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GRM 180.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

You are granted much more, because as My disciples, you must be acquainted with the mystery; and you are therefore given to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why I say to you: “Ask Me if you do not understand the spirit of the parable”. You give everything and everything is given to you, that you, in your turn, may give everything. You are giving everything to God: love, time, interests, freedom, lives. And God gives you everything to reward you and to enable you to give everything in the name of God to those who come after you. Thus, to him who has given will be given abundantly. But he who gave only partly or did not give at all, will be deprived also of what he has.

Annotation

Gospel of Matthew 13, 10-12

Mt 13, 10-12 : The disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He answered, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these. To the one who has, it will be given, and he will be in abundance; to the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

Gospel of Matthew 25, 29

Mt 25, 29 : To him who has, more will be given, and he will have plenty; but to him who has nothing, even that which he has will be taken away.

Gospel of Mark 4, 25

Mk 4, 25 : For to him who has will be given; but to him who has not, even that which he has will be taken away.

Gospel of Luke 8, 18

Lk 8, 18 : "Therefore be careful how you listen; for to him who has, it will be given; and to him who does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away."

Gospel of Luke 19, 26

Lk 19:26: "I tell you, to the one who has, it will be given; but to the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

GRM 180.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

I solemnly tell you that many Prophets and many just people were anxious to see what you see and they did not see it, and to hear what you hear and they did not hear it. They pined away with the desire to understand the mystery of the words, but as soon as the light of the prophecy went out, the words remained like burnt out coals, also for the holy man who had received them.

Only God reveals Himself. When His light fades out, as soon as the purpose of illuminating the mystery comes to its end, the inability to understand envelops the regal truth of the word received, like the bandages of a mummy. That is why I said to you this morning: “The day will come when you will find everything I have given you”. Now you cannot remember. But later light will come upon you, not just for a moment, but for an inseparable union of the Eternal Spirit with yours, whereby your teaching concerning what pertains to the Kingdom of God will be infallible. And what applies to you, will also apply to your successors, if they live of God as of one bread only.

Detail

Concerning papal infallibility and the dictation of Jesus, see the annotation below.

Annotation

Many a prophet and many a righteous man has wished to see what you see and not seen it, to hear what you hear and not heard it. In the continuity of the text reported by Matthew.

Mt 13:16-17 : But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it; to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.

Luke gives it in another context (Luke 10:24).

Lk 10:23-24: Then he turned to his disciples and said to them in particular: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings have wished to see what you see, and have not seen it; to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

That's why I told you this morning: this is typically the kind of seemingly insignificant detail, but very useful for establishing chronology.

Later, the light will come upon you, not for an instant, but for an indissoluble union of the eternal Spirit with your soul, which will make your teaching on what concerns the Kingdom of God infallible. The same will be true of your successors, if they live by God as their only bread.

Note from maria-valtorta.org:

This condition of pontifical infallibility must have aroused an objection from Father Migliorini. Maria Valtorta notes:

"Having submitted to Jesus P. M(igliorini)'s objection to papal infallibility, contrary to the sentence in p. ... file ... line ... of ..., Jesus replies: "I answer your question like this:

It is true that the Pope's infallibility in the spiritual realm is a definite truth. It exists in each of my vicars, regardless of his form of life and degree of virtue. But it is equally true that you cannot find a dogma defined and proclaimed by popes who are - notoriously or not - deprived of my grace. The soul that is not in a state of grace cannot be in the friendship of the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who thinks such a thing is possible is truly a heretic!

God is just: the way he treats the poor, he treats the rich. the way he treats the layman, he treats the Sovereign-Pontiff. Unfortunately, there are dark areas in the history of my Church. To want to close our eyes so as not to see these dark spots is to live in darkness over the totality of the Church, even over the very many and angelically luminous, divinely luminous, glorious epochs of my Church.

Because we must also be sincere in these things, as I was to my apostles, my disciples and those who followed me. Many crowds, not all of them saints, not all of them lukewarm, not all of them wicked. I recognized each one's merit or demerit, I gave each one what he deserved, without taking into account any particular emotional reasons. Truth is truth, in all things.

