CHAPTER XXIV

Ecstasies and Apparitions

THEOLOGIANS PUT Ecstasy and Rapture among the degrees of Mystic Union, and rightly so. The ecstasy is but a stronger and sweeter drawing of the soul to God, which, while rendering it incapable of attending to the government of the senses, causes these to remain, as it were, abandoned and spent. And when this drawing and consequent inaction of the senses happens rapidly, and with an impulse, then the ecstasy is called a rapture. Although in the last CHAPTER I spoke of the highest of all mystic degrees, namely, that of perfect and permanent union, yet much remains to be said of Gemma’s ecstasies and raptures, of which I think it advisable to treat in a separate chapter.

Here I must repeat that, although, according to the general rule, the soul advances in the mystic ways by passing from lower to higher grades, nevertheless the Holy Ghost, who is not bound by these rules, very often changes the order and communicates Himself by means of the most sublime graces to certain souls who have not been prepared for them by lesser gifts.

It was certainly so with the Virgin of Lucca, who began to have ecstasies and raptures before her contemplations had risen to the other degrees of perfection already described. And, when I undertook the direction of this privileged soul, I found that she had already received the gift of ecstasies. This went on increasing, as she advanced in the other degrees, until it became so frequent that it seemed to be natural to her. Without distinguishing here between ecstasy and rapture, as both these endowments from above alternated continually in Gemma, and the very impulses of the second preserved all the evenness of the first, I will designate them by the same name.

Having made the above remarks, I must call attention to the fact that the ecstatic state in this child of heaven, as seen when treating of her contemplation in general, showed itself at any time or place, when and where she least expected it; while at table, working in the kitchen, in conversation, when walking out of doors, and so on. She generally felt it coming on, but only a few minutes before. It came in a sudden state of recollection; this was followed by an ardent desire to be united more intimately with God; and then her heart began to beat violently. At these forewarnings she tried to distract and rouse herself, or else to get away, so that others might not become aware of her state, and in this she generally succeeded. But sometimes the Divine visitation was quite instantaneous; it came on her wherever she was, and there she remained in ecstasy; that is, absorbed in God, mind and heart, with all the powers of her soul, while her external senses lost all their use and exercise. I say her senses, and not her body; for this continued to maintain its flexibility, liberty of movement, and generally the strength to remain standing or kneeling.

In this our miserable age, when rationalism moved by impulse or desire to disbelieve, expresses itself by casting doubt on all that is supernatural, and yet remains the dupe of charlatans; of spiritism, hypnotism, etc., one would say that God has willed to show a special regard for this His Servant, modifying in her the form of certain phenomena which, in many other ecstasies, gave occasion to sophistic criticism. It has been well ascertained that Gemma in her ecstasies showed all the signs of one in perfect health, and in a perfectly normal state, according to physiological rules. No death-like pale, no agitated movements, no strange postures, no muscular contortions. Her exterior senses only, as I have said, ceased to act. One might puncture her hands, head or arms with a pin; apply fire to her skin; make deafening noises; all without effect. While this holy child was with her God she felt nothing whatever, and noticed nothing that was said or done around her.

When her ecstasies were sorrowful, and this was the case very often, those innocent limbs, without ceasing to be as usual perfectly healthy, became weak, and it was necessary to support her, in order to prevent her falling; when in bed she remained like one perfectly prostrate. In other ecstasies her body seemed to take part in the joy of her soul, according to what is written: Cor meum et cam mea exultavernt in Deum vivum. And that became quite evident from the light that lit up her eyes, which in her ecstasies appeared to shine like the sun; also from the color in her cheeks, and from her whole face, which seemed that of an angel come from heaven.

“If you had seen her yesterday,” wrote one of the family, “My God, one could not look at her; she did not seem to be a mortal; her countenance was that of a seraph, and moved one to devotion and tears. How short that hour seemed to us, while our Gemma was in ecstasy!” This wonder was most frequent, seen and admired over and over again in that family, and yet it always seemed new; so true is it that mortal man can never have enough of such supernatural things. Towards the end of her life sickness had emaciated Gemma’s face and taken away its beauty; but her ecstasy not only brought it back at once, but increased it, giving her a certain dignity of mien that inspired respect and veneration.

