Santa Gemma Galgani and the fight with the devil

Among the saints who illuminated the Church of Jesus Christ in this century, Santa Gemma Galgani, a virgin from Lucca, should be placed. Jesus filled her with very special favors, appearing to her continuously, instructing her in the exercise of virtues and comforting her with the visible company of the Guardian Angel.
The devil gnawed himself in fury against the Saint; he would have liked to prevent the work of God; failing, he tried to disturb and deceive her. Jesus forewarned his Servant: Be on guard, O Gemma, because the devil will make you great war. - In fact, the devil was presented to her in human form. Many times he beat her hard with a large stick or with flagella. Santa Gemma not uncommonly fell to the ground in pain and, telling the fact to her Spiritual Director, said: How strong that ugly little butt beats! The worst is that it always hits me in one place and it has caused me a large wound! - One day that the devil had tanned her well by fury, the Saint wept a lot.
She narrates it in her Letters: «After the devil left, I went to the room; it seemed to me that I was dying; I was lying on the ground. Jesus immediately came to get me up; later he picked me up. What moments! I suffered ... but I enjoyed! How happy I was! ... I can't explain it! How many caresses Jesus made me! ... He also kissed me! Oh, dear Jesus, how humiliated he was! It seems impossible. -
To divert her from virtue, the devil pretended to be his confessor and went to put himself in the confessional. The Saint opened her conscience; but he noticed from the advice that this was the devil. He strongly invoked Jesus and the evil one disappeared. More than once the devil took the form of Jesus Christ, now scourged and now put on the cross. The Saint knelt down to pray to him; however, from certain grimaces he saw doing and from certain profanity, he understood that he was not Jesus. Then he turned to God, sprinkled a little blessed water and immediately the enemy disappeared into his soul. One day he complained to the Lord: See, Jesus, how the devil deceives me? How could I know if it's you or is it him? - Jesus replied: When you see my appearance, you immediately say: Blessed Jesus and Mary! - and I will answer you in the same way. If it is the devil, he will not pronounce my name. - In fact the Saint, at the appearance of the appearance of the Crucified One, exclaimed: Benedict Jesus and Mary! - When it was the devil who presented himself in this form, the answer was: Benedict ... - Discovered, the devil disappeared.
The Saint was stormed by the demon of pride. Once he saw around his bed a group of boys and girls, in the form of little angels, with a burning candle in his hand; everyone knelt to worship her. Satan would have liked to have it mounted in pride; the Saint noticed the temptation and called to help the Angel of the Lord, who, emitting a light breath, made everything disappear. One fact, worthy of being known, is the following. The Spiritual Director, Father Germano, Passionist, had ordered the Saint to write her entire life in a notebook, in the form of a general Confession. Obedient Saint Gemma, although with sacrifice, wrote what was important to remember of the past life. Since Father Germano was in Rome, the Saint, according to Lucca, kept the manuscript in a drawer and locked it; in due course he would have given it to the Spiritual Director. Predicting the devil how well what written to souls would do, he took it and took it away. When the Saint went to get the written notebook, not having found it, she asked Aunt Cecilia if she had taken it; the answer being negative, the Saint understood that it was a diabolical joke. In fact, one night, while praying, the furious demon appeared to her, ready to beat her; but God did not allow it that time. The ugly said to her: War, war against your Spiritual Director! Your writing is in my hands! - and he left. The Saint sent a letter to Father Germano, who was not surprised at what had happened. The good priest, staying in Rome, went to the church to begin the exorcisms against the devil, in surplice and stole and with the sprinkling of the Blessed Water. The Guardian Angel introduced himself sensibly. The Father said to him: Bring me that ugly beast here, who took Gemma's notebook away! - The demon immediately appeared before Fr. Germano. By means of the exorcisms he got it right and then ordered him: Put the notebook back where you got it! - The devil had to obey and presented himself to the Saint with the notebook in his hand. - Give me the notebook! Gemma said. - I wouldn't give it to you! ... But I'm forced! Then the devil began to twist the notebook, burning the edges of many sheets with his hands; he then began to leaf through it, leaving fingerprints on many pages. Eventually he delivered the manuscript. This notebook is now found at the Passionist Fathers in Rome, in the Postulation House, adjacent to the Church of Saints John and Paul. Visitors are seen. The writer was able to have it in his hands and read it in part. The content of this notebook is already published under the title of "Autobiography of S. Gemma". There are pages photographed, showing the fingerprints of the devil.