At 3.30 pm (the Hour of Mercy), a man prays: "God, please be merciful to us", while aboard a plane which is going down on the river next to Manhattan in New York, and all aboard are saved.*

A family on a farm in fire-ravaged Victoria, Australia, has boundary fences, trees and 100 acres of pasture burnt, but oddly’ no live embers fall on the house. The mother had sprinkled Holy Water on the house, and invoked the family protector St Joseph.

I believe that disasters can be well-disguised opportunities for doing something good. This is now being demonstrated here in Victoria: as communities have been thrust into situations of terror, pain and grief; as thousands of good Samaritans are coming to the aid of these fire victims; and as lessons of life and death are evident for all.

« ...Look at that light over there, beyond that hill! » exclaims James of Zebedee...

« Is it a wood on fire? »

« Or a village? »

« Let us run up there and see… »

No one is tired any longer, because curiosity overwhelms all sensations. Jesus follows them benevolently, leaving the road to take a path which climbs up a hillock. They soon reach the top…

But it is neither a wood nor a village which is on fire, but a large hollow moor all covered with heather, lying between two hills. The heather, parched by the summer heat, has caught fire perhaps because of a spark which escaped the woodmen working higher up cutting trees, and is now burning: a carpet of low but bright flames which move around seeking new heather to burn, after having consumed where they had been burning previously. The woodcutters try to fight the fire by striking the flames. But in vain. They are too few, and if they work on one side, the fire spreads on another.

« If it reaches the wood, it will be a disaster. There are resin trees there » says Philip.

Jesus, with folded arms, standing on the extreme edge of the hillock, looks and smiles… thinking…

The contrast between the white moonlight to the east and the red glow of the flames to the west, is strong; and the backs of the onlookers are white in the moon-beams, whereas their faces are red in the reverberation of the flames. And the flames spread unceasingly, like water which rises, overflows and floods… The fire is now only a few metres from the wood and it is already lighting up the piles of wood placed at its borders, while the light, which is becoming brighter and brighter, shows the little houses of a village on the top of the hill where the fire is climbing.

« Poor people! They will lose everything! » say many. They look at Jesus, Who is smiling, but does not speak…

Then… He unfolds His arms and cries: « Stop! Die down! I want it. »

And suddenly, as if a huge bank of earth had fallen to suffocate the flames, the fire goes out prodigiously, the lively nimble dance of the flames changes into red flameless embers, then the red becomes violet, grey-red… an occasional flash quivers among the ashes… and then only the silvery moonlight shines on the forests.

In the clear light, the woodcutters gather, gesticulating, looking around, above, for the angel of the miracle…

« Let us go down. I will work on those souls through the unforeseen opportunity given to Me » says Jesus...

They are already where the fallow ground is covered with ashes, still warm and creaking under their sandals. They go across it. When they are in the middle, where the moon shines fully, they are seen by the woodcutters.

« Oh! I told you! He is the only one who could do that! Let us run and venerate Him » shouts a woodman. And he throws himself on the ashes at Jesus' feet.

« What makes you think that I could do it? »

« Because only the Messiah can do that. »

« And how do you know that I am the Messiah? Do you know Me, perhaps? »

« No. But only the Good One Who loves the poor can have had pity, and only the Holy One of God can have given an order to the fire and be obeyed. Blessed be the Most High Who sent us His Messiah! And blessed be the Messiah Who came in time to save our homes! »

« You ought to be more anxious to save your souls. »

« We save them by believing in You, and endeavouring to do what You teach. But You realise, Lord, that the distress of being deprived of everything can weaken our already weak souls… and lead us to doubt Providence- »

« Who informed you of Me? »

« Some of Your disciples… Here are our families… We had them woken because we were afraid that the whole hill would catch fire… Come here… »

It is a group of about two hundred and fifty people at most, including the little ones, sucking infants or babies just weaned, whimpering, half asleep, or sleeping unaware of the danger in which they had been.

