St. Gemma Galgani

So, let us learn from Gemma to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.” (Mark 12:30)

“She bore in her flesh the wounds of Christ” -Pope Pius XI

“Among these Divine favors [that Gemma received] was the very special one of manifesting in her virginal flesh the living image of Christ and mysteriously sharing in the various sufferings of His passion.” -Pope Pius XII.

Quotes of St Gemma Galgani:

On loving God:
“Oh love, oh infinite love! …..Oh love of my Jesus! ….Let Your love penetrate my all; from You I want nothing else. My God, my God, I love You. But, per­haps I love You too little, oh Jesus?….Oh, if all were to know how beautiful Jesus is, how loving He is! They would all die of love. And yet, how is it that He is so little loved?”
“Oh Jesus, what would have become of me, if you had not drawn me to You?…..I am Yours, Oh Jesus!..Jesus I love Thee! Open Your heart to me; I wish to place all of my affections there. I open mine to You!” Click here for more…..

On devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
“Oh, how I love my Mother! She knows it; and then Jesus Himself gave Her to me, and told me to love Her very much. And what great kindness this Heavenly Mother has always shown me! What would have become of me, if I have not had Her? She has always helped me in my spiritual wants; She has preserved me from countless dangers; She has freed me from the hands of the devil who was ceaselessly com­ing to attack me; She pleaded my cause with Jesus when I sinned, and She soothed Him when I moved Him to anger by my wicked life; She has taught me to know Him and to love Him, to be good and to please Him. Ah, my dear Mother, I will love Thee always and forever!” Click here for more…..

“Whoever could have imagined, that this evening my dear Mother would have come to see me? I would not have even considered it because I believed that my bad conduct would have prevented it. Yet She had compassion on me. Her presence quickly put me in a state of recollection, and then, as often happens, I lost my senses, and I found myself, I think, with Our Lady of Sorrows. Oh, what happiness! What sweetness of heart I felt during those wonderful moments! Let whoever can, explain it. It seemed to me, after some moments of emotion, that She took me in her lap and made me rest my head on Her shoulder and kept it there for a short time. My heart during that time felt perfectly happy and con­tented without any other desire.” Click here for more…

On receiving Jesus in the Eucharist:
“Is it possible that there are souls who do not understand what the Blessed Eucharist is? Who are insensible to the Divine Presence…..to the mysterious and fervent effusions of the Sacred Heart of my Jesus? O Heart of Jesus! Heart of love!” “Yesterday, in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament I felt myself burning so fiercely that I had to go away. I felt stunned that so many could stay so close to Jesus and not be reduced to ashes. I felt that I would be consumed. Jesus is such a sweet and irresistible Lover; how can one fail to love Him with one’s whole heart and soul? How can one not wish to be wholly united in Him, and consumed in the flames of His holy love?” Click here for more….. “

….What would become of me if I did not dedicate all my affections to the Sacred Host? Oh yes, I know it Lord; that in order to make me deserve paradise in heaven, You give me Communion here on earth!” “….I am Yours, oh Jesus. You have good reason to complain about me, yes, because I have offended You. And, undeserving as I am, I should be obliged to give back to the Altar so many stolen Breads, and so much precious Blood. But I promise You that I will make amends.” Click here for more…..

Gemma pleads for the conversion of a sinner:
“…..You have not measured the Blood that You have shed for sinners, and now do You wish to measure the enormity of our sins? Do You not listen to me? And I, to whom must 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. 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 grant it to me? It is a soul. Remember, oh Jesus, it is a soul that has cost You so much.” Click here for more…..

“…So Jesus, do not leave these poor sinners to themselves. I am willing to do something. You died on the cross; make me die too. Since these sinners are your sons and daughters, do not abandon them. Jesus, I want them all to be saved. If you desert them, there is no hope. Must not I be the one to suffer for them? Then arrange it so. You have so many sinners, but so few victims…”
“I hope for mercy from Jesus, mercy for me and for all poor sinners. If I could, I would atone for all of their sins and also for mine. “

On praying:
“….Let us go to Jesus. He is all alone and hardly anyone thinks of Him. Poor Jesus!” “….See, oh Jesus, even at night, those hours, those hours! I sleep, but Jesus my heart does not sleep. It watches with Thee at all hours.” “…..Can You see that as soon as the day breaks I think of You? As evening comes, I am near You…..I am near You at every moment…….I love You, Jesus…..” Click here for more…..

