The Gospel as Revealed to Me - Maria Valtorta

Discussion in 'Scriptural Thoughts' started by Woman Clothed WithThe Sun, Sep 10, 2019.

  1. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    I'm starting this conversation -which began in the thread "The mysterious Silence of God" as a new thread.

    I'll try to copy hear the relevant posts for this new thread:


    God does nothing without telling His servants, the Prophets
    -Amos 3:7

    God communicates with us ceaselessly.
    Saint John of the Cross give us a clue about why we may not hear Him.
    In silence is to be heard from the soul.

    We have the Word of God made flesh, and the Word of God made book.

    I want to share with you a treasure I've discovered only in the last few months:
    A few decades ago, in the middle of the XX century, God expanded the revelation contained in the Gospels from a few hundred pages to some 5000 pages.
    We have this expansion of the Gospels through a mystic, whose particular gift was a "time tunnel" that took her to watch, witness, and write down immediately, in the spot, the scenes of the Gospels -while lying in bed.
    She writes immediately (no days or years later) and personally (no secretary or intermediary for writing) with unbelievable detail every scene, character, and conversation -of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles ....

    I've been reading The Gospel as Revealed to Me - Maria Valtorta - in orderly sequence, from the first chapter on, and I want to share that it has been an immense discovery of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Gospels, every one of the Apostles, the Jewish culture of the time of Jesus .... and our own Catholic faith. It is a life-changing reading.

    I strongly recommend to everyone here to read this work. I feel like I am learning to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus for the first time. It is that powerful.

    I've found also something particularly timely for our current situation in the Church and the world: the mystery of Judas Iscariot's calling and presence in the life of Jesus and the Apostles. And above all, the agony of Jesus and His love and patience with Judas, His dedication to save him, and at the same time the mystery of human freedom.

    The books are online for free download, in several formats here:
    https://archive.org/details/VolIV6162018MariaValtorta

    This is what some significant people have said about The Poem of the Man God (a previous title for the same work)

    “I don’t advise you to ’read’ Maria Valtorta’s books. I order you to!”
    (Saint Padre Pio’s answer to a long-time spiritual daughter of his, Mrs. Elisa Lucchi, in 1967, when she asked him in Confession, “Father, I have heard mention of Maria Valtorta’s books. Do you advise me to read them?”)

    “Publish it just as it is. There is no need to give an opinion as to whether it is of supernatural origin. Those who read it will understand.”
    (Pope Pius XII on February 26, 1948, to Frs. Berti, Migliorini, and Cecchin, after reviewing Valtorta’s work)

    “I assure you that the Poem of the Man-God immensely surpasses whatever descriptions - I do not say of mine, because I do not know how to write - but of any other writer... It is a work which makes one grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus and of His Holy Mother... I hold that the work demands a supernatural origin.”
    (Blessed Gabriel Allegra, O.F.M., a saintly missionary, world-renowned theologian, and the only beatified biblical scholar of the 20th century)

    "When His Holiness Pope Paul VI was Archbishop of Milan, he read one of the books of The Poem of the Man-God. He told me how he appreciated it, and had me send the complete work to the Library of the diocesan Seminary.”
    (Msgr. Pasquale Macchi, Private Secretary of Pope Paul VI, in an hour-long interview with Fr. Corrado M. Berti, O.S.M., in 1963)

    “Maria Valtorta is one of the eighteen greatest mystics of all time.”
    (Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., world-renowned Mariologist, decorated professor at the Marianum Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome, Consultor of the Holy Office, wrote over 130 traditional/orthodox books about Our Lady)

    “There are hundreds of topographical names and details and of descriptions of places…which only the latest research and archaeological excavations have brought to light. Maria Valtorta’s Work is, in truth, inexplicable by merely human means.”
    (Antonio Socci, Leading Journalist & TV Show Host)​

    And here is some information about Maria Valtorta:

