Flora Cantábrica

GEMA GALGANI.English.5.12,21

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GEMA GALGANI

 

She was one of the first stigmatized women of the 20th century. Three days a week, for at least three years, she Gema showed stigmata on her hands and feet, which then disappeared

 

Gemma is 20 years old, and at this moment Jesus allows a serious illness for Gemma to return to Him with all her heart and never again be distracted by the things of the world.

 

«Suddenly I began to walk hunched over and to feel kidney pain. I resisted for some time, but as things were getting worse, I asked my aunt for permission to return to Lucca.»

 

It happened like that. Out of modesty he wanted to resist a little longer without notifying the doctor, but the aunts sent for him and suddenly he appeared and examined her. Her diagnosis was osteitis in the lumbar vertebrae with successive cold abscess in the groin. She was paralyzed on both legs. On January 28, 1899, she experienced excruciating pain in her head, the result of acute purulent otitis media involving the mastoid. The doctors, seeing that the remedies did not produce improvement and that the disease was progressing, gave it up; just for her fulfillment they come from time to time to see her

 

On December 8, Feast of the Immaculate, Saint Gemma reacts with digust … «I told Jesus that I would not pray any more if I was not cured. And I asked him what he intended to have me like this. The guardian angel answered me: – If Jesus afflicts you in the body, it is to purify you more and more in the spirit

 

His former teacher, Sister Julia Sestini, told him the biography of a young Passionist named Gabriel de la Dolorosa. A pious lady, Cecilia Giannini, came to practice a work of mercy with Gemma; one day she visited her, and to distract her she lent her the biography of Gabriel de la Dolorosa, written by an unknown Fr. Germán de San Estanislao, C.P. How are the things of the Lord! These two people would be for Saint Gemma, in the last years of her life, two great gifts from God. Doña Cecilia would be the one who would take care of her, and would be aware of her ecstasy and mystical experiences and Fr. Germán would be the spiritual director that the Lord himself would send him to guide her soul and to confirm later the authenticity of his life

 

Saint Gemma says: «I took the book with contempt and put it under my pillow … One day I was alone. It would be about twelve o’clock. A strong temptation came over me, and she told me that I was bored with everything. he used this to tempt me, telling me that if I listened to him he would cure me. I was about to succumb. But suddenly an idea came to me; I turned to Venerable Gabriel and said: First the soul, then the body. » Overcome this temptation, she began to read Venerable Gabriel’s book of life and she was amazed. She never tires of admiring his virtues. When Dona Cecilia came back to pick up her book, it was very difficult for Gemma to return it to her. That same night, «(Gabriel) appeared to me dressed in white. I did not recognize him …. he took off his white tunic and appeared dressed as a Passionist.

 

 

Me dijo: «Ya ves qué agradable ha sido tu sacrificio. He venido yo mismo a verte. Procura ser buena y volveré.»

 

Ven appeared to him again. Gabriel and this time told her to make a vow to become a religious, but not to add anything else.

 

«And why?» – I asked him

 

Blessed Margarita Maria for the miracle of her healing. She began the novena to the Sacred Heart several times but her weakness did not allow her to continue it. On February 23, 1899, the novena began in earnest, and on the night of March 1 to 2 this happens: With a few minutes to midnight, Gemma heard the rubbing of a rosary beads and felt a hand that it rested on his forehead, the voice that he heard praying asked him:

 

-Do you want to heal?

 

– «I don’t care about everything,» I replied.

 

-You will be cured. Pray fervently to the Sacred Heart …

 

– «And Blessed Margarita?» I asked.

 

 

«Add the ‘Gloria’ in his honor three times.» (Blessed Margaret is today Saint Margaret Mary)

 

«On the penultimate day of the Novena I wanted to receive Communion, since it ended on the First Friday of the month of March. I received Communion very early. What a delightful time I spent with Jesus! He repeated to me: – ‘Do you want to heal?’. No I could answer with emotion. Poor Jesus! Grace had been granted. I was healed! «

 

At dawn on March 2, she got up with her own feet and her whole family, when they saw her, cried with joy at that miracle of God. This miracle is the prelude to other great graces that Santa Gema would receive during her life. Her love for Christ crucified and her longing to be only for Jesus would lead her more and more to offer herself to the Lord as a victim of love.

 

The Lord was preparing Santa Gema, through the crucible of suffering, to pour in her graces and «jewels», which she never imagined, He could grant her. How far she was from thinking that that crucified Christ whom she loved so much, very soon he was going to turn her into a living portrait of himself!

