You shall not bear false witness

(CEV) “The Poem of the Man-God,”, Vol. 1, p. 703
Jesus says: “It is said: “You shall not bear false witness. What is there more nauseating than a liar? Can we not say that he joins cruelty to impurity? Of course, we can. A liar, I am talking of a liar in grave matters, is cruel. He kills a reputation with his tongue. So he does not differ from a murderer. Nay: he is more than a murderer. A murderer kills only the body.

A liar kills also a good name, the memory of a man. He is, therefore, twice a murderer. He is an unpunished murderer because he does not shed blood, but he injures the reputation both of the person calumniated and of the whole family. And I will not take into consideration the case of the person who brings about the death of his neighbor by swearing false witness.

The coal of Gehenna is already piled upon such person. I am only talking of those who make false insinuations by telling lies and stir up other people against an innocent person. Why do they do that? Either out of hatred, without any reason, or out of greed to get what another man possesses, or out of fear.”

Hatred

Only a friend of Satan hates. A good person does not hate. Never. For no reason whatsoever. Even if he is scorned and damaged, he forgives. He never hates. Hatred is the witness that a lost soul bears of itself and is the best witness in favor of an innocent man. Because hatred is the revolt of evil against good. Who is good does not need to be forgiven.”

Greed

He has what I have not got. I want what he has. But only by disparaging him I can obtain his position. And I am going to do it. Will I be lying? What does it matter? Will I be stealing? What does it matter? Will I ruin a whole family? What does it matter?” Of the many questions that the shrewd liar asks himself, he forgets, he wants to forget one question. This one: “And if I should be found out?” He does not ask himself such question, because a prey to pride and greed, he is like one whose eyes are closed. He does not see the danger. He is also like a drunk man. He is intoxicated with a satanic wine and does not consider that God is stronger than Satan and takes vengeance of the calumniated man. The liar has given himself to Falsehood and foolishly relies on its protection.”

Fear

Many a time man slanders to excuse himself. It is the most common form of falsehood. Evil has been done. We are afraid it might be found out as our deed. Then, using and abusing the esteem in which we are still held by other people, we upset the situation, and we saddle someone else, of whose honesty only we are afraid, with the evil deed we accomplished. We also do it, because at times our neighbor has been the unintentional witness of our evil action, and we want to be secure from his eventual witness. So we accuse him to make him unpopular and thus, if he should speak, no one may believe him.”

Behave properly!

And you will never need such falsehood. Do you not consider, when you lie, what a heavy burden you take upon yourselves? It is made of subjection to the evil spirit, of perpetual fear of being found out, and of the necessity of remembering the lie, also after years, in all the circumstances and details in which it was told, without contradicting oneself. The labor of a galley-slave! If it only helped to gain Heaven! Instead it serves only to prepare a place in hell!”

Be frank

How lovely are the lips of a man who does not know falsehood! He may be poor, coarse, unknown? He is, is he? But he is still a king. Because he is sincere. And sincerity is more regal than gold and diadems, and elevates one above the crowds more than a throne, and procures a greater court of good people than a monarch has.

Intimacy with a sincere man gives safety and comfort. Whereas friendship with an insincere person, or even to be near such a person, causes a feeling of uneasiness. Since the truth soon comes to light in a thousand ways, why does he who lies not consider that afterwards he will always be suspected? How can one believe what he says?”

Even if he speaks the truth, and who hears him wants to believe him, there is always a doubt: “Is he lying also now?” You may ask: “Where is the false witness?” Every lie is a false witness. Not only legal ones.”

Be simple, like God and a child. Be truthful every moment of your lives. Do you want to be considered good? Be truly so. Even if a scandalmonger should wish to speak evil of you, one hundred good people will say: “No. It is not true. He is good. His deeds speak of him”.

In one of the sapiential books it is said: “A scoundrel, a vicious man, he goes with a leer on his lips… Deceit in his heart, always scheming evil, he sows dissension… There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that His soul abhors: a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that weaves wicked plots, feet that hurry to do evil, a false witness who lies with every breath, a man who sows dissension among brothers… His own lips are to blame when the wicked man is entrapped. A false witness is nothing but deceit. Lips that tell the truth abide firm for ever, the tongue that lies lasts only for a moment. The words of a backbiter sound simple, but they pierce man’s heart.

The enemy brooding over treason is known by his speech. Do not trust him when he whispers, because he carries seven evils in his heart. He deceitfully conceals his hatred, but his wickedness will be disclosed… The man who digs a pit falls into it, the stone comes back on him that rolls it”.

The sin of falsehood is as old as the world and the thought of the wise man concerning it is unchanged, unchanged is also the judgment of God on those who lie. I say: have only one language. May your “yes” be always “yes” and your “no” be always “no”, also before mighty ones and tyrants. And you will receive great reward in Heaven for it.

I say to you: be spontaneous like a child who by instinct goes towards him whom he perceives to be good without seeking anything but goodness. And he says what his own goodness makes him think, without considering whether he says too much and whether he may be reproached for it.”

Maria Valtorta: The Poem of The Man-God

Evaluation of the Work of Maria Valtorta by Padre Livio Fanzaga, Catholic priest (Radio Maria):
“So I would say just that, dear friends, because I read The Poem of the Man-God, three times, 5 volumes ( CEV, ed), and then I am able to evaluate it in its complexity and its value, I feel like saying, dear friends, I do not know any more commentary on the Gospel more orthodox, more uplifting, more stimulating than this, and I would like, dear friends, that all of you would accept the invitation from the Virgin Mary to read this books because it’s all true (They do not contain errors against faith and morals of the Catholic Church…) . Then read these books, my dear friends, because we would surely gain great benefits for your souls. It is not difficult to get them, and they do not cost a lot, 5 books that can be for you an indispensable spiritual nourishment”

Content taken from the works of Maria Valtorta with the permission of the “Centro Editoriale Valtortiano Srl”- Viale Piscicelli, 89/91 – 03036 Isola del Liri, (FR – Italy), which has all the rights upon Valtorta’s Works.