Detailed Testimonies
Discovery of the work
I discovered the work of Maria Valtorta during a retreat preached by Father James Manjackal. Bruno Perrinet, who was present at this retreat, gave me volume 1 of "The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me" (EMV). After reading this first volume, I continued with the next nine. My family also knew a little about this work.
Impact on love for the Gospel
The EMV is a work with a lot of dialogues and descriptions. I had heard in the past that Christ's teaching was simple and was not reserved for scholars. This is the case with the four Gospels, and it is even more so with the EMV. Indeed, it contains many explanations of Jesus' parables. In the EMV, the apostles also ask a lot of questions, and Jesus takes the time to answer them in detail. Many links are also made with the rest of the writings of the Bible, notably with the Old Testament. Everything is illuminated, everything is clear, everything is simple. Simplicity and Truth. Indeed, the truth is clearly stated. This work, being over 5,000 pages, obviously has more dialogues and descriptions than the four Gospels. This allows us, if we personally consider this work to be authentic, to better know the temperament of each apostle. On Sundays, when I listen to the reading of the Gospel, it provides me with additional insight for a better understanding, and therefore a better integration of Christ's teaching into my daily life.
Concrete impact on faith life
Reading the writings of Maria Valtorta was a major catalyst in my return to faith. I come from a Catholic family. When I was younger, I consciously distanced myself from the Catholic Church. With a bit more maturity, I became interested in Catholicism again, its doctrine - initially to better understand. Then I went through a great trial, and it was from this point that I seriously questioned God, as an adult. It was during this period that I was given the first volume of the EMV. The writings of Maria Valtorta were a comfort to me and a true catechism, as the work develops teachings at all levels. This reading really helped me to fully enter into the Catholic faith. More concretely, I try to confess about once every two months, I go to mass every Sunday, I take communion, and above all, I am in friendship with the Church, the Pope, the bishops, our priests. The writings of Maria Valtorta, far from isolating me from the Church, bring me closer to it. For example, I proposed to my priest to create a songbook for our parish. In this way, I fully belong to the Church.
What would you say to someone who hesitates to discover this work?
I would tell him that to this day, the Church does not forbid reading this work: we are therefore free to read it. This work is criticized, but it is also very appreciated by many faithful. So form your own opinion by reading at least one full volume. ;-)