« Peace to you all. The angel of God has saved you. Let us praise the Lord together. »

« You saved us! You are always present where faithful people believe in You! » say many women… And the men nod solemnly.

« Yes. Providence is present where there is faith in Me. But one must act with constant circumspection, both in spiritual matters and in material ones. What set fire to the moor? Probably a spark from one of your fires, or a little branch which one of the boys wanted to light and play with, waving it and throwing it down the slope with the thoughtlessness of his age. It is in fact pleasant to see an arrow of fire furrow the air at dusk. But you can see what an imprudent act may cause! It can cause serious damage. A spark or a little branch which fell on the dry heather was enough to set a valley on fire, and if the Eternal Father had not sent Me, the whole wood would have become a bonfire, which in the grip of fire would have consumed your goods and your lives.

The same applies to matters of the spirit. You must pay continual prudent attention to ensure that no arrow of fire or spark may cling to your faith and destroy it, after smouldering unnoticed in your hearts... Since the fire was stopped here in time, from harmful it became beneficent, destroying the useless heath which you allowed to flourish in the valley, and preparing, by such destruction and the fertilizing ashes, a ground which you can exploit with useful cultivations, if you are willing to do so.

But with hearts it is quite a different matter! When all the Good has been destroyed, nothing but bramble for the fodder of demons will grow in them. Remember that, and be vigilant against My enemies' insinuations, which will be thrown into your hearts like infernal sparks. Be ready to fight the fire then. And what is that fight? A stronger and stronger Faith, a firm will to belong to God. It means to belong to a holy Fire. Because fire does not consume fire. Now, if you are fire of love for the true God, the fire of hatred against God will not be able to harm you. The Fire of love defeats every other fire. My Doctrine is love, and those who accept it enter the Fire of Charity and cannot be tortured by the fire of the Demon.

From the top of that hill, while I was watching the heather burning and I heard the words of your souls to the Lord their God, more than I noticed your actions aiming at putting out the flames, I was smiling. And one of My apostles asked Me: "Why are You smiling?" I promised him: "I will tell you when speaking to those who have been saved". And I am doing that now. I was smiling, thinking that as the flames spread among the heather of the valley - in vain restrained by your efforts - so My Doctrine will spread throughout the world, persecuted in vain by those who reject Light. And it will be light. It will be purification. It will be beneficent.

How many little snakes have perished among these ashes, and other harmful insects with them! You were afraid to come to the valley, because there were too many asps in it. Well, not even one has survived. Likewise the world will be freed of many heresies, of many sins, of many sorrows, when it becomes acquainted with Me and is cleansed by the fire of My Doctrine. Cleansed and freed of harmful vegetation, it will be ready for the seed, and will become rich in holy fruits.

That is why I was smiling… In the fire which was advancing, I saw a symbol of the spreading of My Doctrine in the world. Then the love for our neighbour, which is never to be separated from that for the Lord, made Me consider your necessities. And I lowered My thoughts from the contemplation of the interests of God to that of the interests of My brothers, and I stopped the fire, so that while rejoicing, you might praise the Lord. You can thus see that My thought rose to God, it descended from Him and was made more powerful, because union with God always increases our powers, and rose, once again, to God with yours. Thus, through charity, I did at the same time promote the interests of the Father and of My brothers. Do likewise in your future lives.

And now I ask you to give shelter to these women for the night. The moon is setting and the fire has delayed our journey. We cannot proceed to the next town. »

« Come! Come all of you! There is room for everybody. We might have been homeless! Our homes are yours. Our houses are poor, but clean. Come and they will be blessed » they all shout.

And they slowly climb the rather steep slope as far as the little village, which miraculously escaped destruction, then each pilgrim disappears with his host…

Here is a source list for transcripts of the "Sunday Gospels" audio series – for the second three months of Liturgical Year B: from the First Sunday in Lent to Pentecost Sunday. Reference to The Poem’s volume/page text, containing Maria Valtorta’s first-hand account of each gospel passage, follows immediately after each passage’s Scriptural reference and theme. Also included below – for just some of these Sundays – are additional passages from Maria’s other writings, offering further reflections for these particular Sundays …

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1^ST MARCH: First Sunday of Lent - Year B

Mk. 1:12-15 – Jesus’ temptation in the desert

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 1, pp. 247-52)

"…Let us compare the encounter of Lucifer with the First Parents - to Lucifer's encounter with Me, the New Adam, who had come to restore the order violated by the First Man.

