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'The Almighty ordained that the message of the Conception of his holy Mother should  in some way be similar to the one, by which the Incarnation was announced.  For saint Anne was mediating in humble fervor upon her, who was to bear the Mother of the Incarnate Word.  And the most holy Virgin was making the same reflection upon Her, who was to be the Mother of God, as I will relate in its place (Part II, 117).  It was also the same angel, that brought both messages, and in human form, though he showed himself in a more beautiful and mysterious shape to the Virgin Mary.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God

["The author has made use of capital letters in the text slightly at variance with common usage, in order to avoid complication and secure greater clearness.  The paragraph numbers are those of the newest Spanish edition of "Ciudad de Dios" in 1912.  In the abridgement they vary slightly."

--Translator]

[mod edit: thread title changed on request, additional info added]

I remember reading about St. Joachim and St. Anne in the past and their holy lives as well as the holy lives of the people they belonged to.

These were the few people who were truly preparing for the Savior and following religion properly!

Yes, and I read in the City of God that St. Anne was unexcelled in the infused virtues of faith, hope and love.  But afterwards, her daughter Mary must have excelled her, no?  Both St. Anne and St. Joaquim were descendants of the Aaronic priesthood and were most holy and upright, the perfect parents for the Arc of the Covenant and the perfect grandparents for God.  The City of God mentions that Jesus had a Father in Heaven with no Mother, and a Mother on earth with no Father.  Now we can say that He has a Father and Mother with Him in Heaven.  God bless you.   

'Much like to this, though much more wonderful, was the miracle of the Conception of Mary most holy in her mother Anne.  The parents were so entirely governed by grace and withdrawn from concupiscence and delectation, that the accidental imperfections, which ordinarily are the material or the instruments of conception, and which induce original sin, were altogether wanting.  Thus was furnished a material exempt form imperfection and furnished in such a manner that the act itself was meritorious.  Hence in so far as this act was concerned it could easily be free from sin or imperfection, even if divine Providence had not previously arranged every particular of this event.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 176

I am at the beginning of this wonderful book ( actually books! There are multiple volumes)
I have been thinking on this part; in referring to the creation of Mary, (95.); "This sign was also like the rainbow which appeared after the flood in the clouds of heaven, as a guarantee that even if men should sin like the angels and become disobedient, they were not to be punished like the angels without remission, but would be furnished with salutary medicine and remedy by this wonderful sign."

Thank you and God bless you, Therese :) :principalities: :seraphim: :cherubim: :angelyellow: :harp: :happywave:

Good evening whiterockdove!

Yes that part impressed me too! I have been reading through the first chapters too! It looks like we're doing the same thing!

 :D  :cherubim: :irishwisdom:

Have you ever read The Glories of Mary, Whiterockdove?  If you haven't, then you truly must read this book too!  It is so excellent and so incredibly comforting (like the passage you have mentioned) that everybody should read it, especially those despairing of salvation. City of God and The Glories of Mary are two of the best books ever written.  I am so pleased that you are reading City of God!  Please post any passage you really like on this thread if you'd like to post it.  God bless you! 

Good, Shin!  God bless you!

I will look that one up, Therese. Hopefully I can get it on my e-reader.
I jump from one book to the next and it takes me quite a long time to get thru any
one book.  And I tend to read in the wee hours when all is finally quiet and I have time to myself.
Then I'm out of gas and zzzzz zzzzzz....   

Shin, you have probably left me in the dust by now :D

It is nice to go thru books with others, and this one is quite unusual. I read that she produced  hundreds of pages in just a few weeks
and then had to burn what she had written along with various other works  :popeyes:
Thanks be to God she was able to rewrite it. It wasn't by her own ego or whim, either.
Those to whom she was obedient at the time were telling her to do these things.

Writing was so labor intensive and unforgiving back then!

Good, Whiterockdove!  I can assure you that it will be well worth the read! just like City of God is.  God bless you!

'Now the natural substance of Mary, which She derived from Adam, scarcely comes into consideration, when we take into account her dignity as Mother of God with all that it imports as bringing Her so near to the Eternal Father by grace and participation in the Divinity.  This dignity causes her natural being to appear as merely accessory and of minor importance.  Hence the Evangelist [in the Apocalypse] directed his gaze upon that which was in Her most exalted and heavenly, and not upon the insignificant part of her being that came from earth.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol I, p. 203

And just as She rose above all the guilt and the effects of original and actual sin, God now placed these in a symbolical manner under her feet, in order that the good angels might know, and the bad ones, (though they did not attain knowledge of the mysteries), might fear this Woman even before She came into actual existence.

Ven. Mary Agreda, City of God, Vol. 1, no.98

I'm not sure what is being referred to in the parentheses.

The bad angels did not attain knowledge of mysteries of which the good angels attained knowledge  It appears that the mysteries of the guilt and the effects of original sin and actual sin symbolized under Mary's feet was not knowledge attained to by the bad angels.  God bless you!

'The blessed Trinity made known to [Mary] that before his most just tribunal nothing would ever be denied Her; that She should command the devil and that She should have power, by virtue of her commands, to keep him away from souls, since She would have at her disposal the arm of the Almighty.  But the reason of this favor was not made known to Her, nor the reason for all her other gifts, and this reason was no other than that She was to be the Mother of the Word.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, pp. 222-223

'As the whole remedy of guilt and the justification of all the souls was to take its rise from the Redemption, this love of the great Queen for the Redemption from that first instant [of her Conception], earned Her the power of demanding that no sinner, how great and abominable soever he might be, should be excluded from the fruit of the Redemption and justification, nor fail to attain eternal life if he invoked the intercession of this powerful Lady and Advocate.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 239

Bless you for your motivation for me to start this book once again.  I was given an abridged version several years ago, translated by Fiscar Marison, but then with Rev Geo Blatter shown in parenthesis (I wonder why?).  It doesn't show a printing date, although the copyright is 1978.  My page numbers are different than yours, but the structure refers to three parts with a total of eight books.  I'm still searching for the selections you've chosen, but it's rewarding.

Thank you!  Have you read your abridged version yet, Eschator83?

" I wish thee to proceed on thy pilgrimage like one, who has already arrived at the journey's end, keeping thy gaze continually on the source of all glory."

Our Lady's words to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 250

'In order to evade all hindrance to his holy Will, which I have already many time pointed out and made manifest to thee, seek to mortify the inferior part of thy being, the seat of the evil inclinations and evil passions.  Die to all that is earthly, sacrifice, in the consciousness of God's presence, all they sensitive appetites, fulfill none of their impulses, nor ever satisfy thy own will outside of the narrow limits of obedience.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 250

'[Mary] was clothed, handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the Divinity; and She was treated as an infant, though She excelled all mortals and even all the angels in wisdom.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol.I, p. 264

I'm reading; I've felt very strongly called to the book about a dozen times, although I've probably spent more time trying to scan and find your references than actually reading sequentially.  In my book, your reference from page 264 is on page 87, at the bottom of the fifth page of Chapter VII of Book I.  I haven't yet found the other references, but I will keep trying.  My translation seems identical.
My edition begins with numerous approbations the book received, I was particularly struck by these segment from the University of Louvain:
"This History explains more than a thousand difficulties in Holy Scripture...at every step are encountered exquisite interpretations, until now unknown, and which had been hidden..." (p6).

I am so pleased that you are very interested in this most excellent work of Ven. Mary of Agreda, Eschator83.  You should at least borrow the four volumes from a library to read the whole work, if you do not wish to purchase the four volumes.  Yes, though the Scriptures seems to have contradictions in it, it really contains no contradictions at all, as this wonderful work of Ven. Mary of Agreda indicates.  God bless you!  

Dear Eschator83,

If you wish I can go back and give you the paragraph numbers to the passages I have referenced.  Would you like that?

Yours in the Cross of our Lord,
Therese

Dear Eschator83,

I will include the paragraph number of each excerpt for you.  You will find it on the second line of my citation.

'The parturition of the most happy Anne was pure and undefiled, as befitting her heavenly Daughter, in whose purity the mother was a sharer.  Although on this account there was no need of a special purification, she nevertheless complied with the obligation of the law to the very last point.  Though not subject to its penalties, she considered herself bound in the eyes of men.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 278
#345

'When [the infant Mary] was alone, or when she was laid to sleep, which was in her most moderate, She was engaged in the contemplation of the mysteries and the excellencies of the Most High, and in the enjoyment of the divine visions and the conversation of his Majesty.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 283
#353

'It is true that I was in possession of grace and of the use of reason from the first instant of my Conception, as I have often shown thee; I underwent the hardships of infancy as other children and I was reared and treated as others of the same condition.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 285
#355

'In forgetting how exalted in glory, dignity and beauty these spirits are, many men deprive themselves of numerous blessings, which they would otherwise obtain at the hands of these angels.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 299
(#375)

'The second point is, that thou, in every place and at all times, preserve love and reverence toward these holy spirits, as if thou didst see them with thy corporeal eyes, and that thou dare not do before them what thou wouldst not do in public.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 299-300
(#376)

Thank you very much for your concern.  My volume has 794 pages--it ends at the Coronation of our Holy Mother.  Most of it seems to require particular concentration, especially the sections of "Words of the Queen" at the end of the Chapter.  I'll be quite busy following your selections and also reading from the beginning at my slow pace, for some time to come.

Excellent, Eschator83! Yes, not only do Ven. Mary of Agreda's words call for our full concentration, but our Lady's words especially call for our full concentration.  Would you like for me to provide you with the paragraph numbers of the first excerpts of mine?  Even if not, I'll be sure to include paragraph numbers in all my subsequent posts.  God bless you!

'As her fervor and longing to see our highest Good increased, being entirely enraptured by Him, She was by the disposal of the Lord many times borne bodily by the hands of the angels to the empyrean heaven, where She enjoyed the presence of the Divinity.  On those occasions she would at times see God face to face, at other times by infused images of the highest and most godlike kind.  She saw also the angels by clear and intuitive vision , their degrees, orders and hierarchies, and many sacraments were made manifest to Her on each occasion.  As these vision were often repeated She gradually, by becoming accustomed to them and by acts of virtue which She exercised in connection with them, began to appear a divine more than a human creature.  No one else would ever be capable of such favors and others connected therewith; and even the mortal nature of that Queen herself would have been deprived of life, if She had not been preserved by a miracle.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 304-305
(Bk. I, #383)

'My daughter, he that received more ought to consider himself more needy, since his debt becomes so much the greater.  All should humiliate themselves since of themselves they are nothing, nor can they do anything or possess ought.  On this account they that are raised up by the hand of the Almighty, should humiliate themselves as mere dust.  For left to themselves and to their nothingness and unworthiness, they should esteem themselves so much the more indebted and bound to thankfulness for that which by themselves they can never repay.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 305-306
(Bk. I, #385)

Note:

I am being careful to copy quotes accurately.  If the capitalization of pronouns referring to our Lord appears inconsistent, it should not be on account of my copying but on account of Ven. Mary of Agreda's writing.  

Well, that and the translation possibly.

I am much enjoying these inspiring quotes of bearing crosses and gifts with the grace of God.

Yes, that is right, Shin, the translation could account for inconsistencies.  I am so glad that you are enjoying the quotes!  God bless you!

I am very grateful for your thoughtfulness, but my edition doesn't reflect paragraph numbers; however, I imagine they may be very helpful to others.

"All should  humiliate themselves since of themselves they are nothing..."
 :principalities: :angelbell: :seraphim: :cherubim: :angelyellow: :angelblue: :+:

Amen! Such beautiful words!   :rejoice: :+: :thrones:

So true, Whiterockdove!

'She [Mary] was holy and, in my estimation, most acceptable to Christ; to Her was due all the veneration and worship of men, and even more than they could give; yet I provided and ordained in her regard that She receive no honor or recognition at that time, so that She, as the Mistress of truth, might be the most shining example of all that is holy, perfect, estimable and safest for the instruction and guidance of my elect.  She was to be the shining example of humility, of retirement, of contempt and horror for the dreadful vanity of the world, of love for sufferings, tribulations, insults, afflictions and dishonors inflicted by creatures.  All holiness is adverse and contrary to the applause, honors and estimation of the world, and I decreed that the most pure Mary should not be burdened by them, nor do I desire that my friends should enjoy or be pleased with them.'

Our Lord to Ven. Mary of Agreda. City of God, Vol. I., p. 330-331
(Bk. II, #420)

'My admonition to thee, whom in spite of thy weakness and poverty I have chosen with such generous kindness as my disciple and companion, is this: that thou strive with all thy powers to imitate me in an exercise, in which I preserved during my whole life from the very first moment of my birth, omitting it on not a single day, however how full of cares and labors it might have been. This exercise was the following: every day at beginning of dawn, I prostrated myself in the presence of the Most High and gave Him thanks and praise fore His immutable Being, his infinite perfections and for having created me out of nothing; acknowledging myself as his creature and the work of his hands, I blessed Him, and adored Him, giving Him honor, magnificence and Divinity, as the supreme Lord and Creator of myself and of all that exists. I raised up my spirit to place it into his hands, offering myself with profound humility and resignation to Him and asking Him to dispose of me according to his will that day and during all the days of my life, and to teach me to fulfill whatever would be to his greater pleasure. This I repeated many times during the external works of the day, and in the internal ones I first consulted his Majesty, asking for his advise, permission and benediction for all my actions.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 276-277
(Bk. II, # 343)

'I fulfilled entirely and perfectly all that I proposed to the Lord, as far as was possible in my state in life; never did I look upon the face of a man, not even on that of my husband Joseph, nor on that of the angels, when they appeared to me in human form, though I saw and knew them all in God.  Never did I incline towards any creature, rational or irrational, nor toward any human operation or tendency.  But in all things I was governed by the Most High, either directly by Himself or indirectly through the obedience, to which I freely subjected myself.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 345
(Bk II, #440)

A wonderful quote to add to the modesty pamphlets.  :D

And a wonderful exercise of trustful surrender to Providence she has given us to model!

Deo gratias et Mariae semper Virgini!

One very holy person I know has a problem, I think, believing that our Lady never looked at a man including St. Joseph.  I think for this reason she has a problem with Ven. Mary of Agreda's City of God.  She knows that Ven. Mary of Agreda was a saint (non-canonized), but she has problems I think accepting that Mary never looked at man and that Jesus' tunic and sandals grew with him.

Perhaps this will help Therese.

'The saints were particularly cautious not to look at persons of a different sex. St. Hugh, bishop, when compelled to speak with women, never looked at them in the face. St. Clare would never fix her eyes on the face of a man. She was greatly afflicted because, when raising her eyes at the elevation to see the consecrated host, she once involuntarily saw the countenance of the priest. St. Aloysius never looked at his own mother in the face. It is related of St. Arsenius, that a noble lady went to visit him in the desert, to beg of him to recommend her to God. When the saint perceived that his visitor was a woman, he turned away from her. She then said to him: "Arsenius, since you will neither seen or hear me, at least remember me in your prayers." "No," replied the saint, "but I will beg of God to make me forget you, and never more to think of you."'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

See further (http://saintsworks.net/Modesty%20and%20Purity%20-%20St.%20Alphonsus%20Maria%20de%20Liguori%20-%20Modesty%20of%20the%20Eyes.html) for more examples.

Surely a garment that grows is the smallest of miracles? So too that tunic has a special spiritual meaning and significance. One can see such a miracle adding to it.

Yes, I understand what St. Alphonsus is saying, I have read this passage of his before in one of my books written by him.  The woman I speak of is certainly not me, as I believe everything in the City of God with a great pious faith in the book.  God bless you!

Ho ho I didn't suppose it was, or that you were talking of yourself in the second person.  :D

Yes, of course, Shin, I perfectly agree with what you say about the tunic and sandals!  I myself never have had a problem with Jesus' tunic and sandals growing with Him.  One Novus Ordo priest I know had a problem with it; he said (based on the Scriptures) that Jesus was like us in everything except for sin, so he did not believe that Jesus' tunic and sandals grew with him..  The other woman I spoke about in my other posts I think may have doubted the two things I mentioned to her, without 100% disbelieving in them; but this Novus Ordo priest flat out disbelieves what Ven. Mary Agreda revealed--because of the passage in Scriptures which says that Jesus was like us in everything except sin.  But I know that if the Mother of God was only a creature and was unlike us in that she hadn't original sin, etc., I also know that Jesus, though like us in everything except for sin, could also have unique things about Him.  God bless you!



BTW, Shin, I am having problems posting with "quotes" from previous posts.  I keep getting a message that some error has occurred.

Therese, perhaps are you trying to quote a message that has a link in it?

This would not work, even if it is an internal link to the website. Folks can request those be edited in of course, but any posting of a link by a normal user results in an error.

Ah, thanks for the helpful information, Shin!  But only one of my posts included a link from a previous post, the second post didn't.  We'll see if this one goes through.  God bless you!

Dear Shin,

What would your response have been to the Novus Ordo priest of which I speak?

"As thy Creator, Preserver and Benefactor, He claims thy gratitude; as Father, thy reverence; as Spouse, thy fidelity; as a Friend, amicable intercourse; as the most Faithful, He should excite thy faith and hope; as the highest and eternal Good, He should possess thy love, as the Almighty, thy entire subjection; as the most just Judge, He should rouse thy humble and holy fear.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 349-350
(Bk II, #446)

'Remember that the most perfect manner of obeying is to avoid offending the superior by showing that you disagree with him.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I. p. 353
(Bk II, # 451)

'The temporal goods are created by the Most High for the sole purpose of sustaining life; having attained this end, the need of them ceases.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 355
(Bk II, #455)



'Of the things of things that are necessary for human life, accept only so much, as is needed to prevent death or indecency.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 357
(Bk. II, #457)

'After once the senses are mortified, it will be easy to overcome thy enemies, for only though them can they conquer thee; for no thought can recur, or be awakened to activity, unless fomented and excited by the images and impressions admitted through the exterior senses.  Thou shouldst not touch, nor look upon, nor speak to any person of whatever condition, whether man or woman, so as to let their images or resemblances find entrance into thy imagination.  This carefulness, which I enjoin, will be the guard of the purity, which I require of thee.  If on account of charity or obedience thou must converse with them (for only these virtues are sufficient causes for conversing with creatures), do it with all gravity, modesty and reserve.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I. p. 357
(Bk. II, #458)

'Remember, that a voluntary remissness in regard to one imperfection prepares and opens the way for others: these facilitate the commission of venial sins, these again of mortal sins.  Thus the descent is from one abyss to another, until the bottom is found in the disregard of all evil.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 369
(Bk. I, #478)

Lovely quotes, Therese!  Thank you for your caring
And promotion of Our Blessed Mother, Our Queen.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! And I treasure all the mysteries in it.

Thank you and God bless you.

You are most welcome, Whiterockdove!  You know, you sound just like a predestined soul.  God bless you!

I am not certain how I would reply to the priest beyond the fact that miracles are common throughout Our Lord's life, as they are through the lives of the saints, therefore, the scriptural passage in question is not about that subject.

Yes, I agree.  Thank you for your response, Shin.

'In Baptism He instills the virtues of faith, hope and charity, and with these other virtues, by which the creature is to co-operate and exert itself toward the pursuit of Good, not only preserving within itself those received in the sacraments, but acquiring others by its own merits and exertions.  This will be the greatest happiness and blessedness of men, that they correspond to the love, which the Creator and Redeemer shows them, adorning their soul and, by the infused habits, familiarizing themselves with the virtuous exercise of their own will.  But the failure to correspond to those inestimable benefits brings on their greatest misfortune, because in this disloyalty consists the first great victory of the demon over man.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 375
(Bk. II, #486)

Now that is a quote for Saints' Quotes (http://saintsquotes.net) for certain, as well as an eventual selection on baptism or infused virtues.

I never knew about Saints' Quotes, Shin.  I just had a look at it, it is very good!

'Faith enlivens the other virtues and serves as a nourishment of the just man and a support in his labors.  Faith confounds and fills with fear the infidels and the lax Christians in their negligence; for it convinces them in this word of their sin and threatens punishment in the life to come.  Faith is powerful to do all things, for nothing is impossible to the believer; faith makes all things attainable and possible.  Faith illumines and ennobles the understanding of man, since it directs him in the darkness of his natural ignorance, not to stray from the way, and it elevates him above himself so that he sees and understands with infallible certainty what is far above his powers and assures him of it no less than if he saw it clearly before him.  He is thus freed from the gross and vile narrow-mindedness of those who will believe only what they can experience by their own limited natural powers, not considering that the soul, as long as it lives in the prison of this corruptible body, is very much circumscribed and limited in its sphere of action by the knowledge drawn from the coarse activity of the senses.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 387-388
(Bk. II, #504)

I visit it every day for inspiration.  :D

I must visit it very frequently, for inspiration.  The quotes are wonderful!