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THE SCORES OF CHRIST

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On June 8, 1899, in her communion, Jesus warned her that in the afternoon she was going to receive a great grace. She relates it like this:

 

At that moment, Jesus appeared with all the open sores, but no blood came out of the wounds, flames of fire came out, which in a moment came to feed on my hands, feet and side. I thought I was dying and would have fallen to the ground, if the heavenly mother had not supported me, always keeping me covered with her mantle. For several hours I had to maintain that posture. Later, my mother kissed me on the forehead, she disappeared everything and I found myself on my knees on the ground, but she continued to feel a strong pain in her hands, feet and side.

 

 

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 I got up to go to bed, but I noticed that, from those parts that hurt me, blood was coming out. I covered them as best I could and then, helped by the angel, I was able to lie down on the bed. And these pains and these sores, instead of afflicting me, they filled me with a perfect peace. In the morning, with difficulty, I was able to go to communion, and I put gloves on my hands so that nothing would be seen. I couldn’t stand up; every moment I thought I was dying. Those pains lasted until three on Friday, solemn feast of the Heart of Jesus

 

 

Father Germán, its director, states: From that day on, it was repeated periodically every week, from Thursday night, around eight o’clock, until three o’clock on Friday afternoon … Once the ecstasy was over Friday, blood stopped coming from both the side and the hands and feet. The raw flesh was gradually drying out, the lacerated tissues were united, and healed and, the next day or no later than Sunday, there was not the slightest trace of those deep rips in the center or the periphery; the skin covered them evenly as in the healthy parts … Until it was prohibited by the directors of Gema, the phenomenon of the appearance of the sores was carried out in a regular and constant way every week on Thursdays and Fridays without were manifested on no other day, however memorable, not even in cases in which the ecstasies were repeated in an extraordinary way

 

Sister Julia de San José certifies: I have seen Gema’s wounds… I saw Gema’s right hand with a hole that pierced the entire hand from the back to the palm. The meat, at the beginning, that is, on the top of the hand and at the end of the hole below it, the meat was as raised and bloody as occurs when a thick nail pierces a hand. What I saw and how I saw it on this occasion was also seen by two other religious: Sister María Magdalena and Sister Daughter of Mary. This happened on a Friday; the next day Saturday, there was no trace on Gema’s hand

 

YOUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

 

Gema was spiritually helpless, as her confessor did not trust her. Then, Jesus made him see his future spiritual director, Father Germán de San Estanislao, in an apparition, who will be from January 1900 until Gema’s death in 1903.

 

She says: One day, during an ecstasy, I found myself in front of Jesus, but I was not alone. He had a white-haired man next to him. Through habit I learned that he was a Passionist priest. He had his hands clasped and was praying fervently. I looked at him and Jesus spoke these words: «Daughter, do you know him?» I answered no. «Look, he added, that priest will be your director and he will be the one who will know in you the infinite work of my mercy» 28.

 

She recognized him when she saw a photograph of him and wrote him a letter on January 29, 1900. He was the one who recognized that these phenomena came from God and encouraged her to continue on her path of holiness and total offering to God in favor of the sinners.

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. THE ANGEL, TEACHER AND GUIDE

 

 It is a safe doctrine that every human being has a guardian angel who helps and guides him during his earthly existence. Normally, we don’t see it, but there are some privileged people who have that grace of God. One of them was santa Gema, who since she was a child, already invoked him with affection and of which she speaks to us through own experience. Her angel appeared to him regularly and did all kinds of of services and favors, although she also reprimanded her to correct herself

 

The angel for her was a friend who cared about her smallest things about her, that he smiled at her with love, he kissed her with affection and, every night, gave her the blessing her when lying on her. Even healing her as a heavenly physician. She tells us: The angel of the guard does not cease to watch over me, instruct me and give me wise advice. He leaves see several times a day and he talks to me. Yesterday he accompanied me during lunch, but he didn’t force me (to eat) like others do. After eating, He didn’t feel good at all and he brought me a cup of coffee so good that I I healed right away141

 

Not only did his angel appear to him, Father Germán’s angel also appeared to him.appears frequently to help her. And both angels form a duo

indissoluble to help her in everything.

 

THE ANGEL, DOCTOR AND NURSE

 

Father Germán says: Gema had in her guardian angel a solicitous nurse and an eminent doctor. It was enough that she suffered the slightest ailment for her to have him at her bedside all night. He entertained her with her holy exhortations, consoled her in her sorrows, defended her against the wiles of the devil, and rendered her whatever services she needed.

 

THE ANGEL OF FATHER GERMÁN

 

Gema not only had a friend angel, Father Germán’s angel was also her friend who visited her frequently and helped her in everything, even when she was ill. Here we can observe the importance of invoking the angels of our relatives or people with whom we live, because they are also part of our life and will help us to the extent that we invoke them.

 

Gema says to Father Germán: Send me her angel tonight, because I have many errands to give her87

 

Every night since you left, your guardian angel has come to bless me and, in the morning, to wake me up.