With a view to better order in what I have to say, I will distinguish three forms of ecstasy in the Servant of God: the smaller and less perfect; the greater; the extraordinary. The small ecstasies which were also the most frequent even occurring several times a day were at the same time the most spontaneous and simple. Whenever the least ray of infused light illuminated her mind, or if even one of the most ordinary celestial visions was represented to her, she immediately lost sight of the world of sense, an intense recollection came over her, and in an instant she was in the region of the blessed with her whole being, without any movement preceding or accompanying her flight—it was purely spiritual.

In order to make sure of it, one should look at her eyes that were then full of light and fixed on heaven, and in order to see that her senses were not in exercise it was necessary to prick or pinch her. How often have not I shed tears, while praying near her or saying the Divine Office with her, she being in ecstasy! Once we were sitting at a table; Gemma at one side with her breviary in her hand, I on the other. We recited alternately, and she read the lessons of the nocturns and answered the responsories and versicles with admirable exactness, turning over the pages regularly. But how could she do this? I confess that I have never been able to understand it. She was in ecstasy and dead to every impression of touch.

Though she used her eyes when reading, yet she was quite insensible to the heat of the candle, when I held it close to them, as I have done repeatedly. During this devout recital of the Office she was unable to see or hear anything else; no sooner was it stopped for any reason, than she returned to the use of her senses, to lose them again immediately on resuming the Divine Praises where they had been interrupted. Many times it happened that, on my asking her if the dear Angel Guardian was at his post looking after her, Gemma, with her charming ease of manner, turned her eyes in that direction, and beholding him, remained in ecstasy, alienated from her senses, as long as she continued to contemplate him.

The same sort of thing happened repeatedly on other occasions that were daily offered her by the Divine Spirit, who thus gave evidence of the delight He found in the company of His faithful Servant. I call these ecstasies of Gemma the smaller ones; precisely because they were less perfect, lasted a shorter time, and, for the most part, allowed the exercise of the senses; they were also much less profound, because the senses, excepting that of touch, were not entirely dormant.

Consequently, it happened now and then that, while in that state, she was able to occupy herself, not only, as we have seen, in reading, but even in writing letters or conferring with her spiritual father. And what letters! And what enchanting conferences! The greater ecstasies, on the other hand, besides being less frequent, more intense, and more sublime, although at the same time equally simple and spontaneous, also lasted longer, varying from half an hour to an hour and more. In these the loss of her senses was entire and continuous.

To recall her there was need of a formal precept, and sometimes not even that was enough, as the Holy Spirit is not bound to yield to the will of a man, even though he be His minister. There were times when at a purely mental precept Gemma was seen to come out of her most sublime ecstasies, and she did so without showing the slightest sign of regret. At other times, when the return to her senses was spontaneous through suspension of the Divine influx, it was charming and at the same time most touching to see her come to herself. No yawning or stretching; no movements that could indicate weariness, distress, confusion of mind, or disturbed imagination; but a sweet smile as if, having had a talk with one person, she was turning to speak to another who was waiting for her. This was Gemma’s usual way of coming to herself.

Sometimes she was seen to cover her face with both hands, as if ashamed to have been found in that state; or, perhaps, it was because of her regret to see the earth after she had been contemplating heaven. These greater ecstasies used to take place in church at the time of Holy Communion, also when she came to visit Jesus solemnly exposed during the Quarant ’Ore, and on other such occasions, when her fervor of spirit was liable to be more easily moved.