    Maria Valtorta was born in 1897 in Caserta, Italy. In 1916 the Lord attracted her
    to Himself by means of a dream which was to remain vivid throughout her life.
    In her early 20's and in the spring of 1920, while walking along the street, she was
    struck in the back by a young delinquent. With an iron bar stripped from a bed,
    he came from behind and struck her with all his might. She remained confined to
    bed for three months, just a sample of what was to be her future complete
    infirmity. January 4th, 1933 was the last day Maria was able to leave her house
    and after April 1, 1934, she was no longer able to leave her bed.
    Her activity as writer reached intensity from 1943 to 1947, and continued,
    diminishing progressively, until 1953. The notebooks written by Maria included
    almost fifteen thousand handwritten pages. A little less than two-thirds of this
    outstanding literary production concerns her monumental masterpiece on the Life
    of Jesus: THE POEM OF THE MAN-GOD / THE GOSPEL AS REVEALED
    TO ME. The minor works include extensive commentaries on biblical texts,
    doctrinal lessons, histories of the first Christians and martyrs and pious
    compositions. "I can affirm" - one of Maria's declarations reads - "that I have had
    no human source to be able to know what I write, and what, even while writing,
    I often do not understand."
    In lofty literary style, the POEM describes landscapes, environments, people, and
    events with the vividness of graphic depiction. It presents characters and
    situations with introspective insight and sets forth moments of joy or drama with
    the feeling of someone really taking part in them. It provides information on the
    characteristics of settings, customs, rites, and cultures with convincing detail. By
    way of a gripping account of the Redeemer’s earthly life, especially through
    discourse and dialogue, the work sheds light upon the whole doctrine of
    Christianity in keeping with Catholic orthodoxy.
    Maria died in 1961 at the age of 65. With ecclesiastical permission, her mortal
    remains are now venerated in the Capitular Chapel in the Grand Cloister of the
    Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation, in Florence, Italy. Chiseled on her tomb
    are the words: "DIVINARUM RERUM SCRIPTRIX" (Writer of Divine Things).
    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).
    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 supernatural origin. (See the CDF letter of April 17, 1993, Prot. N. 144/58 i).

    Maybe I should have started a new thread for this -it would make a great conversation to read, pray, and share. But it was precisely the title of this thread what drew me "out of my silence" -as Mario put it-. I see in this work the fatherly tenderness of Our Father towards His poor children of our modern, technological, and post-Christian age. He knows that we need more than the nuggets of the life and ministry of Jesus on earth, and He has provided accordingly.
    May God be for ever praised and loved for this.

    There is an application where you get the passage of Maria Valtorta's writings corresponding to the gospel of every Sunday. But it is VERY DIFFERENT to read just isolated chapters than to read the whole story in orderly sequence from beginning to end. I invite everyone to try for themselves.
     
  2. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    This video of Fr. Mark about the value of spiritual reading is very good and significant for the topic here.
     
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  3. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    Every now and then, in this work, Jesus speaks to Maria Valtorta, (as different from the Gospel scenes) to explain something to her, or to clarify something or to encourage her, etc.
    This is what I read at this time, this "note" or explanation of Jesus to Maria V. :

    #538

    ----------------

    11 Jesus says:

    « And also the third year of My public life has come to its end. Now comes the preparatory period for My Passion. That is, the period in which everything seems confined to few actions and few people. It almost decries My figure and My mission. In actual fact He, Who seemed defeated and rejected, was the hero getting ready for His apotheosis, and around Him were concentrated and elevated to this highest peak not people, but the passions of people.

    We are now close to the summit, and the summit was the Sacrifice for which I became incarnate, and as all the most secret feelings of hearts and all the intrigues of sects have been disclosed, we can only do what the wayfarer does when he reaches the summit, that is, to look at everything and everybody; to become acquainted with the Jewish world; to know what I was: the Man above senses, selfishness, hatred, the Man Who had to be tempted by all sorts of people to take vengeance, to seek power, to wish for the honest delights of marriage and family life, the Man Who had to put up with everything living in the world and suffer by it, because infinite was the distance between the imperfection and sin of the world and My Perfection, the Man Who replied “No” to all the voices, to all the allurements, to all the reactions of the world, of Satan and of My human ego. And I remained pure, loyal, merciful, humble, obedient even to death on a Cross.


