Below are some recently translated ecstasies of Saint Gemma from the summer of 1902. Knowing the great spiritual treasure contained in such expressions of love for God, Gemma’s spiritual director, Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo C.P. requested that as many of the ecstasies as possible be recorded. The members of the Giannini family complied as best as they could, and thankfully some were recorded. Below is a selection of some of the recorded ecstacies.
Saturday, June 28, 1902
Lord, if you wish, you can save me; but the number of the sins I carry with me is great, and it is infinite. Remember, Oh Jesus, your mercy ... I hoped, oh Jesus, as I confessed so many times before you, to be self-sufficient in something; I hoped in my own strength ... But when I began to act on my own, that was when 1 fell and lost all you had allowed me to gain. But soon after, oh Jesus, you illuminated me, and then I understood that what I thought I could be self sufficient in was exactly what I never could have done on my own. 1 had the will but I lacked the strength; I had the strength but lacked the will. .
Before you I have absolutely nothing to boast about! ... You have loved me, on Jesus . . . You have preferred me to so many creatures. I am happy with your favors but I understand more and more my own sinfulness ... Expect nothing from me ... What can you expect from a bit if slime, able only to offend you? ...
I would give you love but I have none left because I no longer have a heart! Anyway, oh Jesus, do not ask love of me, because I owe it to you for gratitude.....Oh, if I could make You happy in the same way You make me happy!
My God, my help ... my strength ... my support ... my light!.......Enlighten my steps ...
Where have you gone, my love? ... Where are You hiding? ... Why don't You let me see You anymore? ... if I can't see You, because I am alive, then let me die, as I desire. I wish to die, so I can come to You alone.
Where have you gone, my Jesus? ... Infinite beauty, where are You concealed? Where should I look for you, oh Jesus? ... Make yourself seen at least one more time.Maybe, oh Jesus, you said I would not see you again on this earth? ...
I don't remember. I so much want to see you, oh Jesus ... But I hear you and that should be enough ... When I was little, I was told You were always present ... Why is it that I don't see You? . . . Release this body, oh Jesus . . . break these chains ... I shall not be happy until my soul is free and flies to You alone. When can I rejoice completely in You?
Oh love of sweetness! . . . oh sweetness of love! . . .
Sunday, June 29, at 9:00am.
I burn, Jesus ... I open my heart to you this morning ... You are divine: enlighten this darkness ... lift the darkness entirely until with a flame You give all of Yourself. I love You, but if it is too little, make me love You more ... You are immense, my God! ...
Sunday, June 29, at 10:30am
Who will give me the feathers if an eagle; who will give me the feathers if a dove so
I may fly to You? ... You should give me, oh Jesus, the wings of contemplation. How am I going to fly to You? So many things to go through! ... Go through all creation; break these chains that prevent me from flying to You . . .
There are many other things, oh Jesus, that nourish my soul when I contemplate them ... but in none if them do I remain satiated, in none do I find repose. Only in You, oh Jesus, only in You does this soul of mine find repose.
Sunday, June 29, at 4:00pm
Oh Jesus, how are You doing in the narrow cell of my heart? Are you all right? Expand my chest, because it is no longer enough to contain You ... Jesus, allow me to pour out my affections with You ...
Monday, June 30
Lord…my Jesus, when my lips near Yours to kiss You, let me feel Your gall. When my
shoulders rest on yours, let me feel Your scourges. When your flesh communicates with mine, let me feel your Passion. When my head nears Yours, let me feel your crown of thorns. When my side touches Yours, let me feel the lance.
Oh! What shall I ever give You for all the gifts You have given me, for having loved and comforted me? ... And You, what can you not expect from me, a vile creature? ... I shall never be able to give you all you have given me ...
My soul, bless Jesus! ... Never forget the many gifts he has given you. You see, my soul: at every moment, at every instant, I think if you, and I find you and I see you among so many gifts, in such sweetness, yet I find you always ...