"I went to a solitary place. But why? When? To do what? To prepare Myself with penance - an indispensable preparation for God's works - for my mission, which was about to begin… The time for evangelization was coming, with the dangers of exaltation and hatred and contacts with sinners and with everything representing what is commonly called the 'world.'

"I prepared Myself with penance and prayer. I completed my preparation with victory over Satan. Oh, he clearly felt that the Victor had arisen, on seeing Me steadfast before the seduction of impurity, and strong in the face of hunger, pride, and avarice!

But I want you to contemplate Me in the part you deem inappropriate, and compare the Pure Jesus to the Pure Couple of the First Parents. In these, the Serpent's venom was able to act, because they wanted to accept him. And they did not want to endure the effort of rejecting him, since they had imprudently approached him.

I did not seek Satan. I was sought by him. When he found Me, I endured his being close by. It was a right and proper experience, so that I could be your merciful high priest, tested like you, not disdainful of you, and an example for you…

"Why did Satan begin his Temptation with Impurity? Because this sin is the most widespread one. It is in every place and in every part of the world, at all social levels, and, unfortunately, in all conditions. It has many names. It is sometimes even covered with legitimacy. But it sullies legitimate marriage beds as well as the beds of prostitutes, and I will not speak about other considerations… Satan believed that with that means alone, he would be able to shatter the thought of redemption forever, by corrupting the irreplaceable Redeemer. Finally, he needed to make sure whether I was the Redeemer.

"He had gotten a hunch that I was now in the world. He was looking for Me… For so many years he had been unable to part the veil enveloping the mystery of my Mother and Me. The manifestation at the Jordan had shaken him. But dread of Me made him still hesitate…

"My steadfast bearing… told him who I was. Convinced about my nature, he persisted. In his first temptation the other three were al ready concealed, especially the last one. My eyes chilled him. My silence exasperated him. My serenity bewildered him. He felt he was up against a force which was impossible to bend. He sensed that the Pure One could only be nauseated at the dishonest fruit he was offering…

"Tempted in all things and by everyone, I remained without sin. The Eternal High Priest, by my own will, I kept Myself innocent and immaculate… to serve the spirit alone…

"What is there in Me that you do not have? And what did I do that you cannot do? I am speaking of sanctifying oneself to become perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect…"

(Notebooks 1945-50, pp. 367-71)

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"…They exist. And they are devoted, active, and wise: in loving, helping, guiding, and instructing your souls. The good companion never neglects his task, not even when man sins and provokes repugnance. But when man also lives in the grace of the Lord, employing this grace and serving with all his strength, then - just as is stated regarding Me after the temptation in the desert - 'the angels serve him.' Do you think that my Guardian Angel failed to fight along with Me against Satan in that hour? He truly fought! And when the victory had been won, he called his brothers to sustain the strength of the Victorious One…" (Notebooks 1945-50, p. 447)

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"…One who is with God and his angels should not fear.

"Satan, his servants, the world, and men, would like to frighten you, mortify you, and separate you from your mission: with threats, or with offers of immediate and tangible honors and benefits. Make the words of the sublime Tempted One your own. Reply to them: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God. Begone, 0 Satan! I serve the Lord God, and no other.'

"Soul of mine, fear not. Proceed. The Glory of the Heavens will satisfy you for every holy desire, and compensate you for every sorrow. Let us bless the Lord (Thanks be to God). Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit."