'On this account the holy Spirit calls Her the Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 25, 24); for just as She became the Mother of Christ because She furnished Him with the flesh of his body, so the holy Spirit made Her the Mother of hope, because by her especial concurrence and cooperation She conceived and brought forth this virtue for the faithful of the Church.  Her prerogative of being the Mother of holy hope was connected with and consequent upon Her being the Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord, for she knew that in her Son She would lay the foundation of all the security of our hope.  On account of these conceptions and births of the most holy Queen, She obtained a certain dominion and sovereignty over those graces and the promises the Most High, which depended upon the death of Christ, her Son, for their fulfillment.  When She of her own free will gave conception and birth to the incarnate Word She turned them all over to us and thereby gave birth to our hope.  Thus was accomplished in its legitimate sense that which the Holy Ghost said to Her: "Thy plants are a paradise" (Cant. 4, 13) ; for all that came forth from Mary, the Mother of grace, was to constitute our happiness, our paradise, and our certain hope of being able to attain them.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 392-393
(Bk. II, # 511)

'The Church has a celestial and true father in Jesus Christ, for He engendered and founded it by his merits and labors, and enriched it with his graces, his example and his doctrines, as was to be expected from the Father and Author of such an admirable work.  Therefore it was befitting that the Church should have also a loving and kind Mother, who with sweet regalement and caresses, and with maternal solitude and assistance, should nurse the little children at her breast (I. Cor. 3,2), nourish them with tender and delicious food as long as they can not in their infancy bear the food of the robust and strong.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 393
(Bk. II, # 512)

'In Her was the fulfillment of that great natural and divine precept: "Thou shalt love thy God with thy whole heart, with they whole soul, and with thy whole strength."  Mary alone satisfied this obligation and debt for all men, which in this life and before seeing God they nether knew nor could ever fulfill entirely.  This Lady fulfilled it more perfectly during her pilgrimage than the saints even in the state of beatitude.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 405
(Bk. II, #527)

'She [Mary] contained in Herself all the essential goodness of the human nature and all that was most perfect and the farthest removed from blemish in the accidental qualities of man; and many of the natural and many of the supernatural gifts of the angelic nature She possessed by special privilege and in a higher degree than the angels themselves.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 414
(Bk. II, # 537)

'Obedience is the subjection of our will, inducing us to do the will our superior in preference to our own.  Out free will is so estimable, that this virtue is admirable and excellent above all the moral virtues; for the sacrifice is greater than in any other.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 432
(Bk II, #561)

'She [Mary] knew more of Him than any other creature and more than all of them together; and according to her knowledge She rendered due honor, teaching even the Seraphim how to reverence Him.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 432
(Bk. II, # 562)

"She [Mary] excelled the seraphim from her first instant in contemplation, in prayer, in petition, and in devout promptitude for the service of God.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 433
(Bk. II, # 562)

"During Divine Office, prayer, and sacrifice see that thou remain on thy knees; implore with faith and receive his favors with humble thanksgiving; the same consideration thou shouldst show also to all men, even if they offend thee.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 439
(Bk. II, #570)

'For in the degree in which we love and esteem the eternal good, (and we should esteem it above all visible things), in that degree will we be ready, in order to obtain it and avoid the loss of it, to suffer all hardships in patience.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 442
(Bk II, #574)

'Of the virginal purity and modesty of this Virgin of virgins not even the seraphim could speak worthily, for in this virtue, though to them it was co-natural, they were inferior to their Queen and Mistress.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 454
(Bk II, # 589)

'Of Her own choice She never ate meat, nor did She eat more than once a day, except when She lived with her husband Joseph, or when She accompanied her most holy Son in his travels; for in such circumstances, in order to conform Herself to others, She imitated the mode of living followed by the Lord, although at all times She was wonderful in her temperance.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 454
(Bk. II, #588)

'Accordingly She never spoke to any man except at the command of God; nor did She ever look into the face of a man, and not even in the face of a woman; and this not on account of any danger to Her, but for the sake of gaining merit, and for our example, and in order to exercise the superabundance of her heavenly prudence, wisdom and charity.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 455
(Bk. II, # 589)

'Not only did She deem Herself unworthy of the dignity of being the Mother of God and of all the graces connected wherewith, but She did not esteem Herself deserving of the air She breathed, of the support the earth gave to her footsteps, of the sustenance derived from it, or of any service of kindness at the hands of creatures; of all things She considered Herself unworthy and She gave thanks for all, as if She were really so undeserving.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 457-458
(Bk. II, # 593)

'Of these ineffable virtues of Mary this history is replete, for in all the actions of the Queen of heaven her incomparable humility shines forth beyond everything else.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 456
(Bk. II, # 591)

'This most wise Virgin knew in her wisdom the arrangement of the whole world and the powers of the elements (Wisdom 7, 17), the beginning, the middle, and the end of time with its mutations, the course of the stars, the natures of the animals, the fury of the wild beasts, the powers of the winds, the dispositions and thoughts of men, the virtues of plants, herbs, trees, fruits and roots, the hidden and occult things beyond all thoughts of men, the mysterious ways of the Most High: all this Mary, our Queen, knew and She delighted in it through the wisdom, which she drew from its original fountain and which was embodied in all her thoughts.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 468
(Bk. II, # 605) 

'If creatures would empty their hearts of earthly love and affections, although their heart is limited, they would participate without measure in the torrent of the infinite Godhead through the inestimable gifts of the Holy Ghost.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 472-473
(Bk. II, #612)

Getting near the finish of the first volume Therese, no? Deo gratias et Mariae semper Virgini.

It's been splendid to read and to read the happy comments of folks like whiterockdove and eschator.

If only people would empty their hearts of earthly love and affections!

And exchange the natural for the supernatural!

Yes, Shin, if we all could only detach ourselves from all that is not God and mortify ourselves, we'd be able to be so filled with God.  Soon I'll be on my second volume.  I, too, am very happy whenever whiterockdove and eschator and you, Shin, respond to these excerpts.  Hopefully other people are getting a lot out of these excerpts about our Blessed Mother.  God bless you!

'In the Queen of heaven these intelligences or revelations were vastly different from those which are proper to the Saints and Prophets; for her Highness enjoyed them continually, both in habit and in act, whenever She was not enjoying other more exalted visions of the Divinity.  Moreover the clearness and the extent of this intellectual light and all its effects were incomparably greater in most holy Mary.  For of the truths, mysteries and sacraments of the Most High, She knew more than al the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and more even than all the angels combined; and She understood more profoundly and clearly, more unerringly and securely all that She did know.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, pg. 492
(Bk. II, #636)

'All that thy earthy inclinations demand, refuse to thyself, although it may be small and licit in itself; turn thy back on all sensible things, seeking only to love and to suffer.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 499
(Bk. II, #645)

'Most holy Mary as being the Mother of the Word, was Mistress of all creation; but being a faithful representation of her onlybegotten Son, She in imitation of Him made so little use of creatures, of which She was Mistress, that none ever used them less than She, for She excluded all that was not absolutely necessary for the service of the Most High and for the natural life of her most holy Son and of Herself.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 500
(Bk. II, #646)

'The Queen of angels and men knew all these angels and others as they are in themselves, without dependence on the senses or the phantasy, and without any hindrance from the mortal or earthly body.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 503
(Bk. II, #650)

Reply #81 is;  :principalities: :seraphim: :angelyellow: :angelblue: :flower:
Especially  with spring  and gardening coming along.

Yes it reminds me of the collection we have on Saints' Books (http://saintsbooks.net) of St. Francis de Sale's writings called 'Mystical Flora'.  :D

You are very blessed that to have a place to garden, Whiterockdove!

'In her infancy She consulted the angels and followed their counsels; after the incarnate Word was born, She looked upon the Onlybegotten as her Teacher and example in all her actions and at the close of his mysterious life and after his Ascension into heaven, the great Queen of the universe obeyed the Apostles, as we shall relate.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 514
(Bk. II, #664)

Note:  Our Lady and Queen not only obeyed the Apostles but she instructed them, as will be related later in City of God.

'I wish thee to remember, my beloved, that to suffer and be afflicted with our without one's fault is a benefit of which one cannot be worthy without special and great mercy of the Almighty; moreover to be allowed to suffer for one's sins is not only a mercy, but is demanded by justice.  Behold, however, the great insanity of the children of Adam nowadays in desiring and seeking after emoluments, benefits, and favors agreeable to their senses, and in sleeplessly striving to avert from themselves, that which is painful or includes any hardship or trouble.  It would be to their greatest benefit to seek tribulations diligently even when unmerited, yet they strive by all means to avoid them even when merited, and even though they cannot be happy and blessed without having undergone such sufferings.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 520-521
(Bk. II, #673)

It's good to hear about Justice in times like these.

For those who need to hear about it--and many do need to hear about it.  But hearing about God's Mercy is what I personally need, as I have been given a pretty strong knowledge of His Justice, and being reminded of His Mercy every now and then will certainly help me to better approach death.  Yes, God will be most rigorous on Judgment Day and He will appear to us as Judge, but in the present life He is our most merciful Saviour.  Hopefully I will never forget His Justice, or His Mercy.

'Let thy meditation day and night be, how thou canst provide against losing the highest Good, which thou lovest.  It is not befitting that thou sleep or slumber in the midst of invisible enemies.  If sometimes thy Beloved hides Himself from thee, hope in patience and seek Him solicitously without ceasing, since thou knowest not His secret judgments.  For the time of his absence and temptation provide thyself with the oil of charity and good intention, so that it fail thee not in time of necessity and that thou mayest not be rejected with the foolish and negligent virgins.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 530
(Bk. II, #688)

'When any creature rose up against me, I conceived no anger toward it, for I knew in reality it was an instrument of the Most High, directed by his Providence for my special good.  This knowledge and the consideration, that it was a creature of my Lord, capable of grace, exited me to love it truly with a greater fervor, and I did not rest until I could reward this benefit of persecution by obtaining for it eternal life, as far as was possible.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, p. 545
(Bk. II, #711)

'Strive after, therefore, and labor for the imitation of that, which thou hast understood and written; show thyself most meek, peaceful and agreeable toward those, who molest thee; esteem them truly in thy heart, and do not take vengeance of thy Lord by taking vengeance on his instruments, nor despise the inestimable jewel of injuries.  As far as lies in thee always give good for evil, (Rom. 12, 14) benefits for injuries, love for hate, praise for blame, blessings for malediction.  Then wilt thou be a perfect daughter of thy Father (Matth. 5, 43), the beloved spouse of thy Lord, my friend and my most cherished daughter.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 546
(Bk. II, #712)

'Saint Anne lived fifty-six years, portioned off into the following periods; at the age of twenty-four she espoused saint Joaquim and she remained without issue for twenty years; then in the forty-fourth year she gave birth to the most holy Mary, and of the twelve years which she lived during the lifetime of Mary, three were passed in her company and nine during her absence in the temple, which all together makes fifty-six years.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vo. I, p. 555
(Bk. II, #723)

St. Joaquim's  death took place a little before St. Anne's death.  I wish I had provided some info about St. Joaquim for you when I had read about him.  But you can gather a little about him from the passage above.  St. Anne died with her daughter Mary still dwelling in the temple.  I believe Mary dwelled in the temple just up until her espousal to St. Joseph, which will come up later in City of God.

'Man's sole duty is to live in obedience and in the love of his Lord.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 556
(Bk. II, #725)

'What is still worse, if by his carnal wisdom and by diabolical astuteness to which man resigns himself, he succeeds sometimes in obtaining what he seeks, he deems himself fortunate on account of this, his own misfortune!  And with sensible pleasure he imbibes the poison of eternal death in the deceitful delight, which he has gained, while incurring the alienation and abhorrence of his God.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, P. 557
(Bk. II, #726)

If the condition of mortals were not so low, they would covet sufferings merely for the sake of their God and Lord, who has proclaimed them to be according to his will and pleasure; for the faithful and loving servant should always prefer the likings of his lord to his own convenience.  But the worldlings in their torpidity are moved neither by the duty of conforming to their Father and Lord, nor by his declaration that all their salvation consists in following Christ in his sufferings and that his sinful children must reap the fruit of the Redemption by imitation of their sinless Chief.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 564-565
(Bk. II, #739)

"I exhort thee, my daughter, to select the sufferings of his Cross in preference to his favors and gifts and rather embrace afflictions than desire to be visited with caresses; for in choosing favors and delights thou mayest be moved by self-love, but n accepting tribulations and sorrows, thou canst be moved only by the love of Christ.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 565
(Bk. II, #740)

'Thy incessant prayer, my daughter, should be always to repeat: here I am, Lord, what wilt Thou do with me?  Prepared is my heart, I am ready and not disturbed; what does Thou wish for me to do for Thee?  These sentiments should fill thy heart in their full and true import, repeating them more by sincere and ardent affection, than by word of mouth.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 565
(Bk. II, #741)

'If any danger or difficulty seems to present itself in that which the Lord commands, let man confide in Him and firmly believe that he was not placed therein in order to be forsaken, but in order that he may come forth victorious and triumphant, if he cooperates on his own part with the assistance given by the Lord.  Whenever the soul seeks to scrutinize the decrees of his wisdom and satisfy itself before it obeys and believes, let it be convinced that it defrauds the Creator of its glory and honor, and at the same time loses for itself the merit of its works.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 574-575
(Bk. II, 753)

Amen, Therese! More good posts, I see!

Yes, Whiterockdove!  Are you still in the process of reading City of God?

'He [St. Joseph, on the day of his espousal to Mary] was then thirty-three years of age, of handsome person and pleasing countenance, but also of incomparable modesty and gravity; above all he was most chaste in thought and conduct, and most saintly in all his inclinations.  From his twelfth year he had made and kept the vow of chastity.  He was related to Mary in the third degree, and was known for the utmost purity of his life, holy and irreprehensible in the eyes of God and of men.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 576
(Bk. II, 755)

"She [Blessed Mary] desired in all things to obey her spouse St. Joseph, asking him solely for permission to help the poor, which the saint gladly gave.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 582
(Bk. II, 765)

'If thou dost not hinder the course of his Providence, I assure thee of his protection and of the power of his divine arm to direct thee and guide all thy actions toward perfection.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 586
(Bk. II, 771)

Hi Therese, yes, I am still plugging along, very slowly but that's ok.
Thank you for continuing your posts! 

You are very welcome, Whiterockdove!  It is good that you are still plugging along and getting something good out of the work.  God bless you!

'And although he [St. Joseph] resolved to leave Her (Matth. 1, 19) as he saw the outward tokens of pregnancy with his own eyes without the slightest knowledge of the cause; yet he never ventured to distrust  her honor and modesty, nor did he ever diminish in his holy and pure love, with which his most upright heart was bound to such a Spouse.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 590
(Bk. II, 775)

'Although She [Blessed Mary] could not, as a mere creature, merit the advent of God into the world, yet She merited the hastening of his advent, and She merited, that He should come in the rich ship of Her womb; for, since God could not take abode in any other inferior to Her in merit, She alone induced Him to become visible and to communicate Himself, and to nourish those who were so far off.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 593
(Bk. II, 780)

This is so edifying, this prayer. What a perfect method of surrendering to divine Providence!

Which prayer, Shin?

I meant to share it! I must've typoed. Here, from the extracts you posted:

'Thy incessant prayer, my daughter, should be always to repeat: here I am, Lord, what wilt Thou do with me?  Prepared is my heart, I am ready and not disturbed; what does Thou wish for me to do for Thee?'

I agree, it is most edifying and a perfect method of self-surrender.  God bless you!

'In the universal judgment saint Joseph, one of the men of the most holy Mary, will take his seat among the nobility of the kingdom of God; for he will sit in judgment with the Apostles over the world, enjoying this privilege as the spouse of the valiant Woman, the Queen of all, and as the putative father of the supreme Judge.  The other Man of this Lady is her Son, as I have already said (774), and He is acknowledged and recognized as the supreme Lord and true Judge both in the particular judgment, and that, which is to be held over the angels and all men.  This supreme power devolves in part also upon most holy Mary; for it was She, who gave Him the flesh, with which He redeemed the world.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 604
(Bk. II, 794)

'Yet although all the saints of the Church have spoken, being inspired and moved by her Man and Spouse, Christ and the Holy Ghost, nevertheless it seems as if He has at yet only kept silence and has not yet risen to publish the countless and exalted mysteries concerning his most holy Mother.  I was given to understand, that they are so great as to be reserved for revelation only in the triumphant Church after the last judgment; for it would not be opportune to manifest them now to this world, which is unworthy and incapable of understanding such wonders.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. I, p. 607
(Bk. II, 799)

Yes there is much that in this life people would not understand properly. How much in the next that we have awaiting..

Yes!

'Soul, created by the hand of the Almighty, if thou wishest, as one of the elect, to follow in the path of the true light and attain the position of a most chaste spouse of the Lord, who calls thee, it is befitting, that thou observe the laws and precepts of love.  The first thing required of thee is, that thou reject entirely all earthy inclinations, renouncing all and every affection toward the transient things, so that thou have no love or affection toward any created being, no matter how beautiful, useful or agreeable it may appear to thee.  Cherish no created image, harbor no earthy affection; let thy will rest in no created object, except in so far as thy Lord and Spouse shall command thee for the well-ordering of thy love, or in so far as thou canst be aided thereby to love Him alone.'

A Voice to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 12
(Introduction of Bk. 3, Para. 16)

'Many turned from sin at the mere sight of Her [Mary]; others amended their lives; all were effected at seeing Her and experienced heavenly influences in their souls.  But immediately they forgot the source of these influences; for if they could have remained in her presence, or could have retained the memory of her image, and if God had not prevented it by a mystery, nothing would have been able to divert their attention from Her and all would have sought Her without wavering.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 24
(Bk. 3, Chap. 1, Para. 2)

I'm so glad we as Catholics are encouraged to have those images of Mary in our homes, around our necks, the statues in our gardens.
It does help!

What a great help these sacramental are to/for me, Whiterockdove, and for so many others!

'Subject thyself gladly, not to the pleasurable in creatures, since that will obscure thy understanding and weaken thy will, but to the adverse and the painful resulting from their activity.  Suffer this with joyous willingness, for I have done the same in imitation of my Son, although I had the power to neutralize their molestations and had no sins to atone for.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 39
(Bk. 3, Chap. 2, Para. 26)

'Before conceiving Him and becoming is Mother, She was inspired with divine knowledge and science concerning the passibility of the Word made flesh.  And when She became Mother She saw and experienced this truth in Her Son and Lord himself and therefore She gave a greater license, or rather a more strict command, to creatures to afflict Her, since She saw the results of this activity in their own Creator.  Hence, as the Most High did not wish his only and chosen Spouse to be continually molested by the creatures, even though She herself desired it, He often restrained them and neutralized their operations, so that the heavenly Princess unhindered by them, might occasionally enjoy the delights of the most high King.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 42-43
(Bk. 3, Chap. 3, Para. 31)

Just to clarify: when Blessed Mary teaches us to keep images out of our mind she is referring to images of people, places and things in the world (as they distract us)--she is not referring to images of crucifixes and other sacramentals, which serve to unite us more closely with out Lord.  God bless you!

To clarify further:  the Blessed Virgin Mary is referring to images that are not sacred.  I do not mean profane images, but images that are not of Jesus, Mary, Angels, Saints, and of holy objects like crucifixes, sacred chalices, etc..  From what I have read in the City of God about this matter we should not retain images in our memory of persons, places and things, even though they be not profane or unholy (e.g. our parents).  St. John of the Cross has taught that we should not cling to images even of the sacred.  God bless you.

