Discover the experiences shared by our readers
These detailed testimonies reveal the profound impact of Maria Valtorta's work on the spiritual lives of its readers. Each account witnesses the graces received and conversions experienced.
234
testimonies collected
These detailed testimonies have been collected according to a structured methodology, allowing precise documentation of the impact of Maria Valtorta's work on readers' spiritual lives. Each testimony addresses the discovery of the work, its impact on faith, the graces received, and recommendations for other potential readers.
Alessandro Notari (57 years old)
A friend of mine who had read the work told me about it.
It has filled my faith with the ingredients and teachings of Christ, making the Gospel a human testimony in which all events appear real, concrete, almost contemporary.
I have resumed praying daily and regularly attending Mass on Sundays. I have treasured all the life teachings provided by Christ, so well explained in the testimony of Maria Valtorta.
Abandon yourself and you will be overwhelmed by the light!
"In the middle of the journey of our life," 7 years ago, I was catapulted out of ordinary life due to a terminal cancer illness. A progressively strong awakening of spirituality exploded within me: initially, the rereading of the Gospel according to Luke, then the first pilgrimage to Medjugorje, then the pilgrimage to the holy places in the Holy Land, and finally the reading of the work of Maria Valtorta. The reading of Maria Valtorta was the closing of the circle: returning from the Holy Land and finding in the work the places where I had just been gave me a granite-like concreteness about the truth of Christ's existence. It allowed me to attribute a human dimension to all the people who came into contact with Jesus, with their doubts, falls, thoughts: I could have been one of them. The work is a compendium of Christ's teachings expressed in simple and disarming language: I couldn't resist and made a small "summary" of 40 pages with all the teachings of life, which changed my existence! It is a monumental work!
Jacqueline (62 years old)
In an interview by @HYmmedia with Pierre Barnerias and Bahram Chegani on YouTube, regarding Marian apparitions, they mentioned the Work, which piqued my curiosity. I learned from the person who became my godmother that the work exists in audio format. I listened to everything, then ordered the 10 volumes to better immerse myself in it, as well as the notebooks and diaries.
I had distanced myself from the Christian religion and had not opened a Bible for 40 years; the Work has shaken my beliefs. Due to my Protestant confession, I was unfamiliar with Mary and was just beginning to take an interest in Marian apparitions and prophecies. The Gospel of Maria Valtorta allowed me to discover her more deeply and to truly love her as our divine Mother and our co-redeemer Queen. Since reading, I have developed a sincere and growing love for Jesus, the Christ. Modestly and humbly, I have become aware of the infinite extent of his Love for us and have opened myself to this Love and the greatness of his Passion.
I can sincerely say that the Work has transformed my life and brought me back to God. I spent some time at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Laus where I decided to convert. I am now a confirmed practicing Catholic and happy to be able to enjoy the grace of the sacraments. I give thanks to Jesus for giving us this Work and all the dictations and teachings that Maria Valtorta put into writing. Alleluia!
Read it and form your own opinion. The Work does not contradict the Bible but provides magnificent insights. Every time I spoke to a priest about it, they disparaged it, but none had read it. Listen to testimonies from believers, religious figures (pope, priests, Padre Pio...) who speak in its favor, they are numerous. And if the person still hesitates, pray and ask Jesus for a sign.
I can understand that not everyone is touched by the Work. Some passages may seem long and lacking in spiritual or theological interest, hence some criticisms that it is too fictionalized. However, MV explains that it is Jesus' will to provide as many details of her visions as possible. That said, the Work allows for a better understanding of the context of the time, the customs, the beliefs, the mentalities, which provides a rich perspective for our understanding.
Caroline (55 years old)
I discovered the writings of Maria Valtorta through the internet more than 15 years ago on a forum. Despite the criticism, I decided to start reading: it saved me both humanly and spiritually.
Reading the entirety of Maria Valtorta's writings has instructed me in the Catholic faith (through Thomistic doctrine) and erased the poverty of the "catechism" that was given to me as a child. Reading Maria Valtorta's writings has imparted to me both a great sensitivity (attention) to the reading of the canonical Gospel texts, but also the Old Testament and a "3D vision." Afterwards, I underwent a long period of purification, sometimes very painful, and faced serious health problems: this led me to desire a particular consecration. I made private vows until my death.