Love that God Who loves you so; lift yourself to Him, who has stooped so low for you. Do you not see how attentive He is?.......And you, oh my soul, behave like He behaves with you; be spotless ... be pure......Love your Jesus, who has rescued you from such wretchedness ... Love your God; Bless your Lord ...
June-July (exact date not recorded)
Let me embrace You, celestial bridegroom, source of all my consolations. Who am I,
to speak so boldly with You? It's true, I am Your creature, but I am bad; it's true that I was made by Your hands, and those very hands, oh Jesus, I pierced with nails ... I got going too late, Jesus, in coming to You ... I found You, Jesus; I found You, Jesus. I call You, I invoke You, because I am sure….
But where are You, where are You hiding? I can smell your presence. Give me wings, Jesus, to fly to your house in Heaven ...
Tuesday, July 1
Here I am before You, oh Jesus. Before You I show my soul: this soul, oh Jesus, that
You created not from your substance but by means of the word ... with no other material. This spiritual soul that You created, that lives forever, that You have sanctified and purified in your holy bath.
Now I am satisfied and I have nothing more to desire ... because if inside myself I should wish for something more, it would be clear that You are not here. …if in this world Goodness in itself gives delight, what delight would You not bring, You who are the king of all Good? ... The happiness experienced down here on earth, of things created, is totally different from what is experienced in You, Who are the Creator. You see, oh Jesus: when a creature desires something, she dies with desire to have it, but even when she manages to get it, she is not happy, she is never satisfied. You alone give satisfaction, You alone give purity, You alone make immaculate all those who in You ...
I found Your dwelling, oh Jesus. You live in that soul You created in Your image, not in the one that prefers earthly things over you.
Oh! my soul, although poor, has understood the riches of Your love. My soul is too vile, oh Jesus, to be your dwelling, too vile………Oh my God, if I could be certain even for a little while that I never offended You! Oh, I don't deny it; I am a sinner, but for this I do not want to despair because should I despair, I would be denying Your mercy.
My Jesus I love You, but if I love You too little, let me love You more ... I don't know, I really don't know, how much I can do ... I don't know how much I can do ... to what extent it is enough ...
Oh Jesus, how are You doing in my heart? ... In the narrow cell of my chest in love with you tell me, oh Jesus, how are You doing there?
Establish your permanent abode, oh Jesus ... establish it from this morning;from this very moment, this very instant ...
My Jesus, we shall never separate again. However great, however vast the human heart is, it must surrender before the force of Your love, it must give in. My God ... my Jesus ... my Father ... my bridegroom ... my sweetness ... my consolation ... consolation of all creatures ... love ... love who sustains me!
Oh fire always burning, without ever dying down; if only You would let all of me go up in flames? Would You let this fire perfect me? Oh Jesus! ... Oh love! ... My life, my sustenance, my strength! ...
Wednesday, July 2 around 9:00am
It is an easy love, oh Jesus, to love someone Who never gets angry with those who
offend Him. Indeed, many times I have seen, oh Jesus, that while justice demands that I be punished, You take steps to prevent this punishment, even to have it withdrawn. I have found a Jesus so infatuated with my heart that He knows not how to embitter it ...
He wants everything for Himself in reparation for my sins. It's almost a lucky break for me to have been born a sinner, because the veins of my Lord are always open, full of that sacramental Blood!
Oh my God! ... What would you wish to do, compassionate Jesus? ... Would you wish to make all your merits mine? …give and appropriate to me everything that is Yours? ... And can there be a heart that will not let itself be taken over by so much charity? Can there be a soul that will not let itself be won over? Can there be a soul that will not let itself be ravished by You?
Oh my soul, how much longer do you wish to be so stingy with Jesus? ... Why so negligent toward Jesus who made you? Why so lazy toward Jesus Who redeemed you? Who do you want to love, if you do not want to love Jesus? Oh my God! ...