    12 Will all this be understood by modern society, to which I grant this knowledge of Myself to strengthen it against the more and more powerful attacks of Satan and the world?

    Also nowadays, as twenty centuries ago, those to whom I reveal Myself will contradict one another. Once again I am the sign that is rejected. But not with regard to Myself, but with regard to what I stir up in them. Good people, those of good will, will have the good reactions of the shepherds and of humble people. The others will react in a wicked manner, like the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and priests of those days. One gives what one has. A good person who comes in touch with wicked people provokes a surge of greater wickedness in them. And judgement will be passed on men as it was done on Good Friday, according to how they have judged, accepted and followed the Master, Who with a fresh attempt of infinite mercy has made Himself known once again. How many people's eyes will open and how many will acknowledge Me saying: “It is He. That is why our hearts burnt within us as He talked and explained the Scriptures to us.”?

    My peace to them and to you, My little, faithful, loving John. [Maria Valtorta is called by Jesus, 'little John']»


    I found this paragraph very striking because this is exactly what I had understood from my reading of the Poem: the amazing parallel between Jesus and the Church ahead of His and her Passion, death, and resurrection.

    If you read the paragraphs I've highlighted above, and you replace Jesus for the Church, you can see that they apply to our time and our Church.

    And Jesus expressly declares that this Poem of the Man God, this Gospel as Revealed to Maria Valtorta, has been given to the mid-TWENTIETH CENTURY and beyond to strengthen it against the more and more powerful attacks of Satan and the world

    This was my personal sense and experience as I was reading the Poem, that Jesus was actually PREPARING ME for what is coming soon through my getting to know Him better in His Journey.

    The real preparation for us, above refuges and foods, is the spiritual preparation of our soul, of strengthening our faith, and that can only come through our Journeying with Jesus, knowing Him better, closer, and loving Him more and more in Himself and in our brothers and sisters.

    And ABOVE ALL in FORGIVING others, especially evil and sinful people -as He did and teaches so beautifully in the Poem -and in the Gospel. This was an eye opening to me. The way He dealt with Judas, and especially with all the rest of the Apostles having to suffer Judas in their midst. Jesus corrects and forbids ANY fault of charity towards Judas, not only of word or did but even of THOUGHT in them. He asks them again and again to PRAY for Judas, and covers him from any suspicion or criticism. Quite amazing. Quite a lesson.

    I just want to encourage people to take this treasure to pray with. It has a freshness that sometimes we don't find in the Gospels because we have read and re-read them so many times. Here we have the same gospels again but with a new witness telling us the stories. And like the disciples in the road to Emmaus we can recognize Jesus with our hearts burning with love as we hear Him parting for us the Bread of Scripture, His very Word.
     
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  4. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    View attachment 10840
    [​IMG]

    View attachment 10839
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    Father Laurentin's last words in this quote are good to keep in mind as well:
    Still, the story of Maria Valtorta is not a 5th gospel.

    No, it is not "another" gospel, but it helps so much to read the Scriptural gospels, and to know Jesus better.
     
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  5. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    Maps of the places -with the number of the corresponding chapters where the visits are mentioned.

    Here are the links to all the maps in PDF format -14 of them for the whole work (10 volumes in the recent last edition)-.

    And this is a small size example of one of them:

    View attachment 10841
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    Thanks again, Blizzard, I've followed your suggestion and I'm responding to your post from the new thread.

    The best hard copy English translation I would think is the third edition of the poem by the Centro Editoriale Valtortiano which you can browse at your convenience. But this is in Italy.

    This is the link to the complete set of 10 volumes - around 500 pages each volume
    https://mariavaltortastore.com/en/levangelo/the-gospel-as-revealed-to-me.html?___SID=U

    The same set is available in the US here:
    https://shop.valtorta.org/shop?olsPage=products/the-gospel-as-revealed-to-me-all-10-volumes-complete-set

    I haven't seen these volumes directly but from what I've found in another language, they have at the beginning of each volume the complete set of Gospel episodes that Maria V. addresses in the volume. This allows for a parallel reading of the Scriptural Gospels with Valtorta's work.
     
