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Maria Valtorta's work

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GRM 47.9-10

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

47.9 Jesus also says:

«I did not want you to speak about the sensual temptation of your Jesus. Even if your internal voice had made you understand Satan’s motive in attracting Me towards sensuality, I preferred to speak of it Myself. Think no more about it. It was necessary to mention it. Go on now. Leave Satan’s flower on its sands. Follow Jesus as John did. You will be walking among thorns, but as roses you will find the drops of blood of Him Who shed them for you, to defeat the flesh in you too.

47.10 I will forestall a remark as well. In his Gospel, John mentioning his meeting with Me says: “And the following day”. It would therefore appear that the Baptist pointed Me out the day after My baptism and that John and James followed Me at once. But that conflicts with what the other Evangelists said about the forty days spent in the desert. But you should read as follows: “(John having already been arrested), one day, later, the two disciples of John the Baptist, the ones to whom he had pointed Me out saying: ‘Here is the Lamb of God’, on seeing Me again, called Me and followed Me”. After I had come back from the desert.

And we went back together to the shores of the lake of Galilee, where I had taken shelter to begin evangelising from there, and the two – after being with Me during the whole journey and then for one day in the hospitable house of a friend of My relatives – spoke of Me to the other fishermen. But it was the initiative of John, whose will to do penance had made his soul, already so limpid owing to his purity, a masterpiece of pellucidity in which the Truth was clearly reflected, bestowing on him also the holy daring of the pure and generous, who are never afraid of stepping forward, wherever they see that there is God, and truth and doctrine and the way of God. How much I loved him for that simple, heroical feature of his!»

GRM 48

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

John is by the lake, in Bethsaida. James is with him. He calls Peter and Andrew, who are returning to the shore, for they are in a boat. When they get close, Andrew asks why they haven't come and John asks why they haven't accompanied them to see the Master. Peter grumbles, not at all convinced that it's Christ, but John insists, even saying that it's the Messiah and that he knows everything. James intervenes and repeats Jesus' words to him; John then jumps in, and Peter has the kind of turnaround we love: he wants to go and see the Lord. He even reproaches Andrew for not accompanying them, even though he saw Christ at John's baptism. They put everything back in place and leave, but suddenly Peter is worried: if Jesus knows everything, he'll know that Simon almost called him a liar. But John reassures him that the Savior is very good. He even tells him that Jesus already knew about his reactions last night, and yet encouraged him to come, because he is a man of good will.

Peter is pleased, and asks about Jesus. He learns that he is a craftsman from Nazareth and that, when John and James wanted to give him some denarii, as was the custom, he gave them directly to the poor. This further reassures good Simon, who wants to go and see the Messiah.

GRM 49

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Maria sees John of Zebedee. He sees the Master and calls out to him. The two men talk. Jesus was praying and thinking about what he was going to say to the synagogue, but seeing spiritually that John was looking for him, he went to meet him. The son of Zebedee asks him if Jesus loves him, and Christ returns the question. John then reveals that he loves him very much, that his soul, according to him, had always been looking for him. When the Savior asks him what he will do if he has to leave his father, mother, brothers and sisters, as well as life, wife and love, John replies that Christ's love will take the place of father, mother, brothers, sister and wife. When Jesus speaks of his death, John doesn't want that to happen at all, and asks him for permission to love his Lord. Jesus grants it. James' brother is happy.

They then talk about Andrew and Peter, and Jesus heads for the synagogue. On the way, he comforts the child James, who is about to cry because he ran too fast. They talk briefly about the children of the Exodus and Limbo, and the boy is promised that he will go straight to Heaven when he dies, if he is good. This gives John the opportunity to ask the Master about his parentage. He confirms that he has no nephews, brothers or sisters, only cousins and his Mother. Finally, Jesus goes to preach in the synagogue.

He reads from the Book of Jeremiah, addressing the people of Israel who are weeping because of foreign occupation. Some say they still have the Temple, but the Lord reminds them that prayer is only holy if we have love for our neighbor. The rich who make great offerings, but are hard-hearted, are not accepted by God. So Christ urges them to be of good will, to be sincere and kind. He reminds us that the Law is simple, if we give the Commandments the light of love. After alluding to the Eucharist, he encourages souls to love.