Wednesday July 2, 11:00am
Jesus, sacred host, to you I consecrate all my tenderness. I realized, oh Jesus that your
affection was seeking me out; and I ran to You; Your charity was calling me and I came immediately.
Oh Heaven, Heaven! ... Let me be oh Jesus; leave me to think of Heaven.
Oh, if only Your divine goodness, after receiving a sharp pain for my sins, like the least of your daughters ... Oh Heaven! Is it so much that I ... who will ever be able to tell You? . . . A desire that never torments enough, that never becomes boring! How those souls must be! How is it that close to You, who are all light, they have become so luminous? How is it that in the midst of Your eternity, mortal that they were, they have now become immortal? What joy, oh Jesus, to live in your Heaven. Is it not You, oh Jesus, who has put this desire in me? . . .
Yes, my Jesus, to do nothing other than Your will! ... Jesus while I live, Jesus after I live, Jesus for eternity! My Jesus, my love! ...
Thursday July 1 around 9:00am
Oh Jesus, I see You greater that all the treasures of earth. Yes, my sweetest God, my
most lovable Jesus: to my eyes you are greater than the greatest treasures on earth. How gladly I would unite with Your angels! How gladly I would be consumed in your praises! How gladly I would remain always before You!
But what do I say when I speak of You? ... I say what I can, never what I ought.
And if I do not know how ... will I stay silent? No, because my Jesus must be loved, honored by everyone! ... Do not look at what I say with my mind; look inside me ...
My every secret is known to you, oh Jesus ... So, are you certain that I love you more than the sky and the earth? For sure, all earthly things worthy of being loved exist only to glorify Your heart. . .
I have loved you, oh Jesus. Grant me to love you yet more, so that my thought turns only to you, all day, and all night, even while sleeping ... I wish my spirit to talk always with you, my soul to converse always with you. I wish further that my heart should always be enlightened with Your holy light; that you should be my love, my guide ... I wish to.fly from virtue to virtue ... if not, then I shall be unable to come to Heaven to see you; it's been so long since I last saw you. But to come to Heaven requires purity of heart; give it to me, my Jesus ... Yes, I so desire purity of heart! ...
Thursday, July 3, 11:00am
Who am I to start talking to Jesus like this, every minute? ... Oh Heaven, oh Heaven, let me think of you! ... At least when I shall be up there, I shall no longer suffer, I shall no longer endure the sufferings and the pains down here. Oh Heaven! in you there will no longer be nights, nor darkness, nor changes, nor time ... Oh Heaven! in you there will no longer be . . . Only God of God, light of light, sun of justice, who enlightens; His immaculate Heart will give you sunshine ... precisely because consolation is to contemplate God, the King of Kings at the center of Heaven. How great! ...
What consolation, my soul, to be surrounded by the angels, by His favorites!
Every one's merits are not equal, but each has its happiness. Oh my soul! ... Oh Heaven! .....You will see, when I am with you I shall be satiated, I will no longer have need, not of........
Oh God ... let me be engulfed in the charity of Your love ... Oh Heaven!........
Will I be deemed worthy to see your holy walls? Will I be deemed worthy to see your foundations, your inhabitants, your King? I commend myself to you, holy Angels, to you my guardian Angel: open the door.......let me in.......
Friday, July 4
Adored Jesus, Word uncreated! ... Oh Mother…oh Mom! If you are a compassionate Mother to me, why do you abandon this daughter, who loves You so? Without You, who will hear my prayers? Who will fulfill my vows? Without You I am like a sinner ... like a beggar with no aid. Dear Mother, why do you leave me? Bring me also to Heaven. Oh Mom, dear Mother, you are a pure flower that blooms like a white lily. Queen of Heaven ......You who take from every creature the most noble part of their love, You took it from me as well, and now you do not give it back to me, so that under your embraces it is no longer earthly, but heavenly. Give it back to me! Eh! Dear Mom, you don't want to give it back because you're jealous that I will give it to my Love. Alright, give it yourself to my Jesus, then.