'I desire, therefore, that thou, my friend, be now my companion in the sorrow which I suffered and which is so little noticed by the living.  In order to imitate me therein and in the effects of this most just grief, thou must deny thyself, forget thyself entirely, and crown thy heart with the thorns of sorrow at the behavior of mortals.  Weep thou at seeing them laugh at their eternal damnation, for such weeping is the legitimate occupation of the true spouses of my most holy Son.  Let them seek their delight only in the tears, which they pour out on account of their sins and those of the ignorant world.  Thus prepare thy heart in order that the Lord may make thee a participant of his treasures; not in order to become rich, but in order that his Majesty may fulfill his most generous love toward thee and in order that souls may find justification.  Imitate me in all that I teach thee, since thou knowest that this is my desire in favoring thee.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 51-52
(Bk. 3, Chap. 4, Para. 46)

"'Yet, although I have shown thee part of their malice, I wish, my friend, that thou shouldst once more know in Me, how small is the number of those who are to know and love me as my chosen ones; and how great and extended is the number of the ungrateful and of the reprobate.  The innumerable sins and abominations of these impure and defiled men, whom I have foreseen in my infinite knowledge, retard my bounteous mercy and have locked up the treasurehouse of my Divinity, making the world entirely unworthy of receiving my gifts.'"

God the Father to Blessed Virgin Mary on the fifth day before the Incarnation, as revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, p. 54
(Bk. 3, Chap. 5, Para. 48)

It is we who put things in the way.. God help us to change our ways!  :crucifix:

May God help us!  :crucifix:

'I had no part in the sin of Adam, for I was exempted from his disobedience; but because I partook of his nature and by it was his daughter, I humiliated myself in my estimation to nothingness.  In the light of this example then, how far must those humiliate themselves, who not only have had a part in the first sin, but also have committed other sins without number?  The aim and motive of this humiliation moreover, should not be to remove the punishment of those sins, but to make restoration and recompense for the diminution and loss of honor, which was thereby occasioned to the Creator and Lord.'

Vol. II, 67*

* Paragraph #


Shin, here I have used  the same form of citation that Ven. Mary of Agreda uses in her work ... it is more convenient for me than the other forms I've been using.  Would it be fine with you if I kept up with this particular form, or would you prefer that my citations include page numbers?

'Great victories and advances in merit are connected with the true submission of self and subjection of our own judgments to those of others.  Thou shouldst never wish to retain for thyself the power to will or not to will: then thou shalt sing of victories and overcome thy enemies.'

Vo. II, 69

As long as you have the paragraph #s it suffices Therese.

Thanks, Shin!

'If thou wishest to attain the highest purity of that perfection and become worthy of standing in the presence of thy Lord and Spouse, strive to be robust and strong in love; and thou knowest, that this is augmented in the same degree, as mortification and self-abnegation are practiced.  Thou must deny thyself and forget all earthly things; thou must expel all the meanings toward thyself and toward visible things, in the divine love solely thou must increase and advance.  Wash and purify thyself in the blood of thy Redeemer, Christ, and apply this cleansing many times by renewing thy loving sorrow for thy sins.  Thereby wilt thou find grace in his eyes and thy beauty will be desired by Him, and all thy adornments will be full of the greatest perfection and purity.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 85

'Remember that the Lord very often shows great favors to the unworthy, in order to manifest his goodness and munificence. 

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 86

'All have their source only in his goodness, binding us and obliging us to grateful recognition.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 86

"Be thou not any longer slow in understanding the greatness of his divine love and his readiness to benefit his friends and dear ones, whom He desires to elevate from the dust and enrich in diverse manners.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 96

'And in order that thou mayest dispose thyself and be inspired so much the more, I remind thee, that the Lord often says these same words to his chosen ones: "Reverte, reverte, ut intueamur te."  For He derives just as great pleasure from their deeds, as when a father rejoices in his beloved and well-behaved son, whom he looks upon many times with great affection; or as an artist, when he beholds with pride the perfect work of his hands; or as a king, who inspects the rich city, which he has added to his dominions; or as one, who is pleased with his much beloved friend.  There is only this difference: the Most High finds incomparably more delight than all these in the souls, which He has chosen for his blessings; and in proportion as they dispose themselves and advance in virtue, the Lord also multiplies his favors and benefits.  If the mortals, that attain to the light of faith, would enter into this truth, they would, merely on account of this complacence of the Almighty in their good deeds, not only preserve themselves from sin, but they would zealously engage in great works until death and eagerly show their loving servitude to Him, who is so liberal in rewarding, and so generous in his favors.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 97

By the way congratulations on getting to the second volume Therese!

 :tinyangel: :littlewings: :thrones: :angelyellow: :thrones: :littlewings: :tinyangel:

Thank you, Shin!  And getting to the second volume was the easiest thing to do with my goal of reading one chapter daily.  God bless you!

'"...Thou, my Spouse, shalt be my chosen One and thou hast found grace in my sight; and therefore I make thee Mistress of all these goods and I give thee dominion and possession of them all, so that, if thou art a faithful spouse according to my wishes, thou mayest distribute and dispose of them according as thou desirest and according as thy intercession shall direct; for this is the purpose, for which they are given into thy possession." Therewith the most blessed Trinity placed a crown on the head of our Princess Mary, consecrating Her as the sovereign Queen of all creation.'

Our Lord to Blessed Mary on the night before the Incarnation, as revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 103

'Her entire being was made to shine forth the Divinity; for since the divine Word was to issue from the bosom of the eternal Father to descend to that of Mary, He provided for the greatest possible similarity between the Mother and the Father.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 105

'Rare and astonishing prodigy of humility, to see this Maiden, most holy Mary, though raised to the supremest dignity and holiness next to God, yet humiliating Herself and debasing Herself below the meanest of creatures; so that, by the force of this humility, no thought of her being destined for the Mothership of the Messias could find entrance into her mind!  And not only this: She did not even have a suspicion of anything great or admirable in Herself (Ps. 130, 1).  Her eyes and heart were not elated; on the contrary the higher She ascended by the operation of the right hand of her God, so much the more lowly were her thoughts concerning Herself.  It was therefore just, that the Almighty should look upon her humility (Luke 1, 48), and that therefore all generations should call her fortunate and blessed.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 106

'The bodily shape of the heavenly Queen was well proportioned and taller than is usual with other maidens of her age; yet extremely elegant and perfect in all its parts.  Her face was rather more oblong than round, gracious and beautiful, without leanness or grossness; its complexion clear, yet of a slightly brownish hue; her forehead spacious yet symmetrical; her eyebrows perfectly arched; her eyes large and serious, of incredible and ineffable beauty and dovelike sweetness, dark in color with a mixture tending towards green; her nose straight and well shaped; her mouth small, with red colored lips, neither too thin nor too thick.  All the gifts of nature in Her were so symmetrical and beautiful, that no other human being ever had the like.  To look upon Her caused feelings at the same time of joy and seriousness, love and reverential fear. She attracted the heart and yet restrained it in sweet reverence; her beauty impelled the tongue to sound her praise, and yet her grandeur and her overwhelming perfections and graces hushed it to silence.  In all that approached Her, She caused divine effects not easily explained; She filled the heart with heavenly influences and divine operations, tending toward the Divinity.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 115

'My daughter, with special affection I manifest to thee now my will and desire that thou make thyself worthy of intimate and familiar converse with God, and that for this purpose thy dispose thyself with great zeal and solicitude, weeping over thy sins, and forgetting and rejecting all the visible things, so that thou have no thought henceforth for any other thing outside of God.  Therefore thou must begin to practice all that I have taught thee until now, and whatever I will yet teach thee in the balance of this history.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 120

'In imitation of me be thou so humble, that as far as thou art concerned, thou be persuaded and convinced of thy entire worthlessness and incapability, not meriting to be considered even a slave of the servants of Christ.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 121

'By the intensity of these movements and supernal affections, her most pure heart, as it were by natural consequence, was contracted and compressed with such force, that it distilled three drops of her most pure blood, and these, finding their way to the natural place for the act of conception, were formed by the power of the divine and holy Spirit into the body of Christ our Lord.  Thus the matter, from which the most holy humanity of the Word for our Redemption is composed, was furnished and administered by the most pure heart of Mary and through the sheer force of her true love.  At the same moment, with a humility never to be sufficiently extolled, inclining slightly her head and joining her hands, She pronounced these words, which were the beginning of our salvation:  "Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum"  (Luke 1, 31).

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 137

'This [the Incarnation] happened in springtime on the twenty-fifth of March, at break or dawning of the day, in the same hour, in which our first father Adam was made and in the year of the creation of the world 5199, which agrees also with the count of the Roman Church in her Martyrology under the guidance of the Holy Ghost.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 138



Note:  The Incarnation happened on the same day as the beginning of creation of the word and on the same day as the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, March 25th.

'The Lord is infinite in his mercy and his love has no limit, and thus He attends and esteems and assists every soul who receives Him, and rejoices in it, as if He had created it alone, and as if He had been made man for it alone.  Therefore with all the affection of thy soul thou must, as it were, consider thyself as being thyself in person bound to render the full measure of thanks of all the world for his coming; and for his coming to redeem all.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 141

'Look upon Him as upon the infinite God, loving, yet terrible.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 143

Actually, I believe it was the Blessed Trinity speaking to Ven. Mary of Agreda.  

'By the same Omnipotence He provided that this most holy soul of Christ, in its superior faculties and in its most noble operations, should be in the state of glory and enjoying beatitude; while all this immense glory was at the same time compressed, as it were, into the superior parts of his soul, suspending the effects and gifts of glory, that would otherwise naturally have communicated themselves to his body.  On this account He could be at the same time viator, subject to suffering, enabling Him to procure our salvation by means of his Cross, Pasion and Death.'

Ven, Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 145

'Above all I ask of thee, my dearest, to do that which is most acceptable to the Lord and most pleasing to me; that thou grieve, and in sweet affection mourn over the gross ignorance and dangerous tardiness of the sons of men; over the ingratitude also of the children of the Church, who having received the light of the divine faith, yet live in such interior forgetfulness of the works and benefits of the Incarnation, yea, of God Himself, and so much so, that they seem to differ from infidels only in some ceremonies and exterior worship.  They perform these without spirit or heartiness, many times offending and provoking the divine justice which they should placate.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 156

Thanks for the clarification earlier Therese.

Ingratitude.. It certainly costs us grace!

You are welcome, Shin.  I believe that ingratitude costing us grace is one of the teachings of Francisco de Osuna in his great contemplative work The Third Spiritual Alphabet.

I've said more than once and I should remember more myself, that gratitude is the secret to happiness.  :D

Yes, and self-abandonment is the key to interior peace.  :D

I will work at thanksgiving all day today and from henceforth.  We owe our Lord thanksgiving, faithfulness, all our love, etc. for His goodness and love.

There are two priceless secrets of God.

I wonder what a third would be?

A third could be this: the secret to entering heaven is to enter like a child 100% confident in God, humble and totally dependent on Him, filled with love and admiration for Him, submissive and docile to His Will.  What do you think, Shin?

'She [Blessed Mary] did not feel in her body the force of weight and gravity; therefore She could walk without feeling the inconvenience usual to that kind of exercise; She could move about with instantaneous speed, without feeling any shock or fatigue as we would feel.  All this belonged naturally to the quality and condition of her body, so spiritualized and well-formed.  During the time of her pregnancy She felt even less the weight of her body; although, in order to bear her share of labors, She allowed hardships to produce their effect.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 173

'Although death in all the sons of Adam was the stipend and punishment of sin (Rom. 6, 23), and therefore death and all the other effects and chastisements had no rights in me, who had not sinned; yet the Most High ordained, that I also, in imitation of my most holy Son, should enter into felicity and eternal life by the death of the body ( Luke 24, 26).'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 176

'In such a way must thou study Him and unite thyself to Him, that no created being will come between thy soul and the true and highest Good.  At all times and in all places, occupations and operations thou must keep Him is sight, without releasing Him from the intimate embrace of they heart (Cant. 3, 4).  Therefore I command thee to treat Him with a magnanimous heart, with decorum and reverence, with deepfelt fear of the soul.  And whatever pertains to his divine worship, I desire that thou handle with all attention and care.  Above all in order to enter into his presence by prayer and petitions, free thyself from all sensible and earthly images.  And since human frailty can not always remain constant in the force of love, nor always experience the sweet violence of its movements on account of its earthly nature, thou should seek other assistance, such as will help thee toward the same end of finding thy God.  Such help, for instance, is afforded by his praise in the beauty of the heavens and of the stars, in the variety of plants, in the pleasant vista of the fields, in the forces of the elements, and especially in the exalted nature of the angels and in the glory of his saints.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 188

'But bear continually in mind especially this particular caution, not to seek any earthly alleviation in any event or in any labor which thou art to undergo, nor to indulge in any diversion coming from human creatures; and especially not in those coming from men, for an account of thy naturally weak and yielding character, so much adverse to giving pain, thou placest thyself in danger of exceeding and overstepping the limit of what is allowed or just, following, more than is proper for the religious spouses of my most holy Son, thy sensible likings.  The risks of this negligence all human creatures incur; for if full reins are given to frail human nature, it will not give heed to reason, not to the true light of the Spirit; but, forgetting them entirely, it will blindly follow the impulse of its passions and pleasures.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 189

'And in order that thou mayest be diligent, cultivate love; for love is a fire, which does not have its effect until the material in prepared; therefore let thy heart always be disposed and prepared.  Whenever the Most High bids thee or communicates to thee anything for the welfare of souls, or especially for their eternal salvation, devote thyself to it entirely; for they are bought at the inestimable price of the blood of the Lamb and of divine love.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 199

'The heavenly Princess beheld the interior of her spouse, knowing all that passed within his soul; and in her prudence She reflected how it would naturally be unavoidable, that he should come to know of her pregnancy; for there would be no possibility of concealing it from her most beloved and chaste spouse.  The great Lady did not know at the time, how God would arrange this matter; yet, although she had not received any intimation or command to conceal this mystery, her heavenly prudence and discretion taught Her that it would be proper to conceal it as a great sacrament, greater than all other mysteries.  Therefore She kept it secret, saying not a word about it to her husband, neither after the message of the angel. nor during this journey [to the house of Zacharias], nor later on, during the anxieties occasioned to saint Joseph at becoming aware of her pregnancy.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 204

'Tender compassion filled my heart, especially for the suffering and the infirm, and I tried to obtain some relief for all.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 214

Mary cured people of their sicknesses.  In paragraph 207 we read about how our Lady commanded a fever to leave a maiden.  This miracle was not public, as were all of the miracles she performed. 

Amen.  :D

Sorry that I could not post excerpts today.  I hope to tomorrow.  God bless you all! 

'At the same time the fortunate child [St. John the Baptist], looking through the walls of the maternal womb as through clear glass upon the incarnate Word, and assuming a kneeling posture, adored his Redeemer and Creator, whom he beheld in most holy Mary as if enclosed in a chamber made of purest crystal.  This was the movement of jubilation, which was felt by his mother Elisabeth as coming from the infant in her womb (Luke 1, 44).'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 218

In paragraph 216 (two paragraphs prior to the above paragraph), Jesus, very tiny at eight days old, assumes this same posture of kneeling to ask in earnest prayer of His Father for the justification of St. John the Baptist, obtaining it from the Blessed Trinity. 

'I wish that in imitation of my cousin Elisabeth, thou do not enter into any friendship with any human creatures, except those, with whom thou canst and shouldst converse about the works of the Most High and of his mysteries, and with whom thou canst learn to pursue the true path of his divine pleasure.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 230

'A few times She [St. Elisabeth] merited to see most holy Mary during her prayers, ravished and raised from the ground and altogether filled with divine splendor and beauty, so that she could not have looked upon her face, nor remain alive in her presence, if she had not been strengthened by divine power.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 239

'The imitation of this I desire especially of thee; let thy ambition be to take the last place, to live in subjection to all others; abased and considered as useless, in the presence of the Lord and of men, thou must judge thyself as less than the dust of the earth itself....It is good to obey the prelates and the instructors, therefore do it always.  But I desire that thou go much farther, and that thou obey the most insignificant of thy fellow beings in all that is not sinful, and in such a way, as if thou wert obeying the highest of thy superiors; and I desire that in this matter thou be very earnest, as I was during my earthly life.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 241

'His Majesty gave me such a deep knowledge of how much He is pleased with this virtue [humility], that in order to be allowed to perform only one of the acts mentioned by thee, such as sweeping the floor or kissing the feet of the poor, I would have been ready to suffer the greatest torments of the world.  Thou wilt never find words to express the love for humility which I had, nor to describe its excellence and nobility.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 252

'But in connection with this humility of life, let thy thoughts always be of the noblest and thy conversation in heaven with the angelic spirits (Philip 3, 20); deal with them and converse with them in order to obtain new light concerning the Divinity and the mysteries of Christ my most holy Son.  With creatures let thy intercourse be such as will continually increase thy fervor and serve thee as means of advancing and profiting by means of humility and divine love.  In thy own mind assume the lowest place beneath all creatures, so that when the occasion and the time of exercising the acts of humility arrive, thou mayest be found prompt and willing to exercise them.  Only then wilt thou be the mistress of the passions, if first thou hast acknowledged thyself in thy heart as the least and weakest and most useless of all the creatures.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 253

'Hence whenever the Lord sends to thee, or throws in thy way, a needy soul and makes thee aware of its state, labor faithfully to assist it.  Pray and weep with heartfelt and fervent love, that God may furnish the remedy for such great and dangerous evil, and do not neglect any means, divine or human, as far as thou art concerned, in order to obtain the salvation of eternal life for the soul entrusted to thee.  By means of the prudence and moderation which I have taught thee, thou must not grow weary in admonishing, nor in praying for that which will benefit that soul; and in all secrecy continue thy labor in its behalf.  Likewise I wish, that whenever it is necessary, thou command the demons in the powerful name of the Almighty and my own, to depart and leave in peace the souls oppressed by them; and as all this is to be done in secret, thou canst in all propriety animate and encourage thyself to this kind of work.  Remember that the Lord has placed thee, and will place thee in a position to exercise this doctrine.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 260

A moving extract to read!

Yes, it is!

Shin, I did not get an email notification of your last post (reply 181), not to mention other posts.  I receive notifications of certain other posts.

Sorry, the text above should read:

'In order to evade all hindrance to his holy Will, which I have already many times pointed out and made manifest to thee, seek to mortify the inferior part of thy being, the seat of the evil inclinations and evil passions.  Die to all that is earthly, sacrifice, in the consciousness of God's presence, all the sensitive appetites, fulfill none of their impulses, nor ever satisfy thy own will outside of the narrow limits of obedience.'

Sorry, the above quote should read:

'Of the things that are necessary for human life, accept only so much, as is needed to prevent death or indecency.'

Sorry, the above text should read:

'Obedience is the subjection of our will, inducing us to do the will our superior in preference to our own.  Our free will is so estimable, that this virtue is admirable and excellent above all the moral virtues; for the sacrifice is greater than in any other.'

Sorry, the above text should read:

'In the Queen of heaven these intelligences or revelations were vastly different from those which are proper to the Saints and Prophets; for her Highness enjoyed them continually, both in habit and in act, whenever She was not enjoying other more exalted visions of the Divinity.  Moreover the clearness and the extent of this intellectual light and all its effects were incomparably greater in most holy Mary.  For of the truths, mysteries and sacraments of the Most High, She knew more than all the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and more even than all the angels combined; and She understood more profoundly and clearly, more unerringly and securely all that She did know.'

Sorry, the above quote should read:

'I wish thee to remember, my beloved, that to suffer and be afflicted with or without one's fault is a benefit of which one cannot be worthy without special and great mercy of the Almighty; moreover to be allowed to suffer for one's sins is not only a mercy, but is demanded by justice.  Behold, however, the great insanity of the children of Adam nowadays in desiring and seeking after emoluments, benefits, and favors agreeable to their senses, and in sleeplessly striving to avert from themselves, that which is painful or includes any hardship or trouble.  It would be to their greatest benefit to seek tribulations diligently even when unmerited, yet they strive by all means to avoid them even when merited, and even though they cannot be happy and blessed without having undergone such sufferings.'

Sorry, the above text should read:

'I exhort thee, my daughter, to select the sufferings of his Cross in preference to his favors and gifts and rather embrace afflictions than desire to be visited with caresses; for in choosing favors and delights thou mayest be moved by self-love, but in accepting tribulations and sorrows, thou canst be moved only by the love of Christ.'

The above quote should read:

'Before conceiving Him and becoming his Mother, She was inspired with divine knowledge and science concerning the passibility of the Word made flesh.  And when She became Mother She saw and experienced this truth in Her Son and Lord himself and therefore She gave a greater license, or rather a more strict command, to creatures to afflict Her, since She saw the results of this activity in their own Creator.  Hence, as the Most High did not wish his only and chosen Spouse to be continually molested by the creatures, even though She herself desired it, He often restrained them and neutralized their operations, so that the heavenly Princess unhindered by them, might occasionally enjoy the delights of the most high King.'