In a few months of reading, I had the unwavering desire to attend mass every Sunday even though I knew nothing. It became unthinkable for me not to go. My 10-year-old daughter asked for baptism herself, and I sought confirmation that I hadn't received. Frequent confessions. Frequent Holy Communion. Daily prayer of the rosary, Lauds, and Vespers.
"My people perish for lack of knowledge." Jesus wants us to know Him. Truly. Humanly and Divinely. For He says, "It is not the distant memory of a crucified man that is what one calls knowing someone." Read Maria Valtorta and you will know Jesus. If you wish to no longer be influenced by ideologies and heresies from wherever they come, read Maria Valtorta.
Very marked by the vision of the young Roman mother of a very small daughter abandoned by her (Roman) husband to whom Jesus asks to remain alone even in the event of divorce, I made the decision not to seek to "rebuild" my life with someone after my husband decided to leave, wanting to stay alone with Christ. My 26-year-old daughter, a lawyer, consecrated daily to the Virgin Mary since her baptism, is today baptized, confirmed (by her own initiative), practicing, and wishes more than anything to be a mother and to found a Christian Catholic family. She has never criticized either her father or myself. She is recognized for her balance and kindness. There remains between my husband and me, after 15 years of separation, a true mutual respect and a peaceful communication.
Flavia Nocerani (49 years old)
I discovered her thanks to my beloved father Giovanni, who, after hearing about her from a gentleman from the parish of the Legio Maria who came to visit us, wanted to buy the entire work and then continue with all the other writings. I was about 20 years old, and I was very moved when these books arrived; I felt an indescribable joy in my heart that I shared with my father. Every now and then, I would read passages with him, and then when I started working in a clinic, I would read them to a reading group of an "elderly gentleman." Gradually, I read the entire Work... then also on my own... an immense gift to my life...❤️
It has filled my heart with concrete truth towards the Church, the Gospel, the Sacraments, prayer...
The grace that has come to me is that of feeling strongly true everything that Jesus revealed in the Canonical Gospels in an even more real and vivid way. A feeling of the heart burning during the reading, recognizing the same Jesus of the Gospels made even more familiar, being able to read the words and gestures described by Maria Valtorta in such detailed a way that it seems as if one is present there in that time...
If you who are reading are hesitating, I tell you... welcome... believe... and see... let yourself be carried, open your heart... and the heart will be filled with Him... It is truly Him who reveals Himself to us once more... and fills with Peace.
From Heaven, I continue to perceive the presence that has not been interrupted... that of my dad and Maria Valtorta... A closeness through providential events that connect them and have happened to me... True, delicate, and profound signs that have accompanied and illuminated my life... When I read then... I find them all... my dad in the small, discreet but present signs left among those pages dear to me... Maria Valtorta, humble and faithful... life offered and given that was entirely spent to describe... and Jesus, so alive in His word... so alive in my heart...
silvia caneparo (76 years old)
Waiting for my turn for Latin and Greek recitation... 63 years ago.
I understood that they are alive!!!
Increase in prayer and ability to "savor" the Holy Mass. Test.
Test, test, test!!! Do not stop even if the descriptions (which are beautiful, by the way) bore you. It is, in any case, a literary masterpiece. It enriches you nonetheless!
THE WORK speaks for itself. And also the other writings, the dictations, etc. But first The Gospel... mine is still The Poem of the Man-God edition from the '60s/'70s.
Padre Marco Lusuardi Carmelitano Scalzo (61 years old)
A friend had introduced me to an episode; it had left me doubtful. Later, while at the library of the Seminary of Reggio Emilia, I suddenly felt compelled to search the catalogs to see if the Work was there. I found it, and I borrowed the first volume, and subsequently the following ones. Then I purchased all the volumes, and I also had them purchased by the Municipal Library of Reggio Emilia. The discovery was thrilling. The first time (I was about 23 years old) I read the entire Work in six months. Then I reread it six or seven times in the following years, up to today.
The Gospel helped me discover Jesus and Mary, to better understand their feelings, their way of speaking, their behavior down to the smallest things. It was what I had long desired. Everything interested me, even the details, about the persons of Jesus and Mary. For example, in Volume V, Chapter 359.9: Jesus extends his hand and says, "I accept for the poor. But I do not accept the carriage. I am the Poor among the poor. Do not insist." [...] "Why didn't you take the carriage?" "Because it is good to go on foot." These few words always make me reflect deeply. I add that every time I reread the Work, I always found new insights, new points to delve into and meditate on, new encouragements to intensely practice my Christian, religious, and priestly life. It is a Work that does not age.
