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.
204
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.
Anonymous
I discovered the work through my father. He had read the four volumes and sent me the first one. I consumed the whole volume, could not put it down, and asked for the other three.
I have read all four volumes 10, 12, 15 times in the past 30 years. Each time I begin to read them, I see something totally different that I didn’t see before. Now I’m on probably number 16 or 17, and it’s like going to an old friend. From losing children to miscarriages, to celebrating weddings, to going to funerals, our Lord, through these volumes, wrapped me up in His love. I am friends with so many of the people in our Lord’s life that the Gospel doesn’t address. Saint Simon the Zealot was my favorite apostle. Elisha, who lost so many sons, is a favorite. I ask Judas Iscariot’s mother to pray for my wayward son to come back to the Sacraments. I could go on and on.
The volumes fill in the gaps and address all five of our senses. I agree with a priest that the Gospel is enough, but when you’ve been given a gift to fill in between the lines of the Gospel writers, why wouldn’t you embrace it? We’re sensual, relational people. The volumes provide relationship and address our five senses, bringing the Gospel readings alive more than they ever could have been without it.
Reading these books for the last three decades has made me realize that you can plant the seeds about these volumes with people, but you can’t bring on their acceptance. We are held accountable to plant the seed about the volumes, but we are certainly not the ones to make it grow within our loved ones.
I wish the priests who say the Gospel is enough would actually read part of the volumes before advising.
Fabrice (52 years old)
By the book of the former French professional footballer Florian Boucansaud "Are you ready? he's coming back".
I feel like I'm taking a time machine that projects me 2000 years back to Palestine to follow the wanderings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, his apostles and disciples, his Mother, the Virgin Mary who is also ours (how lucky we are!) - John 19:27.
It helped me to hold on until the end during the health crisis where I could have lost everything: family, job, home - Daniel 12:12. Thank you Lord God for everything you do for all of humanity. Be eternally blessed.
There is only one religion - Saint Matthew 22:35-40. This Work is yet another testimony of the immense and unconditional Love that God has for each of us - Isaiah 43:19.
What a gift from Heaven this Work is, which cannot be only from a person but from God. When you read it with your heart wide open, how can you still doubt it? Maria Valtorta (Little John) is "only" a spokesperson but what a spokesperson! Saint John 15:13.
Anonymous
Antonio Socci had mentioned it in one of his books.
Words of a strength and sweetness never heard before
Survival of a Terrible Personal Moment
Anyone who feels like one of those persecuted, hungry, thirsty, of the beatitudes must go and read
I don't understand why these readings have not become widespread throughout the world and discussed among all people. I dream of a world where this happens, and where this is the basis of everything.
Paolo Pini
A friend of mine already owned it.
It made Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, and all the characters mentioned in the Gospel more "familiar" to me to the point of perceiving them... visually!!
The reading/meditation of the Canonical Gospels is clearer, more vivid, and current to me, I would say.
I would say that... when I bought the first book, I didn't feel the enthusiasm I imagined I would find... then as I continued, I felt enveloped and projected into such a Beautiful and lively Spiritual dimension that I couldn't do without it anymore. It has been more than 20 years that I have been reading and rereading the entire Work.
Carlos Martinez
I discovered the work when Father Fortea mentioned it on the internet.
I felt that it was what I had always wanted to read. My faith increased greatly. It feels like God is behind the work. Now, when I hear the Gospel, I remember the circumstances of the events, the character of the people, etc. It is of unimaginable beauty.
I pray more and sin much less. Since I read the work 20 years ago, I attend daily mass.
When you begin to read it, you will feel that it is a gift from God. The work is a constant miracle.
I think that, in the near future, this work will aid in a greater evangelization of the Church. The Virgin Mary, in her apparitions in Medjugorje (where the Church encourages pilgrimage), told the visionary Vicka that this work was for those who want to know more about Jesus.
Clothilde Lauvergne
I "met" her by chance, (but we all know there is never chance with God) I was in deep distress following my father's death and was devastated by grief. This death brought up events I was not proud of, and I was unconsciously seeking to find Jesus again and repent. I browsed Google looking for articles on certain saints and how they freed themselves from their sins. And chance led me to the name of Maria, whom I have never left since.
I started reading "The Gospel as Revealed to Me" from the very beginning of its visions and I was... "transformed".... I couldn't go a day without reading it, it was vital, urgent. Some visions made me cry, and above all, I felt the intense presence of Jesus "internally and physically" who invited Himself into my heart. It's as if, through the visions, He was speaking to me... I "reconverted" again... I returned to the church. For almost two years, not a day goes by without me reading one or two visions of Maria. It's my vital nourishment every day. I read everything in order, and when I finish, I start reading it all over again. I can sincerely say that Maria came to meet me to bring me back to Faith. It's undeniable.
I have returned to mass, I go every Sunday, I also go to pray some evenings at the Church, I go back to confession, I "feel" myself growing, understanding the things of life with more perspective, I have drawn closer to the poor, the most destitute, I have discovered the Charity of Jesus, what suffering is, what it can bring, what sacrifice is, penance... I still have much to atone for, but every day I learn to rid myself of myself to be, the whole soul to Jesus.
