Saint Gemma Galgani
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St. Gemma Galgani
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Gemma has an encounter with her Guardian Angel As her illness had taken a toll on her strength, Gemma was not able to return to school. She remained at home and taught her sisters and brothers. At her beatification, one of her brothers said, "Gemma always brought the olive branch."7 She lovingly cared for the needs, both spiritual and physical of her family, often at the neglect of herself. She had no use for fancy clothes, and adorned herself in simple, extremely austere black dresses. One day to please a relative, not wanting to offend him by refusing his gift, Gemma wore a gold watch and a gold cross and chain when she went outdoors. When she returned home, who should come to her but her Guardian Angel. He scolded her: "Remember, the spouse of the Crucified King should wear no ornaments but thorns and crosses." She immediately pledged never to wear nor speak of things of the world. She went back to the severity of the clothes she had been wearing, and when she ventured out, she donned a simple black cloak to cover a shapeless black dress and a straw hat. This did not detract from her fine patrician looks, but instead enhanced them.Her Guardian Angel stressed obedience! He would repeat over and over again: "Obedience! You must obey! You must be like a dead body; whatever is asked of you, you must obey quickly and joyfully!" He was not above reproaching her, scolding her: "If you do not obey, I will not show myself to you, again." He taught her that to disobey would always lead to sin. He told her there was no shorter road to Heaven than through obedience!Jesus reveals God’s imminent punishment on mankind Father Germano saw in Gemma a holy soul who, like a child without guile, simply loved God and saw Him in all the circumstances surrounding her life, recognizing Him most in her suffering. Discerning her to be holy and pure, Father Germano believed her ecstasies were authentic and accepted her wounds as the Stigmata, a gift from the Lord of His five Wounds. Father spent the rest of his life being her Spiritual Director. But that did not mean Gemma’s life would be without strife and dissension, the devil doing all he could do to cause problems. At times, Gemma even doubted Father Germano and all those who had been the first to believe in her.Gemma’s life was one of: rejection - God’s gifts to her were often doubted and she, mistrusted; hurts - ill-will, spite and jealousy in the hearts of those around her; abandonment - feeling most sharply the absence of a family, she grieved because she judged she was a burden on those around her.Gemma could see the sins within the souls of others Not only could Gemma see the sins within the souls of others but those within herself as well. This caused her so much anguish, she asked to suffer even more. She desired with her whole heart to suffer that her pain might alleviate the pain God suffered because of sin. One day the Lord appeared to her and gave her a new mission. Jesus said that God the Father was highly offended by the sins of the world, and that there was a dire need for more victim-souls to appease His anger.Gemma’s crown of thorns turn into a halo of light Father Germano published her biography four short years after her death, and Gemma soon became known over the four corners of the earth, as far east as China and Japan. In 1917, the Church began to scrupulously investigate her life. After long and thorough study of all she had written and careful examination of the sworn testimonies of those who had known her, on May 14, 1933, Gemma Galgani was Beatified. Bishops, priests, religious and thousands of the laity crowded into St. Peter’s Basilica to do honor to the little poor one, Blessed Gemma Galgani. Miracles were submitted and painstakingly studied. Science agreed with Mother Church that the healings were truly miraculous. And then, on March 26, 1939, on Passion Sunday, they were approved and proclaimed Miracles, supernaturally obtained through the intercession of Gemma. On the triumphant anniversary of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven, May 2, 1940, Gemma Galgani was hailed for the first time: "Saint Gemma." In the midst of war and hatred, of death and cruelty, of man’s inhumanity to man, a light shone in the darkness and love was crowned.For More Information about Saint Gemma Galgani click here
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