– INTRODUCTION – THROUGH her great masterwork, The Poem of the Man-God,1the modern mystic Maria Valtorta [1897-1961†], has become increasingly well known and popular in the West, especially among the Catholic laity. Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., Mariologist, philosopher and professor at the Lateran Pontifical University, consultor to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and one of the participating experts at the Second Vatican Council, has declared Valtorta one of the eighteen greatest mystics of all time. In fact, as material for a course which he taught at the 'Marianum' Pontifical Theological Faculty in Rome on the Marian intuitions of the great mystics, Fr. Roschini used both Valtorta's Poem..., as well as her other mystical writings as a basis for his course. Of these latter, Valtorta has bequeathed (legado) us several other volumes of writings, currently being translated into English and comprising, like The Poem..., what she attests to be direct Revelations or Dictations from Christ and Mary. Most of these are contained primarily in her "Notebooks" (I Quaderni) for 1943, 1944 and 1945- 50.2 Now we owe another debt of gratitude to Valtorta's publisher and editor, Emilio Pisani, who has made available another new little book of her Italian writings entitled, Preghiere3["Prayers"], which appeared for the first time in 1993. In it he has collected under one cover a number of her spontaneous prayers scattered throughout her other writings. Among these, a "Meditation" entitled: "The Hour of Gethsemani" ["L'ora del Getsemani"], not found among Valtorta's other published writings, appeared for the first time in this little Italian collection of her prayers. A premiere English translation of this Meditation was previously made available to Valtorta readers under the title of "The Garden".4 Along with the "The Garden" ("The Hour of Gethsemani"), Pisani also included in this volume of Valtorta's "Prayers" another Meditation Dictated to Valtorta by Christ on the Eucharist, entitled, "Un ora con Gesú" ["An Hour with Jesus"], 5 and which originally appeared in the critical edition of Valtorta's "Notebooks".6The text presented here now offers to Valtorta readers a translation of this Eucharistic Meditation given by Christ to Valtorta. The text used as the basis for this translation, however, is that which appears in the critical edition of Valtorta's "Notebooks". It is fitting that Valtorta's editor should include this moving Meditation of the Eucharistic Christ as a companion piece to that of His Meditation on His Agony in Gethsemani ("The Garden"), since Christ's institution of the Eucharist immediately preceded His Agony on the same night of Holy Thursday, and manifests His Own intentions and love in inventing this means of abiding with His disciples in His Church: "I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world." 7It is thus also an everlasting Memorial of His loving us "unto the end." If then the English presentation of this Meditation serves to increase the reverence and reciprocal love of the Master's disciples for His Eucharistic Presence, it will have served its purpose.
A EUCHARISTIC HOUR WITH JESUS