On the 8th of June, after Communion, Jesus told me that He would give me a very great grace that evening. I went to Confession on that same day, and I told Monsignor about it. He bid me to be very attentive so that I could relate everything to him afterwards.
Evening came and all of a sudden, earlier than usual, I felt an interior sorrow for my sins, but in a much more powerful way than I had ever experienced it before. In fact, the sorrow was such that it left me very close to death. […]
A whirlwind of thoughts flooded my mind – thoughts of sorrow, of love, of fears, of hope and of comfort.
After this interior recollection, I was swiftly rapt out of my senses, and I found myself before my heavenly Mother. At her right stood my Guardian Angel, who told me to first of all make an act of contrition.
When I had finished it, my blessed Mother said to me: “Daughter, in the name of Jesus, all your sins are forgiven.” Then She added: “Jesus my Son loves you very much, and He wants to give you a grace. Do you know how to make yourself worthy of it?” In my abjectness I did not know what to answer. She continued: “I will be your Mother; will you be my true daughter?” She then spread her mantle and covered me with it.
At that moment Jesus appeared with all His wounds open, but blood no longer flowed from them. Rather, flames as of fire issued forth from them, and in a moment those flames came to touch my hands, my feet and my heart. I felt that I was dying, and I fell to the floor. But my Mother sustained me, keeping me covered with her mantle. I remained for several hours in that state. Then my Blessed Mother kissed my forehead, and everything disappeared, and I found myself kneeling on the floor. But I still felt an intense pain in my hands, feet and heart.
I arose and walked to my bed, and I noticed that blood was flowing from those places where I felt pain. I covered these parts as best I could and then, with the help of my Angel, I was able to get into bed. These sufferings and pains, instead of afflicting me, filled me with perfect peace. ◊
Excerpt from ST. GEMMA GALGANI.
The Notebook of My Sins,
São Paulo: Paulus, 2019, p.77-78.