Having finished his speech, he returns to Peter and Andrew. Jesus states Peter's character: he is a man who should refrain from judging without first informing himself, but he sincerely acknowledges his wrongs. The Master also asks Andrew why he didn't come earlier, and Peter confesses that it was he who held him back. The fisherman also confesses his weaknesses, and Jesus already gives him some initial advice. For the moment, God is not asking him to tear out his heart and separate himself from his most holy affections, but he is asking him to practice justice, love mercy, and apply himself totally to following his God. This pleases Peter. Andrew says nothing, but the Lord promises that he will become a lion. The Galileans leave him, but John wants to follow him to Jerusalem. Simon of Jonah encourages him to go and see Christ, and Jesus agrees to let John accompany him.

Jesus ends with a dictation on John's humility. He is the one who brings Peter to the Savior, but since the son of thunder knew Andrew's shyness, and John was just, Andrew fades into the background of his Gospel and lets people believe that Andrew is the Lord's first apostle.

How many, by comparison, proclaim themselves to be great apostles when their success comes from a combination of things, not only holiness, but also human audacity, luck, the fact that some people are less bold than we are, but perhaps holier than we are.

Christ encourages us not to glorify ourselves when we act well: we must always have a clear eye and "give to whom it may concern the praise that is due to him". We need to recognize the apostles through whom we can do our work effectively. We must be able to say: "I am the active instrument, but this one has more love than I do, prays better than I do, and it's thanks to him that I have the strength to act.

John is the favorite, he is the pure, the loving, the obedient, and he is very humble. Jesus mirrored himself in him, and his Mother felt as if she had a second son.

GRM 49.9-11

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

49.9 With regards to the previous vision, this morning, the 14th of October Jesus says to me:

«I want you and everybody to consider John’s behaviour: particularly one point that always escapes everybody’s notice. You admire him because he was pure, loving, faithful. But you do not notice that he was great in humility as well.

He, the first one responsible for Peter’s coming to Me, was modestly silent about that detail. The apostle of Peter, and consequently the first of My apostles, was John. First in recognising Me, first in speaking to Me, in following Me, in preaching Me. And yet, see what he says? “Andrew, Simon’s brother, was one of the two who had heard John’s words and had followed Jesus. The first person he met was his brother Simon, to whom he said: ‘We have found the Messiah’ and he took him to Jesus”.

Besides being good, he is just, and since he knows that Andrew is distressed because of his shy and reserved disposition, and that he would like to do so much, but does not succeed in doing it, he wants the acknowledgement of Andrew’s goodwill to be handed down to posterity. He wants Andrew to appear as Christ’s first apostle with Peter, notwithstanding that Andrew’s shyness and uneasiness with his brother have been the cause of the failure of his apostolate.

49.10 Amongst those who do something for Me, who can imitate John, instead of proclaiming himself an unexcelled apostle, without considering that his success depends on a multitude of things, which are not only holiness, but also human daring, luck and the occasional chance of being with other people less daring and less lucky, but perhaps holier?

When you succeed doing some good, do not boast about it, as if the merit were entirely yours. Praise God, the Lord of the apostolic workers, and have a clear eye and a sincere heart to see and give each the praise they deserve. A clear eye to discern the apostles who sacrificed themselves and are the first real incentive for the work of the others. Only God sees them: they are timid and seem to be doing nothing, whereas they draw from Heaven the fire that urges daring workers. A sincere heart in saying: “I work. But this fellow loves more than I do, he prays better than I do, I am not able to sacrifice myself as he does and as Jesus said: ‘… in your private room with the door closed pray secretly.’ Since I am aware of his humble holy virtue, I want to make it known and say: ‘I am an active instrument; he is a power that inspires me, because, joined as he is to God, he is a channel of celestial energy for me’”.

And the Blessing of the Father, that descends to reward the humble man, who secretly sacrifices himself to give strength to the apostles, will descend also on the apostle who sincerely acknowledges both the supernatural and silent help of the humble one, and his merits that superficial men do not notice.

It is a lesson for everybody.

49.11 Is he My favourite? Yes, he is. Does he not resemble Me also in this? Pure, loving, obedient, but also humble. I looked at Myself in him as in a mirror and I could see My virtues in him. I therefore loved him like another Self. I could see in him the glance of My Father, Who considerd him a little Christ. And My Mother would say to Me: “I feel as if he were My second son. I seem to be seeing You, reproduced in a man”.