This is also true in the study of history. And in the study of the history of my Church. History, to be history and not a fable, must be impartial. The dark ages, moreover, are those foretold in the prophetic allusions to the idol-shepherd and this Sebna, prefect of the Temple (this character will be solemnly repeated in the message to Pius XII of December 23, 1948). That it stings and burns, I admit. But you can't say "Anathema" to a truth.

So lean on this certainty: dogmas are true and infallibility exists because I don't grant dogmas to those who don't deserve it. That's what was included in the sentence that prompted the objection.

You're satisfied. Go in peace. I gave you this clarification immediately because I am the author of these words, and therefore I know and remember them, even if the dictation is not present."

30-6-45, 8 a.m.".

We find the same idea in Jesus' words to the apostle James, son of Alphaeus, in EMV 258.6: "God will grant his light according to the degree you have reached. God will not let the light fail you, unless sin comes and extinguishes grace in you."

This doctrine of infallibility, willed by Christ, was reaffirmed 20 years later in the Apostolic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, § 25: "This infallibility, with which the divine Redeemer willed his Church to be endowed in the definition of doctrine concerning faith or morals, extends as far as the content of divine Revelation, which must be guarded with veneration and faithfully expounded. This infallibility, the Roman Pontiff, Head of the College of Bishops, possesses by virtue of his office..."

Note from the second edition:

If they live from God as their only bread: this condition placed on papal infallibility must have aroused an objection from Father Migliorini, to whom Maria Valtorta passed on this reply from Jesus (dated June 30, 1945). We report the main passages: [...] Jesus replied: "[...] It is true that the infallibility of the pope in spiritual matters is a definite truth. It exists in each of my vicars, regardless of his form of life and degree of virtue. But it is equally true that you cannot find a dogma defined and proclaimed by popes who are - notoriously or not - deprived of my grace. The soul that is not in a state of grace cannot be in the friendship of the Holy Spirit. [...] Rely, then, on this certainty: dogmas are true and infallibility exists because I do not grant dogmas to those who do not deserve them. This is what was included in the sentence that gave rise to the objection [...]. "The same idea can be found in Jesus' words to the apostle James, son of Alphaeus, in 258.6: "God will grant his light according to the degree you have reached. God will not let the light fail you, unless sin comes and extinguishes grace in you. "

GRM 180.6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Now listen to the spirit of the parable.

We have four kinds of fields: the fertile ones, the thorny ones, the stony ones and the ones full of paths. We also have four types of spirits.

There are the honest spirits, the spirits of goodwill, prepared by their own will and by the work of an apostle, of a “true” apostle; because there are apostles who have the name but not the spirit of an apostle and they are more lethal for the will in formation, than birds, thorns and stones, They upset in such a way, through their intolerance, their haste, their reproaches and their threats, as to drive people away from God forever. There are others who, on the contrary, through an excess of benignity, utterly out of place, cause the seed to rot in too soft a soil. Because of their lack of vigour, they kill the vigour of the souls they cure. But let us consider true apostles, that is, the shining mirrors of God. They are paternal, merciful, patient, and at the same time they are strong, as their Lord is strong. Now: the souls prepared by them and by their own will can be compared to the fertile fields, free from stones and brambles, from couch-grass and darnel, in which the word of God thrives and every word, that is every seed, bears a bundle of ears, yielding in some places one hundred, in others sixty per cent. Are there any like that among those who follow Me? There certainly are. And they will be holy. They come from all castes and countries. And there are Gentiles among them and they will yield one hundred per cent because of their goodwill, only because of that, or because of their goodwill and that of an apostle or disciple who prepares them for Me.

Detail

Jesus explains the parable of the sower.

GRM 181.5-7 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

That is the universal sense. But there is another sense, which is the answer to the question which you have been asking yourselves many times and particularly since yesterday evening. Your question is: “Can there be traitors in the mass of disciples?” and your hearts tremble with horror and fear. Yes, there may be some. There are certainly some.

The Sower sows the good seed. In this case, instead of sowing, we could say that He “picks”. Because the master, whether it is I or the Baptist, choses his disciples. How were they, therefore, led astray? No, I did not use the right word saying that the disciples are the “seed”. You may misunderstand. I will call them “field”. As many disciples as fields, chosen by the master to form the area of the Kingdom of God, the wealth of God. The master tires himself cultivating them so that they may yield one hundred per cent. He takes care of everything with patience, love, wisdom, hard work and perseverance. He also sees their wicked inclinations, their barrenness and avidity, their stubbornness and weakness. But he hopes all the time, corroborating his hope through prayer and penance, because he wishes to lead them to perfection.

