Last Saturday a group of lovers from Livorno visited Santa Gemma Galgani, in Lucca. This is the group of engaged couples on their way to marriage who are preparing together with three married couples with 10, 20 and 30 years of married life behind them and the priest Don Giovanni Pinna, in the process organized by the Family Office of the Diocese.
The day opened with a visit led by a nun from the Sisters of Santa Gemma, Passionists, to the Giannini house, in via del Seminario, 10, where the saint from Lucca lived several years of her life, with particular attention to the rooms they saw some of the most intense episodes of Gemma’s mystical life, such as the dining room with the table around which the members of the large family gathered and which houses a large crucifix in front of which Gemma remained as if enraptured in contemplation and from which, it is said that Jesus stretched out an arm to lift little Gemma to allow her to kiss – as she desired – the wound on her side; her stairs, from which the Devil pushed her to make her fall; the various furnishings, protagonists of her daily life and therefore of miraculous anecdotes; the study where she, enraptured in ecstasy, conversed with the Lord; the bed, on which she died at just 25 years old.
After sharing lunch in the fraternity and reflecting on some elements of married life – such as prayer as a couple and attention to the journey of faith -, a visit to the House of the Stigmata, in via Santa Gemma Galgani, 31, followed. where Gemma received the gift of the impression of the signs of Christ’s passion on her body. Mr. Giuseppe, a volunteer who takes care of the visits to the numerous pilgrims coming from all over the world, accompanied the couples in a shared and touching story about some biographical episodes of the beautiful and young Gemma, up to the climax, in the bedroom, where, guided from reading the words left by the Saint herself, it was possible to get closer to the event that also marked Gemma’s story in her body.
Finally, the visit ended at the church of the Passionist Monastery in via di Tiglio, 271, inside which there is the urn with the remains of the Saint and which encouraged those present to gather in prayer.
The pilgrimage proposed to engaged couples is part of the journey towards the Sacrament of Marriage, a specific vocation and way to know and be in relationship with the Lord; each couple will live with a special form called bearing unique fruits, just as Gemma’s vocation was special, which also materialized in service to the family.
The couples and their life journey together in the light of the Gospel were entrusted to Gemma and her intercession.