EDIT to Reply 130:
From what I have read in the City of God we should not allow images in our imagination of persons, places and things, even though they be not profane or unholy (e.g. our parents).

Sorry, the above quote should read:

'By the same Omnipotence He provided that this most holy soul of Christ, in its superior faculties and in its most noble operations, should be in the state of glory and enjoying beatitude; while all this immense glory was at the same time compressed, as it were, into the superior parts of his soul, suspending the effects and gifts of glory, that would otherwise naturally have communicated themselves to his body.  On this account He could be at the same time viator, subject to suffering, enabling Him to procure our salvation by means of his Cross, Passion and Death.'

'I wish that thou offer up all thy petitions and prayers in the name of my most holy Son and my own; and be assured without doubt, that they will be heard, if they are joined with the upright intention of pleasing God.  Look upon me with loving affection as thy Mother, thy refuge and thy help; trust thyself to my devoted love, and remember, my dearest, that my desire for thy greater good urges me to teach thee the means of obtaining great blessings and favors of divine grace at the most liberal hands of God.  Do not make thyself unfit for them, not hinder them by thy timidity.  And if thou wishest to induce me to love thee as my much beloved daughter, rouse thyself to a fulfillment of what I tell thee and manifest to thee.  Toward this direct thy careful efforts, resting satisfied only when thou hast labored hard to put my teachings into practice.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 269

Dear Friends,

I will work harder at making my quotes free from typos, in order that I may do justice to Ven. Mary of Agreda and her great work.  I still can't make much sense out of the pronoun capitalization of this particular work.  God bless you all!

Yours in Mary Immaculate,
Therese

Thanks for all the quotes and corrections Therese.

I looked at the original language books and I couldn't see anything by way of capitalization in the brief look I gave them. I'd have to look further to than the brief look I gave it to be certain, or you might want to yourself, but it may be something that happened in the translation and editing.

Wow!  Where did you find the original language books, Shin?  I noticed that the pronoun for St. Elisabeth was capitalized too.  I wasn't sure if this happened in the translation and editing or in the original text.  God bless you!

Certainly, the title in Spanish would be 'Mystica Ciudad de Dios' and I will temporarily at least upload the first volume for you to refer to if you wish.

While I cannot read Spanish, it is not hard to pick out the words at times due to their roots, and compare sentences with the help of online translators and dictionaries. Here is the link. (http://saintsbooks.net/private/Ven. Mary of Agreda - Mystical City of God - Book I - SPA.pdf)

As for how I found it I simply translated the title, thence did a search for it in the various online book archive depositories.

Please wait fifteen minutes after I post this for the book to fully upload and be available if you are reading this immediately.

'Thy habitations shall be the Divinity of the Most High, the humanity of my most holy Son, and thy own interior....In order that thou mayest be aided therein by retirement of the body, I desire that thou remain secluded in thy choir or in thy cell, leaving it only, when obedience or charity make it inevitable.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 280 

'It is also certain that ordinarily the demons have no power over souls, unless they gain entrance by some mortal or venial fault.  Mortal sin gives them a sort of direct right over those who commit it; while venial sin weakens the strength of the soul and invites their attacks.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 281

Dear Shin,

I have looked into this matter a little so far and can not decipher from the Spanish text the apparent problem with pronoun capitalization found in the English text--at least I find no problem in the Spanish text with possessive pronoun capitalization within paragraphs.  Whenever I've looked for a possessive pronoun and its capitalization (of lack of capitalization) in the Spanish text I could not even find the possessive pronoun in a sentence -- I'm wondering if possessive pronouns in the Spanish language get incorporated into words as part of their endings or something.

I've been looking for paragraphs in the English text with inconsistently capitalized "he" and "she" pronouns, but cannot find them!  If you--or anyone--comes across a post with one, please inform me so I can check  the Spanish text.  Thanks!

Ho ho ho! Your thought processes are exactly the same as mine a bit ago Therese!

 :happyroll: :rotfl: :rotflblue:

Ha ha ha!  :D

I'm going to check Bk. I, 383 in the Spanish text for possible cap errors, Shin.  God bless you!

If you look up 'Spanish pronouns' you'll soon find a list Therese!

Dear Shin,

I checked the Spanish and English versions of  Bk I, 383 (English version) and found that the Spanish translation is nowhere near a word for word translation.  The English translation appears to be so different from the original Spanish; I truly believe that it is NOT Ven. Mary of Agreda or the Spanish text that is inconsistent with pronouns.  The problem with inconsistent capitalizations only shows up in the English version of the City of God, so I would have to say that either the translator or the publisher is responsible.  God bless you!

Ho ho, I want to say if you expect me to even attempt to decipher Spanish texts please just refer me to the facsimile and not bad OCR.

 :D

What happened to my post?!  I just posted my findings about Bk. I, 383 and it didn't post!!!  I'm not going to try to type up everything again; I'll just let you know that our problem with what appears to be capitalization inconsistencies derives from the English version of City God; either the English translator or publisher is responsible for the "inconsistencies" we see--not Ven. Mary of Agreda or the original Spanish version of City of God.

I say this based on what I could decipher in the Spanish text;  I do not speak or read Spanish, but it still appears to me that our problem does not lie in the Spanish text but in the English text.

Dear Shin,

This is not the first time I have lost a post after trying to send it.  Could there be a problem with my account, or do these sorts of glitches sometimes happen out of the blue?  I can set up a new account if you think that I need to.  God bless you!

Perhaps a login timeout perhaps? Sometimes a back arrow will fix that. Or perhaps -- copying and pasting from facsimile's often gives bad OCR.

In any case, I am glad now we know!  :D

It's always comforting to have an original language source to compare a translation to!

The only reasons I know of for a post not to go through are either because a person tries to post a link -- which gives an error result, or if you are taking a very long time to type up a post, your login times out.

In such cases I tend to recommend highlighting and copying and pasting the post to your clipboard before clicking 'post' so you have it to 'paste' again if there's a problem.

There shouldn't be any problems with your account itself. I am still looking into the notifications issue.  :D

Yes, that sounds right, Jeffrey; I must have spent too much time on my post.  Thanks for your help! :D

Thanks so much, Shin!!  God bless you!!

You too!

You know now that both the Spanish and English etexts are available online it's not impossible someday a critical edition will come out with both texts produced side by side or interlinear. I love seeing those.  :D

When quoting from a book one can use the term [sic] when one comes across some error.  Should I be using the term [sic]  whenever I find an inconsistency with pronouns, Shin?

Wow!  Those are great!  You know, Shin, you are one of the most resourceful people that I know! :D 

'Remember that thou owest Him the perfection of thy love, and that all hell will combine against thee, in order to ensnare thee by thy natural tenderness to be sweet and loving towards creatures, and less grateful to the eternal God.  Watch over thyself, and see that thou resist this unfaithfulness, trusting in thy beloved Master and Spouse.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 303

You're pretty resourceful yourself!

Thanks again for the hard work!

I am nowhere near as resourceful as you are, Shin!  You have many God-given talents to be grateful for.  Deo gratias!  This hard work you speak of is more pleasure than toil.  What is important is that souls benefit spiritually from these excerpts. :D  God bless you!

'The wonderful infant [St. John the Baptist] by divine dispensation spoke to the Virgin, although in a low and infantile voice:  "Thou art the Mother of God himself, the Queen of all creation, the Keeper of the ineffable Treasure of heaven, my help and protection:  grant me, thy servant, thy blessing, and may thy intercession and favor never fail me."  Three times he kissed the hand of the Queen of heaven; likewise he adored the incarnate Word in her virginal Womb, and asked Him for his benediction and grace.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 309

Note:  We will read later in this work about how the Infant Jesus spoke to His Mother.

'I do not say that thou must do away with all sensible feeling, for that is not naturally possible to the creature; but whenever thou meetest with adverse happenings, or when thou art deprived of what is useful, necessary or agreeable thou must bear it with joyful resignation and give praise to the Lord, because his will is being filled in that regard.  By seeking only his pleasure, and considering all else as of passing moment, thou wilt gain a quick and easy victory over thyself, and thou will seek all occasions to humiliate thyself under the mighty hand of the Lord (I Pet. 5, 6).  I also exhort thee to imitate me in my esteem and veneration of the priests, and that thou always ask their blessing before speaking to them and in leaving them.  Do this also in regard to the Most High before beginning any work.  Toward thy superiors always show thyself devoted and submissive.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 313

'To imitate and oblige me, do thou likewise work and pray for those whose interior becomes known to thee through the Lord or though other means; admonish them with prudence, humility and resignation; for the Almighty does not wish for thee to proceed noisily, nor that the results of thy labors be always manifest, but that they remain hidden.  In this He conforms Himself to the naturally retiring disposition and to thy desires, and He seeks what is most secure for thee.  And, although thou must pray for all souls, yet thou must pray more earnestly for those whom the divine will points out to thee.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 321

'Men are lost in forgetful rest and sleep, as if there were no vigilant and powerful enemies.  This dreadful carelessness arises from two causes: on the one hand men are so taken up with their earthly and sensible being (I Cor. 2, 14), that they do not feel any other evils except those concerning the animal nature in them; all that is interior is harmless in their estimation.  On the other hand, since the princes of darkness are invisible and unperceived by any of the senses (Ephes. 6, 12) and since carnal men neither touch, not feel, nor see them, they forget the fear of them.  Yet for this reason they ought to be more attentive and careful, since invisible enemies are more cunning and adroit in injuring us by their treachery.  So much the more certain is the danger, the more concealed it is, and so much the more deadly are the wounds, the less they are felt and recognized.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 331

I wish to make known to thee that no intellect, nor any tongue of man or angels can describe the wrath and fury which Lucifer and his demons entertain against mortals just because they are images of God and because they are capable of enjoying Him for all eternity.  The Lord alone can comprehend the wicked malice of these proud and rebellious spirits against his holy name and against his worship.  If these foes were not restrained by his almighty arm they would in one moment destroy the world; they would like famishing lions, like wild beasts and fierce dragons, despatch all mankind and tear them to pieces.  Now however the most kind Father of all mercies wards off and curbs their wrath and He bears his little children in his arms in order that they may not fall a prey to these hellish wolves.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God Vol. II, 332

'The arrogance of the dragon is great (Is. 16, 6), yet his weakness is greater; and he does not represent more than a weak atom in the face of the divine power.  Yet as his cunning and malice far exceed that of mortals (Job 41, 21), it is not advisable to allow the soul to bandy words with him, whether he is present invisibly or visibly; for from his darksome mind, as from a smoking furnace, issue the shadows of confusion, obscuring the judgment of mortals; if they listen to him, he will fill their minds with deceits and darkness, so that they will neither recognize the truth and the beauty of virtue, nor the vileness of his poisonous falsehoods.  Thus the souls will be made unable to distinguish the precious from the worthless, life from death, truth from error (Jer. 15, 19), and they easily fall into the clutches of this fierce and wicked dragon.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 355   

'The devil is proud and deeply hurt by contempt; in the presumption of his arrogance and vanity he desires above all the attention of men.  On this account he is so persistent in pursuing us step by step; for in his deceitfulness he can not rely upon the force of truth, but on his persistent counterfeiting of the good and the true.  As long as this slave of wickedness is not despised, he never believes himself discovered and he continues, like an importunate fly, to buzz about the spot tainted by the greatest corruption.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 357

"The time appointed for this blessing was not made known to me; probably, the fulfillment of this decree is dependent upon some tacit and unknown condition.'

I wonder if such a condition will be met before the end of the world.

'And when this dragon afterwards engaged in his last battle with this Queen, which is described in the third part of this history (Part III, 452 seq.), this heavenly Lady vanquished him so completely that through Her and her most holy Son his head was entirely crushed.  In that final battle his strength was so weakened and ruined that if human creatures do not deliver themselves into the hands of his malice they can very easily resist and overcome him with the divine grace.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 370

O happy day!  :D

Will that blessed day be before the end of the world, I wonder?

Have you ever heard of the prophecies about the great Catholic monarch, Therese?

 :D

I know that there are prophesies involving a great Catholic monarch, but I don't know what these prophesies say about him.  What do they say about him, Shin?

Fr. Gaudentius Rossi's book on prophecy records the following letter:

My Excellent Lord, — The time is coming when his Divine Majesty will visit the world with a new religious order of holy Cross-bearers, who will carry a crucifix, or the image of our crucified Lord, lifted up upon the principal standard in view of all.

This standard will be admired by all good Catholics; but at the beginning it will be derided by bad Christians and by infidels. Their sneers shall, however, be changed into mourning when they shall witness the wonderful victories achieved through it against tyrants, heretics, and infidels.

 Many wicked men and obstinate rebels against God shall perish; their souls will be plunged into hell. This punishment shall fall upon all those transgressors of the Divine commandments who with new and false doctrines will attempt to corrupt mankind and turn men against the ministers of God's worship.

The same chastisement is due to all obstinate sinners, but not to those who sin through weakness, because these being converted, doing penance, and amending the conduct of their life, shall find the divine mercy of the Most High full of kindness towards them.

O holy Cross-bearers of the Most High Lord, how very pleasing you will be to the great God, much more than the children of Israel! God will through your instrumentality work more wonderful prodigies than he has ever done before with any nation.

You shall destroy the sect of Mahomet, and all infidels of every kind and of every sect. You shall put an end to all the heresies of the world by extinguishing all tyrants. You will remove every cause of complaint by establishing a universal peace, which shall last until the end of time. You will work the sanctification of mankind. O holy men I People blessed of the Most Holy Trinity! Your victorious founder shall triumph over the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Laus Deo et omnibus Sanctis ejus. May God and all his saints be praised.

FRIAR FRANCIS DI PAOLA

I'm afraid I still do not see any connection to a great Catholic monarch here, other than Jesus Christ, of course.  Is He the great Catholic monarch who is prophesied about?

Oops, I was first looking at one of the other letters but then cited this one.

There are several letters attributed to St. Francis of Paola on this subject. Here is another:

My excellent Lord, —

You and your consort desire to have children; you shall have them. Your holy offspring shall be admired upon Earth. Among your descendants there will be one who shall be like the sun amidst the stars. He shall be a first-born son; in his childhood he will be like a saint; in his youth, a great sinner; then he will be converted entirely to God and will do great penance; his sins will be forgiven him, and he shall become a great saint. He shall be a great captain and prince of holy men, who shall be called the holy Cross-bearers of Jesus Christ, with whom he shall destroy the Mahometan sect and the rest of the infidels. He shall annihilate all the heresies and tyrannies of the world. He shall reform the Church of God by means of his followers, who shall be the best men upon Earth in holiness, in arms, in science, and in every virtue,
because such is the will of the most High. They shall obtain the dominion of the whole world, both temporal and spiritual, and they shall support the Church of God until the end of time. I say no more.

Friar Francis di Paola.

---

So the prophecy is that the great Monarch will through this religious order of cross bearers put an end to all heretical religions and etc.

Yes, I see; through Mary this monarch and his men will defeat all heresies and sects.  Certainly, this religious order will have to be a traditional religious order, as the religious orders of the Conciliar Church (sect) have all embraced the heresies of Vatican II and thus are corrupted.  God bless you!

'If mortals would strive to know the loving care for their direction and advancement, as shown by this Father of mercies (Matt. 6, 5), they would be relieved and would not be involved in such irksome, useless and dangerous anxieties, living in perpetual toils and vain trust in the help of creatures.  For they would resign themselves without hesitation to the infinite wisdom and love, which, with paternal sweetness and gentleness would watch over all their thoughts, words and actions and all things necessary for them.  I do not wish thee to be ignorant of this truth, but to understand how the Lord from all eternity bears in his mind all the predestined of the different times and ages; and that by the invincible force of his infinite wisdom and goodness He continually disposes and prepares all the blessings useful to them, so that the end desired for them may be attained.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 384

Who could ever measure the number and greatness of the blessings which He would shower upon a heart prepared to receive them!'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 386

Our hearts must be set upon the Lord!

Yes, we must always look to Him and see Him and His hand in everything, with our hearts fixed completely on Him.

'Learn also from this never to defend thyself against accusations, no matter how innocent thou mayest be.  Oblige the Lord to do it by confiding in his love.  Charge thy reputation to this account; and in the meanwhile overcome by patience and humility, by sweet and kind words, those who have offended thee.  Above all things, I admonish thee never to judge evil of anyone, even if thou seest with thy own eyes the outward warrants of thy judgment; for perfect and sincere charity will teach thee to find a prudent evasion and excuse for all faults of thy neighbor....For in law of discreet and holy charity it must be held as prudence, not temerity, to suspect higher causes, as yet unseen, rather than to judge and condemn our neighbors for faults in which his guilt is clearly not evident.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 396

'The Majesty of God does not come in a stormcloud (III. Reg. 19, 12), nor will the rays of the supreme Sun of justice shine, when calm is not reigning in the soul.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 405

This is something I am starting to appreciate more as I get older.

What do you think Therese of the last two quote?

Then we should not even defend ourselves in cases of scandal and leave our defense up to God, right?  After all, Blessed Mary did not defend herself to St. Joseph when he saw that she was clearly with child and looked anxious about it.  I love how we are not supposed to think evil of others and how we must make excuses for them when we have no proof of their guilt.  I love how we are supposed to speak kindly towards those who hurt us, as hard as it can be to speak kindly to them.  I must be sure to pray whenever I have an unkind thought about someone or when I want to say something unkind.   I think that these two quotes are great and beautiful.  I have read before that the devil uses excessive anxiety and discouragement to rob graces from us because internal peace is so important for the reception of grace and for the operations of God in us.

What do you think of the second to the last quote, Shin?  Please share with me your thoughts about it.  

'Thus they deny Him as their merciful Father and force Him to become the severe and rigid Judge of their sins; for no faults excite Him sooner to exercise his severity than the sins of revenge and hate.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 415

That should be 'for no faults' I see.  :D

'I impose upon thee as my most vigorous precept, that thou give offense neither in thought, word or deed to any of thy neighbors; and that thou prevent any of thy subjects, and, as far as thou canst, any other person in thy presence from injuring thy neighbor.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 417

Thank you for catching that and for prompting me to be more vigilant!  I am so sorry for my mistake!

Ho ho, I think you would've caught it yourself soon enough!

I think I would have caught it, but not soon enough!  :D

'Humility makes all prayers effective and inclines the immutable Being of God to clemency.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 419

'Many times he [St. Joseph] saw Her [Blessed Mary] in ecstasy raised from the earth and resplendent with most brilliant light; at other times in the company of her angels holding celestial intercourse with them; and at other times, he found her prostrate upon the earth in the form of a cross, speaking to the Lord.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 422

'Nothing that She [Blessed Mary] wore upon her most pure and virginal body became soiled or worn; for She neither perspired, not was She subject to the punishments, which are laid upon the sin-impregnated bodies of the children of Adam.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 424

'Let all thy ambition be to humble thyself in thy own estimation and thought, so that in thy exterior actions thou mayest truly exhibit this humility of thy interior.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 426

'Hence it should be a cause of confusion and shame to the good, that deceit should urge on the sons of perdition with greater force than truth urges the elect; that the number of those, who in the world are anxious to strive in the service of their God and Creator, should be so small in comparison with the number of those who serve vanity; that there should be so few of the elect, though all are called (Matt. 20, 16).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 426

Here is a passage about the infant God's retirement in His Mother's womb:

'Sometimes the infant God would place Himself on his knees in order to pray to the Father or assume the position of one crucified, as if in order to exercise Himself therein beforehand.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 444

'But because I have especial reason to look with favor upon the inmates of thy convent, I wish that, in my name and by my authority, thou admonish and lovingly urge them always to live retired and dead to the world, with unbroken forgetfulness of all that passes within it; that among themselves their conversation be of heaven, and that above all they preserve intact the mutual peace and love, to which I have exhorted thee so often (Philip 3, 20).  If they obey me in this I offer them my protection, and I will constitute themselves their Mother, their help and defense in the same way that I am thine, and I will also promise them my continual and efficacious intercession with my most holy Son, if they do not displease me.  For this purpose thou shouldst exhort them to continual love and devotion toward me, engrafting it in their hearts; in being thus faithful they will attain all that thou wishest for them, and much more, for I will obtain it for them.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 447

'Beside the thousand angels which served ordinarily as her guard, the Lord commanded other nine thousand to attend on their Queen and Mistress, and serve as a guard of honor ten thousand strong from the first day of her journey [to Bethlehem].'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 450

'dead to the world' such a beautiful phrase. . . it makes me think of the many angels around a beautiful soul in such a state.