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  7. Katfalls

    Katfalls Powers

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    I first read The Poem Of The Man God about 30 years ago. I was so impressed by it, I would go to church and listen to the gospel as if I had experienced it. It made them come alive! The volumes were very expensive! And I would loan them out. Then I heard about the controversy surrounding them. I discussed the books with my parish priest who is also an exorcist and he told me to get rid of them. They were not to be read and on the list of forbidden books. I wanted to be obedient to my superior, and as much as it pained me I disposed of them. Did I do the right thing? I think so because I did it in obedience. Do I like the books? I love the books, they brought me closer to Jesus in a beautiful way. I was afraid to read about his passion, I didn't know if I could handle it. But Jesus carried me through it in a most holy way. I would so hope the books would be promoted by our church, I keep waiting and hoping.
     
  8. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    The period between the 12 and 30 years of Jesus, per se, is NOT covered. You may want to take a look at the beginning of the list of chapters -which runs over 600 chapters or episodes.

    Table of Contents
    1. Introduction........................................................................................1
    2. Joachim and Anne Make a Vow to the Lord............................3
    3. Anne, Praying in the Temple, Has Her Wish Fulfilled...........9
    4. With a Canticle, Anne Announces that She Is a Mother...................................................................................17
    5. Birth of the Virgin Mary................................................................25
    6. The Purification of Anne and the Offering of Mary............47
    7. The Son Has Put His Wisdom on His Mother's Lips...........54
    8. Mary Is Presented in the Temple...............................................64
    9. Death of Joachim and Anne........................................................74
    10. Mary's Canticle Imploring the Coming of the Christ.......79
    11. Mary Will Confide Her Vow to the Spouse God Will Give Her...............................................91
    12. Joseph Is Appointed Husband of the Virgin.......................97
    13. Wedding of the Virgin and Joseph......................................106
    14. Joseph and Mary arrive in Nazareth....................................118
    15. Conclusion to the Pre-Gospel................................................126
    16. The Annunciation.......................................................................129
    17. The Disobedience of Eve and the Obedience of Mary.........................................................134
    18. The Annunciation of Elizabeth's Pregnancy to Joseph..............................................................148
    19. Mary and Joseph Set Out for Jerusalem............................156
    20. From Jerusalem to Zacharias' House..................................159
    21. Arrival at Zacharias' House.....................................................165
    22. Mary and Elizabeth Speak of their Children.....................172
    23. The Birth of the Baptist............................................................185
    24. The Circumcision of the Baptist............................................195
    25. The Presentation of the Baptist in the Temple. St. Joseph's Passion................................................................201
    26. Mary of Nazareth Clarifies the Matter with Joseph........212
    27. The Census Edict........................................................................219
    28. The Journey to Bethlehem......................................................226
    29. The Birth of Our Lord Jesus....................................................234
    30. The Adoration of the Shepherds..........................................247
    31. Zacharias' Visit............................................................................264
    32. Presentation of Jesus in the Temple....................................274
    33. Lullaby of the Virgin..................................................................283
    34. The Adoration of the Wise Men...........................................287
    35. The Flight into Egypt.................................................................305
    36. The Holy Family in Egypt.........................................................320
    37. The First Working Lesson Given to Jesus...........................332
    38. Mary the Teacher of Jesus, Judas and James...................339
    39. Preparations for Jesus' Coming of Age and Departure from Nazareth.....................................................350
    40. Jesus Examined in the Temple When He Is of Age........357
    41. The Dispute of Jesus with the Doctors in the Temple............................................................................364
    42. The Death of Saint Joseph......................................................382
    43. Conclusion of the Private Life................................................393

    THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PUBLIC LIFE.........................................398
    44. Farewell to His Mother and Departure from Nazareth.398
    45. Jesus Is Baptised in the Jordan..............................................411
    46. Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert by the Devil.....................420
    47. Jesus Meets John and James.................................................430
    48. John and James Speak to Peter about the Messiah......437
    49. First Meeting of Peter and the Messiah.............................444
    50. Jesus at Bethsaida in Peter's House. He Meets Philip and Nathanael.........................................459
    51. Judas Thaddeus at Bethsaida to Invite Jesus to the Wedding at Cana.......................................................472
    52. Jesus at the Wedding at Cana...............................................479
    53. Jesus Drives the Merchants out of the Temple...............488
    54. Jesus Meets Judas Iscariot and Thomas and Cures Simon the Zealot.........................................................496
    55. Thomas Becomes a Disciple...................................................506
    56. Judas of Alphaeus, Thomas and Simon Are Accepted as Disciples at the Jordan.........................515
    57. Return to Nazareth after Passover with the Six Disciples.......................................................................525
    58. Cure of a Blind Man at Capernaum.....................................531
    59. The Demoniac of Capernaum Cured in the Synagogue....................................................................540
    60. Cure of Simon Peter's Mother-in-law.................................549
    61. Jesus Preaches and Works Miracles in Peter's House.. .560
    62. Jesus Prays at Night..................................................................569
    ETC

    But during the three years of the Public Life there are many conversations with the apostles, the shepherds of Bethlehem (which became disciples later on), Mary the Mother of Jesus, his aunt, Mary Cleopas, married to St. Joseph's brother; the apostles "brothers" of Jesus, his cousins St. James the Lesser -James of Alpheus, first Bishop of Jerusalem- and Judas Tadeus- who were the sons of Mary Cleopas or Mary of Alpheus. In them they refer to episodes of their childhood, their games, etc. It is very beautiful. The birth in Bethlehem is narrated by the shepherds to the group, and even the experience of Mary is shared with the apostles in conversation. Very, very inspiring.

    There are very many more characters than in the gospels, and more miracles, most people identified by name. You come to truly know the character of the main people of the gospel: each one of the apostles, and especially Peter, John, Andrew, Judas Iscariot, Mathew etc, each one becomes a person that you recognize; then Lazarus, Martha and Mary Magdalene, which share many, many chapters accompanying Jesus. The whole sickness of Lazarus, death, burial, resurrection, and post resurrection expands over many chapters. Very enlightening of God's ways.

    Anyway, you will have to maybe start with one of the volumes and go from that.
    This is not just about to "know" but about to get into the skin of an eye witness of Jesus life on earth as told in the Gospels.
     
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  9. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    Thank you Katfalls, for your testimony.

    This is how things were until Pope Paul VI ended the Index of forbidden books. We know that even the Diary of St. Faustina and so many other holy books were forbidden and then promoted and the authors canonized as saints. The Index does not apply/exist anymore.

    The Cause for Maria Valtorta has been presented in Rome, and although it is not officially known, Fr. Fortea, a Spanish exorcist well known in the Web, seems to have been told -in a non official way- that the Cause has been accepted. She was a victim soul. I recently read that Fr. Antonio Fortea not only endorses the Poem but he has read it personally already 4 times in full, and recommends it openly in Spanish websites.

    You may want to take a look at this list of relevant people endorsing the Poem:
    http://www.valtorta.org.au/List-of-Valtorta-Approvals.pdf

    There is always a risk of people using good things for a bad end. Ant that was the reason for the Church maybe being overly protecting about readings, mystics and everything. That is good, but we know that it is not the perfect solution, and yes, we need to prayerful discern a little on our own as well:

    Did the reading of the Poem of the Man God (the title of the first editions of this same work, The Gospel as it was revealed to me) cause you to lose your faith and be estranged from God? or was it a means for growing in love and imitation of Jesus and living the Gospel?

