This inspired 4,200 page narration describing the Life of Jesus was written by Maria Valtorta (1897-1961) during the years 1943-1947 with some additions in 1951, after the proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary (1950). Although most of the work covers the three-year public life of Jesus Christ, it begins with the birth of the Virgin Mary, and ends with Her Assumption. On the first page of the work Jesus says: "She will be spoken of in this book".
The work is a monumental masterpiece of literature. This is a book about not only Our Lord Jesus, but also contains "books" about the Blessed Virgin Mary, John, Peter, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and yes, the tragic character Judas who betrayed Him. Of Judas, Jesus said that if hell didn't exist, a bigger hell would have been created for him. Of the apostles, John loved Jesus the most. In episode after episode it is clear that Jesus loved Judas the most, even if He suffered for him in vain because of Judas' refusal to repent--the lost sheep who chose to be lost.
Although the work claims to be "revelation", there are no "new teachings". Like all prophetic gifts to the Church, authentic prophecy has to be discerned. It skillfully fills in the gaps between the Four Canonical Gospels with such clarity, that some have dulled their minds trying in vain to find moral or doctrinal errors. When first published in the 1950's, Maria Valtorta's name was not attached to the work, out of obedience to Jesus who wanted the work to spread like a leaven through the Church, without an open & noisy diffusion. After Maria's death in 1961, her name appeared in the Italian 1962 edition. With the internet of now, it is impossible to keep her light under a bushel.
Thomas, a Judean, was talented as an artistic goldsmith, and often served as cook for Jesus & the apostles. Simon Zealot was part African. A leper healed by Jesus, Simon reminded Jesus of His foster father Joseph because of the kind way he treated Him. Simon wanted to be near the cross like John, but out of obedience to Jesus, Simon kept the frightened apostles together at Bethany. Peter often displayed a remarkable wit as his impetuous and loving character grew as head of the apostles and the Church. The scenes of Jesus with the apostles after the Resurrection (like many in this work) are without parallel outside the 4 Gospels. Maria writes like a movie camera, writing the script for a future movie. The movie to be made should not be your usual 3 hour epic, but hundreds of hours of video showing the 3 year public life of Our Lord who instructed and healed so many before His salvific death.
Since it was first available in Italian, this work has attracted the attention of scholars and spiritual leaders alike. Testimonials abound to the fact that it is entirely consistent with the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. None of Maria's writings have ever been formally charged with even the slightest moral or doctrinal error.
Maria Valtorta claims she had visions that inspired her writings. Whether you feel this work is imaginary or truly "inspired", the real fruit is its wonderful effect on millions of people all around the world. Many readers - of all ages and walks of life - claim that this work has dramatically influenced their lives by deepening their faith by its vivid and compelling narration of the traditional Gospel writings. Many of the passages parallel the four Canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) so closely, that it would be quite innacurate to say that the work is all fiction, although Catholics are only required to believe Scripture & Tradition.
That the work is completely free of moral and doctrinal error is proven by Pius XII's (1948) ordering it to be published, the Imprimatur of Archbishop Soosa Pakiam M. of Trivandrum, India, for the Malayalam translation (1993), the approval of Archbishop George H. Pearce (1987), former Archbishop of Suva, Fiji, and the full endorsement of Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D.(2001).
 
Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D. Archbishop Soosa Pakiam M.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explicitly granted permission for the work to be read and distributed as a "literary product" having the stylistic form of a revelation (in this case, a "gospel"), with the "request" of the General Secretary (Most Rev. Dionigi Tettamanzi) of the Italian bishops' conference in a May 6th, 1992 letter to the Italian publisher Dr. Emilio Pisani letting it be known that it may be read by all Catholics, without any corrections, on the sole condition that "for the distribution of the work in Italy" catholics should not consider it to be of supernatual origin. (See The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's letter of April 17, 1993, Prot. N. 144/58 i). A complete copy of this document in either Italian or English has mysteriously not been released for public view, and appears at this time to be a guideline over the last 15 years to bishops who might try to answer questions as to how the Vatican currently views Maria's writings. Cardinal Ratzinger in 1985 explained that Maria's work had been placed on the now 40 year defunct Index (then a 20-year defunct Index) for the "most unprepared." If His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI would release the full text of the 1993 CDF instruction, it would truly help instruct the "most unprepared". As pope, he can now bridge the infinite gap between Pius XII who approved Maria's work in front of 3 priest witnesses, and Blessed John XXIII who placed Maria's work on the now defunct Index, having also condemned Saint Faustina's Diary on the same day. John Paul II could have easily reversed the condemnation of Saint Faustina's Diary just like he reversed the condemnation of Galileo's book explaining the advantages of the Copernican theory. For those to say that people should not read Maria Valtorta because the Church did not release a public statement reversing the condemnation of her POEM OF THE MAN-GOD, is as silly as saying that Catholics could not believe that the earth revolved around the sun until John Paul II reversed the condemnation of Galileo's book. Pope Paul VI abolished the Index, and Catholics are free to read Saint Faustina's Diary, and of course, Maria Valtorta's POEM OF THE MAN-GOD. Those who pretend otherwise are just bluffing, as it is a matter of Church law, and not personal opinion.