'It is certain that if any or all of the souls would entrust themselves to the direction and government of this Lord they would soon experience that same fidelity, punctuality and most sweet efficacy with which his Majesty arranged all things that touched upon his honor and service in my life.  They would likewise taste those delightful and divine emotions which I felt in relying upon his most holy will; nor would they fail to receive the abundance of his gifts, which are enclosed as in an infinite ocean within his Divinity.  And just as the waters of the ocean rush forth wherever they find a suitable opening, so the graces and blessings of the Lord overflow upon rational creatures, when they are well disposed and do not hinder their course.  This truth is hidden to mortals because they do not stop to ponder and consider the works of the Almighty.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 454

What exactly does it mean for one to be crucified to the world and the world to one, Shin?  I've been wondering about this and you have prompted me to ask you about it.

You ask me a hard question..

No worries, I'll check a good commentary for the answer, Shin.

Yes let's read what the saints have to say..

I haven't come across anything the saints have said about this passage, but I think it means that one is not given in to any selfishness (concupiscence of the eyes, the pride of life, etc.) and is not lured by the world and its temptations.  The world is like one dead to the soul and the soul is like one dead to the world--unresponsive and uninvolved.  God bless you!

'They [St. Joseph and Blessed Mary, seeking lodging in Bethlehem] knocked at the doors of their acquaintances and nearer family relations; but they were admitted nowhere and in many places they met with harsh words and insults....But having already applied at more than fifty different places, they found themselves rejected and sent away from them all.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 462

"My sweetest Lady, my heart is broken with sorrow at the thought of not only not being able to shelter Thee as Thou deserves and as I desire, but in not being to offer Thee even any kind of protection from the weather, or a place of rest, a thing rarely or never denied to the most poor and despised of the world.  No doubt heaven, in thus allowing the hearts of men to be so unmoved as to refuse us night-lodging, conceals some mystery.  I now remember, Lady, that outside the city walls there is a cave, which serves as a shelter for shepherds and their flocks.  Let us seek it out; perhaps it is unoccupied, and we may there expect some assistance from heaven, since we receive none from men on earth."

St. Joseph to Blessed Virgin Mary, City of God, Vol. II, 463

'"Be ye perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5, 48).  This command of the Most High imposed upon his holy Church is not impossible of fulfillment, and, if his faithful children on their part dispose themselves properly, He will deny to none of them the grace of attaining this resemblance to the heavenly Father.  All this my most holy Son has merited for them.  But the degrading forgetfulness and neglect of men hinder them from maturing within themselves the fruits of His redemption.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 466

'Let no difficulty or hardship disturb thee, nor deter thee from any virtuous exercise, no matter how hard it may be.  Nor be content with striving after the love of God and salvation of thyself alone; if thou wouldst be perfect in imitating me and in fulfilling all that the Gospel teaches, thou must work for the salvation of other souls and the exaltation of the holy name of my Son, making thyself an instrument in his powerful hands for the accomplishment of mighty works to advance his pleasure and glory.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 467

'My most holy Son is such a faithful Lover of souls that He hast set me as a living example of the love of humility and true contempt of worldly vanity and pride.  He ordained also for his own glory as well as for my sake that I, his Servant and Mother, should be left without shelter and be turned away by mortals, in order that afterwards his beloved souls might be so much the more readily induced to offer Him a welcome, thus obliging Him, by an artifice of love, to come and remain with them.  He also sought destitution and poverty, not because He had any need of them for bringing the practice of virtues to the highest perfection, but in order to teach mortals the shortest and surest way for reaching the heights of divine love and union with God.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 465

Again the blessings of holy poverty!  :D

How blessed are the poor, more particularly--the poor in spirit!

'At the end of the beatific rapture and vision of the Mother ever Virgin, which I have described above (No. 473), was born the Sun of Justice, the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father and of Mary most pure, beautiful, refulgent, and immaculate, leaving Her untouched in her virginal integrity and purity and making Her more godlike and forever sacred; for He did not divide, but penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun penetrate the crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 477

'The sacred Evangelist Luke tells us that the Mother Virgin, having brought forth her firstbegotten Son, wrapped Him in swathing clothes and placed Him in a manger.  He does not say that She received Him in her arms from her virginal womb; for this did not pertain to the purpose of his narrative.  But the two sovereign prices, saint Michael and saint Gabriel, were the assistants of the Virgin on this occasion.  They stood by at a proper distance in human corporeal forms at the moment when the incarnate Word, penetrating the virginal chamber by divine power, issued forth to light, and they received Him in their hands with ineffable reverence.  In the same manner as a priest exhibits the sacred host to the people for adoration, so these two celestial ministers presented to the divine Mother her glorious and refulgent Son.  All this happened in a short space of time.  In the same moment in which the holy angels thus presented the divine Child to his Mother, both Son and Mother looked upon each other, and in this look, She wounded with love the sweet Infant and was at the same time was exalted and transformed in Him.  From the arms of the holy princes the Prince of all the heavens spoke to his holy Mother:  "Mother, become like unto Me, since on this day, for the human existence, which thou hast today given Me, I will give thee another more exalted existence in grace, assimilating thy existence as a mere creature to the likeness of Me, who am God and Man.'   The most prudent Mother answered:  "Trahe me post Te,  curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum"  (Cant. 1, 3).  Raise me, elevate me, Lord, and I will run after Thee in the odor of thy ointments."'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 480

"And as the most blessed Trinity assisted in an especial manner at the birth of the Word, heaven was at it were emptied of its inhabitants, for the whole heavenly court had betaken itself to that blessed cave of Bethlehem and was adoring the Creator in his garb and habit of a pilgrim (Phil. 2, 7)  And in their concert of praise the holy angels intoned the new canticle;  "Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae volunatits" (Luke 2, 14)."  In sweetest and sonorous harmony they repeated it, transfixed in wonder at the new miracles then being fulfilled and at the unspeakable prudence, grace, humility and beauty of that tender Maiden of fifteen years, who had become the worthy Trustee and Minister of such vast and magnificent sacraments.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 484

'I remind and exhort thee to forget all that is of earth and lose it out of thy sight; that thou seek nothing, or engage thyself with nothing except what can help thee to withdraw and detach thee from the world and its inhabitants; so that, with a heart freed from all terrestrial affection, thou dispose thyself to celebrate in it the mysteries of the poverty, humility and divine love of the incarnate God.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 487

Sorry that these two excerpts are not placed in proper order in this chapter (Chpt. 10).

'She [Blessed Mary, feeling the approach of the most blessed Birth] requested her spouse St. Joseph to betake himself to rest and sleep as the night was already far advanced.  The man of God yielded to the request of his Spouse and urged Her to do the same; and for this purpose he arranged and prepared a sort of couch with the articles of wear in their possession, making use of a crib or manger, that had been left by the shepherds for their animals.  Leaving most holy Mary in the portion of the cave thus furnished, saint Joseph retired to a corner of the entrance, where he began to pray.  He was immediately visited by the divine Spirit and felt a most sweet and extraordinary influence, by which he was wrapt and elevated into an ecstasy.  In it was shown him all that passed during that night in this blessed cave; for he did not return to consciousness until his heavenly Spouse called him.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 472

'She was kneeling in the manger, her eyes raised to heaven, her hands joined and folded at her breat [sic], her soul wrapped in the Divinity and She herself was entirely deified.  In this position, and at the end of the heavenly rapture, the most exalted Lady gave to the world the Onlybegotten of the father and her own, our Savior Jesus, true God and man, at the hour of midnight, on a Sunday, in the year of the creation of the world five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine (5199), which is the date given in the Roman Church, and which date has been manifested to me as the true and certain one.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 475

'What St. Luke says about those that wondered at what the shepherds said concerning the holy Family, happened later, after the Queen, the Child and St. Joseph had departed and fled from the neighborhood of Bethlehem; for divine Providence so arranged things, that the shepherds were unable to spread about these news before that time.  Not all of those that heard them speaking about this matter believed them, for they held them to be uncultured and ignorant people.  These shepherds however were saints and were filled with divine knowledge until they died.  Among those who believed them was Herod, although not because of any laudable faith or piety, but on account of his worldly and wicked fear of losing his kingdom.  Among the children, who merited to be sacrificed by him, there were also some belonging to these holy men.  Their parents consented joyfully to the martyrdom, which the children themselves desired and offering themselves up to the Lord, whom they were made to know beforehand.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 497

'Thy legitimate and chosen occupation should be none other than the love and the praise of the infinite God.  All the rest thou must enter into only sparingly, in such a way as if visible and earthly things scarcely concerned thee and cannot detain thee for even a moment.  Thou must maintain thyself in this soaring height, so that thou seem not to have anything earnestly to attend to, except to seek the highest and true God.  Me thou shoudlst imitate and for God alone shouldst thou live; all the rest should not exist for thee, nor should thou exist for it.  But the gifts and blessings, which thou receives I wish thou dispense and communicate for the good of thy fellow men, observing the perfect order of holy charity; thus thy gifts will not evaporate, but be still more increased (I Cor. 13, 8 ).  In all this thou must keep the regulations, which befit thy condition and state, as I have already shown and instructed thee in other places at other times.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 512

"...for God alone shouldst thou live; all the rest should not exist for thee, nor should thou exist for it."


Like being crucified to the world and the world to us, no?

That about sums it up -- all we had to do was wait a bit!!  :D

 Yes!  :D

'When any grave and doubtful affair arose, in which there was danger of offending God, or some urgent undertaking for the good of creatures, in which it would be necessary to know the divine will, She [Blessed Mary] first asked permission to submit her petition for enlightenment regarding the divine pleasure.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol, II, 514

'Whenever necessity urged it upon me for the glory of his Majesty, or some circumstance made it unavoidable, I asked permission to propose my wishes.  Although I always found Him most propitious, ready to answer me with kindness and mercifully urging me to declare my wishes, I nevertheless humiliated myself to the dust and merely asked Him to inform me of what was most pleasing and acceptable in his eyes.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 528

What humility, what prudence!

Yes, and what an example!  Let us be perfect imitators of our Lady.

To remain there we must be very detached and aflame with love for God alone.  May our Lord help us to be completely detached and burning with love for Him!

Ponder then, dearest, upon the small return given for the love of my Son and Lord by mortals, and how forgetful of thanks even his faithful continue to be.  Assume it as thy task, as far as thy weak powers allow, to render satisfaction for this grievous offense: loving Him, thanking Him and serving Him with all thy powers, for all the other men who fail to do so.  Therefore thou must be an angel in promptitude, most fervent and punctual on all occasions; thou must die to all earthly things, eliminating and crushing all human inclinations and rising upon the wings of love to the heights of love designed for thee by the Lord.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 538

'Hear me, my daughter, and bend thy ears to these counsels and doctrines of eternal life.  Cast out from thy faculties every image and affection toward human creatures and turn all the powers of thy heart and soul toward the mysteries and blessings of the Redemption.  Occupy thyself wholly with them, ponder and weigh them, give thanks for them as if thou alone wert in existence, as if they had been wrought solely for thee, and singly for each human being in particular (Gal. 2, 20).  Thus thou wilt find life and the way of life, proceeding thus thou canst not err; but thou shall find therein the light of thy eyes and true peace.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 539

'The Child Jesus showed exterior signs of affection by his pleased looks, by reclining upon his [St. Joseph's] breast, and by other tokens of affection usual with children in regard to their fathers, but in Him these tokens were always tempered with kingly majesty.  Yet all this was not so frequent in his dealings with saint Joseph, nor with such endearment, as with his true Virgin Mother.  Whenever She left Jesus in his care, She received from saint Joseph the relic of the Circumcision, which the latter ordinarily bore about him for his consolation.  Thus both the two Spouses were continually enriched:  She by holding her most holy Son, he by his sacred blood and deified flesh.  They preserved it in a crystal vase, which saint Joseph had purchased with the money sent to them by saint Elisabeth.  In this they had enclosed the particle of flesh and the sacred blood shed at the Circumcision, which had been caught up in pieces of linen.  The opening of the vase was encased in silver, which the mighty Queen, in order to preserve the sacred relics more securely, had sealed by her mere command.  Thus the silver opening was more firmly sealed than if it had been soldered by the artisan, who had made the vessel.  In this vase the prudent Mother treasured the relics during her whole life and afterwards She entrusted it to the Apostles, leaving it as an inheritance to the holy Church.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 549

'My daughter, in the foregoing chapter, thou hast been instructed not to seek information from the Lord by supernatural means, neither in order to relieve any suffering, nor in order to satisfy a natural hankering of curiosity.  Now I exhort thee likewise not to yield for any of these reasons, to the desire of performing any exterior action according to the promptings of nature.  For in all the activity of thy exterior faculties and senses thou must seek to moderate and subject thy inclinations, not yielding to them in their demands, although they may have the color of virtue or piety.  I was in no danger of going to excess in these affections on account of my sinlessness; nor was there a want of piety in my desire of remaining in the cave, where my most holy Son had been born and had been circumcised.  Yet I did not wish to express my desire, even when asked about it by my spouse; for I preferred obedience to this pious inclination, and I knew that it is more secure for souls and more according to the pleasure of the Lord to seek his will in the counsel and decision coming from other, rather than in their own inclination.  In me this course of action was advisable only on account of the greater perfection contained therein, but in thee and in other souls, who are subject to error in their judgment, this rule must be observed most rigorously, so as to prevent and avoid mistakes diligently and discreetly.  For in their ignorance and pusillanimity men are easily carried away by their feelings and inclination toward insignificant things, and very often they occupy themselves with trifles as if they were important matters, and with vanities, as if they were realities.  All such activity weakens the soul and deprives it of great spiritual blessings, of grace, enlightenment and merit.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 550

How important gratitude is!  :D

True!  Without gratitude how could we grow closer to God and make any real spiritual progress?

The three Magi Kings, who came to find the divine Infant after his birth, were natives of Persia, Arabia and Sabba (Ps. 71, 10).

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 552

'These three Kings were well versed in the natural sciences, and well read in the Scriptures of the people of God; and on account of their learning they were called Magi.  By their knowledge of Scripture, and by conferring with some of the Jews, they were imbued with a belief in the coming of the Messias expected by that people.  They were, moreover, upright men, truthful and very just in the government of their countries....Because these Magi governed adjoining countries and lived not far from each other, they were mutual friends and shared with each other the virtues and knowledge which they had acquired, consulting each other in the more important events of their reigns.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 553

'I have already mentioned in the eleventh chapter (No. 492) that in the same night in which the incarnate Word was born, they [the Magi] were informed of his Birth by the ministry of the holy angels....They were informed that the King of the Jews was born as true God and true man; that He was the Messias and Savior who was expected; that it was the One who was promised in the Scriptures and prophesies (Gen. 3, 10); and that they themselves, the three Kings, were singled out by the Lord to seek the star, which Balaam had foretold.  Each one of the three Kings also was made aware that the same revelation was being made to the other two in the same way; and that it was not a favor or miracle which should remain unused, but that they were expected to co-operate with the divine light and execute what it pointed out.  They were inspired and inflamed with a great love and with a desire to know the God made man, to adore Him as their Creator and Redeemer, and serve Him with most perfect devotion.  In all this they were greatly assisted by their distinguished moral virtues, which they had acquired; for on account of them they were excellently disposed for the operation of the divine enlightenment.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 554

'On the following day at dawn they [the Magi] returned to the cave of the Nativity in order to offer to the heavenly King the special gifts which they had provided.  Arriving they prostrated themselves anew in profound humility; and opening their treasures, as Scripture relates, they offered Him gold, incense and myrrh (Matt. 2, 11).  They consulted the heavenly Mother in regard to many mysteries and practices of faith, and concerning matters pertaining to their consciences and to the government of their countries; for they wished to return well instructed and capable of directing themselves to holiness and perfection in their daily life.  The great Lady heard them with exceeding pleasure and She conferred interiorly with the divine Infant concerning all that they had asked, in order to answer and properly to instruct these sons of the new Law.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 567

'On their departure from Bethlehem the same or a similar star appeared in order to guide them home, conducting them on their new route to the place where they had first met, whence each one separated to reach his own country.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 569 

'All that thou dost for the Lord, thou should offer up to Him with fervent affection and promptitude, without negligence or fear; for negligent works, and those not enlivened by love, are not an acceptable sacrifice in the eyes of his Majesty.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 572

'Among the more rare and excellent privileges of most pure Mary, the chief one is, that She is Mother of God, which is the foundation of all the rest.  The second is, that She was conceived without original sin.  The third, that She enjoyed many times the beatific vision in this mortal life, and the fourth is that She continually saw clearly the most holy soul of her Son and all its operations for her imitation.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 578

'But it is to the intimate and frequent intercourse with the Lord by unceasing love, praise and reverence, that I wish thee to attend to most of all.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 583

How important the Holy Rosary is.. And the more we learn about Our Lady the more we understand why.  :D

So true! and everybody should be meditating on the mysteries of the lives of our Lord and our Lady in order that they may better love and appreciate and imitate what is contained in these great mysteries of our Redemption and in order that they may better love and appreciate all that our Lord and our Lady have done for us.  In City of God our Lady instructs us to meditate on the mysteries and sacraments of our Redemption.  People really should be praying at least 5 decades of the Most Holy Rosary daily, seeing our Blessed Mother at Fatima had asked us to pray at least 5 decades daily.  But how many Catholics heed our Lady's words in these approved apparitions and in the other approved apparitions of hers, I wonder? 

'My daughter, one of the misfortunes, which deprive souls of happiness, or at least diminish it, is that they content themselves with performing good works negligently or without fervor, as if they were engaged in things unimportant or merely accidental.  On account of this ignorance and meanness of heart few of them arrive at an intimate friendship of God, which they can attain only by fervent love.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 594

'Enamoured and drawn onward He approaches closely to those souls, who thus love and serve Him in all things, while He withdraws from the lukewarm and the negligent ones, or deals with them only according to the general rules of his divine Providence.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 595

What do you think is the best way to have fervent love?

The best way I can think of to have fervent love is to converse all day long with our loving God, with gratitude, reverence and fear of the Lord, practicing His Presence; and to come up with all sorts of new ways to show Him our love, in our thoughts, words, and actions; and by always striving after greater perfection in order to please Him; and by loving His commands and obeying them for the love of Him, who loves us so much ... and by keeping our hearts softened by tears of sorrow for sin and by meditations on our Lord's Passion.  And, of course, by praying to Blessed Mary to give us her heart and dispositions.

What do you think is the best way to have fervent love?

'If the transitory labors and sufferings are accepted with joy and with serenity of heart, they spiritualize the creature, they elevate it and furnish it with a divine insight; by which the soul begins to esteem affliction at its proper value and soon finds consolation and the blessings of mortification and of freedom from disorderly passions....

I wish also that thou imitate me in respecting the priests and minsters of the Lord, who in the new law hold a much higher dignity than in the old, since the divine Word has now united itself with human nature and become the eternal High-Priest, according to the order of Melchisedech (Ps. 109, 4)....

Ponder and meditate without intermission upon that, which my most holy Son suffered, so that thy soul be a participant in his sorrows.  Let the pious memory of his sufferings engender in thee a disgust and abhorrence of all earthly pleasures that thou despise and forget all that is visible, and instead, follow the Author of life.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 605

'If He would use his absolute power and perform great miracles for preventing the course of secondary causes, the order of nature would be confounded, and to a certain extent He would contradict Himself in his double role as Author of grace and as Author of nature.  Therefore, miracles must happen but rarely, and on special occasions for particular reasons, or when some end is to be served.  Therefore, God reserves them for the manifestations of his power at certain times.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 616

I think you've said it very well and covered what I would have said!  :D

We can see how much this is the truth simply by looking around!

You make a very good point, Shin!

I understand that God is the First Cause of everything except for sin and that we all are the secondary causes of things.  God is the First Cause of everything (except for sin) and we, with our free will, are secondary causes.  Is God the First Cause of everything (except for sin) because we could not desire, think, say, will and do anything with our free will unless He were to conserve us and give us the strength, movement, ability, etc. to think, say or do it?  I think this is what it means.  Because we have free will and God basically does not intervene all that much (i.e. unless He has to), do things basically happen as a result of the underlying Eternal Law (which directs all creatures, rational and irrational) and because of the free will of men and the laws of nature operating in irrational creatures--all subject to (and directed by) the Eternal Law and all working together for the good of those who love God and do His Will?  Please be sure to answer this second question, Shin, as I am having difficulty with it and need your help.  If you could explain the bold-faced part of the following text, it would help me a lot.  'If He would use his absolute power and perform great miracles for preventing the course of secondary causes, the order of nature would be confounded, and to a certain extent He would contradict Himself in his double role as Author of grace and as Author of nature.  