But the fields are open. They are not gardens enclosed in walls of protection, of which the only owner is the master, who is the only one who can go in. They are open. Placed as they are in the centre of the world, among the world, anyone can go near them and into them. Everybody and everything. Oh! darnel is not the only bad seed sown! Darnel could be the symbol of the bitter frivolity of the worldly spirit. But all the other seeds, scattered by the Enemy, come up in them. There are nettles, couch-grass, dodder, bearbines, and finally hemlock and poisonous herbs. Why? What are they?

Nettles: stinging untameable spirits which hurt through their excess of poison and cause so much trouble. Couch-grass: parasites who wear out the master as they can only creep and suck, taking advantage of his work and injuring the willing ones, who would make much more profit if the master were not upset and distracted by the cares required by the couch-grass. The sluggish bearbines rise from the ground only by making use of the efforts of other people. Dodders: they are a torture on the already painful road of the master and a torment to the faithful disciples who follow him. They twist, pierce, tear to pieces, scratch, cause mistrust and pain. The poisonous ones: the criminal disciples, who go as far as betraying and killing as hemlock and other poisonous plants do. Have you noticed how beautiful they are with their little flowers which later become white, red, blue-violet berries? Who would say that the white or pinkish star-shaped corolla, with its little gold heart, or the many-coloured corals, so much like other little fruits which are the delight of birds and children, can cause death, once they are ripe? No one. And the innocent ones fall into the trap. They believe that everybody is as good as they are… they pick and die.

They believe that everybody is as good as they are! Oh! The truth that makes the master sublime and condemns his traitor! How? Does goodness not disarm wickedness? Does it not make ill-will harmless? No, it does not, because the man who has fallen prey to the Enemy is indifferent to what is superior. And what is superior changes apperance, as far as he is concerned. Kindness becomes weakness on which it is lawful to tread and it stimulates his ill-will as the scent of blood stimulates a beast to slaughter.

Also the master is always innocent… and he lets his traitor poison him, because he cannot possibly believe that a human being can murder an innocent person.

181.6

The enemies come into the fields of the Master, that is to His disciples. They are many and Satan is the first one. The others are his servants, that is, men, passions, the world and the flesh. The disciple who is more easily struck by them is the one who is not entirely close to the Master, but is between the Master and the world. He is not capable and does not want to part completely with the world, the flesh, passions and demons, to belong entirely to Him Who wants to take him to God. And the world, flesh, passions and the demon scatter their seed in him: gold, power, women, pride, the fear of an unfavourable opinion of the world, the spirit of utilitarianism. “The great ones are the strongest. I will serve them so that they will be friendly to me”. And they become criminals and damned for such miserable things!…

Why does the Master, Who sees the imperfection of a disciple, not cast him away at once, even if He is not prepared to submit to the thought: “He will be My murderer”? That is what you are asking yourselves. Because it is useless to do so. If He did so he would not avoid having him as an enemy, a double and more dangerous enemy, because of his anger and his sorrow at being found out or at being found out or at being driven away. Yes, because of his sorrow. Because sometimes a bad disciple does not realise that he is such. The demon’s action is so subtle that he is not aware of it. He becomes wicked without even suspecting that he is subject to such action. And because of his anger, He is enraged at being known for what he is, when he is aware of Satan’s work and of his followers: the men who tempt weak people in their weak points, to remove from the world a saint who offends them, wicked as they are, when compared with his goodness. The saint then prays and trusts in God. “Let what You allow be done” he says. He adds only the clause: “providing it serves Your purpose”. The saint knows that the time will come when the wicked darnel will be rejected from the harvest. By God Himself Who does not allow more than what is useful to the triumph of His loving will.»

181.7

«If You maintain that Satan and his followers are always to be blamed… it seems to me that the responsibility of the disciple diminishes» says Matthew.

«Do not believe that. If there is Good there is also Evil and man is gifted with discernment and freedom.»