 
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi Pius XII
The Church has already indicated in the person of Pius XII, that the work may well be of supernatual origin. His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, on Feb. 26, 1948 said: "Publish this work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion about its origin, whether it be extraordinary or not. Who reads it will understand." Three Servant of Mary (OSM) priests witnessed the Holy Father saying this, and the Vatican has never denied it considering the historical fact that the names of the 3 priests were listed next day in L'Osservatore Romano as having had the private audience with Pius XII.
Pope #1 (PiusXII) approved it. Pope #2 (Blessed John XXIII) put it on the Index because it did not have a written Imprimatur which was required at that time. Pope #3 (Paul VI) nullified the suppression of Pope #2 by abolishing the Index of Forbidden Books, and permitted the publishing of prophecies without requiring an Imprimatur, as long as they do not contain moral or doctrinal error.
Paul VI
The Italian publisher, Dr. Emilio Pisani, honors the request of Most Rev. Tettamanzi, by printing on the back cover of each Italian copy of L'EVANGELO COME MI E STATO RIVELATO that unnamed Church officials are uncertain of the supernatural origin of Maria's writings, after listing the fact that Pius XII cautiously approved it in 1948. Only 3 priests witnessed Pius XII's approval, and no Catholic is required by church law to believe what even 3 priests remembered the pope saying. However, 2 Corinthians 13:1 says: "Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses." Also, Cannon Law 333.3 says: "There is neither appeal nor recourse against a decision or decree of the Roman Pontiff." Although not required to do so, the faithful are certainly permitted to believe Pius XII's verbal approval.
In 1985 Cardinal Ratzinger said in a letter to Cardinal Siri, that Maria Valtorta's work was put on the now (and then) defunct Index "for the least prepared", in other words as a caution to those of the faithful who were not knowledgeable enough to distinguish between public & private revelation. When the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith gave permission for the work to be read & distributed in the early 1990's, there was no longer any such censure that "the least prepared" should not read it. Today, the "least prepared" might be those who are unaware of the approval of His Holiness, Pope Pius XII. Some say that the dissolution of the Index was brought about in part by the unfortunate placing of the POEM on the Index, absent moral or doctrinal error. There are even rumors that the work was secretly removed from the Index, and that this act was never officially promulgated. It was His Holiness John Paul II who, after hundreds of years, abrogated the condemnation of Galileo's writings confirming the theory of the Polish priest Copernicus, with his (Galileo's) improvement of the telescope.
The Bible does not say how the heavens go, but how to go to heaven. The main work of Maria Valtorta (POEM OF THE MAN-GOD) precisely deals with how to live on earth so as to go to heaven. The Council of Vatican I (1870) infallibly defined two dogmas of great importance in the wake of the Galileo affair: Papal Infallibility & the Divine authorship of the Books of the Bible as listed by the Council of Trent. Given the times and the scientific tools available at the time, it is understandable to see why some misinterpreted the Bible in their unfortunate treatment of Galileo (he was put under house arrest), perhaps out of a mistaken zeal for what they misinterpreted in the Bible. Science again challenged Biblical interpretation by proposing Darwin's theory of evolution. Maria Valtorta's NOTEBOOKS 1943 pp. 591-593 debunks the theory of evolution as the belief of a degraded intellect.