On humility:
“…..Oh Jesus, do not let me do things that are above me. I am good for nothing. I do not know how to return all these great graces you have given me. Seek someone else who will know how to do better than I.” “…..Oh Jesus, if people knew me, they would not come and ask for my prayers.” To her adoptive mother and friend, Cecilia Giannini, she wrote: “I was so astonished that you asked me to pray for that lady. If you did not know me you might be excused; but you know me well enough! I say no more…What can you expect to obtain through a sinful soul that is full of defects and that is so little, if at all concerned about Jesus? And yet I obey, but do not trust me, for I am good for no­thing.” “…..Gemma alone can do nothing. But together Gemma and Jesus can do all things!” Click here for more…..

Her miraculous cure:
“…Just before the cure was granted, Jesus said, embrac­ing me, ‘My daughter, I give myself entirely to you and you will be entirely mine.’ I saw clearly that Jesus had taken my parents from me and sometimes this made me discouraged, because I believed myself abandoned. That morning I complained to Jesus about this and He, always so good and tender, said to me: ‘My daughter, I will always be with you. I will be your Father and She (indicating our Mother of Sorrows) will be your Mother. He who is My hands can never lack fatherly help. You will never lack anything, even though I have taken away from you all earthly consolation and support. Come, draw near to Me, you are my daughter. Are you not happy to be the daughter of Jesus and Mary?’

The overwhelming affections to which Jesus gave rise in my heart kept me from answering. After about two hours had passed I arose. Those in the house wept for joy. I too was happy, not because I was cured but because Jesus had chosen me to be His daughter. Before leaving me that morning Jesus said to me: “To the grace that has been given you this morning there will be added many more, and even greater ones.” And this has been so true because Jesus has always protected me in a special way. I have treated Him only with coldness and indifference and in exchange He has given me only signs of His infinite love.” Click here for more…..

Union with God and desire for heaven:
“I live on this earth, but I seem to dwell here like a soul who has lost it’s way, because never for a moment do I cease looking towards Jesus, apart from whom I despise all things.” “I greatly rejoice that time flies so quickly, because that means so much less time to spend in this world, where there is nothing to attract me. My heart goes incessantly in search of a Treasure, an immense Treasure that I do not find in creatures; a Treasure that will satisfy me and console me, and give me rest.” Click here for more…..

Gemma receives the Stigmata:
“…..At that moment Jesus appeared with all His wounds open, but blood no longer came out of those wounds. Rather, flames of fire issued forth from them and in an instant these flames came to touch my hands, my feet and my heart. I felt as if I would die. I fell to the floor, but my Mother supported me, keeping me covered in Her mantle.” Click here for more…..

Jesus teaches Gemma the value of suffering:
“…Jesus in His infinite charity continued His graces and favors to me. One day He said to me lovingly: ‘Daughter, what should I say to you, when in your doubts, your sufferings and your adversities, you think of going to others rather than coming to Me, and you seek alleviation and comfort other than Mine.’ Click here for more

“I knew that I deserved these reproofs, nevertheless I continued as usual, and Jesus rebuked me again saying, ‘Gemma, do you realize that you are offending Me when in your great need you come to Me last, after other creatures who cannot give you consolation? I suffer, My daughter, when I see that you forget Me.’
This last reproof sufficed and served to detach me from every creature in order to turn myself to our Creator.”

“It is true Jesus, if I think of what I have gone through as a child, and now as a grown up girl, I see that I have always had crosses to bear; But oh! how wrong are those who say that suffering is a misfortune!” Click here and also here for more…..

Quotes from her Letters:
“…..Oh, when I see Jesus in tears it pierces my heart. I realize that I, by my sins, have increased the suffering which overwhelmed Him while He prayed in the garden. At that moment, Jesus saw all my sins, all my failings, and He saw also that place I should have occupied in hell, if Thy Heart, oh Jesus, had not pardoned me” Click here for more…..

