Discovery of the work
1980s
Leaving a sanctuary in Genoa, location Apparizione Eremo dell'Immacolata, I read in a small magazine "la Voce dell'Eremo," edited by Father Raschi, and I had the opportunity to read excerpts from "The Poem of the Man-God" and from there I wanted to know more, eventually reading the entire work. And not only that, I also had the 1973 edition, with the beautiful plates by Lorenzo Ferri. Then I met a Carmelite nun: Sister Raffaella, who knew Valtorta in her youth and indeed became a nun from that encounter at a young age!
Impact on faith
At the beginning, it was just curiosity that led me to learn about the historical events of the Gospel. A curiosity also captivated by the beautiful notes of the first reprints. Notes that are not in an apologetic tone but in a historical tone. Events that have evolved both as occurrences and as doctrinal truths. I discovered the motto of Jesus: "All for one, one for all in the name of Jesus." From the Gospel comes the phrase: "Love, then you will observe." And it is in this unity of Love that Judas Iscariot also performs miracles along with the "sons of Thunder" and with the killer Simon, the zealot... and then the dramatic division of Jesus' family! The Gospel speaks to us of Mary of Cleophas as a relative of Mary, but not of the brother-in-law. The Poem goes on to describe that the other two sons remained with their father in Nazareth. Reading the Poem gives us that water described in the Gospel of John: "[10] Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'" because while you read it, you desire
Graces received
The work never opposes the Evangelical reality, but gives it light and understanding. This knowledge led me to walk elevated paths of spirituality. Shortly after that first reading, I began to study Theology at a university level. I obtained a diploma in Religious Sciences, ready to teach. These studies led me to undertake a more in-depth reading of the poem, and by reading it for the third time, I learned the reasons for this revelation. Shortly thereafter, I consecrated myself at a Benedictine monastery with the name of Raphael, becoming a lay monk with a public oblation. Later, when I retired, I had the opportunity to attend the Carmelite order and conducted online studies at the Teresianum in Rome, obtaining a diploma in Carmelite spirituality. I considered this the result of that initial reading of the work, which led me to know and desire to know in order to love. Already the work shed light on the historical approach to Jesus 20 years before the Second Vatican Council.
What would you say to someone hesitating to discover this work?
Yes, to this question I respond with the words of a Bishop: "Teach me to seek you and show yourself when I search for you: I cannot seek you if you do not teach me, nor find you if you do not show yourself. May I seek you by desiring you and desire you by seeking you, may I find you by loving you and love you by finding you."
(from the "Proslogion" by Saint Anselm, Bishop.)
Where? There, by immersing yourself in the reading of the Poem of the Man-God.
Additional testimony
An unequivocal fact is that the Poem places Jesus at the center of the story! The Poem does not have a mystical language, it is not just for nuns or friars, nor is it "religious." It has an original language: and this is because it will take another 20 years, from the writing of the Poem, to speak of history, in the context of the Second Vatican Council. It's as if God is telling us: "I lived among men as a true man and not as a legendary figure." The text is outside the philosophical context and enters "forcefully" into the biblical language, highlighting all the ancient festivals. The wisdom of God once had a voice, now it has a face, a historical face, and in this poem, we can read, in that face, all his love story. And the story is not biased. The announcement of the risen one to Magdalene means that the announcement passes through women. In these readings, there is the entire feminine history of a "faithful" and "sincere" love that conquered and conquering women have been able to live together and have given strength and love to men for their evangelizing mission. Love wins.