"'....Tell me, life of my soul and light of my eyes, whether the labors of this journey [to Egypt] are fatiguing Thee, whether the rigors of the season and of the weather cause Thee affliction, and what I can do for thy service and for thy relief."  And the divine Infant answered:  "All the labors, O Mother, and all fatigue are most light and sweet to Me, since I undergo them for the honor of my eternal Father and for the instruction and Redemption of men, especially in thy company."  The Child wept a few times, yet in great serenity and in the manner of a grown-up and perfect man; and immediately the loving Mother sought the interior cause of these tears, finding it in his soul.  She understood that they were tears of love and compassion for the salvation of men and caused by their ingratitude; in this sorrow and weeping the sweetest Mother imitated Him.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 627






'But, since my understanding, by means of the most exalted inspiration, penetrated so deeply into the very essence of God in the person of the Word united to the Divinity, and since I knew that my most holy son was the eternal, all-powerful, infinite Creator and Preserver of all things, and that this iniquitous king [Herod] depended for his life and existence entirely upon this beneficence, I was particularly struck with wonder to see the most sacred humanity pray and beseech his eternal Father to confer upon Herod, at this very time [of his seeking to kill the divine Infant] enlightenment, help and blessing; to see my Son, who had it so much in his power to punish him, by his prayers prevent the full measure of chastisement which he deserved.  Although Herod's purpose was frustrated, yet this obstinate reprobate was visited with less chastisement than would have been given to him if my holy Son had not prayed for him.'  

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 628

'Now if persecutions afford thee the advantage of imitating Him, why should thou not esteem them as a great blessing?  Why should thou not love those who give thee the occasion to practice this highest perfection, why not thank them for this benefit, and hold them not as enemies but as benefactors, who afford thee a chance to obtain what is of so much importance for thy welfare?'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 629

'Since I trusted in the Lord, He provided for me in the time of my need.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 547

'However, just as his blessings are distributed to the good and to the bad, so also it cannot be a rule with God to give greater temporal goods to the good and less to the bad.  On the contrary He prefers that the chosen and predestined ones be poor (James 2, 5), both because they thus gain more merit and reward, and because there are few who know how to use wealth properly and who can retain it without inordinate greed.  Although my most holy Son and I had nothing to fear from this danger, yet He wished to furnish this example to men and to teach them this science, through which eternal life comes to them.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 640

'So then the Infant Jesus, with his Mother and saint Joseph, reached the inhabited country of Egypt.  On entering the towns the divine Infant, in the arms of his Mother, raised his eyes and his hands to the Father asking for the salvation of these inhabitants held captive by satan.  And immediately He made use of his sovereign and divine power and drove the demons from the idols and hurled them to the infernal abyss.  Like lightning flashed from the clouds they darted forth and descended to the lowermost caverns of hell and darkness (Luke, 10, 4).  At the same instant the idols crashed to the ground, the altars fell to pieces, and the temples crumbled to ruins.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 643

'It is one of the most firmly established and most consoling of the truths that have been revealed to us that (apart from sin) nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so. Wealth and poverty alike come from Him. If we fall ill, God is the cause of our illness; if we get well, our recovery is due to God. We owe our lives entirely to Him, and when death comes to put an end to life, His will be the hand that deals the blow.

But should we attribute it to God when we are unjustly persecuted? Yes, He is the only person you can charge with the wrong you suffer. He is not the cause of the sin the person commits by ill-treating you, but He is the cause of the suffering that person inflicts on you while sinning.

God did not inspire your enemy with the will to harm you, but He gave him the power to do so. If you receive a wound, do not doubt but that it is God Himself who has wounded you. If all living creatures were to league themselves against you, unless the Creator wished it and joined with them and gave them the strength and means to carry out their purpose, they would never succeed. You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above, the Savior of the world said to Pilate. We can say the same to demons and men, to the brute beasts and to whatever exists -- You would not be able to disturb me or harm me as you do unless God had ordered it so. You are sent by Him you are given the power by Him to tempt me and to make me suffer. You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above.

If from time to time we meditated seriously on this truth of our faith it would be enough to stifle all complaint in whatever loss or misfortune we suffer. What I have the Lord gave me, it has been taken away by Him. It is not a lawsuit or a thief that has ruined you or a certain person that has slandered you; if your child dies it is not by accident or wrong treatment, but because God, to whom all belongs, has not wished you to keep it longer.'

St. Claude de la Colombiere

Well, God is guiding all through His Divine Providence, all our life, entirely .. .

Could you clarify your question a little more Therese?

It is always good to hear of idols being destroyed, the pagan temples reduced to ruins! What a cause for rejoicing!

Those few succinct words are full of great relief!

Thanks for your response, Shin.  I am already familiar with what Bl. Claude de la Columbiere teaches about divine Providence, as I have already read Trustful Surrender and several other books on the subject.  But what does the following text in boldface mean, Shin?  'If He would use his absolute power and perform great miracles for preventing the course of secondary causes, the order of nature would be confounded, and to a certain extent He would contradict Himself in his double role as Author of grace and as Author of nature.  Therefore, miracles must happen but rarely, and on special occasions for particular reasons, or when some end is to be served.  Therefore, God reserves them for the manifestations of his power at certain times.'

I'm glad that we both agree on this, Shin.  Who doesn't agree is Ratzinger/Benedict XVI who stated in God and the World, which was published in 2,000, that there were "in fact Christian hotheads and fanatics who destroyed temples, who were unable to see paganism as anything more than idolatry that had to be radically eliminated."  Pope Pius XII, in Fulgens Radiatur, March 21, 1947, explained admiringly about how St. Benedict himself burned a temple of Apollo to the ground.  No, Shin, Conciliarism and its leaders do not believe that God hates all false religions.  Ratzinger thinks that places of false worship are "sacred"--he even wrote this of Mt. Hiei in Japan on August 4, 2007.  But any true Catholic knows that places of false worship are unholy dens of thieves most displeasing to God.

Yes!

'Whatever can duly be procured by human exertion, is not to be expected by a miracle, nor must one try to exempt himself from labor in the hope of a supernatural interference on the part of God; for the Lord sweetly concurs with the ordinary and natural course of created things.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 663

'While at work the rational creature can praise God and adore Him in spirit and in truth (John 4, 23).  In order to fulfill this duty, direct thy activity according to his pleasure, consult his will in regard to them, weighing them with the scales of the sanctuary and riveting thy attention upon the divine light which the Almighty infuses in thy soul.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 663

In regard to the cure of the sick and wounded the heavenly Lady hesitated between two different sentiments: the one of charity, which drew Her to nurse the wounded with her own hand, and the other of modesty, which forbade her to touch anyone.  In order that all propriety might by observed, her most holy Son empowered Her to cure the men by her mere word and exhortations; while she might cure the woman by the touch of her hands and cleansing their wounds.  This course of action She maintained thenceforward, taking upon Herself as well the office of a mother as of a sick-nurse, respectively.  But, as I will narrate, after they had lived two years in that place [Heliopolis, Egypt] saint Joseph also began to cure the sick, while the matchless charity of the Queen busied itself more particularly with the cure of the women.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 668

But in all these occupations and cures (O wonderful to relate!) this most modest Mistress never looked upon the face of either man or woman.  Even when the wound was in the face, her modesty was so exquisite that She would not have been able to recognize any of her patients by their features if She had not known all men by another interior kind of vision.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 668

'Looking into it [the Soul of the Infant Jesus] as into a clear mirror, She saw all that passed in Bethlehem more clearly than if She herself had been present to hear the wailing of the children and the parents.  She saw also how her Son prayed to his eternal Father for the parents of these innocents [the Holy Innocents]; that He offered up the murdered children as the first fruits of his own Death; asking Him also that they receive the use of reason, in order that they might be a willing sacrifice for their Redeemer and accept their death for his glory.  Thus He would be able to reward them with the crowns of martyrdom for what they suffered.  All this the eternal Father granted, and as it was made known to the Queen in her Onlybegotten Son, She joined Him in his prayers and sacrifices.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 674

'Be very careful not to allow thyself to be mastered by anything, be it ever so small; for in order to start a great conflagration the smallest spark is sufficient.  I have often repeated to thee this same warning, and I shall continue to do so more often in the future; for the greatest difficulty in practicing virtue consists in dying to all that is pleasurable to the senses.  Thou canst not be a fit instrument in the hands of the Lord, such as He desires thee to be, if thou does not cleanse thy faculties even of the images of all creatures, so that they do not find entrance into thy desires.  I wish it to be to thee an inexorable law that all things, except God, his angels and saints, be to thee as if they did not exist.  These should be thy sole possession; on this account the Lord has opened to thee his secrets, honors thee with his familiarity and intimacy, and for this purpose also do I honor thee with mine, that thou neither live nor wish to live without the Lord.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 680

Well I am not entirely comfortable with the way I am putting this but perhaps this helps:

It seems to me, that by establishing the order of nature, taking an example, gravity, to always contradict it by miracles that allowed flight, would without due cause devalue its weight. Laws without any weight ever, are they laws at all -- no. Now, when men are resurrected, they will be able to go about whereever they will as they will. And some saints have miracles surrounding them as commonly as birds around breadcrumbs, but this shows how far they have traveled in grace which is above nature. But particularly for men who live natural lives, how is it that they should commonly have what is above, the supernatural, the miracles, become the rule or occur for them?

What outweighs the scales sufficiently for the miracle to occur commonly? Who has interceded?

Note the qualifiers 'great' and 'which contradict'.

This makes me think of how miracles were rare for those who lacked faith in Holy Scripture. 'And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their incredulity.' Matthew 13:58

Thanks be to God, Shin, with your good response, something clicked and I better understand the quote of our Lady.  Your pointing out the qualifiers helped me a great deal.  Thank you so much!

'"My Mother," answered the Infant Jesus, "on account of the love which I bear towards man, whom I have created and come to redeem, the swathings of my childhood have not seemed irksome to Me, since when I shall be grown up I shall be bound and delivered over to my enemies unto death (Matt. 20, 18).  If this prospect is sweet to Me for the love of my Father all the rest is certainly easy to me.  I wish to possess only one garment during all my life, for I seek nothing more than what is sufficient to cover Me.  Although all created things are mine because I have given them being, I turn them all over to men in order that they may owe Me so much the more and in order that I may teach them, according to my example and for my love, to repudiate and despise all that is superfluous for natural life.  Clothe Me, my Mother, in a tunic of a lowly and an ordinary color.  This alone I will wear, and it shall grow with Me.  Over this garment they shall cast lots at my death (Ps. 21, 19); for even this shall not be left at my disposal, but at  the disposal of others; so that men shall see that I was born and wish to live poor and destitute of visible things, which being earthly, oppress and darken the heart of man...."'

Infant Jesus at age one, to His Mother Mary, City of God, Vol. II, 684

You're quite welcome. Deo gratias et Mariae semper Virgini!

'On these occasions [of Blessed Mary always having the sight of the most holy humanity and soul of her Son with all their activities] it often happened that the Child Jesus in the presence of his most holy Mother wept and perspired blood, for this happened many times before his agony in the garden.  Then the blessed Lady would wipe his face interiorly perceiving and knowing the cause of this agony, namely the loss of the foreknown and of those who would be ungrateful for the benefits of their Creator and Redeemer and in whom the works of the infinite power and goodness of the Lord would be wasted.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 695

'Having now reached the age of six years He began now and then to visit the sick in hospitals, seeking out the stricken ones and mysteriously comforting and consoling them in their afflictions.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 696

'Many of the children of Heliopolis gathered around the Child Jesus, as it is natural with children of similar age and condition.  Since they were free from great malice and were not given to inquire, whether He was more than man, but freely admitted the heavenly light, the Master of truth welcomed them as far as was befitting.  He instilled into them the knowledge of God and of the virtues; He taught and catechised them in the way of eternal life, even more abundantly than the adults.  As his words were full of life and strength, He won their hearts and impressed his truths so deeply upon them, that all those, who had this good fortune, afterwards became great and saintly men; for in the course of time they ripened in themselves the fruit of this heavenly seed sown so early into their souls.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 697

'In his intercourse and conversation with his parents, this most wonderful and beautiful Child [Jesus], after He had begun to walk and grow larger, showed more gravity than when He was younger.  The tender caresses, which always had been tempered and measured, were now withheld, for in his countenance shown forth such majesty as a reflection of his hidden Deity, that, if He had not mixed it with a certain sweetness and affability, reverential fear would have prevented all intercourse with Him.  The heavenly Mother and saint Joseph felt the effects of a divine power and efficacy, as well as the kindness and devotedness of a loving Father, proceeding from his countenance.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 699

'The disorderly love for one creature which it cannot attain, moves the soul presently to desire another, expecting a balm for its disappointment in the former.  And if it is successful, the soul becomes involved and flurried in retaining what it possesses, thus casting itself by these velleities into still greater disorders and passions.  Attend, therefore, dearest, to this danger and attack it at the root by preserving thy heart independent and riveted only on divine Providence, without ever allowing it to incline toward what it desires or is longs for, or to abhor what is painful to it.  Let the will of the Lord be thy only delight and joy.  Let neither thy desires draw thee on, not thy fears dishearten thee.  Let not thy exterior occupations, and much less thy regard or attention to creatures, ever impede thee or divert thee from thy holy exercises, attending always to my example.  Seek thou lovingly and diligently to follow in my footsteps.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 711

Oh, Therese...that is such a nice quote...
Very encouraging in that never ending quest for detachment from the world.
It fits just great as I am looking again at material about discernment to a solitary life.
Thank you and God Bless.

You are very welcome, Shin!  Perhaps you could come up with a eremitical Rule of Life and live as a consecrated hermit, if you find you haven't a vocation to the consecrated life lived in common with other religious.  Do you welcome the idea of living in common with others, Shin, or are you led to a more solitary life? 

Hi Therese, I haven't been commenting much, not too much time online these days,  but your last quote really struck me and I so appreciate it! Thank you!  Your question to Shin about coming up with an eremitical Rule Of Life is something I have been thinking about. Any insight that you or others have, I  would greatly appreciate, I think it and other joyful aspects of a calling to live as a hermit could support its own thread.
That way I don't muddle up this nice flow of your quotes.

Look for the new thread and I will be there, alone - at least initially  ;D

Okay, Whiterockdove, I'll look forward to the new thread.  I'm glad that my last quote really spoke to you!  It is so good to hear from you!

"For thy consolation take notice, that He has exercised this office of Teacher not only once and not only at the time, when He taught his holy doctrine while yet in mortal flesh, as is related in the Gospels (Matt. 28, 20); but that He continues to be the Teacher of souls to the end of the world.  He admonishes, instructs and inspires them, urging them to put in practice whatever is most perfect and most holy.  Thus He acts toward all without exception, although according to His divine ordainment, and according to the disposition and the attentiveness of each soul, every one receives more or less of the benefits (Matt. 11, 5).  If thou hadst always applied this truth, thou wouldst have known by abundant experience, that the Lord does not refuse to act as the Teacher of the poor, of the despised and of the sinners, if they wish to listen to his secret doctrines.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 12

'Nothing can be hid from this great Master and Teacher (Heb. 4, 13), and He withdraws in disgust from those who are ungrateful and disobedient....He is accustomed to withdraw from...creatures in order to visit them with merited punishment for their many sins, outrages, ingratitudes and negligences.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 13

This reminds me of St. Christina the Astonishing.. she is a favorite!

What a blessed life to be one of those children. . .

Yes, God turned the very evil malice of Herod into the greatest blessing for others--the children of Heliopolis were able to get educated by Jesus and thus many of them became saints, many people in poor pagan Egypt were cured of their ills and converted from their idolatry, the Holy Innocents went straight up to Heaven to enjoy their reward for having chosen martyrdom, and Egypt was blessed in other ways by being the home of the Holy Family for 7 years!  Nobody can say that God can not draw much good from evil.  Nobody.   

Well said.....yes, God draws good from evil in the most awful circumstances.  The ones who arm themselves with holy weapons; prayer, the sacraments; who persevere and look for God and rejoice every time they find him; the ones who work to spread that rejoicing and those who turn way from evil and temptation, and always strives for holiness in those awful circumstances are blessed indeed!

I'll have to read about her!

Like prison camp survivors whose hellish experience brought them greater union with God.

'When the divine Child grew larger He sometimes helped saint Joseph as far as his strength would permit; at other times, as his doings were always kept a secret in the family, He would perform miracles, disregarding the natural forces in order to ease and comfort him in his labors.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 24

'Deny thyself to all that is earthly and visible; ignore it and refuse to look upon it; have no desire for it and pay no attention to it; avoid being known, and let no creatures have any part in thee; guard thou thy secret (Is. 24, 16), and thy treasure (Matth. 13, 44) from the fascination of men and from the devil.  In all this thou will have success, if, as a disciple of my most holy Son and of me, thou puttest in perfect practice the evangelical doctrine inculcated by Us.  In order to compel thyself to an exalted undertaking always be mindful of the blessing of being called by divine Providence to the imitation of my life and virtues and to the following of my footsteps through my instruction.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 25

'The shortest and the most secure course to follow, both for thee and for all men, is to welcome bitterness and sorrow and put aside ease and pleasure of the senses, and inviolably to resolve not to allow them to become dissipated or enjoy greater freedom than the strict rule of reason permits.  In addition to this thou must continually seek after the greater pleasure of the Lord and aspire to the great last end of all thy longings.    For this purpose thou must always be solicitous to imitate me, for to this I call and invite thee, desiring that thou arrive at the summit of virtue and holiness.  Consider the punctuality and fervor with which I achieved so many and so great results; not because the Lord urged me on by his commands, but because I wished to please him more.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 34

'These [holy angels], who numbered ten thousand, She [Blessed Mary] asked saying:  "My friends and companions, you well know the cause of my sorrow: in this bitter affliction be my consolation and give me some information concerning my Beloved, so that I may seek and find Him (Cant. 3, 2).  Give some relief to my wounded heart, which torn from its happiness and life, bounds from its place in search of Him."  The holy angels, who, though they never lost sight of the Creator and Redeemer, were aware that the Lord wished to furnish his Mother this occasion of great merit, and that it was not yet time to reveal the secret to Her, answered by speaking words of consolation without manifesting to Her the whereabouts and doings of their Lord.  This evasive answer raised new doubts in the most prudent Lady.  Her anxiety of heart caused Her to break out in tears and sighs of inmost grief, and urged Her onward in search, not of the lost drachm, like the woman in the Gospel, but of the whole treasure of heaven and earth (Luke 15, 8 ).'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 38



'Moreover, during these three days the Lord left Her [Blessed Mary] to her natural resources of nature and of grace, deprived of special privileges and favors; for, with the exception of the company and intercourse of the angels, He suspended all the other consolations and blessings so constantly vouchsafed to her most holy soul.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 41

'On this occasion [when the rabbis were gathered together in the temple and then joined by the Child Jesus] the coming of the Messias was discussed; for on account of the report of the wonderful events, which had spread about since the birth of the Baptist and the visit of the Kings of the east, the rumor of the coming of the Redeemer and of his being already in the world, though yet unknown, had gained ground among the Jews.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 49



'During the rest of the journey the heavenly Mother discoursed with her sweetest Son on the mysteries, interiorly manifested to Her concerning the discussion with the teachers.  He repeated by word of mouth, what He had shown Her interiorly.  In particular He told Her, that these doctors had not recognized Him as the Messias because they were inflated and arrogant in their own knowledge.  Their understanding was obscured by the darkness of their pride, so that they could not perceive the divine light shining forth in such profusion form Him; while, if they had the humble and loving desire of seeing the truth, his reasoning would have sufficiently convinced them.  On account of these obstacles they saw it not, though it was open before their eyes.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 58  

'Consider all the delights and joys of the world as insanity, its laughing as sorrow, sensible enjoyment as self deceit, as the source of foolishness, which intoxicates the heart and hinders and destroys all true wisdom.  Live in constant and holy fear of losing eternal life and rejoice in nothing except in the Lord until thou obtainest full possession of Him.  Fly from conversations with men and dread its dangers.  If sometimes God places thee in the way of human intercourse for his glory and by obedience, although thou must trust in his protection, yet never be remiss or careless in guarding thyself from contamination.  Do not trust thy natural disposition when there is a question of friendship and close intercourse with others; in this consists for thee a greater danger; for the Lord has given thee a pleasing and mild disposition, so that thou mayest naturally incline toward Him, resist none of his intentions and make a proper return for the blessings bestowed upon thee.  But as soon as thou givest entrance to creatures into thy heart thou wilt certainly be carried away and alienated by them from the highest good, and thou wilt pervert the intentions and operations of his infinite wisdom in thy behalf.  It would certainly be most unworthy of thee to divert that which is most noble in thy nature to an unseemly end.  Raise thyself above all created things, and above thyself (Thren. 3, 28).  Perfect the operations of thy faculties and set before them the exalted perfections of thy God, of my beloved Son and thy Spouse, who is beautiful among the sons of men (Ps. 44, 3).  Love Him with all the powers of thy heart and soul.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Vol. III, 63

These quotations are good for helping with Rosary meditations.