“My spirit is will­ing but my flesh is weak, weak because I am so lazy. What would I not do for Jesus! For anyone who had just one of His glances, it would suffice; what force, what vigor he would feel! I feel that I would do anything for Him to see Him content; the greatest torment would seem to me easy to bear supported by Him, every drop of my blood I would give willingly, and all to satisfy Him, to prevent poor sinners from offending Him. My God, what do I say? I should wish my voice to reach to the uttermost ends of the earth; I should wish to have all sinners under­stand me. I should want to cry out to them: ‘Rather than insult Jesus, prefer to be insulted yourselves.’ If you knew, Father, how Jesus is afflicted in certain moments at certain times! Oh, it is not possible to bear the sight of Him longing and, yet, how few are those who suffer with Him? Very few, and Jesus finds Himself almost alone. It is so sad to see Jesus in the midst of sorrows! But how can one see Him in that state and not aid Him? Click here for more….

“Jesus continues to make me aware of Himself several times a day; in the evening, the morning, and at all times and in all places . . . And what strength it takes for me to hide this from others, especially when I am in the Church, outside, or even when I find myself alone.” Click here for more….

From her recorded ecstasies:
“My God, open Your heart to me. Oh Jesus, open Your sacred breast to me, so I may place all my affections there. And you, oh Jesus, You said many times that You would wel­come me generously: is that true my Jesus? How much I love You, oh Jesus! I thank you; but why do You behave so lovingly while I offend You with such ingratitude? This thought alone should make me become a flame of love, if only I could understand it well … I love You, oh Jesus. What a fine love is mine, loving someone who does not get angry with those who offend Him!…… Oh Jesus, if I were to consider attentively the great cares You show me, how I ought to excel in so many virtues!” Click here for more…..

Attacks by the devil:
“….Today I thought I was to be entirely free from that nauseous animal, and instead he has knocked me about greatly. I had gone to bed with the full intention of sleeping, but it turned out otherwise. He began to beat me with such blows that I feared I would die. He was in the shape of a big black dog, and he put his “paws” on my shoulders, hurting me greatly. I felt it so much in all my bones that I thought that they were broken. Also, when I was taking holy water he wrenched my arm so violently that I fell to the floor from the pain. The bone was dislocated, but went back into place because Jesus touched it for me, and all was remedied.” Click here for more…..

From her Diary:
“…..Jesus, as soon as he arrived on my tongue (the cause so often of so many sins), made Himself felt immediately. I was no longer in myself but Jesus was in me; He descended to my breast. (I say breast, because I no longer have a heart; I gave it to Jesus’ Mom.) What happy moments I spent with Jesus! How could I return His affections? With what words could I express His love, and for this poor creature? Yet He did deign to come. It’s truly impossible, yes, it is impossible not to love Jesus. How many times He asked me if I love Him and if I truly love Him. And do you still doubt it, my Jesus? So, He unites ever more closely with me, talks to me, says He wants me to be perfect, that He too loves me very much and I should reciprocate.” Click here for more…..

From her Autobiography:
“….I began therefore, to make the Holy Hour, but I felt myself so full of sorrow for my sins that it was a time of continual martyrdom. However, in the midst of this sorrow there was one comfort, namely, weeping. This was both a comfort and a relief to me. I spent the entire hour praying and weeping. Finally, being very tired, I sat down but the sorrow continued. I became entirely recollected and after a little bit, all of a sudden, I felt my strength fail. (It was only with great difficulty that I was able to get up and lock the door to the room.) Where was I? Dear Father, I found myself before Jesus Crucified. He was bleeding all over. I lowered my eyes and the sight filled me with pain. I made the sign of the cross and immediately my anguish was succeeded by peace of soul. I continued to feel an even stronger sorrow for my sins and I had not the courage to raise my eyes and look at Jesus. I prostrated myself on the floor and remained there for several hours. “My daughter,” He said, “Behold these wounds. They have all been opened for your sins. But now, be consoled, for they have all been closed by your sorrow. Do not offend Me any more. Love Me as I have always loved you. Love Me.”

Prayer to St Gemma asking for her intercession

Oh holy Gemma, I am near you, help me to pray. You know what I and those near me need; look after my urgent needs and my spiritual and material wants. You take care of them! I confide in you and entrust all to your loving care.
Offer up to Jesus that tender and constant care that you bore Him here on earth.
Oh holy Gemma, you who physically suffered all the pains of the Passion of Jesus, I beseech of you the grace to meditate on and live the Passion of Jesus, and the sufferings of Holy Mary. Pray that I will be able to walk in the path of humility, simplicity, love and sacrifice, fulfilling at all times and in all ways, the holy will of God. Let me live united with Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and you, for all eternity. Amen.

Source: Glenn Dallaire, www.stgemmagalgani.com