(Book of Azariah, p. 27)

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8^TH MARCH: Second Sunday of Lent - Year B

Mk. 9:2-10 – Transfiguration of the Lord

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 3, p. 407-10)

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15^TH MARCH: Third Sunday of Lent - Year B

Jn. 2:13-25 – Jesus drives the merchants from the Temple

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 1, p. 285-9)

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22^ND MARCH: Fourth Sunday of Lent - Year B

Jn. 3: 14-21 – "God so loved the world..."

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 1, pp. 625-6)

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29^TH MARCH: Fifth Sunday of Lent - Year B

Jn. 12: 20-33 – Jesus and the Gentiles on Holy Thursday

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 481-4)

…Jam-packed for the approaching Feast of Unleavened Bread, many people… - Israelites mixed with Gentiles, Jews with proselytes, and disciples with enemies of Christ - heard the testimony by my Father.

"Three times, in three times and three different places and circumstances, the Father bore witness to Me without ever retracting… On three occasions, in three different times, places, and circumstances, a Voice - always with the same power, and quite different from mine and from that of every other man - thundered from the Heavens to bear the same witness to Me, If that was so, it is a sign that I was really God, like the Father. Because God the Father can be said to glory in only one Son. God was like Him: having begotten Him: taking pleasure in Him; seeing He is perfect as He, the Father, is by Divine Nature; and seeing Him perfect in terms of will and grace in the human nature taken on…" (Notebooks ’45-50, p. 358)

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"Humanity is been seized like a ball by Satan, because it had fallen asleep in the mist of epochs without religious struggles, and flung into the mire with scorn. In reaction to the blow, it will rebound towards the heights.

"The era of the spirit will come after this time of materiality. The era of the Light will return after the current obscurity. The era of Life will succeed the almost mortal agony. The era of God will arise to be a force in the final struggle. And the era of God will reign over that of Satan.

"On your feet, 0 Christians, in the fullness of your charity: for God, for the Church, for your neighbor, for yourselves. God the Father sent you his Son and your Brother, through the Mother, so that He would be your Master and Redeemer, and you would be children of God. And since you are children, God has infused the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and through you He cries out, 'Abba! Father!'

"Man, even the most perfect man, would never be able to pray with that loving violence which obtains miracles - all miracles. And so it is, then, that the Spirit of God prays in you, through you, to obtain what is useful and necessary for you, and what, as holy, is suitable for sanctifying you. It is always the Spirit of God, enclosed in the hearts of the faithful, that asks and cries out with ineffable moans: 'Abba! Father!'

"And He says it through you. What, then, are you afraid of, if you can call God 'Father'? If the Spirit of God Himself says it through you, thus confessing that you may call yourselves children of the Father, that you are children of God? What if the Spirit Himself - whom God loves infinitely, for He is God - prays and calls out through you?

"Courage, then, and do not be afraid of the things that pass…" (The Book of Azariah, pp. 304-5)

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(PLEASE NOTE: The Gospel of Passion Sunday is covered by 26 audio tracks in the "Sunday Gospels" series, and its transcript extracts are too voluminous to be printed here. However, I would strongly recommend the 56-page little booklet; "The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ", available from the Readers’ Group, as a summary of Jesus’ Passion. It is a wonderful and eagerly sought-after booklet for potential readers of Maria’s writings to read, and was my own "stepping-stone" to The Poem of the Man-God, some 16 years ago – Ed.)

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12^TH APRIL: Easter Sunday - Year B

Jn. 20: 1-9 – The Resurrection, and the discovery of

Jesus’ empty tomb

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 699-701, 705-9)

One of the main personages during the hours of My Passion - the only apostle to be lovingly, pitifully, heroically present near the Christ, near His Mother, in front of the unchecked fury of Jerusalem - he leaves out his name in the outstanding episode of the Crucifixion and of the words of the Dying Christ: "Woman, this is Your son", and "This is your mother". He is the "disciple", the nameless one, with no other name but the one which is his glory after being his vocation: he is "the disciple".