I have already introduced it to several of my friends, I tell them that Maria Valtorta transformed me, that in all her visions there is absolutely everything, and that it is the true daily life of Jesus, that you just need to read to be convinced of the truth of these writings. I never needed, for example, to look for "proof" of the veracity of her writings. I immediately "believed" her.
Maria is the open door to the heart of Jesus. In the visions, one finds life, everything is united there, I mean that in her visions one understands that Love is the foundation of everything, that everything flows from this immense and infinite Love: Intelligence, Science, Art... I don't know how to express it, but one understands that everything that exists is a gift of love from God, in the present, continuously, "unceasingly" renewed, every second, every millisecond... And for me, it is the foundation of all life on earth; without God's breath at every moment, nothing can live. It is through Maria's visions that I discovered this "evidence." And it profoundly marked me. It changed my vision of the world and beings.
Damien
A Christian friend and her family talked to me a lot about it during debates on religion before my conversion.
I only knew Christianity from a distance, and the work of Maria Valtorta allowed me to discover the entire life of Jesus as well as that of Mary before him, and made me want to learn much more. It was an opening door to the entire Christian religion on a theological level.
Not being a believer at the time of reading the work of Maria Valtorta, I think the biggest impact was that it opened my heart to meet Jesus, to experience powerful events with him. The rest, it was God who did it, and I thank him for it. My conversion is strongly linked to this open-mindedness acquired throughout the reading of the work, and then to the possibility of exchanging with other people who had read Maria Valtorta and the Gospels, and who could answer many of my questions. It also convinced me to read the Gospels and continue to get closer to God.
The work is very well written and highly complementary to the Gospels for those who might want to learn more about the active life of Jesus. It perhaps allows for a more concrete representation of all of Jesus' actions throughout his life, which can help to draw closer to him if the figures of Jesus, Mary, and the apostles sometimes seem a bit abstract.
I think the work of Maria Valtorta is primarily a means to give the most Cartesian and somewhat closed-minded individuals towards religion a way to open up to God and Christianity. The text, which traces the entire life of Jesus, is easier to read (even though it is longer) than the Gospels, which can help maintain investment in a more linear reading. Despite this, it includes all the interventions and teachings of Jesus, and gradually one ends up wanting to learn more, to know Jesus more intimately, and this can turn readers towards the Church, the practice of mass, the reading of the Gospels or other texts. I find that the work is a very good bridge to enter or re-enter faith, and that it is also (due to its length) a good way to measure each person's willingness to invest.
Jane Tinkle
I discovered The Poem of the Man-God through my mother who would read it to me.
The Poem of the Man-God brings the Gospel to life, and it's a wealth of knowledge that further demonstrates Christ's power, has deepened my understanding and practice of spiritual realities, provides peace and hope, offers wisdom and guidance, inspires action through reflection, encourages fellowship and service, and connects me to the divine.
One of the greatest concrete Graces it brought me—and which I needed the most—is the knowledge of the importance of living for Jesus in all the small details of this life: to suffer little hardships gladly, overcome little proud impulses, little selfishnesses, and little difficulties; to serve Him in the little things; to be a servant of His in the little ways.
Some analysis conclusions regarding the Work: Prof. Emilio Matricciani and Dr. Liberato De Caro: “[...] what Maria Valtorta writes down cannot, in any way, be traced back to her fantasy or to her astronomical and meteorological knowledge.” Jean Aulagnier: “[...] no explanation for the archaeological and geographical accuracy of her writings except an intervention from the beyond.” And so on...
Craig
Family member (grandfather) recommended it.
I'm a cradle Catholic but had never taken religion seriously, and I left the faith entirely for about 15 years before I began reading The Poem. His love, mercy, and justice — and perhaps just as much, His understanding and fairness — eventually broke through my fog. I began to understand that He wasn’t asking anything impossible, mysterious, or even that strenuous. He simply wanted me to try, and to keep trying. The Poem was the only spiritual book I read over the four years it took for Him to lead this hard-headed mule out of Egypt. Eventually, I could no longer say no to Him, and I returned to the Faith.
Even after coming back to practicing the Faith and making a general confession, I felt I was still carrying my past sins in a bag created by my own inability to forgive myself. One night, I was reading Volume 1, 132, “Jesus at the Clear Water – Closing,” and came across the words: “Forget the past, smile at the future.” At that moment, I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking those words directly to me. I turned off the lights, and while weeping in the dark, the Holy Spirit instantly filled and surrounded me with joy, love, forgiveness, and healing. This intense experience slowly faded over the next few minutes, and I’ve been climbing my mountain ever since. That was 25 years ago. I’ve read the entire work multiple times, and with every reading, more wisdom is revealed than before. The Poem of the Man-God is from God. No one can read it with an open heart and deny that. “By their fruits you shall know them.”
Listen to Padre Pio, Pope Pius XII, and many others — read it!
Pierre-Philippe Robet
Upon leaving a prayer group of Emmanuel students, someone told me, "I think you should be interested in this book." Then they specified that there were 10 volumes like this one! I skimmed through 5 random pages... After about ten minutes, I told them I was going to buy the entire collection.
From the very first moments, this reading brought me into a heart-to-heart with Jesus.
Better understanding of the hidden side of Divine creation, of the supernatural forces of good and those of evil.
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