These quotations are so excellent.  Everybody can benefit by them, and in so many ways.

'And in many temptations I exhort thee not to be troubled or afflicted much; for if they cause thee to halt in thy course, they will already have gained a great advantage over thee and they will prevent thee from becoming strong in the practice of perfection.  Listen therefore to the Lord alone, who is desirous of the beauty of thy soul (Ps. 44, 12); who is liberal in bestowing his gifts upon it, powerful to deposit therein the treasures of his wisdom, and anxious to see thee prepare thyself to receive them.  Allow Him to write into thy heart the evangelical Law.  Let that be thy continual study, thy meditation day and night, the sweet nourishment of thy memory, the life of thy soul and the sweet nectar for thy spiritual taste.  Thus wilt thou obtain what the Most High and I require of thee, and what thou thyself desirest.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 73

'That those who walk in the way of salvation are the smaller number, is due to the vice and the depraved habits imbibed in youth and nourished in childhood.  For that saying of Deuteronomy is very true:  "As the days of thy youth, so also shall thy old age be"  (Deut. 33, 25).  Hence the demons gain courage and increase their tyrannical influence over souls in the early years of man's life, hoping that they will be able to induce men to commit so much the greater and more frequent sins in later years, the more they have succeeded in drawing them into small and insignificant faults in their childhood.  By these they draw them on to a state of blind presumption; for with each sin the soul loses more and more the power of resistance, subjects itself to the demon, and falls under the sway of its tyrannical enemies.  The miserable yoke of wickedness is more and more firmly fastened upon it; the same is trodden underfoot by its own iniquity and urged onward under the sway of the devil from one precipice to another, from abyss to abyss (Ps. 41, 8 ): a chastisement merited by all those, that allow themselves to be overcome by evil-doing in the beginning.  By these means Lucifer has hurled into hell so great a number of souls and continues so to hurl them every day, rising up in his pride against the Almighty.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 83

'The most holy Mary understood, more than any tongue can explain, the value and excellence of tears, and at the same time the foolishness and danger of laughter and human enjoyment.  For, while all the children of Adam, though they are conceived in original sin and afterwards incur many other actual sins, give themselves over to laughter and gaiety, this heavenly Mother, being without sin at her Conception and after, was aware, that this mortal life should be consumed in weeping over the absence of the supreme Good and over the sins, which have been and are committed against God.  For the sake of all men She wept over their sins, and merited by her most innocent tears the great consolations and favors of the Lord.  Her most pure heart was in continual distress at the sight of the offenses committed against her Beloved and her God; her eyes distilled incessant tears (Jer. 9,1), and her bread day and night was to weep over the ingratitude of sinners toward their Creator and Redeemer (Ps. 41, 4).  No creatures, not all of them together wept more than the Queen of Angels, though for men, on account of their sins, their is abundant cause of wailing and weeping, while in Her there was cause only for joy and delight on account of her treasures of grace.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 90

'Fear the danger of not attending to the divine calls, for that is the cause of the loss of innumerable souls.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 95

This reminds me the saints speaking of priests' sermons being good when they bring the people who hear them to tears.

Or a good confession when absolution makes the tears flow!

Wasn't it St. John Vianney, who in one of his sermons, in tears without saying a word, held up a crucifix to the people in the pews, moving them all to tears?  What a sermon!

Wasn't it St. John Vianney, who in one of his sermons, in tears without saying a word, held up a crucifix to the people in the pews, moving them all to tears?  What a sermon!

'The powerful arms for battling against those who make war on thee, must be the doctrines of the Catholic faith (Rom. 1, 17), for the firm belief in them and the continual exercise of them, the incessant meditation and remembrance of them, illumine the souls, drives away errors, disclose the deceits of satan and disperse his falsehoods just as the rays of the sun dispel the dark clouds.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 104

'The more vivid and penetrating thy knowledge of the mysteries of the faith, so much the greater and more powerful will be its effects upon thee.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 105

I don't know! But it's quite moving to think of!

It reminds me of this quote on how to be a good priest:

'We read in the chronicles of the discalced Carmelites that a Father, named Julian of St. Paul, although he had studied but little, preached with such success that the people came in crowds to hear him and were converted, every one of them deriving much fruit from his sermons. Some one having asked what good could be found in this preacher, whom every one went to hear, the following answer was given to him: "We go to hear him, because he is a saint: he sheds tears during Mass, he sleeps little, he always goes about with his eyes cast down, he is always praying, he speaks only of God and of our welfare; and therefore we do what he tells us." John de Avila had then reason to say that the first and most important rule for preaching well is to love God.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

What a beautiful, edifying priest!

'In regard to the love of neighbors apply always the first law of doing unto others as thou wishest done to thyself, which is the standard of all intercourse with men.  If thou desirest them to think and act well toward thee, thou thyself must do the same with thy brethren.  If thou feel that they offend thee in little things, avoid thou giving them any such offense.  If thou see others doing what seems evil and disagreeable to their neighbor, avoid it thyself; for thou knowest how much it offends against the law of the Most High.  Weep over thy faults and those of thy fellow men; because they are against the law of God; this is true charity toward the Lord and toward thy neighbor.  Sorrow over the afflictions of others as over thy own, for thus wilt thou imitate me.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 118

'...and I tell thee, my daughter, that the men of the present age have so outraged the justice of the Lord, that I cannot even manifest to them, what in my kindness I desire as a remedy of this evil.  But let them know at present that his sentence shall be dreadful and without mercy, rendered against those wicked and faithless servants who are condemned by the words of their own mouth (Luke 19, 22).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 134

Here's the rest from that last passage:

Particularly do I wish thee to understand the wrath of the Almighty against those who dare to receive the Sacraments unworthily, especially the august Sacrament of the Altar. O soul! How dreadful is this sin in the eyes of the Lord and his saints! Yea, not only the receiving of Him unworthily, but the irreverences committed in his real presence on the altar! How can they be called children of the Church, who, claiming to believe and respect this mystery, not only neglect to visit Him in the many places where He is sacramentally present, but also dare to indulge in such disrespect toward Him as even the heathens are not guilty of against their false idols? This is a matter which could not be deplored sufficiently in many discourses ; and I tell thee, my daughter, that the men of the present age have so outraged the justice of the Lord, that I cannot even manifest to them, what in my kindness I desire as a remedy of this evil. But let them know at present that his sentence shall be dreadful and without mercy, rendered against those wicked and faithless servants who are condemned by the words of their own mouth (Luke 19, 22). This thou canst announce to all that will hear thee; and counsel them to come at least once a day to the churches in which their God is sacramentally present, in order to adore and worship Him ; and let them assist
at the sacrifice of the Mass, for men do not know how much they lose by their negligence in this regard.

'During prayer our Blessed master sometimes assumed a kneeling posture, sometimes He was prostrate in the form of a cross or at other times raised in the air in this same position which He loved so much.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 138

'Whenever thou must perform any interior or exterior work, consider beforehand whether what thou art going to say or do corresponds with the doings of thy Lord, and whether thou hast the intention thereby to honor thy Lord and benefit thy neighbor.  As soon as thou art sure that this is thy motive, execute thy undertaking in union with Him and in imitation of Him; but if thou findest not this motive let the undertaking rest.  This was my invariable course in pursuing the imitation of my Lord and Teacher; thou in me there was no reluctance toward the good, but only the desire of imitating Him perfectly.  In this imitation consists the fruit of his holy teaching, in which He urges us to do, what is most pleasing and acceptable to the eternal God.  Moreover from this day on be mindful not to undertake any work, not to speak or even think any of anything, without first asking my permission and consulting me as they Mother and Teacher.  And as soon as I answer thee give thanks to the Lord; if I do not answer after continued inquiry, I promise and assure thee on the part of the Lord, that He will, nevertheless, give thee light as to what will be according to his most perfect will.  In all things, however, subject thyself to the guidance of thy spiritual director, and never forget this practice!'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 143

'As He [St. Joseph] had the happiness and good fortune of continually enjoying the sight and the intercourse of the divine Wisdom incarnate, and of Her, who was the Mother of It, this man of God reached such a height of sanctity, that his heavenly Souse excepted, no one ever surpassed Him and he far outstripped other creatures.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 147

'Her blessed Son, like his heavenly Mother, ate no meat; their nourishment was only fish, fruit and herbs, and these only in the greatest moderation.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 149

'Other morals, on account of the decline of the natural humors and temperature, ordinarily begin to deteriorate and gradually approach decay as far as their body is concerned; the exquisite balance of bodily humors is disturbed and the earthly ones begin to predominate more and more; the hair begins to whiten, the countenance to wrinkle, the blood to cool, some of the strength to weaken; and the whole human frame, in spite of the greatest care, commences to decline toward old age and corruption.  But in the most holy Mary it was not so; for the wonderful beauty and strength, which She had attained at the age of thirty-three years, remained unchanged; and when She had reached her seventieth year, as I shall relate later on, She still retained the same beauty and entirety of her virginal body at the age of thirty-three.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 145

'In order to increase his [St. Joseph's] merits and crown before the time of his meriting should come to an end, He visited him in the last years of his life with certain sicknesses, such as fever, violent headaches and very painful rheumatisms, which greatly afflicted and weakened him.  In the midst of these infirmities, he was suffering from another source, more sweet, but extremely painful, namely from the fire of his ardent love which was so vehement, that the flights and ecstasies of his most pure soul would often have burst the bounds of his body if the Lord, who vouchsafed them, had not strengthened and comforted him against these agonies of love.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 155

'There was never a sick person, nor will there ever be one, who was so well nursed and comforted [as St. Joseph was].'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 157

'Very tardy is that charity (and even the politeness), which waits until the needy one asks for help.  I did not wait, but hastened to assist before I was asked.  My charity and attention anticipated the requests of my spouse and thus I consoled him not only by my services but by my loving solicitude and attention.  I shared his sufferings and hardships with heartfelt compassion; but at the same time I praised the Most High and thanked Him for the blessings of affliction conferred on his servant.  If sometimes I sought to relieved his pains, it was not in order to deprive him of the occasion of meriting, but that he might by this aid excite himself to glorify so much the more the Author of all goodness and holiness; and to these virtues I exhorted and encouraged him.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 161

The Lord's is the hand that wounds, the Lord's is the hand that heals!

 :D

Yes, and He only wounds us in order that we may become healed.  He is our loving Divine Physician.

In that way, illness and injury are sanctified? Is that right to say?
Kind of like the saying every cloud has a silver lining? 

Just wondering if sanctification is different than a blessing.

In St. Joseph's case, God's Hand wounds in order to give merits to the wounded (St. Joseph).

Illness and injury both are sanctified when we suffer them patiently and lovingly for God ... yes, they are blessings (in disguise).

"'Our Savior answered:  "My Mother, thy request is pleasing to me, and the merits of Joseph are acceptable in my eyes.  I will now assist him and will assign him a place among the princes of my people  (Ps. 115, 15), so high that he will be the admiration of the angels and will cause them and all men to break forth with highest praise.  With none of the human born shall I do as with thy spouse."  The great Lady gave thanks to her sweetest Son for this promise; and, for nine days and nights before the death of saint Joseph he uninterruptedly enjoyed the company and attendance of Mary and her divine Son.  By command of the Lord the holy angels, three times on each of the nine days, furnished celestial music, mixing their hymns of praise with the benedictions of the sick man.  Moreover, their humble but most precious dwelling was filled with the sweetest fragrance and odors so wonderful that they comforted not only saint Joseph, but invigorated all the numerous persons who happened to come near the house.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 163

'Love was then the real cause of the death of saint Joseph, as I have said before.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 167

'In order that the utmost propriety might be observed by the Virgin Mother, God enveloped the body of saint Joseph in a wonderful light, which hid all except his countenance; and thus his purest Spouse, although She clothed him for burial, saw only his face.  Sweetest fragrance exhaled from his body and it remained so beautiful and lifelike, that the neighboring people eagerly came to see it and were filled with admiration.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 168

'Hence thou wilt understand the great danger in the hour of death, when both the good works and the bad will begin to show their effects.  I will not tell thee how many are thus lost, in order that thy sincere love of God may not cause thee to die of sorrow at this loss.  But the general rule is:  a good life gives hope of a good end; all other reliance is doubtful, and salvation resting upon it is very rare and merely accidental.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 172

'By the love and respect we owe to Jesus Christ our Lord, I beg of you to begin without delay to amend your lives with the greatest care, so that at the last day, when it will be necessary to give an exact account of them, you will be found worthy.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

May God help us, purify us and have mercy on us!  May Mary intercede for us!  May we be well prepared for the terrible Day of Judgment, when our lives will speak for themselves, with no excuses accepted!

'Since he was chosen by God, saint Joseph was no doubt the most perfect man on earth.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 176

'He [St. Joseph] was sanctified in the womb of his mother seven months after his conception, and the leaven of sin was destroyed in him for the whole course of his life, never having felt any impure or disorderly movement.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 177

'The Lord hastened in him [St. Joseph] the use of his reason, perfecting it in his third year, endowing it with infused science and augmenting his soul with new graces and virtues.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 178

'In virtue of these special privileges the intercession of St. Joseph is most powerful:  first, for attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh; secondly, for procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God; thirdly, for increasing the love and devotion to most holy Mary; fourthly, for securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour; fifthly, for inspiring the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients; sixthly, for gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties; seventhly, for securing issue of children in families.  These and many other favors God confers upon those who properly and with good disposition seek the intercession of the spouse of our Queen, saint Joseph.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 181

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Have mercy on us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Pray for  when our time to die comes, that it will be peaceful and that we
Will be received into your hands,  to be presented to The Lord.
He is Holy, Mighty, Immortal and we are unworthy sinners.

Amen.

Amen.

'I wish also that thou learn from this chapter to conceal carefully the special works thou undertakest in imitation of my own; for although I had no need of refraining from any work in the presence of saint Joseph, yet I was careful to add retirement as an additional observance of perfection and prudence, since retirement of itself makes good works more praiseworthy.  But this is not to be understood of ordinary and obligatory works, since thou must give an good example and let thy light shine, avoiding any danger of scandal or cause for cavil.  There are many works which can be done in secret and unobserved by the eyes of creatures, and which are not lightly to be exposed to the danger of publicity and ostentation.  In thy retirement thou canst make many genuflections; prostrate in the dust, thou canst humiliate thyself, adoring the supreme Majesty of the Most High and offering thy mortal body, which oppresses thy soul, as a sacrifice for the disorderly inclinations against justice and reason.  Thus thou wilt not reserve any part of thy being from the service of thy Creator and Spouse, and thou wilt force thy body to make up the loss which it causes to the soul by its passions and earthly affections.

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 196

'Mortify and crush it [thy mortal body] until it is dead to all that is delightful to the senses, so that even the common actions necessary for life shall appear to thee more painful than agreeable, taste more of bitterness than of dangerous enjoyment.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 197

'If I, who never had displeased or offended the Lord since the beginning of my existence, judged this virtue of humility so necessary in order to find grace in his eyes and be raised up by his right hand, how much more is it necessary for thee to humble thyself to the dust and annihilate thyself in his sight, who was conceived in sin and hast so often offended Him?  (Ps. 50, 7).  Humiliate thyself to nothingness, and acknowledge that what being the Most High has given thee, thou hast but ill employed, and that, therefore, thy very existence should be subject of humiliation to thee.  Thus wilt thou at last find the treasure of grace.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 197

'The perdition of Judas began by his despising her good will and by conceiving against the Mother of God a sort of ill-will and impiety.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 206

'O my dearest Daughter, if men would place no hindrance by their sins, and if they would not resist this infinite bounty, how measureless would be the favors and blessings upon them!  According to thy way of understanding thou must look upon Him as being outraged and made sorrowful by the opposition of mortals to his boundless desires of doing them good.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 207

This is a really encouraging quote in that I think of how wonderful life can be if one learns not to resist God and place those sinful hindrances in the way.

Yes, it is really is an encouraging quote, Shin.  From what I have read in City of God our Lord wishes to lavish great and many favors upon us!  If we could only be properly disposed to receive them!

It's not enough to live only exterior holiness, we have to have virtue in how we think too!

They say that what we say and do usually begins with thoughts, good or bad thoughts.

Yes so in the beginning always good thoughts. :D

And when we have thoughts that are not good we must pray immediately and nip the problem in the bud before the devil can work havoc in us by tempting us to say or do something wrong. 

'On former occasions I have already told thee, that the number of those foreknown as doomed, is so great, and of those that save themselves is so small, that it is not expedient to say more in particular.  For if thou hast the sentiments of a true daughter of the Church, the spouse of Christ, my Son and Lord, thou wouldst die at seeing such misfortune.  What thou mayest know, is, that all the loss and misfortune apparent in Christian nations and governments, as well among chiefs as among subjects of the Church and of the secular state, all originate and flow from the forgetfulness and contempt of the works of Christ and of the works of his Redemption.  If there were a way of rousing them to a sense of thankfulness and to a sense of their duty as faithful and acknowledged children of their Creator and Redeemer, and of me, who am their Intercessor, the wrath of the divine Judge would be appeased, and their would be some diminution of the widespread ruin and perdition among Catholics.  The eternal Father, who is justly zealous for the honor of his Son and rigorously chastises the servants, who know the will of their Lord and refuse to fulfill it, would again be reconciled.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 220

The vices of forgetfulness and ingratitude..

How much happier all would be if folks practiced the opposite virtues.. What a beautiful thought to think of Christian nations full of thanksgiving and gratitude in the day to day lives of their people.

The fewness of the saved.. how important it is to motivate people to pursue God with all their hearts..

So true!

'So great was the efficacy of their [Jesus' and Mary's] prayers, that all those who pronounce these names in reverence and faith, overcome their hellish enemies and precipitously repel them in virtue of the prayers, triumphs and victories of our Savior and of his most holy Mother.  On account of the protection thereby offered to us against the arrogant giants of hell, and on account of all the other helps furnished us in the holy Church of our Lord, no excuse is left for us not battling legitimately and valiantly, or for not overcoming and vanquishing the demon, as the enemy of the eternal God and our own.  For in this we should follow the example of our Savior according to our ability.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 227

'He [Lucifer] with tireless malice labors to overthrow the barriers of restraint, so that, forgetful of the last things and of eternal torment, men may give themselves over, like brute beasts, to sensual pleasures, and unmindful of themselves consume their lives in the pursuit of apparent good, until, as Job says (Job. 21, 13), they suddenly fall a prey to eternal perdition.  Such is in reality the fate on innumerable foolish men, who abhor the restraint imposed upon them by this truth.  Do thou, my daughter, allow me to instruct thee, and keep thyself free from such harmful deceit and from this forgetfulness of the worldly people.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 230

'The anchoret John, many years before [his preaching] had made for himself a large cross, which he had placed at the head of his couch:  with it he performed some exercises of penance and he was accustomed to place himself upon it in the form of one crucified, when he was engaged in prayer.  He did not wish to leave this treasure in the desert; therefore, before issuing forth, he sent it by the hands of the holy angels to the Queen of heaven and earth and requested them to tell Her that the cross had been his greatest and most beloved companion in his long banishment; that he sent it to Her as a precious treasure, because he knew what was to be wrought upon it by the Son of God, and also because the holy angels had told him, that her most holy Son and Redeemer of the world often made use of a cross like this, when performing his prayers in his oratory.  The angels had made this cross fashioning it from a tree in the desert at his request; for the saint had neither the necessary strength nor the instruments for this kind of work, whereas the holy angels wonted not the skill and needed no instruments on account of the power they have over material creation.  With this present and message of saint John the holy princes returned to their Queen, and She received this token form their hands with innermost emotions of sorrow and consolation, at the thought of what mysteries were in so short a time to be enacted upon the hard wood of the Cross.  She addressed it in words of tenderness and placed it in her oratory, where She kept it ever afterwards together with the other cross which had been used by her Son.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 236

'In addition to this, I wish that thou, in imitation of saint John the Baptist prepare thy heart for all that the Holy Spirit wishes to work in thee for his own glory and for the benefit of souls.  As far as depends on thee, love solitude and withdraw thy soul from the confusion of created things.  Whenever thy duty to God forces thee to deal with creatures, seek always thy own sanctification and the edification of thy neighbor, so that in thy outward conversation and intercourse the zeal of thy spirit may shine forth.  His exalted virtues now known to thee and those resplendent in the lives of other saints, should serve thee as a spur and as an example:  seek, like a busy bee, to build up the sweet honeycomb of sanctity and innocence so much desired in thee by my divine Son.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 239

A cross for a pillow.. how inspiring..