«You say that God does not allow more than what is useful to the triumph of His loving will. Therefore such an error is useful too, if He allows it, and it serves the triumph of the divine will» says the Iscariot.

«And you infer, as Matthew does, that that justifies the disciple’s crime. God created the lion without ferocity and the snake without poison, now one is ferocious and the other poisonous. That is why God separated them from man. Ponder over that and draw conclusions.»

Detail

Jesus has just given the parable of the good grain and the tares, and its universal meaning. He then returns to the story of John the Baptist's betrayal by one of his disciples.

Annotation

You ask: "But can there be traitors in the mass of disciples? "See the previous chapter, in EMV 180.8. The betrayal of a disciple of John the Baptist, the cause of the prophet's arrest, causes a great stir.

The good believe others to be as good as themselves! Ah, what a truth that elevates the master and condemns his betrayer! During Father Migliorini's rereading of the typescript, Maria Valtorta notes at this point: "To work to redeem with goodness, to work without hopes or illusions, out of pure desire to do one's duty to the extreme, to work so that others don't realize that this one is a bad one, so that they don't hate him ... What a divine lesson the Divine Master gives to spiritual guides and to all Christians!"

"God does not allow us to oppose the triumph of his loving will any more than is useful". On a leaf inserted in the typed copy, Maria Valtorta wrote:

"God has given man the intellect to understand, the reason to guide himself as a reasonable creature, the conscience to advise, the law to know how to regulate himself, the freedom to deserve what he wants to deserve: God and glory, or Hell and damnation.

Moreover, He has given him grace, or predestination to grace, so that it may be a stimulus, or a means, of raising the things listed below to a level capable of giving him a holy taste for the supernatural and for God.

Now, in the man who is intelligent, reasonable, conscious, free, and above all instructed in the Faith, knowing his final end and the divine Law, there should be only such actions as the Law prescribes and the knowledge of the end incites us to practice, even as reason and conscience indicate them as good to all, even to those who do not know revealed religion, in order toto obtain the eternal reward that the human intellect, all the more so when enlightened by Grace, is infinitely superior to all conceptions a believer can imagine.

But it sometimes happens that man, acting against reason, turns his freedom into a yoke of the cruellest of slaveries: that of the devil and sin, preferring Evil to Good.

Even if God allows man to do what he chooses of his own free will, in order to judge and confirm him in grace, or to judge that he deserves punishment, nothing lessens man's guilt. For while it is true that man, at God's prompting or Satan's instigation, can do good or evil, it is no less true that man should follow God alone and his loving invitations, for it is from him that he has received all those natural, moral and supernatural gifts capable of making him a child of God, heir to the Kingdom."

GRM 182.4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

That is how Satan behaves. He watches you to find out your weak points, he roams about you, he seems harmless and absent, concerned with something else whereas he is watching you, and then he suddenly leaps to induce you to sin, and sometimes he is successful.

But close to you there is a doctor and a compassionate spirit. God and your angel. If you are wounded, if you have been taken ill, do not go away from them, as a dog which has become rabid does. On the contrary, while weeping shout to them: “Help!”. God forgives those who repent and your angel is ready to implore God with you and for you.

GRM 182.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Love one another and love this boy. Each of you must feel as if he were somehow the father of the orphan. The presence of a child amongst you should influence every action of yours through the holy restraint of respect for a child. And let your company make up for what death deprived him of. We must love our neighbour. This boy is the neighbour entrusted to you by God in a special manner. Teach him to be good, a faithful believer, honest and free from vices. He is worth much more than one of these sheep. Now, if you take care of the sheep because they belong to their owner, who would punish you if you should let them perish, how much more care you must take of this soul which God entrusts to you for Himself and for his dead father. His situation as an orphan is a sad one indeed. Do not make it more painful by taking advantage of him and vexing him because he is only a youngster. Remember that God sees the deeds and tears of every man and takes everything into account, in order to reward or punish.

And you, My boy, remember that you are never alone. God sees you and so does the spirit of your father. When something upsets you and induces you to do wrong, say: “No, I do not want to be an orphan forever and ever”. You would be, if you damned your soul by sinning.

Detail

Jesus speaks to some shepherds who are looking after a young orphan.