Oh! How well the One Full of Wisdom knows you, My beloved! The two celestial blues of your pure hearts mingled into one veil only to form a protection of love for Me, and they became one love only, even before I gave My Mother to John and John to My Mother. They loved each other because they realised they were alike: children and brothers of the Father and of the Son.

Annotation

John 1:39-42:

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two disciples who had heard John's word and followed Jesus. He first found Simon, his own brother, and said to him: "We have found the Messiah" - which means Christ. Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said: "You are Simon, son of John; your name shall be Kephas" - which means: Peter.

GRM 50

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Jesus leaves Capernaum and goes to Bethsaida. Peter welcomes him and invites him to stay in his house. Christ accepts, and Simon de Jonas is delighted. Jesus retires to pray, and later goes outside. He meets a few children, including one who doesn't want to play at war. Jesus supports his point of view, explaining that war is God's punishment. When the kids point out that the kid refuses because he always loses, Jesus smiles and declares that we shouldn't refuse something when it harms us: that's selfishness. You should refuse something when it harms everyone, even if you're sure you'll win. The conversation continues, and Jesus speaks to them for a moment about the Last Judgment and the approaching Redemption, drawing on the book of Nehemiah. The children recognize that he is the Messiah, and he promises to take them with him if they are good and obedient to their parents.

Philip comes to him and Jesus invites him to follow. The apostle accepts, and Jesus tells him about Nathanael. The old man goes to fetch Bartholomew, and everything goes according to the Gospel.

Jesus then goes to Bethsaida to preach. The Savior comes to reiterate the law of the Decalogue, which was simple in the beginning. Nothing else is needed, and the Messiah enjoins us above all to love. He even encourages us to love our enemies.

When the sermon is over, Jesus says he's going to Jerusalem. Peter is torn, but decides to follow the Master. James of Zebedee, Andrew, Philip and Nathanael embark. Jesus accepts them, and the group prays together. Christ then sends them away, explaining that he will continue to pray during this time. The Son of Man needs prayer to continue to be the Redeemer.

GRM 51

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Jesus is at Peter's house, with Simon of Jonah, James, John and Porphyria. Andrew arrives, indicating that Jude is there for him, and his cousin enters the house. Mary invites her Son to the wedding feast at Cana, and their relatives also want him to attend. Jesus agrees to his Mother's request, but then guesses that something is wrong with Jude. He questions him and Jude half-heartedly declares that Jesus must be careful, because of the powerful castes who might be disturbed by his teaching. He mentions the Baptist, but we also sense that he is paying lip service. Moreover, Jesus guesses that it was their kinsmen who told him to say this, which Jude confirms. But Jesus asserts that above the earth, there is Heaven and God's interests. As for his Mother, only she could remind him of his duties as a Son, but she does not. She renounced her creatureliness from the very beginning, and Jesus recalls her life in the Temple, praising her detachment and self-giving to God. The Lord also predicts that there will come a day when all will abandon Him, but not Her, and it is thanks to Mary that the apostles will return to Jesus. He wants us to understand how powerful Mary is on God's heart.

As a result, Jude asks to accompany her to the wedding feast at Cana. He gives him a garment designed by the All-Holy One, which Jesus will put on in Jerusalem, at the Temple.

GRM 52

The Gospel as revealed to me

Detail

Maria sees the wedding house at Cana and notices Mary's arrival on the scene. She helps prepare the premises for the feast. Eventually, the bride arrives, and there's a change in the vision: the mystic sees Jesus, heading for Cana. He leaves to please his Mother and arrives at the house. He greets the bride and groom and the guests, and sits down with John and Jude of Alphaeus. He and Mary eat and speak little. Then the Virgin realizes that they have run out of wine, and everything happens as in the Gospel. Jesus performs his first miracle, then, when attention turns to him, he tells everyone to thank Mary.

We are then given two dictations. One focuses on the famous phrase: "Mother, what is there now between you and me?" and the other on the fact that it is Mary who obtains Christ's first miracle. The Lord asks us to thank her for all the graces she obtains for us. As for the famous "henceforth", Jesus explains that before, he was all Mary's, but now he is all the Father's, as God's Servant. The ties between Mother and Son are broken to become even higher, and after his mission, the Savior will once again be all things to his Mother.