An annonymous (thus having zero magisterial value) article printed in L'Osservatore Romano (Jan 6, 1960), vainly tried to justify putting the work on the Index. The article inexplicably said that the work was "up to date on the latest studies in mariology". That's like saying Einstein's ideas should be banned because he knew too much! The Church wisely abolished the Index with a series of decrees in 1965 & 1966. Some still maintain that the abolished Index still has "moral force" for those banned books that have moral & doctrinal error. By that standard every catholic would have to stop reading books & newspapers, listening to the radio, and looking at TV which is filled with moral (and doctrinal) error. It is unlikely the Church will soon resurrect the Index by forbidding with excommunication reading the lies in the Da Vinci Code, (or watching the scandalous movie by the same name which thankfully flopped miserably at the Cannes Film festival). As a defense against the Da Vinci Code's mocking of the Catholic & Christian Faith, we offer Maria Valtorta's MARY MAGDALENE as a traditionally respectful view of St. Mary Magdalene, who with her strong character heroically turned from sin (Jesus cast seven demons out of her {the seven capital sins?} Mark 16:9) to a life holiness.
Regarding the MORAL FORCE of the defunct Index (which it validly has for MORAL AND DOCTRINAL ERROR), there is also the MORAL FORCE of the Word of God, Sacred Scripture, where it says two or three witnesses must sustain any claim (2 Cor. 13:1, 1 Tim. 5:19, Dt 19:15). Three priests heard Pius XII say: "Publish it as it is. There is no need to give an opinion as to whether it is of supernatual origin. Who reads it will understand."
Cardinal Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI) is also known to have intervened in Medjugorje by preventing the local bishop from discouraging pilgrims to the apparition site there. One of the visionaries (Vicka) said that the Virgin Mary recommended reading Maria Valtorta's work if someone wanted to know Jesus. Another Medjugorje visionary, Maria Pavlovic, reported that the Virgin Mary said: "One may read it". So many pilgrims from Italy came to Medjugorje, that the Italian Bishops Conference discussed Maria Valtorta's work in their deliberations in the early 1990's.
Vicka Ivankovic
The reader has the option of reading the sublime passages, and leaving the question of inspiration by God to the official judgment of the Church. The English version is published in five hard-bound volumes containing all seven parts. Each volume contains over one hundred chapters and over 600 pages. Select a volume and view its chapter titles. Also, please read the excerpts available at this site for a brief preview of the places, people, and events you will experience in this dramatic narration of the Gospels.
Jesus says: "May the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ be with all those who in this book see an approach of Mine and urge it to be accomplished, to their defense, with the cry of Love: "Come, Lord Jesus!" Last page (952) of Volume 5.
"The one who guarantees these revelations repeats His promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen." The last 2 verses of Sacred Scripture. St. John's Revelation 22:20-21
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Carravagio 1600 The Incredulity of St. Thomas
Jesus says: "...as I forsee the remarks of too many Thomases and of the too many scribes of the present days on a sentence of this dictation, which seems to be in contrast with the sip of water offered by Longinus...--oh! how happy the deniers of the supernatural, the rationalists of perfection contrariwise, would be, if they could find a fissure in the wonderful complex of this work of divine bounty and of your sacrifice, little John, to make it all collapse, by prizing open such fissure with the pick of their lethal rationalism--to prevent them, I say and explain.
That poor sip of water--a drop in the fire of the fever and in the dryness of the emptied veins--taken out of love for a soul that was to be convinced of love to lead it to Truth, taken with great difficulty in the severe pain that obstructed My breathing and prevented Me from swallowing, so crushed I was by the cruel scourges, gave Me only a supernatural relief. For My body it was nothing, not to say it was a torture... Rivers would have been required to quench My thirst then... And I could not drink because of the anguish of the praecordial pain. And you are aware of that pain... Rivers would have been required later... and they were not given to Me. Neither could I have accepted them because of the stronger and stronger suffocation. But how much relief they would have given to My Heart, had they been offered! It was of love that I was dying. Of love not given...
When you, good people, contemplate, or you, sceptical philosophers, analyse that "sip", give it the right name: "pity", not drink. So it can be said without incurring falsehood, that "from the Supper onwards I had no comfort". Of all the people who surrounded Me there was not one who gave Me any comfort, as I did not want to take the spiced wine. I had vinegar and mockery. I had betrayal and blows. That is what I had. Nothing else. |
Copyright 2003 
