A biography of the first saint who lived in the 20th century, this book is a portrait of a complex girl-woman caught between the medieval and the modern and a potent reminder of spirituality in a supposedly secular age. 26 halftones.

"The Diary of Saint Gemma Galgani by Saint Gemma Galgani: " Publisher: Kindle E-Book Edition: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-224-5 Gemma Galgani was an Italian mystic, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church since 1940. She has been called the "Daughter of Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. "Oh God, the moment of the assault has come; and it was strong, even terrible I would almost say. No sign of the cross, no scapular was enough to halt the most ugly temptation one could imagine; he was so horrifying that I closed my eyes and never opened them again until I was absolutely freed." "My God, if I am without sin, I owe it only to you. You be thanked. What to say in those moments? To look for Jesus and not find him is a greater penance than the temptation itself. What I feel only Jesus knows, who watches secretly and is pleased. At a certain point when it seemed the temptation would take on more force, it came to mind to invoke the holy father of Jesus, and I shouted: "Eternal Father, for the blood of Jesus free me." "Publisher: " Catholic Way Publishing. This Paperback is the ideal small size of 5" x 8."

"The Autobiography of Saint Gemma Galgani by Saint Gemma Galgani: " Publisher: Kindle E-Book Edition: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-269-6 ." . . but my greatest affliction was not being able to love Jesus as I wished. I tried eagerly not to offend Him, but my bad inclination to evil was so strong that without a special grace from God I would have fallen into hell. Not knowing how to love Jesus caused me much concern, but He, in His infinite good-ness, was never ashamed to humiliate me in order that He might become my Master. One evening when I was at prayer, He came to bring peace to my soul. I felt myself entirely recollected and I found myself for a second time before Jesus Crucified. He said to me "Look Daughter, and learn how to love" and He showed me His five open wounds. "Do you see this cross, these thorns, these nails, these bruises, these tears, these wounds, this blood? They are all works of love; of infinite love. Do you see how much I have loved you? Do you really want to love Me? Then first learn how to suffer. It is by suffering that one learns how to love." "Publisher: " Catholic Way Publishing. This Paperback is the ideal small size of 5" x 8."

“A brilliant, disturbing study of anorexic behavior amongst medieval Italian female saints . . . original, controversial, superbly executed.” —Kirkus Reviews Is there a resemblance between the contemporary anorexic teenager counting every calorie in her single-minded pursuit of thinness, and an ascetic medieval saint examining her every desire? Rudolph M. Bell suggests that the answer is yes. “Everyone interested in anorexia nervosa . . . should skim this book or study it. It will make you realize how dependent upon culture the definition of disease is. I will never look at an anorexic patient in the same way again.” —Howard Spiro, M.D., Gastroenterology “[This] book is a first-class social history and is well-documented both in its historical and scientific portions.” —Vern L. Bullough, American Historical Review “A significant contribution to revisionist history, which re-examines events in light of feminist thought . . . Bell is particularly skillful in describing behavior within its time and culture, which would be bizarre by today’s norms, without reducing it to the pathological.” —Mary Lassance Parthun, Toronto Globe and Mail “Bell is both enlightened and convincing. His book is impressively researched, easy to read, and utterly fascinating.” —Sheila MacLeod, New Statesman

This book is a collection of letters written by St. Gemma Galgani, an Italian mystic and ecstatic who lived in the early 20th century. Offering a rare glimpse into the inner life of a deeply spiritual individual, these letters provide guidance, inspiration, and edification for anyone seeking to deepen their faith or explore the mysteries of the divine. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Between Heaven and Earth explores the relationships men, women, and children have formed with the Virgin Mary and the saints in twentieth-century American Catholic history, and reflects, more broadly, on how people live in the company of sacred figures and how these relationships shape the ties between people on earth. In this boldly argued and beautifully written book, Robert Orsi also considers how scholars of religion occupy the ground in between belief and analysis, faith and scholarship. Orsi infuses his analysis with an autobiographical voice steeped in his own Italian-American Catholic background--from the devotion of his uncle Sal, who had cerebral palsy, to a "crippled saint," Margaret of Castello; to the bond of his Tuscan grandmother with Saint Gemma Galgani. Religion exists not as a medium of making meanings, Orsi maintains, but as a network of relationships between heaven and earth involving people of all ages as well as the many sacred figures they hold dear. Orsi argues that modern academic theorizing about religion has long sanctioned dubious distinctions between "good" or "real" religious expression on the one hand and "bad" or "bogus" religion on the other, which marginalize these everyday relationships with sacred figures. This book is a brilliant critical inquiry into the lives that people make, for better or worse, between heaven and earth, and into the ways scholars of religion could better study of these worlds.