Finally, the extraordinary ecstasies were of more or less frequent recurrence during the year, without any fixed rule, but as it were periodically, that is, every Thursday evening about eight, and on Friday afternoon about three o’clock. These periodical ecstasies came on generally while she was at supper with the family. Those who lived with her were well able to say what was coming, from the greater recollection that was seen to preoccupy her, from certain indescribably celestial glances that she gave at intervals towards heaven, and from a sort of immobility of person together with as violence that she seemed to do herself in order to resist. As soon, however, as she became aware of what was going to happen, she hastened to take what little food she was accustomed to, and, seeking to be unobserved, she rose from the table and ran off to shut herself up in her little room.

A few moments later one or other of the family followed her and found her kneeling near her bed with her hands joined, her eyes raised to heaven, lost in God, and deprived of all use of her senses. When, however, the loving assault of the Divine Spirit indicated its approach with greater vehemence, the wise child, fearing Want of strength to stand against it, hastened to recline upon her bed, where also she was found in full ecstasy, and generally sitting in an Angelic attitude. This ecstasy lasted about an hour.

I call these ecstasies extraordinary, although so frequent, on account of the intensity of the Divine Light that caused them, of the great things that in them were shown her, and of the marvelous effects they produced in her. One of these effects was a participation in Our Savior’s bodily pains during His passion—even to the extent of the sacred Stigmata, of which see full particulars in Chapters VII and VIII. How truly wonderful were these and other effects produced in Gemma’s soul, and how sublime were the communications she received, may be gathered from what she herself manifested during those precious moments while speaking aloud to her God.

The devout friends with whom she lived, sometimes one, sometimes another, were charged by me to take down those discourses in writing, omitting nothing. And this was a most fortunate provision, as otherwise they would have been lost in great part, or else much less faithfully reproduced from memory. By this means, taking into account those ecstasies only in which she spoke and could be understood, we have been able to preserve what she said in a hundred and fifty of them, accurately reproduced. Their subject matter is very varied, the ideas are the most exalted, the doctrine theologically and mystically is exact, and the expressions, full of majesty and sweet heavenly unction, sink deeply into the minds and hearts of those who read them. Imagine what it was to hear those words from the mouth of the Ecstatic herself! I, for myself, must acknowledge that, when listening to those words so full of fire, I could not refrain from tears. The theme of each ecstasy was generally one; it consisted sometimes in a hymn of praise to a Divine attribute; at other times in expressions of love to the Divine Spouse; or again in a loving contest with God’s infinite Mercy for the conversion of some sinner. But it generally turned on the Passion of Christ, and on her desire to be transformed in Him Crucified. I intend soon, if God wills it, to publish as many of these precious documents as I can.

My difficulty would be where they are not complete; either because of the many reticences of the Ecstatic—unable to repeat in words what in her soul she saw and felt, or because of the answers given by her Celestial Interlocutor being such that she alone could understand them. The reader will be gratified, if now I give part of one of those discourses written by Gemma herself after the ecstasy, in obedience to my wishes. It was on the 18th of March, 1901, at ten o’clock in the morning, and was as usual between Jesus and His holy servant. For brevity’s sake I only give the end of it:

“O Jesus!” she said, when He had finished speaking, “When I hear Thy Holy Name repeated, my soul is lifted up. Thy Name only, only Thy Name, O Jesus, soothes my life. O Jesus, I have detached my heart from this earth and reposed it in Thee. But the soul, O Jesus, longs ardently and takes courage, seeing itself loaded with so many continual favors. And not being able to repay them, as it ought, with heroic deeds, it finds relief in thoughts and outpourings of love. And Jesus (it is Gemma that still speaks) in answer to my words, made me hear His voice with greater force than ever, and His words had such effect upon me that I would gladly have died, to go to heaven, and exclaimed:

“O Jesus, this poor soul, thus fettered in this miserable, vile body, unable to fly to Thee, spreads its wings and lifts itself as best it can to come to Thee, to be more close to Thee; it lifts itself with the spirit (she means by thoughts and affections) because this is not tied down as is the body. Then, beside myself with consolation, and full of tears, I turned to my Angels in paradise, witnesses of all the wonders of God’s works:

“O say, I called to them, are not these acts of God’s omnipotence all wrought by Infinite Love? Then, turning to Jesus, I asked Him whatever He had done to my poor heart that makes it quite impossible for me to restrain it. It always wants to go to Him and I cannot hold it back. Already, of its own accord, it has resolved not to belong to me—it has given itself to Jesus! And Jesus, with His loving, and at the same time penetrating, voice, said to me: I have carried the day.’—Ah, yes, I am happy to be worsted by such infinite Goodness, by so much Love. Jesus, now and forever!”

