Detailed Testimonies
Discovery of the work
It was my father who first spoke to me about the writings of Maria Valtorta in the 1980s. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it and above all, I was scared by the reading of the many long volumes. At 35, my faith was not firmly rooted. In 2015, a friend introduced me to the WhatsApp application which provides the correspondence between the Gospel of the day and the text in the writings of Maria Valtorta. Since that day, I regularly read one chapter or another of Maria Valtorta's work.
Impact on love for the Gospel
These writings allow me to dive into the heart of Jesus, and to understand very deeply, his doctrine and his actions. It's a kind of wonderful spiritual sweetness to find oneself alongside Jesus.
Concrete impact on faith life
This gives my prayer time an unparalleled depth.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
My own wife refuses to read the Work. I tell her that "it's not serious, the Gospel is enough. For me, it helps me to go further and to love Jesus more. The day you feel a desire rising within you, let it happen. "Read and you will understand" as a Pope said (Pius XII I believe).
Additional testimony
I believe that this Work is a miracle before our eyes of the 21st century. Just like in the time of Jesus, everyone is free to believe or not to believe. The scribes and the Pharisees saw and heard Jesus. Some believed. Others constantly ask for new signs, always with the aim of putting Jesus to the test, because they did not believe, or did not want to believe. For the writings of Maria Valtorta it's the same thing. Some are seized as Jesus seized the 12 apostles, others refuse because they do not want to believe.
Discovery of the work
My mother having read the work in the years around 1987, I knew it existed. My brother still has these books. I thought I would read them later in advanced retirement, but I never thought that this work would move me so deeply. In fact, I did not read the paper work but the one on the internet www.maria-valtorta.org. I simply thought I would read a little, out of curiosity, and that I might eventually lose interest, but it was a revelation.
Impact on love for the Gospel
In the knowledge of His actions, His words and His wills which are simply love. Informing me about what is wrong or bad. Nourishing my mind and soul with a desire to move more towards charity in the example of Christ and Mary.
Concrete impact on faith life
After more than 30 years of cutting myself off and rejecting all religious and Catholic beliefs with the Church; this reading was the coup de grâce for me for an unconditional return to Christ and the Catholic Church. I wavered between various beliefs before this reading, my research having led me to reintegrate that Christ had really existed. This reading realigned all my beliefs about Jesus, his mother, God and the Church. And it put my mistakes in front of me with the intention of a return to God. Good will leading me...
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
Reading has been the most important thing in my life for me. There is so much easy-to-read information to know about Mary, Jesus and his teaching; it's like watching a movie or walking with him. It repositions ideas about God and corrects our thinking errors. Every priest should read this work. It promotes spiritual growth. Evil contributes to its non-distribution.
Additional testimony
Born into a Catholic family, the death of one of my sick brothers in 1989 contributed to my decision to cut myself off from all religious beliefs; my prayers and those of my family had not been answered. With my husband, I had kept only a presence for Christmas as a religious link, and had my children receive the sacraments only to please the parents and avoid argument. I also had, with this severance, the feeling of a moral liberation and obligation towards the Church (for example, attending masses). I had no desire for my four children to adhere to these beliefs, taking pride in my atheism. My will was to never even consider a return to anything that involved a connection with the Catholic faith. Shortly before her death in 2017, my mother asked me if I had baptized my children. I said yes to reassure her. A few months after her death, this question periodically came back to me and I don't know why, but it led me to want to know if there was another life after death.
Discovery of the work
Upon discovering on YouTube a video of a person testifying about what this work brought to their faith journey.
Impact on love for the Gospel
Through reading this work, Jesus speaks to me directly and reading the Gospel, as well as understanding it, becomes easier for me. Jesus is much closer, I learn to know him better and recognize him in my neighbor.
Concrete impact on faith life
This work has helped me in my return to God. I go to mass on weekdays (from Monday to Friday) as well as every Sunday. I confess once a month, pray the rosary every day and lead a prayer group for the deceased once a month in connection with Our Lady of Montligeon. I adore the Holy Sacrament every day of the week and participate in the parish's perpetual adoration by ensuring an hour per week; I also occasionally join the adorers of Mount Saint Odile. I make pilgrimages to Marian shrines (Our Lady of Laus, Lourdes, Medjugorje). I read the lives of the Saints: Padre Pio, St. Margaret Mary, Josephine Bakhita and currently Sister Marie Marthe Charbon. I fast every Friday on bread and water for the conversion of sinners.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
Let him read it.