Even after the honour of becoming the "son" of the Mother of God, he does not become elated. And describing the Resurrection, he says once again: "Peter and the other apostle (who had been informed by Mary Magdalene of the empty tomb) came out and went… They ran… but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived first, and he bent down and saw… but did not go in…" A gesture of gentle humility! He - the favourite, the faithful disciple - lets Peter, the chief (although a cowardly sinner) enter first. He does not judge him. Peter is his Pontiff. Nay, he supports him with his holiness. Because "chiefs" also may need - they actually do need - subjects to support them.

How many subjects are better than their "chiefs"! O holy subjects, never refuse to be pitiful towards your "chiefs", who bend under the weight which they cannot bear, or who are made blind or inebriated by the vanity of honours. O holy subjects, be the Simons of Cyrene for your Superiors. And I am speaking to you too, My little John, on behalf of everybody, of all the "Johns" who run ahead and lead the "Peters", and then stop, letting them go in, out of respect for their office. Oh! what a masterpiece of humility! - to do this in order not to mortify the "Peters" who are not capable of understanding and believing...

(The Poem, Vol. 4, p. 326)

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19^TH APRIL: Second Sunday of Easter - Year B

Jn. 20: 19-31 – Jesus appears to the apostles,

and the doubting Thomas

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 739-47, 749-51, 753-6)

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26^TH APRIL: Third Sunday of Easter - Year B

Lk. 24: 35-48 – Jesus reassures His apostles

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, p. 738-40)

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3^RD MAY: Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year B

Jn. 10: 11-18 – The Good Shepherd

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 4, p. 653-5)

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10^TH MAY: Fifth Sunday of Easter - Year B

Jn. 15: 1-8 – The vine and the branches

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 513-4)

(At the commencement of the fourth of four "Holy Hour" meditations, Jesus says to Maria Valtorta:)

" 'If you remain in Me, and my doctrine remains in you, you will be given what you ask for.'436

"I descend into you and become your food. But, as I am the Center, I breathe you into Myself. You feed on Me, but with greater reason I feed on you.

The two hungers are insatiable and continuous. The vine nourishes its shoots. But it is the shoots that make the vine. The water nourishes the seas, but it is the seas that nourish the water, rising again in evaporation to come down once more. You must therefore remain in Me, as I remain in you. If separated, you - not I - would die.

"I am food for the spirit, and food for thought. The spirit feeds on the Flesh of a God. As the essence poured out by God,437 it can receive food only from what is its matrix. Thought feeds on my Word, which is the Thought of a God.

"Your thought! Intelligence is what makes you resemble God. For in intelligence there is memory, intellect, and will. Just as there is a likeness [to God] in the spirit - because it is spiritual, free, and immortal.

"Your thought - to be capable of remembering, understanding, and willing what is good - must be nourished by my doctrine. It reminds you of the benefits and works: of God, who God is, and what is due to God. It brings you to comprehend good, and distinguish it from evil. It brings you to want to do good. Without my 436 John 15:7.

437 A definition which is explained in the following dictation.

doctrine, you become the slaves of others: which are called 'doctrines,' but are errors. And like ships without a compass and rudder, you head for shipwreck. You depart from the routes. How can you then say, 'God has abandoned me,' when it is you that have abandoned Him?

"Remain in Me. If you do not remain, it is a sign that you hate Me… And whoever hates Me, hates the Father, since I am one with the Father. Remain in Me. Make the Father unable to distinguish between the branch and the vine, since the branch is so united to it. Make the Father unable to grasp where I end and you begin, since the likeness is so complete. Those who love, end up taking on the inflexions, phrases, and gestures of their beloved.

"I want you all to be as many other Jesuses. This is because I want you to receive what you ask for (when fused to Me, you can ask only for good things), and not have to experience rejection. This is also because I want you to receive even more than what you ask for, since the Father pours out his treasures upon the Son in a continuous flow of love. And whoever is in the Son enjoys this infinite outpouring (which is the love of God), rejoices in his Word, and circulates in Him.

