My Reflection
To know God and to love God — This is what defines the “life of man.”
As the Prologue of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains, “God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.”
Saint Gemma Galgani devoted her whole life to God with an extraordinary love for Him. I am such in awe of the earnestness and depth by which Saint Gemma passionately expressed her love to God in words—spoken and written.
The above quote is just one of the numerous times that she uttered the Most Holy Name of Jesus through her voice or her hands. As a matter of fact, according to this remarkable blog that is dedicated to this beloved Saint, the Name of Jesus occurs 1,982 times in Gemma’s ecstasies, 181 times in her autobiography, and 1,475 times in her letters.
More than the quantity is the touching quality of Saint Gemma’s words. Her voice certainly lives on, proclaiming her ardent love for God and for His people. She has truly helped me in my own spiritual journey and inspired in me a lifelong mission of Evangelization, which is why I consider her as one of my dearly beloved sisters in Heaven. She is also one of the Patronesses of The Best Catholic Website.
Saint Gemma’s example continues to reach out to us faithful that we may also discover in ourselves that same desire of knowing and loving God, which she fulfilled during her lifetime.
One of the things we can do to tell God that we love Him is by prayer—by speaking His Name, JESUS. “For the name ‘Jesus’ contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray ‘Jesus’ is to invoke him and to call him within us… whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him” (CCC 2666).
If we would think of the very many times that Saint Gemma did write or speak of Jesus, we would have a glimpse of her immense prayer life and love for Christ. And rightly so, for the Catechism states, “the invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always. When the holy name is repeated often by a humbly attentive heart, the prayer… holds fast to the word and ‘brings forth fruit with patience.’ This prayer is possible ‘at all times’ because it is not one occupation among others but the only occupation: that of loving God, which animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus” (CCC 2668).
Like Saint Gemma Galgani, we should always “pray” by having the Most Holy Name of Jesus in our lips and in our hearts. Let us join in the prayer of the Church that “venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name” (CCC 2669). “For God is Love” (1 John 4:8), and every moment that we humbly and sincerely utter God’s Name, we speak of love.
Saint Gemma Galgani, “Gem of Christ,” pray for us.
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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