This thought of mine to make Gemma put the subject of some of her ecstasies in writing was not an idle one. Smiling and joyous, she came out of the ecstasy. There are many others like those from which I have quoted. For ardor and fullness of elevated ideas, they can be compared with those of St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi and other noted Saints. For simplicity carried to such a degree they are unique in mystic hagiography, and go to show to what a height grace can raise a child, and how the majesty of the God of innocence takes delight in simple souls, and values their homage.

It sometimes happens that the impulse, by which ecstatics are drawn to God, is so strong, that the body also is moved by it, and assuming, as it were, the agility and lightness of a glorified body, it follows the soul, or rather, is carried by it and remains suspended in the air. This kind of mystic flight is the culminating point of rapture, although rapture can take place without lifting the body from the ground. Now, among Gemma’s frequent raptures that were always, as has been said, so calm, spontaneous and dignified, the aforementioned form—while it was seldom seen by others—was not wanting.

This child of heaven, on the pretext of doing some domestic work, in the dining-room, where hung a large crucifix venerated by her with great devotion, was seen to go in and out of that room many times a day; and, finding herself alone, she used to stop before the sacred image, standing or kneeling with her eyes fixed upon it. But, when she felt her heart becoming moved at that sight and still more by the deep thoughts it inspired, fearing to remain there in ecstasy, she affectionately kissed the foot of the Cross and hurried away. Sometimes, however, it happened that, outdone by her fervor, she did not get away in time.

Moved by the desire to do more, and imprint a kiss on the Sacred Side of her Crucified Lord, she yielded to it, and while thinking how she could reach up there with her lips, the rapture seized her, and, lifted without any human aid in the air, she found herself in the embraces of her Savior. I cannot say how often this happened, simply because I had not the courage to ask her to tell me. Enough for us, that the fact remains established, that of all the degrees of sanctity enumerated in Mystic Theology as known by their effects, there is not one to which this humble child of God in her short earthly pilgrimage did not attain.

But I have still more to say on this point. In one of those loving visits to that Crucifix in September, 1901, Gemma, who was preparing the table for dinner, had plenty of time, and, being alone, she kept continually moving, so to say, like a butterfly about the Holy Image. The more she looked at Him the more her heart beat in her breast, and yearned. She would fain have flown to His embrace, and at last exclaimed: “O Jesus, let me come to Thee, I thirst for Thy life-giving Blood.”

Wonderful to relate! As happened to St Francis of Assisi, and to our Holy Father, St Paul of the Cross, the Image transformed itself into the Divine Person it represented, Jesus detached His right arm from the Cross and called her to Him. She in an instant was with Him; He pressed her to His Side and she, standing as if on a cloud and embracing Him with both arms, in blessed rapture drew from His Sacred Heart long draughts of love. How gladly would I have been present, thus to have been another witness and to have another proof of the love of Jesus for His creatures, and of their happiness in being united with Him.

The ecstasy, which after all is only a more perfect degree of contemplation, implies of its nature having visions. For the soul is ravished out of its senses through something given it to see or hear that satisfies, attracts and makes it blessed. After all that has been seen up to this of Gemma’s contemplation it is needless to further explain. the precise nature of her visions while in ecstasy. I will only add here that nothing could ever be discovered in them, either unbecoming, exaggerated, or incoherent, which could leave the least suspicion of their being the result of her imagination; there was nothing in them at variance with the holiness and majesty of the teachings of our holy religion.