    This is important to keep in mind, especially in our days of so much confusion, and not much preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    You many want to look also to this page, and the individual comments of relevant people:
    http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl=fr&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http://www.maria-valtorta.org/ValtortaWeb/MariaValtorta14.htm

    On the other hand, I'm sure that your obedience to the indication of your spiritual director/superior must have been very pleasing to the Lord, and He may very well have compensated to you in other ways different than the good that you were getting from your reading of the Poem. Obedience is something that we truly learn from the Poem.

    Thanks again, and may God continue to bless you.
     
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  10. Blizzard

    Blizzard thy kingdom come

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    Yes!

    From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c2a7.htm

    The Church's ultimate trial

    675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.574 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth575 will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.576

    676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,577 especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.578

    677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.579 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.580 God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.581
     
  11. Blizzard

    Blizzard thy kingdom come

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    Thanks for your thorough response!

    I will certainly try to find out more about what seems like an amazing work.
     
  12. Ed Kleese

    Ed Kleese Servant

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    I highly recommend this "Poem of the Man God" to any one who wants a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has helped me much and it helped to spur on a vocation. When you read the words, ask the Holy Spirit to let them be a door into our Lord's heart of love. It is hard to explain the effect of the book but any one here who appreciates what is Holy and Good will know and recognize it because the understanding that comes from it, comes from within and from the Holy Spirit. The words on page just provide the pathway (they are not Sacred Scripture). Give it a read, and don't be surprised if you are not laughing when the Apostles' are complaining again because they are hungry and have to sleep in a cave between cities again. You'll marvel at how Jesus is with children, and you'll treasure every time He gets to see His Mom, what they talk about, Her model to us in Her consolation and care of Her beloved Son. This work will not disappoint any soul that is open to know their Creator, Redeemer, and Brother, Jesus Christ.

    Peace,
    Deacon Ed
     
  13. Frodo

    Frodo Archangels

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    Here we go round again...

    Not true and inaccurate.

    L’Osservatore Romano (June 15, 1966)

    The Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution. Just because there are no legal ramifications to reading those books, does not give one free reign from moral responsibility of reading content deemed to be dangerous to one's soul.

    The faithful have been strongly warned by Pope Benedict while head of the CDF:

    The 'visions' and 'dictations' referred to in the work, "The Poem of the Man-God," are simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus. They cannot be considered supernatural in origin.

    You can read more here:

    https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/is-the-poem-of-the-mangod-simply-a-bad-novel-12470


    As for St. Faustina's writings, it was due to poor translation and not having all of the writings in 1959 when it was evaluated. It clearly wasn't a case of having second thoughts about a piece of work that was both fully submitted and accurately translated.

    There is no parallel here.
     
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  14. KyleHancock

    KyleHancock Principalities

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    Even if one reads these books as "fiction" or "imagination," couldn't there still be positive spiritual fruits as the result of reading it? I haven't finished reading it, but provided there's no new theological assertions, I don't see how this would be much different than watching a Christian fiction movie about the life of Christ or Paul. I contrast this to books like "A Course in Miracles" which was revealed by an "inner voice" claiming to be Jesus to to a professor, and the book itself denies the resurrection.
     
  15. AED

    AED Powers

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    I think prudence dictates avoiding this book. Father Mitch gives extensive background in your link and his observation about all the wonderful books out there with an imprimatur struck me as wise. Just my 2 cents.
     
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  16. HeavenlyHosts

    HeavenlyHosts Powers

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    I’ll agree and throw in my 2 cents and say the same: prudence suggests avoiding this book.
     
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  17. AED

    AED Powers

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  18. Woman Clothed WithThe Sun

    Woman Clothed WithThe Sun Archangels

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    It seems to me that those who oppose Maria Valtorta's Work, don't bother reading facts that contradict their opinion.

    In my first post above I addressed the known fact of the controversy and its current state of having been overcome by Church authority, in this paragraph:

    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).
    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 supernatural origin. (See the CDF letter of April 17, 1993, Prot. N. 144/58 i).