Yes, Jesus loves me so much, because my every breath is His, my every desire is His, my every affection is His.
Before you leave me, how about it, dear Mother, carry me to Heaven with you ...
Saturday, July 5
Why are you so afflicted, my soul? ... You are offending your love, if you do not embrace
the cross wholeheartedly. You do not care about Heaven if you do not direct your thoughts to Calvary. Do not be afflicted, my soul: you are wed with Jesus for eternity, together with His pains, and you are obliged to live crucified.
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, Jesus my love! ... I am hungry for your bread of life, I am thirsty for your sacramental blood.
You know, my soul, why I want you to embrace the cross? ... Because if the rod of the cross does not knock you down a little, you are in danger.
Oh Jesus ... I know that the cross is dear to you, and in the cross you have placed all Your tenderness, all Your affections ... Do not let your love deny me the cross out of jealousy, I beg you. Either crucify my soul or let me die. My Jesus ... my adored love, how I love You!
And I understand You, I understand You, my Jesus; I understood You well this morning. My God, I love you, I love you ... My affections should shout out; my senses, all should shout out: Who resembles you, my God? Who resembles you among the gods?
Tuesday, August 12, 9:00am
(upon seeing a heavenly visitor)
Let us adore and pray to Jesus ... Let us adore God: immense, immortal, infinite. We
adore the infinite majesty of our God. Praise to you, oh Father, who saved us; to You, Son, who redeemed us; to You, oh Holy Spirit, who sanctified us ...
And what grace do you wish me to ask of my Jesus, beyond the ones He freely gives me and that are so beneficial to me? ... the increase of His holy love ... Oh love, Oh infinite love of my Jesus! ...
If you have been sent by God, let me embrace you; if you have been sent by the devil, come close so I can spit in your face ...
Jesus sent you? ... And what did I do to deserve so much?
Yes, I see Jesus who loves me and Who seems in love with me, but I don't know either the purpose or the cause of this. I feel He has taken my heart; I feel He has adorned it with his precious Blood, but I don't know the purpose of this, either ...
He is the Lord, the boss ... let Him do everything. But how can I? . . .
No, I do not want ... I do not want to prefer my will to that of Jesus. Yes, I truly wish to be obedient, but if Jesus wished otherwise? ...
Yes, about keeping down and tolerating a little food, just a little.
I cannot, because my stomach does not wish it.
No, don't touch me, because my Dad wants no one to touch me ...
But you have the appearance of a man! ... No, I do not want you to touch me!
Say just one word and I will believe you.
Will you conform to what Jesus wants? . . .
Be blessed, my Jesus, infinite love…I will never be dispossessed of Your love; I will never give in to anyone. Oh love, oh infinite love!
Angel ... angel! ... My Jesus loves me, right? ...
I too love Him . . . Tell Him I thank Him for what he does for me . . .
I see you ... I see you ... Don't leave me! ... If you love me, do not leave
me ... do not leave me ... do not leave me!......Goodbye, goodbye, yes! Until Heaven!
Friday, August 15, around 9:00am
Do I receive communion well, or do I steal your hosts from so many other souls? ... Perhaps I receive Communion badly, so I do not cry, I am not confounded and I don't even think about it? ... Lift this weight from me, reassure me about how I receive Communion ... reassure me ...
To whom should I turn? ... Do you not see to what a deplorable state I am reduced? ... My hope is too weak ... Do you not see, oh Lord? And after having been favored by you with so many of your gifts ...
Dear Angel, watch over me . . . By this time you have already returned to Heaven . . . Use your influential words on Jesus, come often to my aid, you ...
Friday, August 15, around 10:00am
Oh God, purify me, purify me with your charity ... inflame me with the fire of
your ardor ... I ... I love You, I adore You, I kneel before You, I submit to You.