Additional testimony
Personally, this work was given to me by Providence during my return to God, whom I was "fleeing", not wanting the cross of Jesus! And Jesus made himself present through these lines. I did not know how to read the Bible and then I read the 10 volumes with eagerness because I was discovering Jesus as well as the life of Mary. I am reading this work for the 2nd time and let myself be guided by the teachings of Jesus while meditating on His words. Thank you Lord for this gift that You have given me, which has helped me to fully return to You.
Discovery of the work
Through a friend who had the 10 volumes at her house and I borrowed one.
Impact on love for the Gospel
Through daily reading of this work, the Gospel becomes alive. Similarly, we can follow Christ in his daily life and see that he lived poorly with the apostles. His goodness is on every page.
Concrete impact on faith life
Maria Valtorta's work has "boosted" my faith without a doubt and has sanctified me to a certain extent. I have become more vigilant not to sin, Maria Valtorta is in a way a guardrail. This is a daily spiritual nourishment, a vital breath.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
I do not miss the opportunity to talk about it when the occasion arises, pointing out some aspects of this work and testimonies from church people such as Pope Francis, Pius XII, John Paul II. As well as Padre Pio and Mother Teresa.
Additional testimony
The couple's faith has progressed through daily rosary, daily prayer together, and weekday mass when possible.
Discovery of the work
My mother had spoken to me about it as a child; more recently, I received an email from a site promoting the work, probably following a purchase of a mailing list.
Impact on love for the Gospel
Having recently become a reader of Maria Valtorta's work: "The Gospel as It Has Been Revealed to Me", I am eager to express how much I regularly enjoy getting to know it. Being with Christ during his public life amidst the landscapes and scents in which he evolved, with a multitude of details that are not mentioned in the Gospels, seeing him live, move, speak to the apostles and interact with them is a joy at all times. Thanks to her writings, Maria Valtorta has made Christ extraordinarily alive and present for me, life with the Apostles, more animated. We are led to love the Lord both more naturally and more strongly. The richness of this content makes me long for the encounter with Christ with an enhanced joy and impatience.
Concrete impact on faith life
Even though I was already practicing before receiving "Jesus Today", the evangelical texts — sometimes difficult to understand — that I regularly heard at mass, they took on a whole new depth and became clearer thanks to "The Gospel as it was revealed to me". In addition, and in my opinion this is the major contribution of this text, the warnings against the powers of darkness and sin, very sharp and often more detailed than in the Gospels, seem to me to be beneficial. The Lord has given us an ineffable gift. Let's thank Him by making this gospel entrusted to Maria Valtorta known and loved.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
Let this person read a few paragraphs; it's not tedious and it will allow them to form a personal opinion.
Discovery of the work
By a close one.
Impact on love for the Gospel
Maria has more than nourished my love for Jesus because she has been a "gateway" to heaven. Her writings are so detailed and felt in truth that they are like an open door to heaven and its mysteries, allowing a better understanding of Jesus' teachings and feeling them to live within us and in the accompanying peace.
Concrete impact on faith life
Every morning, I start my day with an excerpt from the gospels and writings of Maria, received by email from "Jesus Today" and "Pray Today", which certainly helps me to keep this bright door of heaven open and this is enough for me to live in peace, joy, love and hope for a better world.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
Read the writings of Maria and you will see that you will feel all the truth so sought after from the mysteries of the sky.
Additional testimony
I maintain hope that the Church will understand that it is in its best interest to recognize the writings of Maria Valtorta as a complement to the Gospels because her writings have such a powerful understanding that they can awaken dormant consciences and bring the peace that our world so desperately needs. Maria followed the path of Jesus by suffering for us and transmitting his words to us in writing so that we could understand them even better.
Discovery of the work
I discovered this work 10 years ago during the time of Lent through the book by J.F.Lavere while I was plunged into the darkness of a severe depression. Having only read a few pages, the imperative desire to read the work itself imposed itself. When I received it, I felt, to my astonishment, a deep joy. Each time I read it, I was captivated and seized. It was as if a ray of light came to illuminate my darkness. On Easter day, God, through a mystical experience, gave me the grace of a profound conversion and this work was the instrument.
Impact on love for the Gospel
For me, this work has been the instrument of my encounter with Jesus. How can one not fall in love with Him when reading it? It has allowed me to hear the Gospels that I have been hearing without really understanding them since my childhood in a new way, making them alive and current. When I read this work, I am with Jesus, Mary, the apostles, I live in a way with them. In addition to the teachings of Jesus reported in much more detail than in the Gospels and which allow us to grasp their sometimes enigmatic aspects, it is the everyday life situations described that are an inexhaustible source of teaching because Jesus instructs as much by his way of being as by his Word! I find particularly edifying the way she makes us apprehend with strength and clarity the dual nature, human and divine of Jesus whose all qualities shine through in a striking way. Finally, this work has led me to rediscover the Old Testament and its close link with the New as well as to better understand the historical context of the time.