On the contrary, there was always to be found dignity, order, propriety, and clear dogmatic truth. Surely clearer proofs could not be given that her visions were supernatural and divine; for a girl as simple as Gemma, who had only learned what is ordinarily taught in elementary classes, and who never indulged in reading or listening to lectures and sermons, could not possibly by the aid of her imagination have fabricated things so successfully as never to have made a mistake. It suffices to have thus briefly touched on this matter here, as I shall have to treat of it more fully in a dissertation in the form of an Appendix to this Life, so as to put it in clear evidence. I may, however, add, if indeed it be necessary after all we have seen when treating of the humility of the Servant of God, that she knew how to keep the strictest silence on all she had seen and heard when in ecstasy.

How different from many deluded souls, who would wish heaven and earth to know whatever happens to them of an extraordinary nature, and make a boast of it. Gemma would not have manifested what happened to her, even to her directors, if she had not felt the need of their guidance. And this likewise is a most certain sign of the genuineness of her visions and ecstasies.

What has been said applies also to her celestial “locutions”; these are certain vibrated words which God speaks to the Soul while in ecstasy with such vivacity and clearness that they effect what they signify in the very center of the spirit. St Paul calls them “hidden words” and says they are so sublime and elevated that it is not given to human language to express their meaning. Gemma was largely favored with these locutions, there being scarcely an ecstasy in which Our Lord did not make her hear His Divine Word. Nay, in those intimate colloquies, what she said was the least part; the greatest and the best were the words of His Divine Majesty.

We have seen some of those discourses—those of which the object was to manifest to her the greatness of God Him- self; others, which made known the designs of His Providence; others again, referring to the state of some particular soul, or to some work that He wished established in the Church; or even to some abuse He wished removed. And she, docile to the voice of the Divine Spouse, immediately on coming out of the ecstasy, set herself to do all in her power to carry out the Divine Will, appealing to whomsoever it concerned, in order to obtain the fulfillment of the order received.

Hence, those letters of hers, so full of fervor, “Monsignor,” she wrote in one, “Jesus has said that He wishes you to interest yourself in this matter; and prevent that other; also, that if you desire to please Him, you must act at once.”

After Communion on a certain occasion, Our Lord, as often happened, appeared to her, when in ecstasy, and said: “My child, listen to Me; you hast to make known great things to thy director in My Name.”

The simple girl, thinking that He meant her former confessor, answered: “My Jesus, do me a charity; do not send me to him; You know well, Good Jesus, that he has no faith in my fantasies”—(so he called them). And Jesus: “No, I send thee to thy father. He for certain will give My Heart this satisfaction that I so desire. Say to him, that if what I command is not done, so and so will happen; and then there will be no time to remedy it.” Of the matter here referred to I will speak in the twenty-seventh chapter. There is scarcely a letter written by Gemma to her directors in which mention is not made of locutions such as these that happened in her ecstasies; and facts, which she could not otherwise have known, and much less have foreseen, always came to verify them. Very often also these locutions took the form of teachings in which the Divine Master instructed His beloved disciple in heavenly things, and directed and urged her on in the path of virtue. Of these I have already given examples in many places; but only one example at a time because, owing to the quantity of information at my disposal on these subjects, it would be endless, were I to attempt to bring it all forward. Blessed Gemma, who like the Apostles deserved to be taught by the Incarnate Wisdom Himself! It is thus I explain to myself, how in so few years she rose to such perfection of sanctity.

Now we come to her apparitions. Visions and apparitions are objectively one and the same thing. They differ, however, in this, that visions generally take place in ecstasy, whereas apparitions occur at other times. But the soul who sees an apparition may easily pass into ecstasy, as always happened with Gemma. Our Lord willed to be glorified in all His dealings with His faithful Servant, and in the most extraordinary ways, and it was to be expected that in her heavenly apparitions He would likewise show forth His magnificence. So it was, whether we consider their frequency, their cordiality, not to say familiarity, or finally their efficacy in their salutary effects on her.

