Saint Veronica Giuliani
Saint Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727) was an Italian mystic. This Capuchin Poor Clare nun received the stigmata of Christ. Her Journal is of immense spiritual richness. Through the texts and quotations of Saint Veronica Giuliani, discover her spirituality centered on the infinite love of Jesus to which she wanted to respond in an ever more passionate manner. https://hozana.org/communaute/11409-9-jours-pour-s-inspirer-de-9-femmes-au-temoignage-bouleversant
Biography of Veronica Giuliani
Veronica Giuliani was born on December 27, 1660, in Mercatello and was given the name Ursula. She was the youngest of seven sisters, three of whom would become nuns. The child lost her mother at the age of seven, and the family then moved to Piacenza. During her teenage years, the young girl felt the growing desire to dedicate her life to God.
Her commitment followed in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi. At the age of 17, she enters the convent of the Clarisses Capucines of Città di Castello, where she will remain all her life. The young sister is given the name Veronica which means “true image”, indeed she follows in the footsteps of Saint Veronica, the one who wiped the face of Christ on the way to the Cross. For Sister Veronica, a life of penance begins, she experiences great suffering and several mystical experiences related to the Passion of Jesus. On Good Friday 1697, Sister Veronica receives for the first time the stigmata of Christ. She also receives other mystical graces: the crowning with thorns, the mystical marriage, and the wound to the heart. The nun lives in deep union with Christ during His Passion, sharing His sufferings, offering herself in reparation for the sins of the world, especially for the pope and the Church. In her prayer, she united with all the saints of Heaven to receive their help and prayed a lot for the souls in purgatory. In 1716, at the age of 56, she became the abbess of the convent, a role that would be entrusted to her until her death. Veronica died on July 9, 1727 after a terrible agony of 33 days. Just before dying, she exclaimed in deep joy: “I have found Love, Love has revealed itself to me! It is the cause of my suffering. Tell everyone, tell everyone!” She was then 67 years old and had spent 50 years in cloistered religious life. She was canonized on May 26, 1839, by Pope Gregory XVI. Saint Veronica Giuliani is celebrated on July 9.
The Diary of Saint Veronica Giuliani
On the orders of her confessor, Veronica was tasked with putting her spiritual experiences into writing. In 1693, she began writing her Journal, consisting of 22,000 handwritten pages covering 34 years of cloistered life. The writing is regular and spontaneous, without erasures or corrections, nor punctuation marks or division into chapters. Veronica had no desire to create a literary work but only wished to obey her confessor's instructions. Veronica also wrote numerous letters and poems, also of great spiritual richness. The spirituality of Veronica Giuliani through her quotes Several highlights mark Veronica's spiritual experience and invite Christians to be inspired by her example. The spirit of penance for sinners. From the beginning of her religious life, Veronica was driven by the desire to sacrifice herself for the conversion of sinners. She understood the redemptive value of suffering and continually offered her pains and prayers of intercession for all. She would say:
“O sinful men and women... all come to the heart of Jesus; come to the bath of his precious blood... He is waiting for you with open arms to kiss you ”
- Union with the suffering Christ.
It is by living in ever closer union with the Passion of the Lord that Veronica actively participates in the Salvation of humanity. Indeed, the Passion of Jesus is the source of all grace, and whoever unites with it expands the Salvation of the world. Veronica loved to repeat these words of Saint Paul: « I find joy in the sufferings I endure for you. In my flesh I am filling up what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. » (Colossians 1:24)
- Remain in the Divine Will.
Here are Veronica's words: “My soul has been bound by the divine will and I have truly established myself and stopped forever in the will of God. It seemed to me that I would never again have to separate myself from this will of God and I returned to myself with these precise words: nothing will be able to separate me from the will of God, neither anguish, nor pain, nor torments, nor contempt, nor temptations, nor creatures, nor demons, nor darkness, and not even death, because, in life and in death, I want entirely, and in everything, the will of God”(Journal, IV, 272).
- Let Jesus act in everything.
Saint Veronica did everything in the company of Jesus. Her words are as follows: “When I began my work, Jesus told me: “Come on, do it for Me, by Me! ». When I finished, He said: “I did it!"
Prayers of Saint Veronica Giuliani
Prayer for the conversion of sinners
Oh Infinite Love, wound me with Your traits... Oh my Spouse, I offer myself as a perpetual sacrifice and like a Victim of love, I unite this sacrifice with Yours, that is to say with the Cross. I commit to always remain crucified with You, to never desire anything but Your will... I ask You, oh my Savior Jesus, for the conversion of sinners... I am ready to shed my blood for their salvation, and for the confirmation of the holy faith. Oh my God, it is in the name of Your Love, in the name of Your Heart, that I make this prayer to You... And you, souls redeemed by the Blood of Jesus, oh sinners, come to this Heart. Come to the Fountain, to the Ocean of His Love.
Invocations of Saint Veronica Giuliani
Sister Veronica liked to repeat these invocations to the Lord often to show him her love and draw his graces to the world.
- “O my Jesus, I dedicate myself to You. You told me that those who love the Cross have no other home than your own Heart. So I declare myself a lover, a lover of the Cross, and I sign this declaration with my own blood ”
- “Lord, You have drunk all the bitterness, I want to drink it too in Your company. The Cross, it is no longer for You who are now in glory; pass it to me. “
- “O my beloved Treasure, I ask You for this grace: bring down my pride and my morgue; fill me with kindness and meekness as your Heart. »
- “Let us take crucified Jesus as our model and we will change completely. Let us do everything in union with the sufferings of the Savior. »
Walk in the footsteps of Saint Veronica Giuliani with Hozana!
- Padre Pio said of Veronica Giuliani that she was his “mistress in holiness.” In praying with Saint Padre Pio, let us put ourselves in the school of the great saints who knew how to leave all the room to Jesus!
- Pray with Saint Rita, the patroness of desperate causes. Like Saint Veronica Giuliani, this Italian nun had many mystical experiences. She is known for the power of her intercession!