Concrete impact on faith life
It nourishes the contemplation and meditation of the life of Jesus and thus, prayer (particularly the Rosary) and oration, as well as it leads me to action, to put into practice the teachings of Jesus. The reported situations are so numerous that they allow for an in-depth study of the example Jesus gives us and it is a true guide to live in imitation of Jesus but also of Mary. Reading, rereading and meditating on it helps to immerse oneself more and more in the Spirit of Jesus, besides finding so many answers to the doctrinal questions of our time. I also find that this work helps to rediscover the sense of the sacred and to perceive the immense greatness and value of the Sacraments. Today, the Eucharist and the adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament are at the center of my days. The commitment in the Church to the catechumens, the organization of continuous adoration, and the help given to the poorest are the fruits of this, and the reading of Valtorta's work is one of the nourishments (after the Bible, of course!)
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
This work is a true gift of Divine Mercy that can only help us nourish our faith and our love for Christ and to live it by rediscovering the profound meaning of the Gospels that it illuminates. We cannot love Jesus without knowing him and the more we know him, the more we love him and this work makes us know him in a remarkable way!
Additional testimony
The richness and density of this work is such that it is difficult to talk about it in just a few words. This work, which I read and reread almost daily for 10 years and of which I share excerpts with my prayer group friends and goddaughters, is an essential nourishment of my spiritual life. I also hear, since discovering the writings of Louisa Piccarreta on the Divine Will, echoes of this Divine Will. Every time I read it, it puts me in the presence of Jesus and all parts of my being are mobilized, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and affective. In times of battles or troubles or even great dryness, it helps me regain my footing and find Peace or the feeling of closeness with Jesus. The contemplation of the scenes so remarkably described permeates my daily life and His Words resonate in me constantly. What a precious tool when you want to respond to Jesus' burning desire to share every moment of our life with Him, and this, always more intimately!
Discovery of the work
Via internet with "Jesus Today".
Impact on love for the Gospel
I had just lost my husband and could no longer read the Bible. The writings of Maria Valtorta comforted me and helped me through this difficult period without losing faith.
Concrete impact on faith life
I was able to deepen my understanding of the Bible and I rediscovered the joy of reading it.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
I will tell him that whoever is thirsty may come and drink.
Discovery of the work
Pilgrims on a journey have told me about your shipments and have organized an evening around Maria Valtorta, with supporting texts.
Impact on love for the Gospel
Deepening of the meaning of the scriptures and clearer understanding.
Concrete impact on faith life
Life of faith more engaged in daily life, heart more open to prayer and to a more just life turned towards others or those suffering from different conditions. More love for constant prayer, Christ, the "Hail Mary and Our Father". Etc.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
1.I think it's important to be prepared in one's life journey. 2.The writings of Maria Valtorta are of great richness to sanctify life but require a certain strength for some passages. 3. Rectitude and historical synchronicity have been demonstrated in some studies. 4. Literary masterpiece.
Discovery of the work
I discovered the works of Maria Valtorta in my in-laws' library. It was my husband who told me that it should interest me. I literally plunged into the life of Jesus and traveled 2000 years back. I was so thirsty for Him.
Impact on love for the Gospel
I finally met this Jesus that I felt in my soul since I was little but without knowing Him. The grace of faith that was given to me in my childhood, was considerably increased thanks to the reading of the works of Maria Valtorta. I understood certain Gospels much better that were difficult for me to understand. I understood the incredible beauty of the Christian religion based on two words: It's simple and beautiful. Love God with all your being Love others as yourself.
Concrete impact on faith life
Thanks to the readings of Maria Valtorta, I have constructed a middle school catechism course for 8th and 9th graders (received and corrected by my parish priest) that I teach. My classes are much more lively. I see the grace of faith in the hearts of my students as the year progresses. I understand better the meaning of Christ's immense sacrifice, his love for each man, the value of a soul, the role of the Virgin Mary. I know much better the history of Israel in the time of Jesus, the characters, their character, customs etc ... I live with them. They never leave me. I have built an oratory at home (a large one) where I pray alone or with my family regularly. I have set up Catholic student shared accommodations to evangelize young people and talk to them about the Love of Jesus. I now speak of Christ, to people in the street. I do not hesitate to testify about my faith. I have received incredible graces of joy and hope.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
Personal Testimony RER A: A young girl sits next to me while I was reading Maria Valtorta. She asks me if it's good. I tell her about Maria Valtorta. The train arrives at La Défense, the young girl stands up and says to me. "Thank you. I had asked Jesus to give me a sign to know if I could read Maria Valtorta because of the controversies. I got my sign. I will read it". She left. Thank you, Lord.