation was indeed made. To-
Page 111 and 112: same I have not got tuberculosis.'
Page 113 and 114: heard to say repeatedly. 'Do not th
Page 115 and 116: Gemma was indeed dead! The parish p
Page 117 and 118: Gemma Galgani increased daily, and
Page 119 and 120: Renaissance, by Father Henry Petito
Page 121 and 122: Antipreparatory Congregation on the
show all

BIOGRAPHY of ST GEMMA GALGANI - Get a Free Blog

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?