"Now I am the Body, and you, the members. Therefore the Joy flooding Me and coming from the Father - the Power, Peace, and every other perfection circulating in Me - are transfused into you: my faithful ones, who are part of Me, inseparable from Me, here and hereafter…" (Notebooks ’44, pp. 370-1)

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17^TH MAY: Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year B

Jn. 15: 9-17 – "This is My new Commandment"

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 514-5)

"Love one another as I have loved you."435

"From the cradle to the cross, from Bethlehem to the Mount of Olives, I loved you.

"The cold and poverty of my first night in the world did not keep Me from loving you with my spirit, and from annihilating Myself as the Word - to the point of not being able to say, 'I love you,' I said those words to you with my spirit, inseparable from that of the Father, and working together in inexhaustible activity.

"The agony of my last night on earth did not keep Me from loving you. On the contrary, it reached the highest peaks of love. On the contrary, it burned in the most intense fire. On the contrary, it consumed all that was not love - along with repugnance at sin and the pain of abandonment by the Father - to the point of squeezing the blood out of my veins.

"What greater love is there, than the one able to love when it knows it is hated?

"The first gesture of my hands was a caress; the last, was a blessing. And in the midst of these two gestures - the first arising in the darkness of a winter night, the last in the splendor of a glowing summer morning - there were thirty-three years of gestures of love, corresponding to as many motions of love: love in miracles, love in caresses for children and friends, love as a teacher, love as a benefactor, love as a friend, love, love, love...

"And there was more than human love at the Last Supper. Before being bound and pierced, these hands of mine washed the feet of the apostles - also of the one whose heart I would have liked to wash - and they broke the bread. And I was breaking my Heart with that bread. I was giving you That Bread, because I knew I would soon return to Heaven, and I did not want to leave you alone. I knew how easily you forget, and I wanted you to see yourselves sitting at a single dinner table, around my table, saying to one another, 'We belong to Jesus!'

"What love is greater than the one able to love those who torture [His Heart]? Yet I loved you that way. And I was able to pray for you as I died.

"Love one another as I have loved you…"

(Notebooks ’44, pp. 367-8)

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24^TH MAY: The Ascension of the Lord - Year B

Mk. 16: 15-20 – Jesus’ last instructions, and His Ascension

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 854, 784, 875-8)

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31^ST MAY: Pentecost Sunday - Year B

Jn. 15:26-7, 16:12-15 – Jesus foreshadows the coming

of the Holy Spirit,

(Main text: The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 515-6, 871)

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(From The Poem, Vol. 5, pp. 882-4)

[With (what I believe to be) one of the most important lessons from Maria Valtorta’s writings, Azariah, Maria’s Guardian Angel, comments to Maria, whom Jesus calls "little John":)

"Have you ever meditated, O soul of mine, on the symbol of that tongue of fire which - you have seen it - rested upon each of the Apostles' heads while it crowned the All-Holy Woman with a wreath?… You are generally told that it was in the form of a flame, to be perceptible to the Apostles, and to signify love and light. Yes, that, too - but not that alone…

"The Paraclete… like the Incarnate Word - broke and gave Himself, in a Communion, and in an outpouring and donation of his gifts of Wisdom, Intelligence, Counsel, Science, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of God. It was just as Jesus had given Himself in Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. This was notwithstanding… that the Blood of the Lamb had cleansed their souls, but had not destroyed their humanity, which had to struggle on its own, and evolve towards perfect spirituality. And it remained, heavy and dull, even after the Resurrection…

"After the Father… had already created man for life, and the Son had created man for Grace, the Ineffible Love wanted to complete and perfect these two creations, and create the new apostolic man. This was to burn up the heaviest, the most poisonous dross remaining… in the head: where the five senses are joined together at the service of material sensuality; where the organ is enclosed, which presides over sensations and transmits them to the most remote organs; and where the agent of thought is…

"In the twelve, destined to evangelize the world, there were to be no more ruins. And behold! The Spirit - in his Pentecostal Communion - burnt and purified the seat of sense and thought: the heads of the apostolic men, while He crowned, with love, the head of the Virgin, his Spouse… Mother of Grace, Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and Queen of the Church on Earth…"

(The Book of Azariah, pp. 93-5)