    Since this paragraph obviously was not read or considered of any significance by Frodo and those who supported him in recent posts of this thread, I will add a more thorough information:
    from http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/position-of-church-on-valtorta.html

    What is the Position of the Church on Maria Valtorta’s Main Work?
    The latest (and currently juridically binding) position of the Church is represented by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s decision in 1992 to explicitly give permission to Dr. Pisani at the Centro Editoriale Valtortiano (the publishing house of Maria Valtorta’s works) to continue publishing her work as it is without any needed modifications to the text. Thus, the Church has given permission to the publisher to publish Valtorta’s The Gospel as Revealed to Me (also known as The Poem of the Man-God) and has given the faithful permission to read it. This action and permission also implicitly acknowledges that the work is free from error in faith and morals and may be safely read by the faithful.

    In addition to this, multiple bishops and ecclesiastical authorities have declared that her work is free of error in faith and morals after having thoroughly examined it. Not only was her work commanded to be published by Pope Pius XII in 1948, but it was approved for publication by the Holy Office in 1961 according to the testimony of Fr. Berti who dealt directly with the Holy Office at the time; and in 1992, Cardinal Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave permission for her work to be published. In a letter dated May 6, 1992 (Prot. N. 324-92), addressed to Dr. Emilio Pisani (the publisher of Maria Valtorta’s works), Bishop Dionigi Tettamanzi, secretary to the Italian Episcopal Conference, gave permission for the work to continue to be published for the “true good of readers and in the spirit of the genuine service to the faith of the Church.” (Pro e contro Maria Valtorta (5th Edition), Centro Editoriale Valtortiano, 2008, pp. 263-265). Dr. Pisani relates concerning this letter:


    Our comment immediately points to the conclusion that the Work of Maria Valtorta does not contain errors or inaccuracies concerning faith and morals; otherwise Monsignor Tettamanzi would have asked the Publisher to correct or eliminate such specific errors or inaccuracies “for the true good of readers.” Monsignor Tettamanzi did not even ask that any form of expression that declares the supernatural origin of the Work be corrected, because he maintained that the only declaration that the Publisher had to make at the beginning of the volumes would be enough “for the true good of readers,” and to act “in the spirit of an authentic service to the faith of the Church”: thereby signifying that the content of the Work is sound. In fact, the Church has condemned books that are contrary to faith and morals and which did not claim to be a revelation or even inspired at all. Approved in content and exonerated in its form. This is how we can sum up the latest position taken by the Ecclesiastical Authority on Maria Valtorta’s Work. Such a position was confirmed verbally to the publisher, Emilio Pisani, in the Palace of the Holy Office at the Vatican, 30 June 1992. On that occasion, he learned that the letter of the Secretary General of the CEI [Italian Episcopal Conference] had been suggested by an office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as it had been decided “on High” that the Work of Maria Valtorta could be read by everyone “like a good book.”


    Note that in each country, it was the secretary of the episcopal conference who transmitted the official position of the Church on such works. Regardless of the reason that the first edition was placed on the Index, the placement of the first edition on the Index of Forbidden Books was effectively nullified by those who approved the second and subsequent editions.
    Her writings cannot be considered condemned or forbidden for contemporary Catholics.

    Pope Paul VI showed obvious signs of favor towards Valtorta’s work by issuing a letter of congratulations and blessing (N. 250075) to world-renowned mariologist, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., for his 395-page mariological study of Valtorta’s writings which he sent to the Holy Father. Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology), wrote:

    The extensive Mariology contained in The Poem was also the subject of a 400-page study written by arguably the greatest Italian mariologist of the twentieth century and Consultor of the Holy Office, Rev. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M. In a letter of January 17, 1974, Father Roschini received the congratulations of Pope Paul VI for his work entitled, The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta. The letter from the Secretary of State notes, "The Holy Father thanks you wholeheartedly for this new testimony of your respectful regards and wishes you to receive from your labor the consolation of abundant spiritual benefits." Neither the papal benediction granted by Pope Paul VI nor the papal congratulations issued through the Secretary of State would have been granted to a text based on a series of private revelations which were "forbidden" or declared "doctrinally erroneous" by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

    *** continue***
     

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