We have already seen the sweet, familiar guardianship of her Angel, that may be said to have been continual. I have likewise made mention of apparitions of other Angels, and of Saints, in particular of Blessed Gabriel of the Dolours, as also of the souls in Purgatory, and I shall have to do so more opportunely elsewhere. I say the same of the Saint of Saints, Jesus Christ, especially when He appeared as Our Suffering Redeemer. Let not the reader lose sight of these touching apparitions of Jesus as already described, and let him be prepared to see others still more beautiful. Now I am going to speak particularly of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin.

Gemma always loved with warmest love this Heavenly Queen of the Angels whom, with sweet confidence, she called “My dear Mother.” Left orphan by the death of her earthly mother in her tenderest years, she accustomed herself thenceforward not to recognize any mother but Mary, and towards her ever afterwards she acted as her devoted and loving child. After Jesus, all her heart was for Mary. “Oh! how I love my Mother,” she used to say, “she knows it; and then Jesus Himself gave her to me, and told me to love her so much. And what great goodness this Heavenly Mother has always shown me! What would have become of me, if I had not had her? She has always helped me in my spiritual wants; she has preserved me from countless dangers; she has freed me from the hands of the devil who was ceaselessly coming to molest me; she pleaded my cause with Jesus when I sinned, and she soothed Him when I moved Him to anger by my wicked life; she has taught me to know Him and love Him, to be good and to please Him. Ah I my dear Mother, I will love thee always and ever.”

These and similar expressions of tenderest affection were ever in the heart and on the lips of this holy child and were continually occurring in her letters. Was it possible then for our Holy Mother not to repay such tender love a hundredfold?

Gemma gave herself all to Mary and Mary to Gemma. And to show her how much she loved Her, besides the favors without number and without measure that she obtained for her from Jesus, she very often deigned to come to her visibly and allowed her to see her face to face, caressing her and pressing her to her maternal bosom. Let us leave it to Gemma herself to describe these delicacies of love:

“Whoever could have imagined,” thus she wrote in a manifestation of conscience, “that this evening my dear Mother would have come to see me? It was not even to be thought of, because I believed that my bad conduct would prevent it. Yet she had compassion on me; her presence quickly put me in a state of recollection, and then, as often happens, I lost my senses, and I found myself, I think, with Our Lady of Dolours. Oh! what happiness! What sweetness of heart I felt during those delicious moments! Let whoever can explain it. It seemed to me, after some moments of emotion, that she took me in her lap and made me rest my head on her shoulder and keep it there for a short time. My heart during that time felt perfectly happy and contented without any other desire.

“Do you love only me?” she asked me now and then.

“Oh! no,” I answered her, “before thee I love someone else.” “And who is it?” pretending not to know. “It is one so dear to me! more dear than all else; I love Him so much, that I would now, this moment, give my life for Him; for His sake I regard not my life.”

“But tell me, who is it?” she asked me impatiently.

“If you, Mother, had come the evening before last, you would have seen Him with me. I instead go to Him every day (she meant in Holy Communion), and I would go more often if I could. But do you know, Mother, why I do so? Because I know that He wishes to see, by His keeping so far away from me, if I am capable of ceasing to love Him. But quite the contrary, the farther He keeps away, the more I feel drawn. to Him!”

And she repeated: “Tell me, Who is He? ’

“No,” I replied, “I won’t tell thee. If you didst only see Him, Mother! He is like Thee in beauty; His hair is the color of thine.”

Mother then embracing me, seemed to say again: “But, my child, tell me, of Whom are you speaking?”

I then exclaimed aloud: “Do you not understand me? Of Jesus, I speak, of Jesus.”

Repeat it still louder, she said—then smiling, she looked at me and pressed me closely to herself, saying: “Yes, love Him; but love Him greatly; mind, love Him alone!”

“Don’t be afraid,” I said to her. “No one in the world shall taste my affections! Jesus alone.” Again she pressed me to her; she seemed to kiss me on the forehead. Then I awoke (i.e., out of the ecstasy) and I found myself stretched on the floor with the crucifix near me.”

Although six years have passed since I first received that statement from Gemma herself, I have read it over and over again, and it always seems to me more exquisitely touching. Here is another; the form is always the same.

