World, society, the Earth, the universe
In the manner of speaking of the Christ, the world most often designates the portion of men who live without caring for the interests of God, but actively seek human interests: money, flesh, and power. Satan is thus called "the prince of this world" (cf. Jn 12:31).
In "The Gospel as Revealed to Me"
Society, humanity
- Under the name of flesh, I include yours and that of the world: that is to say the pomps and seductions of the world, that is to say wealth, festivities, honors, and powers that come from the world.[1]
- The world belongs to the wicked. Paradise belongs to the good. This is the truth and the promise. It is upon this that your calm strength rests. The world passes away. Paradise does not pass away.[2] (Jesus)
- The world hates. He who hates sees and wants to show the evil in the most holy things.[3]
- The reasons of the world and those of God.[4]
- The world is here. The world of the tomorrow in the little Israelite pure who will not even realize that he will become “the Christian”; the world, the old world of Israel in the Zealot; humanity in John, the Gentiles in Syntyche.[5]
- He wanted to come into the world and take on flesh to redeem flesh and souls and the world, but He did not want to accept the pomps of the world and the hearths of sin, and in Him there was nothing carnal or worldly.[6]
- You see how the eyes of the world are always upon us, to slander or study us, and also out of veneration. But the latter are the small number among the many eyes watching us. Yet it is from this small number that we must take the greatest care, for it is upon their faith that the study of the world is focused.[7]
The earth, the universe
- Satan, during the Temptation of the Christ: “Worship me. I will give you the earth.”[8]
- “You are the Salt of the Earth” – (Matthew 5:13-14) - First announcement.[9]
- The Announcer knew the paths of the earth, because He had descended to speak to the Prophets…[10]
- Sermon on the Mount: “You are the Salt of the Earth.” [11] and [12]
- The Beatitudes: Blessed are those who are meek, for they shall inherit the Earth![13]
- The Our Father: “Let your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Desire with all your strength this coming. It would be joy on earth, if it came.[14]
- At the beginning, there was heaven and earth and it is for them that light was given and through the light all things were made.[15]
- The Earth is an altar, Simon, a vast altar. It was meant to be an altar of perpetual praise to its Creator. But the Earth is filled with sins. Therefore it must be an altar of perpetual expiation, of sacrifice, on which the hosts burn.[16]
In Maria Valtorta’s other works
In the Notebooks 1943
- Catechesis from August 22, 1943: “But how is it that they did not think that the ‘great Babylon’ is the whole Earth? I would be a small and limited Creator God if I had created only the Earth as an inhabited world! With one wave of My will, I created worlds and worlds out of nothing and cast them, luminous dusts, into the immensity of the firmament. The Earth, of which you are so proud and so fiercely jealous, is but one of these dust specks spinning in infinity, and not the largest. But certainly the most corrupt. Lives and lives swarm in the millions of worlds that bring joy to your gaze on serene nights, and the perfection of God will appear to you when you can see, with the intellectual vision of the spirit united with God, the wonders of these worlds. Is not the Earth the great prostitute who has fornicated with all the powers of the earth and of hell, and have not the inhabitants of the Earth prostituted themselves, body and soul, to triumph in the earthly day?”[17]
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.