I often go to a local Passionist Church near me at 10am as there are confessions everyday. All Passionist Churches throughout the world appear to be built to the same Roma Design of their central Church in Rome; the Basillica of St.s John and Paul on the Caelian Hill in Rome. I remember visiting it one day and it felt like coming home, because it was so like our Irish Passionist Churches. The Passionists are famous in Italy for being exorcists and confessors and their saints like St Gemma tend to be front line troopers fighting the devil toe to toe; so to speak. As far as I recall the former Vatican Chief exorcist Fr Gabrielle Amorth was a Passionist. If you look to the roof of Passionist Churches there is always a statue of St Michael the arcangel. I think this is due to a promise of St Michael to their founder , St Paul of the Cross that he would defend the order.
The Passionist Habit (Which you often see St Gemma wearing is I think the most beautiful in the entire Church and was given to St Paul of the Cross by Our Lady herself who appeared wearing it in a vision. It has the most curious timeless, modern feel.
I love the way Passionist Churches are filled with depictions of angels everywhere. This is maybe because of the numerous interventions of angels in the life of St Paul. You see this also in the lives of other Passionist saints such as St Gemma. Sometimes i have fun trying to count the number of angels in my local Church but always loose count at around 50.
There is a large, not very good statue of St Gemma near were I sit at mass and afterwards I always call over to say , 'Hi'. Local people often name their daughters after her and leave little pictuers of the saint round the base of the statue which I love to look at. Gemma's eyes are like those of an angel and are a gateway to heaven. ...another thing strikes me about this young girl was her suffering which were horrendous.
Yesterday afternoon before Mass I went to the little Grotto of Our Lady, placed two candles I brought in little glass holders which I also brought and stood praying for a while enjoying the light of the candles. Such a simple thing but it always brings me happiness. A few hours later when it was dark I walked back up with the dogs and the candles lit up the whole place. Sucha joy. But the devil as I stood there made a remark that caused me to laugh it was so audacious and out of the blue. 'Why do you bother with this nonsense, wasting you entire life!' There is no God it's all nonsense'. You know when the devil tempts along these lines I find it not really an intellectual argument , it is an argument to the heart..as though the gorund alls from under my feet as though God really is not there for a while. A darkness; an eclipse; its hard to describe. Later in Church he asked, 'Well then why do you believe?' I answered, 'Because of Faith'. He laughed and sneered, 'And what is Faith?' I answered, 'It is a child leaping out into the darkness into its Fathers Arms in trust as Father Abraham did'. He went silent and left. When the devil tempts like this it reminds me of an old elevator the ground leaves your feet for a moment. The devil is so powerful at the moment; it is quite incredible. I think the real reason he left so quickly wasn't my arguments but the fact that I laughed at him recognising him so quickly. The devil likes to prowl and hide . If you spot him it's a killer for him. Also he hates the sound of laughter aimed in his direction. Pride. No sense of humour whatsoever. Takes himself too seriously. '
St Therese was constantly tempted this way--that it was all nonsense. She had great compassion for atheists and called them "brothers" because she completely understood the darkness in which they dwelt. So you are in good company when you get these out of the blue temptations.
There was a wonderful French woman called Simone Weil who was a bit like this. She is sometimes called the Patron Saint of Atheists. I don't think the trouble at the present time is with Atheists or atheism, the problem is that people can't even be bothered with asking questions. I am inclined to rather like atheists because at least they take the trouble to ask a few questions. It is as Jesus said, He prefers people to blow either hot or cold but the tepid he will spit out of his mouth. Simone Weill was a French version of Dorothy Day.
Malcolm Muggeridge was an admirer of Simone Weil. I read up on her many years ago when I first returned to the faith.
I read an article on Malcolm Muggeridge a few weeks ago were the gentleman was arguing for his canonisation. But the trouble is with people Like Muggeridge, Simone Weill, G K Chesterton and otehrs is that they coming towards Truth from a direction we don;t expect and we don;t know quite what to do with them They don't tick all the boxes if you like. It reminds me of what Jesus said to the Disciples about other people casting out Satan in His name without being Disciples, Luke 9:49 The Greatest in the Kingdom …48And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.” 49“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” 50“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”… I imagine myself trudging up a high mountain with the two dogs and making very heavy weather of it. But in the distance I see a group of people starting to climb the mountain from the other side. I laugh to myself thinking they will never make it , or if they do it will be long after they I do. After all my own path is sure to be the best. Yet when I get to the top there they up there laughing and singing, having a party having got up hours before me, me who is almost dead. Dorthy Day said a nice thing one time. Someone said to her that she might be Declared a saint one day. She said that she hoped not, that what she was doing was far too important for that!! Actually I think Malcolm Muggeridge was converted after a miracle. Himself and a film team went to Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying in Calcutta but although they shot inside the camera man said it was impossible that the film would work as it was far, far too dark. But whent ehy got back to London they found the film was perfect, bright as day. The camera man himself who as a perfect atheist said it was utterly impossible.
You know when I was in the Monastery there was the most wonderful holy old monk there. He was one of the quiet ones, even for a Trappist Monastery where you were not supposed to speak. I eman I was there with him him for about three and a half years and I am sure we barely said six words to each other. But although he was very,very holy indeed we were both very disimiliar. He had severed in the British Army as a Military policeman, I had fought the British. I am very well read especially on Mysticism and Spirituality, he tended to be a belt and braces rosary man ..and so , many many differences. Anyway the week before I left I went up to him , told him I was leaving the monastery to say a last good bye. When I did so he apologised. He said from the start he had taken me for a no good bad lot. However down the years he said he had had a chance to observe me in day to day and then he laughed and sai, 'Goodness was I ever wrong about you! I am sorry that you are leaving!!' It seems to me when we look at other people we stare at them across a very wide gulf. Even saints like St Gemma Galgani. Understanding takes time; like the appreciation of a fine wine. We need time. Much time. Years.
She is also one of my favorites. So beautiful. I share my back problems with her. To think that this sweet Saint was operated on without anesthesia is incredible. She endured so much!!!-
