My dear sister Maria, thank you for sharing the heart of Saint Gemma with everyone. One of the most memorable stories about Saint Gemma is not just of her suffering, but of the exuberance of her love. It is said that when she entered into ecstasy or meditated on the Passion of Christ, her heart would palpitate so violently with love that it would literally rock the chair or bed she was sitting in. Your faith reminds me so much of her—a soul that looks past the noise of the world to find the only thing made to be loved: our great God. Just as Gemma saw the beauty of Jesus even in the midst of her greatest trials and illnesses, I see you reflecting that same light and peace. You are a 'gem' in our circle of faith. Even when we cannot be together, your prayers and your focus on the 'lovableness' of Jesus keep us united. Like Gemma, may we always remember that suffering offered with lovetransforms into something beautiful. I continue to pray for you every day, trusting that the Lord is as near to you as He was to His beloved Gemma. When she was a child, she would often stand before a large crucifix, so captivated by the beauty of the Savior that she would cry out in thirst to be with Him. Her love was so intense that her heart eventually became physically enlarged; after her death, doctors discovered that three of her ribs had been bent at right angles, forced outward by the sheer power of her heart's beating during those moments of divine union. She truly lived the words she wrote: "My Jesus, I want to love you with my whole soul.