Victim-souls
06 October 1998 07:46
Avo & Suzy Vardanian send the following:
TLIG readers might benefit from this extract from Maria Valtorta’s Victim-Soul booklet, since Jesus talks often about victim-souls in the True Life in God messages.
How Can One Become a Victim-soul
Jesus speaks:
“Every age had its own forms of piety. – The Church was born amidst the agitated waves of the world. Virgins and consecrated souls lived among the pagan crowds, carrying into them the perfume of Christ with which they were saturated, and thus they conquered the world for Christ.
Then came the epoch of austere divisions. According to the views of that time, to achieve perfection, and contribute to the continuous Redemption of souls, it was necessary to withdraw oneself from the world. From monasteries, from hermitages, from walled cells, rivers of sacrifices and prayers spread across the Earth flowed down to Purgatory and rose up to Heaven.
Later came the convents dedicated to an active life. Hospitals, asylums, schools, benefited fro this new manifestation of Christian religion. But now, in a world that has become pagan with an even more cruel paganism, because more diabolically subtle, consecrated souls who live in the world are needed as during the first period of My Church, in order to perfume the world with Me again. They sum up in themselves both the active and contemplative life in one word: “Victim.”
How many victims this poor world needs in order to obtain mercy! If mankind would only listen to Me, I would give every single person My loving command: “Make sacrifice and do penance, to be saved!” But only My victims understand how to imitate Me in self sacrifice, which is the supreme form of love. What did I say? “From this they will know that you are My disciples: if you love one another mutually. There is no greater love than this, to give up one’s life for one’s friends.”
Victim-souls have raised love up to the degree that it assumes a form similar to Mine. Victim-souls sacrifice themselves for My sake because I am in souls, and whosoever saves a soul, saves Me in that soul. Therefore there is no greater love for Me than to immolate yourself for Me, your Friend, and for the poor sinful souls that are our lapsed friends. I say “our” because where there is a loving soul, God is also there with her, and so we are two.
Many a time, you think regretfully about an enclosed life. But reflect, My dear soul, that being a victim-soul makes you like the most austere of cloistered nuns. The victim-soul adores, the victim-soul expiates, the victim-soul prays. The prayer of a victim-soul is equal to that of a cloistered nun, but with the added difficulty of having to live a life of prayer in the midst of the distractions of the world.
Even in this, I am your example. I, Victim-Soul too, knew how to adore, pray, expiate, while in the world. One can be a victim-soul of highest perfection even while standing in the middle of a crowd. One might not have such a high standard of perfection even while living behind the seal of a double grating. Here also it is love that counts not the exterior forms.
How can one become a victim-soul? By living with one unique thought in mind: that of consoling Me by redeeming souls. Souls are redeemed by sacrifice. But I am consoled by love, and by enkindling love in hearts, where it was extinguished. The life of a victim-soul is a life of never belonging to oneself again, a life of constant self-giving, a life of being incessantly on fire. And to those who are able to live like this is granted the Invisible Presence, which you too enjoy.
Wherever My apostles and My martyrs are, I am there also. And victim-souls are martyrs and apostles.”
(Maria Valtorta – Note-books, pp. 175-176, June 16th, 1943)
