I said back in May that the Life of St Gemma Galgani had jumped the queue of books to be read. I didn't get very far - something else must have supervened - but have got into the book now. I wrote about her after my last visit to Rome (post: St Gemma Galgani)The author of the book, Fr Germanus CP, was her spiritual director for a few years. He describes in detail the physical manifestation of her union with the Passion of Christ. This included not only the stigmata but the sweat of blood, the crowning with thorns and the scourging, as well as a wound on the shoulder from carrying the cross. These wounds would only appear for a time, shed copious amounts of blood, and then heal up completely. They were usually present from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.
These quite extraordinary physical signs do not make a saint, of course. Her holiness consisted, as it does for all saints, in her heroic virtue, and conformity with the will of God. When her confessor asked her to pray to Our Lord for the physical signs to stop, she did so sincerely - and they stopped.
The lesson that I am beginning to pick up from St Gemma's life is that we must meditate upon the Passion of Christ because it is so profitable spiritually to do so. I am sure that I read a short quotation from St Bonaventure today saying exactly this but I can't find it now...
... that's it! Train of thought: St Gemma Galgani - Passion - Anne Katherine Emmerich (another book I must read soon) - title page:
He who desires to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus... There is no practice more profitable for the entire sanctification of the soul than the frequent meditation on the sufferings of Jesus Christ. (St Bonaventure)As some of us used to say by way of an alternative to Archbishop Worlock's motto for the National Pastoral Congress in 1980: "We are the Good Friday people and Stabat Mater is our song."
The article "New Saints" from Time Magazine of 13 May 1940 tells of the ceremony of canonisation, silver trumpets and all. Here is the picture I posted before, from the Laus Crucis post on the canonisation.
10 comments:
Am about to start The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord by Anne Catherine Emmerich..a bit like you though something always crops up..usually anything by Blessed John XX111...
S. Gemma is a splendid antidote to a weakness in the English Catholic tradition, and here I include the more Catholic aspects of Anglicanism, that is, a robust primary exposition of the incarnation, to the detriment of the passion. This has created the excellent seam of kindness as theology which marks much in the English Catholic tradition; people are important because God became one but reduced the knowledge of the Cross and passion iluustrated in the suffering Christ paintings and sculpture of the Low countries (Bruges !). The English reformed tradition made much and good use of the cross, but as redemptive means rather than mystical experience. S. Gemma's canonisation was opposed by a number of senior clerics, always a good sign. The Lily of Lucca may yet prove to be a saint for the new century.
I read the autobiography of St. Gemma several years ago and was moved by her holiness and innocence. She was a courageous soul to have done physical battle with Satan on an almost nightly basis.
Fr Tim
I don't know how to email you.
I think you would be interested in this: http://www.liturgy.co.nz/worship/matters_files/christmasnazareth.html
Advent blessings
Fr Bosco
I need to find a good English translation of St. Bonaventure...
I did coursework at uni on the theological justification of devotion to the cross (particularly in light of Abelard's soteriology), and I think there's a major lack of it in modern Catholic life, but surely in an effort to promote a 'Good Friday spirituality', the danger of forgetting the resurrection is always present... How can a balance be struck, do you think?
Father,
Thank you for posting a note on my blog with a link to that photo. I will add that to my blog as soon as possible. Thank you again.
Fr., I don't think that I have your email address. I was going to add you to my contact's list since I greatly value the advice/prayers of a priest. If you would like to receive email updates from me at seminary, please just let me know via email and I will add your email to my contact's mailing list.
Jacob - probably easier and quicker to learn Latin :-) Seriously, I don't know of any but other commenters may help.
Matthew - always pleased to hear from seminarians. My email address is rosary[at]freeuk.com
Felix - I have been thinking about this. It strikes me that the gospels devote much more space to the passion than the resurrection. In the writings of the saints, the Passion features much more prominently. Perhaps it is that the resurrection is assumed as "obvious" - there would be no point meditating on the Passion if Jesus were dead and gone. But the Passion and crucifixion were the means by which Our Lord redeemed us and form the focus of the Church's prayer. The resurrection is there always because otherwise there would be no liturgy.
Father, I ought to! I need some kind of guided study though. I have several textbooks, but they are not exactly geared towards my level of private study.
Thank you though for the advice. I've been meaning to learn Latin for awhile and this only adds to the impetus.
This just adds one more book to the hundreds already on my list.
How does any Catholic have time to simply sit and watch prime-time TV, especially as trashy as it is?
Thanks for posting this. The lives of the various saints especially intrigue me because of the lessons we can learn from them. That's the point, is it not? After all, there are many more saints unknown to us and undocumented. By the will of God, some become known to us so that we may learn, if we take the time.
BTW, if I don't make it back here before then, have a Blessed Christmas Father!
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