“I was sitting in bed, not having yet gone to sleep. It seemed as if a beautiful lady drew near me and moved to kiss me. I was taken out of myself, and no longer in the world. I immediately made a thousand protests, according to the instructions given me. My heavenly Mother (and it was truly she, although Gemma showed doubts of it at first) looked at me, smiled and said:

“Dear child!—Father, forgive me, if I yielded too quickly; but I let my Mother do as she pleased, and she took me in Her arms. I nearly died, yes died, of sweetest consolation. . . . Oh, how many loving caresses! . . . She loves me so much! . . . She said she had come for my bouquet, don’t you know? She found me so poor, and she encouraged me to practice virtue, particularly humility and obedience. She said some words that I did not understand, and then added: My child, labor to refine thy spirit and become perfect quickly.

“What happened then I do not know. That ‘quickly’ caused such a violent movement in my heart, on which my Mother placed her lovely hand, that I could not speak; but mentally I asked her for an explanation; I opened my eyes and made my request through them. She answered me thus: ‘Tell thy father (the director) that if he does not see to thee (to enclose her in a convent) I will take thee soon to paradise!’ She kissed me, saying: If not quickly, we shall be together more quickly than he imagines.

It happened precisely as she said, and I still feel remorse because of it. In less than a year, Gemma quite unexpectedly fell sick and went to Heaven.

“O father, O father!” she continued, “after such things how contemptible the world appears! I don’t know if you have ever had this experience. Oh! how beautiful our heavenly Mother is! Have you ever seen her? Although I have already seen her very often my ardent desire to see her again remains.”

On another occasion the Holy Mother appeared with her Divine Son as a beautiful child, and with her own hands placed Him in Gemma’s arms. She, trembling, pressed Him to her heart and kissed Him with much love. The Divine Infant did the same, and having instructed her divinely, ended by giving her His blessing. She gave Him to His Mother and the vision vanished. I cannot say how often that happened, but I have a distinct recollection of three instances. On four other occasions Our Lord appeared to her alone, but likewise as a tender infant. She will tell us how that came about: “Yesterday evening at the hour of guard, I went to my room and was left all alone; then the Infant Jesus came to visit me. Oh! how beautiful Jesus is! If all were to know Him, how immensely they would love Him! He came in my lap, kissed me, petted me, and asked me if I loved Him. I kissed Him with ardent affection and felt how intensely I loved Him. He asked me if I would be all His, and I was so overjoyed that I knew not what to answer, but I held Him more tightly.”

This young girl is a poor child of Adam. He Who comes to her in the humble semblance of a baby is the God of Majesty, the Incarnate Word; He lowers Himself so far as to embrace and allow Himself to be embraced by His creature, asking her love in return. O depth of the mystery of God’s Love in the Incarnation! The Ecstatic of Lucca, I venture to say, has measured this sublimity; and yet she does not seem to be dazzled by it; nay, quite the contrary.

She goes on to say: “Then I began to talk to Him in all confidence. I told Him to make things well known to you and the confessor, and not to let me be troubled any more. And Jesus smiled and said to me: I will do it—but He said it slowly and gently.

“Then I asked Him not to wait so long, as I did not want any further delay. And He replied:

“But, if I have loved thee more than so many others of My creatures, though you may be worse than they? As for the truth of these things, he who should know it (Fr. Germanus) knows it already; with regard to the other (the confessor) it is not yet time, but the time will come for him to know it. I am Jesus Who am speaking to thee!”

This colloquy lasted a whole hour. Now, see how the simple child ends her narration:

“Jesus went away, and here I am again all alone. Tell me, father, are you willing that Jesus should come back to me? If you are, He will surely return. Give me a big blessing. Send Jesus back to me; I cannot do without Him.”

I did not answer this touching letter. But, deeply moved, I said to myself: Love has made this seraphic girl become happily foolish. She knows that she is espoused to her God in an indissoluble bond and still she yearns. Only one who truly loves can so think and speak.