But is it possible that all creatures, all souls do not love You after they have received You even just once?........Is it possible they do not love You when they have seen You there, where You reside?
Oh my soul, oh my soul….you say so much, it is true, but reflect a bit on yourself; the frequency of Communion; union with the angelic bread, has not conferred onyour inner self what it has conferred on so many other souls ... You receive Communion, it is true, but where are the fruits? Maybe you do not know why, but I feel this is what your Jesus is telling you, Jesus Who is with you right now. . . You approach Him with too little merit ... too little perseverance ... And then when you do approach
Jesus, how do you approach Him?..... You take Communion, it is true, with his person, but with an inclination toward sin….. Do you not see that every morning he shows you
His open veins so that you might touch the rivers of beatitude? And you instead? ... He approaches you with his lips ... and you with your filthy ones ...
I thank You, oh Lord, that this morning You gave me light to know my iniquities. I promise to renounce everything that is not Your wish, and all those works not centered on Your heart and not aimed toward Your divine will.
Monday, August 18, around 9:00am
Oh God... my God! ... Do not be offended if in the morning I come as I am. You see, You know my soul is full of sins, better yet, it is a dwelling filled with every kind of beast. And You, a lily of purity, a fountain of beauty, how can you live in such confusion? ... You nourish and sustain me, and me, what nourishment do I give You? ... You graze among the lilies but in my heart there are not these flowers ... And what do You find?......Tell me ... Thorns! ... Still, oh Lord, in my soul there is no purer part than......The enemy, You know, the devil has deprived me of everything. So what place can I give you, oh Lord, in my heart? ......our bed is of ebony, Your columns of gold, Your steps are covered in purple; but in my heart these colors do not exist.
I am afraid, I am afraid! In this condition I throw myself too much, too much, into the arms of my celestial bridegroom ... I know too well my unworthiness but I also know Your mercy . . .
What food shall I give You today, oh Lord? ... Ask me ... ask me, and then come back! ...
Monday, August 18, around 10:00am
Jesus ... give me a little strength ... Dear Jesus! ...
Is it better to receive You than to see You? Truly it is better ... yes, yes! ... I am afflicted, oh Lord, because I think ... that even if for years and years like the angels I should prepare myself, still I would never be worthy to receive You. And then, You see it, how ill disposed I come! ...
So tell me: what is the bed ... where You sleep so well in my heart?
But is there such peace in my heart? Is there this tranquility in my soul? .....No, I do not wish reassurance, I want to live in Your holy fear.
Something else afflicts me ... Do You remember, oh Lord? There was a time when I had completely forgotten Your infinite beauty and I preferred the dust of the earth.
Oh Jesus, answer my questions ... It is sweet to confess my wretchedness before You.
You know it better than I; You know well that I indulged my eyes in everything and for whatever reason, and that I never deprived my heart of anything ... Help me, oh Lord! ... Let me throw myself at Your feet again! ... I still love faith, and I repeat a thousand times and will repeat forever: better to receive You than to see You ... But tell me, oh Lord, with what food should I nourish You? ... Communicate Your clear light to me, communicate Your divine ardor ... Oh my God, how can I reciprocate? With the strength of love? ... It would be necessary to love You with faithful love, with real love ...
Do You remember, oh Lord, that time when you told me my heart was a muddle of affections, which did not please You? ...
I find myself more timid in the matters of my affections. Oh my Jesus, oh my Jesus! ... How much You are worthy to be loved! ... The angels are right never to be satiated in singing that beautiful hymn to You! . . . That is what I should do; and what all earthly creatures should do; instead ......
I shall love You, I shall love You always: when day breaks, when evening turns into night, at every hour, at every moment; I shall love You always, always, always.
Click here for more ecstasies of St Gemma
"Yes, Jesus loves me so much, because my every breath is His, my every desire is His, my every affection is His." -St Gemma Galgani
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