The Gospel has made me meditate a lot. I have highlighted numerous passages, and recently I copied them on the computer to reread them often and strive to understand them more and more and put them into practice. The "Notebooks" of Valtorta have also helped me a lot; I invite those who have already read the Gospel to read those as well. Maria Valtorta's Autobiography had disappointed me. I can't define what I expected to read. Perhaps I didn't find anything particularly useful for my faith journey. But in the following years, with each rereading, the exceptional virtues of the Author became increasingly clear to me, virtues that she humbly tried to keep in the background. For example: on page 300 of the III edition, she writes: "I had lunch as usual: a little but with relish." On page 301: "I never ate in the evening." But what strikes me most is her offering herself as a "Victim to God" for the Church and sinners, and her enduring incredible physical pains without complaints and without second thoughts. I am convinced of the heroism of her virtues. I hope that her Beatification Process begins as soon as possible.
Pius XII had said: “Publish this Work as it is; those who read will understand.” Some may be discouraged by the vastness of the Work. I invite them to read at least the X volume, on the Passion and Glorification of the Lord Jesus. Then they will certainly feel the desire to read all the rest. Some are disturbed by the Author's style, very descriptive; but for many, this is an aid to meditation.
When I became a priest, I often used the Work to better understand certain difficult passages of the canonical Gospels and the Old Testament, and to write clearer and more beneficial homilies for the faithful. The Work has also helped me to understand and avoid the theological errors that are widespread in the Church today, so that I can contribute to defending the flock of Christ. I have spoken about the Gospel with more than two thousand faithful (an approximate estimate), recommending the purchase of the Work, which allows even people with little education to receive a very pure and profound doctrinal and spiritual formation. The Gospel continues to be incredibly opposed by various ecclesiastics, even very authoritative ones. I believe that this also involves the action of the evil one, who certainly hates this Work for the great good it does to souls free from prejudice.
Giovanni Maria Ferrari
I was given the complete work.
The writings speak directly to the soul without the intercession of intermediaries.
Daily reading is for me a form of prayer.
Read to believe.
I have noticed how the hypocrisy and superficiality present at the time of Jesus can also be found today. I fully understand Christ's dismay against a belief made up of only convictions layered over time.
Gabriele Zolli (68 years old)
I was with my wife in Medjugorje and through our accompanying parish priest, he spoke to us with so much love about the work of Maria Valtorta, and since then I have begun to Love Jesus.
It was a vivid and real presentation of Jesus. Reading the work, it feels like having direct contact with Jesus, and I physically and spiritually feel his teachings.
Return to God. A very painful return to God but ultimately a true and concrete return to God.
To start purchasing the last volume of the Passion of Jesus and to read it, even if tears will flow, then to follow with the 9th and reach the 1st, and after a few years, to start again. As it was my experience. It is inevitable.
It helped me to see Jesus again in a more intimate form. More direct to the heart.
GIANCARLO CERUTI (77 years old)
The title of "The Notebooks of 1943" intrigued me. For 12 years the book remained on the shelves and one day, I heard about Maria Valtorta on Radio Maria.
I already knew Jesus, but not so closely and not so humanly true and holy. Those who read will understand...
... prayer, sacraments, Holy Mass every day.
Thank you Don Zucchini, thank you Maria Valtorta.
I read "The Gospel" throughout the year. Often even a few lines have supported me in the daily journey of existence. The words of our Lord sustain you and the words of the Most Holy Mary help you in sustaining your faith...
Valentina (47 years old)
A friend gave me the Notebooks and then I purchased and read the entire Work
I felt accompanied by the Lord in the reading, I felt His Presence in my life. I understood better what sin is and I wanted to detach myself from it and truly convert.
Return to the Sacraments, Renewed Love for the Church. Intense prayer and even the desire to consecrate myself to God, which led me to a serious vocational discernment.
As far as I know, it seems that it was also read by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Father Amorth did not deny its usefulness, on the contrary, he said that many people had told him that they had derived good fruits of conversion from it.
Many phrases by Maria Valtorta have remained impressed upon me and internally still guide me in my spiritual life. The Lord has used this Work to speak to me internally on many occasions, and also to uplift me in moments of dryness and discouragement, in which He has internally rekindled the flame of conversion within me.
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