I wish I had room in my place for a cross like that so I could use it in the same manner as our Lord and St. John the Baptist.

'He gives thee a free hand only in regard to thy love of Him and in thy desire to suffer for Him, while in all the rest thy desires will only make thee drift away from his will and mine.  This will surely be the result of following thy own will and inclinations, desires and appetites.  Deny and sacrifice them all, raising thyself above thyself, up to the high and exalted habitation of the Lord and Master; attend to His interior lights and to the truth of his words of eternal life (John 6, 69), and in order that thou mayest follow them, take up the Cross (Matth. 16, 24), tread in his footsteps, walk in the odor of his ointments (Cant. 1, 3), and be anxious to reach thy Lord; and having obtained possession of Him, do not leave Him (Cant. 3, 4).'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 253

I wish you did too!

Do you have a small hand held sized crucifix?

The ones that are around the size of one's palm are very helpful to have about. One can wake up in the morning and kiss the wood of the cross, and before bed.

Yes, I have a beautiful hand held sized crucifix made in Jerusalem that was blessed by a traditional missionary Bishop.  I should sleep with it and kiss it before and after I go to sleep.  I'll do so starting tonight.  Thanks for the idea!  God bless you!

Have a good night Therese!  :D

You too, Shin!  :D

'Her [Blessed Mary's] prayers were so ardent, that She shed tears of blood in weeping over the sins of men.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 255

'Do not allow thyself to be retarded and ensnared away from my following by intercourse with creatures; let them alone, avoid them, despise them in so far as they can hinder thee on thy way.  In order that thou mayest advance in my school, I wish to see thee poor, humble, despised, abased yet always with a cheerful heart and countenance.  Do not try to repay thyself with the applause or the love of any creature, nor allow human sentiment to rule thee; for the Most High has not destined thee for such useless entanglements, or for occupations so lowly and adverse to the religious state to which He has called thee.  Think attentively and humbly of the tokens of his love received at his hands; and of the treasures of his grace, which He has showered upon thee.  Neither Lucifer nor any of his minsters and followers are ignorant of them:  they are filled with wrath against thee and in their cunning they will let no stone unturned for thy destruction.  His greatest efforts will be directed against thy interior, where he has planted his battery of cunning and deceit.  Do thou live well prepared and watchful against all his attacks, close the portals of thy senses and preserve the authority of thy will, without allowing it to be spent on human undertakings no matter how good and upright they may appear to thee;  for if in the least point thou curtail the love which God requires of thee, this very point will be seized upon by thy enemies as a portal of entrance.  All the kingdom of God is within thee (Luke 17, 210) keep it there, and there wilt thou find it, and in it all the good thou desirest.  Forget not my teachings and discipline, lock it up in thy bosom and remember how great is the danger and damage from which I therefore wish to preserve thee.  That thou art called to imitate and follow me, is the greatest blessing, which thou canst ever desire.  I am ready in my extreme clemency to grant thee this blessing, if thou dispose thyself to high resolves, holy words and perfect works, which alone can raise thee to the state which the Almighty and I desire thee to attain.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 262

Salve Regina!

The virtue of watchfulness..

I am learning more and more of its great importance as time goes by.. the guarding of the mind, and the holding onto Christ's grace in thought and feeling..

Vigilance is a virtue that not many souls these days are practicing.  Kudos to you, Shin!

'By thus hesitating to baptize Christ his Lord and asking Him for baptism instead, he gave evidence that he recognized Him as the true Redeemer and there is no contradiction between this and what saint John records of the Baptist as saying to the Jews:  "And I knew Him not; but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me" "He, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining, He it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."  And I saw, and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God"  (John 1, 33, 34).  There is also no contradiction between these words of saint John and those of saint Matthew; for the testimony of heaven and the voice of the eternal Father over Christ on the banks of the Jordan happened when the Precursor had the vision mentioned in the preceding paragraph.  Hence he had not seen Christ's bodily until then and could, therefore, deny having known Christ, at least in the same way as he then knew Him; for just because he knew Christ then both by sight and by intellectual vision, he prostrated himself at the feet of the Savior.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 267

'When saint John had finished baptizing our Lord, the heavens opened and the Holy Ghost descended visibly in the form of a dove upon his head and the voice of his Father was heard:  "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"  (Matth. 3, 17).  Many of the bystanders heard this voice, namely, those who were not unworthy of such a wonderful favor; they also saw the Holy Ghost descending upon the Savior.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 268

Ave, ave, ave Maria
Ave, ave, ave Maria!
 :principalities: :principalities:

'As soon as the great Lady understood that our Redeemer was on the way to the desert to fulfil his intention, She locked the doors of her dwelling, without letting anyone know of her presence; and her retirement during the time of our Lord's fast was so complete, that her neighbors thought that She left with her divine Son.  She entered in her oratory and remained there for forty days and nights without ever leaving it and without eating anything, just as She knew was done by her most holy Son.  She entered into the oratory and remained there for forty days and nights without ever leaving it and without eating anything, just as She knew was done by her most holy Son.  Both of them observed the same course of rigorous fasting.  In all his prayers and exercises, his prostrations and genuflections She followed our Savior, not omitting any of them; moreover She performed them just at the same time; for, leaving aside all other occupations, She thus profited by the information obtained from the angels and by that other knowledge, which I have already described.  Whether He was present or not, She knew the interior operations of the soul of Christ.  All his bodily movements, which She had been wont to perceive with her own senses, She now knew by intellectual vision or through her holy angels.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 279

'My daughter, corporal penances are so appropriate and fitted to mortal creatures, that the ignorance of this truth and the neglect and contempt of bodily mortification cause the loss of many souls and bring many more into the danger of eternal loss.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 281

'The interior sorrow is not sufficient for atonement, if the flesh seeks to evade the punishment corresponding to the guilt.  Moreover, the debt is so great and the satisfaction that can be given by the creature so limited and scanty that there remains continual uncertainly whether the Judge is satisfied even after the exertions of a whole lifetime:  hence, the soul should find no rest to the end of life.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 281

'It is true, my daughter, that by the bodily afflictions and mortifications of my most blessed Son, the defects and deficiencies of human merits have been atoned for; and that He wished me, as a mere creature and as one taking the place of other creatures, to co-operate with Him most perfectly and exactly all in his penances and exercises.  But this was not in order to exempt men from the practice of penance, but in order to encourage them to it; for in order merely to save them, it was not necessary to suffer so much.  Our blessed Savior, as a true Father and Brother, wished also to enhance the labors and penances of those who were to follow in his footsteps; for the efforts of creatures are of little value in the eyes of God unless they are made precious by the merits of Christ.  If this is true of works which are entirely virtuous and perfect, how much more is it true of those which are infected with so many faults and deficiencies, even in the greatest acts of virtue, as ordinarily performed by the children of Adam?  For in the works of even the most spiritual and virtuous persons many deficiencies occur.  These deficiencies are made good by the merits of Christ, our Lord, so that the works of men may become acceptable to the eternal Father.  But those who neglect good works and remain altogether idle can by no means expect to apply themselves the good works of Christ; for they have in themselves nothing that can be perfected by the works of Christ, but only such things as deserve condemnation.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 283

'Before all see that thou keep in subjection thy flesh and the influences of the world.  Mortifying thy flesh and flying the world by retiring from creatures to the interior of thy soul, thus conquering both these enemies and preserving the blessed light of grace, which thou there receivest, and loving nothing except in as far as well ordered charity permits....Consent not to any movement of thy appetites, no matter in how small a matter; and allow thy senses no liberty, except for the exaltation of the Most High, or for suffering or for doing something for the benefit and love of thy neighbor....Arm thyself with living faith, unwavering hope and love of humility, for these are the virtues by which the dragon is crushed and vanquished and against which he dares not make a stand.  He flies from them because they are powerful weapons against his pride and arrogance.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 297

'I will give thee two important lessons deducted from this chapter.  First, love solitude and seek it with particular affection in order that thou mayest partake of the blessings promised and merited by my divine Son for those who imitate Him therein.  As far as possible, when thou art not obliged to converse with thy neighbor in virtue of obedience always try to be alone; and when thou art obliged to come out of thy retirement and solitude, carry it with thee in the secret of thy heart in such a manner that thy senses and thy occupations shall not deprive thee of it.  Attend to they outward employments as if they were to be done only in passing, and consider thy retirement as something which is to be permanent; for this purpose thou must not allow the images of creatures to enter thy mind, for, very often, they occupy the mind more completely than the objects themselves, and they always embarrass the soul and take away from it the liberty of the heart.  It is unworthy of thee to let thy heart be interested in anything or be taken up by any creature.  My divine Son wishes to be in it all alone and this is also what I desire.  My second lesson is that thou learn to set a proper value on thy soul, in order to preserve it in its purity and innocence.   Over and above this, however, although it is my will that thou labor for the justification of all men, I wish that thou, in imitation of my Son and of me, busy thyself especially with the poor and despised of this world.  These little ones often beg for the bread of counsel and instruction (Thren. 4, 4), and they find none to give it to them, as do the rich and powerful of the earth who have many to advise them.  Of these poor and despised ones many come to thee; admit them with true compassion; console them kindly, so that, in their simplicity, they may follow enlightened counsel; for counsel is to be instructed to the better instructed in a different way.  Seek to gain those souls, who, on account of their temporal necessities, are so much the more precious in the eyes of God; I wish that thou labor incessantly, that they and all others may not waste the fruit of Redemption; nor do thou ever rest from this labor; be ready even to die, if necessary, to advance this enterprise.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 305

This last excerpt is a very good one to reflect upon, especially this part:  "It is unworthy of thee to let thy heart be interested in anything or be taken up by any creature.  My divine Son wishes to be in it all alone and this is also what I desire."  And it is good to reflect on how our Lady mentions the importance of the spiritual works of mercy of counsel and instruction in relation to the poor and makes no mention of the corporal works of mercy in relation to them, like some people and the whole world it seems always seem to focus on.  No, our Lady's focus is on giving counsel and instruction to the poor and despised--something they so very desperately need to get to Heaven.

I much agree Therese!

The last statement of Our Lady reminds me of one of the first quotes in the selections. (http://saintsquotes.net/Selection%20-%201.html)

Yes, several of them are pertinent, I think.  God bless you!

'The Lord lifted Her from the ground and spoke to Her words of life and eternal salvation, yet quietly and serenely.  For at this period He began to treat Her with greater reserve in order to afford Her a chance of merit, as I have mentioned when I spoke of this departure for the desert and for his Baptism.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 318

'The most blessed Lady also asked Him for the Sacrament of Baptism, which He had now instituted, and which He had promised Her before.  In order that this might be administered with a dignity becoming as well the Son as the Mother, an innumerable host of angelic spirits descended from heaven in visible forms.  Attended by them, Christ himself baptized his purest Mother.  Immediately the voice of the eternal Father was heard saying:  "This is my beloved Daughter, in whom I take delight."  The incarnate Word said:  "This is my Mother, much beloved, whom I have chosen and who will assist me in all my works."  And the Holy Ghost added:  "This is my Spouse, chosen among thousands."

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 319

'I desire, then, that thou labor until all love of self die within thee, that thou suppress all the effects of the first sin until all the earthly inclinations consequent upon it are totally extinguished; that thou seek to restore within thee that dove-like sincerity and simplicity which destroys all malice and duplicity.  In all thy doings thou must be an angel, since the condescension of the Most High with thee was so great as to furnish thee with the light and intelligence more of an angel than that of a human creature.  I have procured for thee these great blessings and, therefore, it is but reasonable on my part to expect thee to correspond with them in thy works and in thy thoughts.  In regard to me thou must cherish a continual affection and loving desire of pleasing and serving me, being always attentive to my counsels and having thy eyes fixed upon me in order to know and execute what I command.  Then shalt thou be my true daughter, and I shall be thy Protectress and loving Mother.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 321

'"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee"  (John 2, 11).  This miracle took place on the same day on which a year ago had happened the Baptism of Jesus by saint John.  This day was also the anniversary of the adoration of the Kings, and, therefore, the holy Roman Church celebrates the three mysteries on one and the same day, the sixth of January.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 324

'... in woman the most precious adornment and the most charming beauty is silence, restraint and modesty by which many vices are shut out and by which all virtues of a chaste and respectable woman receive their crowning grace.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 326

'All should help along to spread the fruits of the Death of their Redeemer.  Some can do it by prayer and urgent desires for the exaltation of his holy name; others by almsgiving, others by diligent preaching, others by fervent works of charity.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 331

'Although thou dost not hear with thy bodily ears the sermons of my divine Son, nor his own voice in preaching, thou canst yet imitate me in the reverence with which I listened to Him;  for it is the same One that speaks to thy heart, and who teaches thee the same doctrine.  Therefore, I exhort thee whenever thou recognizest the enlightening voice of thy Spouse and Pastor, to kneel down in reverence and listen to his words, adoring Him full of thankfulness and writing his counsel in thy heart.  If thou happenest to be in a public place, where thou canst not show this external reverence, do it interiorly and obey Him in all things as if thou wert present at his very preaching; for, just as hearing Him then without obeying Him would not have made thee happy, so thou canst now make thyself blessed by executing that which Thou hearest Him say to thee interiorly, even though thou dost not hear Him with thy bodily ears.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 340

'I also exhort thee to treat affably the rich as the poor, without the acceptation of persons so common among the children of Adam.  My divine Son and I rejected and condemned all such distinction, showing ourselves equally kind to all, and even more so to those who were most despised, indigent and afflicted (James, 2, 2).  Worldly wisdom looks upon the person, not at the state of the souls, nor at virtue, but at outward ostentation; but heavenly prudence considers the image of God in all.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 341

Beautiful words!

Let us try hard to follow all of our Lady's instructions.  This will please her very much and will help us to get to heaven.

"The greater my prerogatives, so much the greater was my humility, because in my estimation they far exceeded my merits and only increased my obligations.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 353

'The truly humble must lower themselves beneath that which they have deserved.  If all the creatures would despise and abhor them, or offend them; if they would consider themselves worthy of hell-fire, they would only fulfil justice, but not the requirement of humility, since that would only be admitting their deserts.  But real, deep humility goes to the length of desiring a greater humiliation that that is due to one's self in justice.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 353

'Never judge thyself injured by any one nor consider thyself offended; if thou abhor pretense and lying, remember, that the greatest offense is to aspire after honor or high position.  Do not attribute to creatures that which God brings about in order to humiliate thee or others by affliction and tribulations; for this is protesting against mere instruments, while it is divine mercy which inflicts punishment on men for their humiliation....Humiliate thyself in the divine presence for thyself and for all thy fellow-men, in order to placate his wrath, just as if thou alone were guilty; and as if thou never hadst made any satisfaction; since during mortal life no one can ever know whether he has satisfied for his transgressions.  Seek to appease Him as if thou alone hadst offended Him; and in regard to the gifts and favors which thou hast received and dost receive, show thyself grateful as one who deserves much less and owes much more.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 354

'The presence of Christ and his blessed Mother filled that foul prison of the Baptist with celestial light.  While the other parts of the palace of Herod were infested by innumerable demons and sycophants more criminal than the state prisoners in their dungeons below, the cell of saint John was entirely sanctified by the presence of the Sovereigns of heaven, who were accompanied by a great host of angels.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 362

'My daughter, the Savior and I have taught the way of humility, of contempt and tribulation.  This is the royal road, on which we first walked, and of which We have set Ourselves up as Teachers.  We are the Protectors of all the afflicted and ill-used, ready to assist by miraculous and especial favors all those who call upon Us in their necessities.  Of this assistance and protection the followers of this world and its vain pleasures deprive themselves, since they hate the way of the Cross.  To the Cross thou wast called and invited, and on account of it thou art favored with the sweetness of my loving guidance.  Follow me and labor to imitate me, since thou hast found the secret treasure (Matth. 12, 44) and the precious pearl, for the possession of which thou must despise all that is earthly and give up all human freedom in so far as it is contrary to the pleasure of my most exalted Lord.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 367

'I wish thee also to understand another secret hidden from the world: namely, that one of the most vile and horrible sins before the Lord is the little esteem in which the just and friends of the Church are held, and especially the little veneration shown toward me, who was chosen for his Mother and am the cause of the happiness of men.  If the failure to love the enemies and contempt of them is so displeasing to the Lord and to the saints in heaven (Matth. 18, 35), how shall He bear with such treatment of his most dear friends, whom He holds as the apple of his eye and in deepest affection? (Ps. 33, 16).  This counsel thou canst never bear in mind too much in this mortal life, and it is one of the signs of reprobation to hold in abhorrence the just.  Beware of this danger and judge no one, especially those that reprehend and admonish thee (Matth. 7, 1).'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 387

Ah now that is a quote that is dear to my heart. Thank you Therese.

May God grant holiness to be loved.

Thanks be to God and to Mary Ever Virgin, and to all the Archangels, Angels and Saints, and Holy Souls. And may God grant rest through the offering of His Most Precious Blood to the Holy Souls.

'If thou wilt look into the deceptive course of the lovers of this word, thou wilt see that they consider themselves fortunate, whenever they attain all that they desire according to their earthly inclinations.  This only hastens their great misfortune; for they, having received their reward, cannot expect any in the eternal life.  But the just, who despise the world and meet with many adversities, are withdrawn and shielded from danger, because the Lord denies them the temporal goods, which they desire and ask for.  In order that thou mayest not fall into such danger, I exhort thee and command thee never to hanker after nor to seek earthly possession.  Separate thyself from all; preserve thy will free and independent; never desire for anything beyond what is God's pleasure, for He will assume charge of all those that resign themselves to his divine Providence.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 387

You are most welcome, Shin. :)

"During our mortal life the Lord is very slow in visiting vengeance upon us; but He will make up for his slowness in the severity of his punishments after death.  If then God suffers and bears with us so much, how much must one poor worm of the earth bear with another, since both are of the same nature and condition?  By the light of this truth and by the charity of the Lord and Spouse, thou must regulate the amount of thy patience and longsuffering with others and the zeal for their salvation.  I do not say that thou must therefore permit what is against the honor of God, for that would not be a true zeal for the good of thy neighbor; but thou must love them as creatures of the Lord and abhor sin; thou must suffer and ignore whatever is done against thee, always seeing, as far as in thee lies, the salvation of others.  Do not lose heart, when thou seest no immediate fruit, but continue to present to the eternal Father the merits of my most holy Son, my intercession and that of the saints and angels; for as God is charity and as they are the ministers of the Most High, they will gladly make use of this same charity for the benefit of those who are still on their pilgrimage.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 403

This is teaching us how to live.  :D

Yes, the instructions of our Lady found in this work are so wonderfully excellent!  I try to follow all that she teaches us, and so should everybody.  God bless you!

'As if in pledge or advance payment of the universal exaltation of Christ after his Ascension, and especially at the final judgment, the Father decreed that the inhabitants of Jerusalem should meet Him with great applause and honor at his entrance into Jerusalem....'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 409

'The Lord was to make use of both of them [an ass and her colt] according to the prophesies of Isaias (Is. 62, 11), and Zacharias (Zach. 9, 9), who had foretold these particulars many ages before, in order that the priests and scribes should not be able to allege ignorance as an excuse.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 410

'In order that the triumph of our Savior over death might be more glorious, the Most High ordained, that on that day [of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem] death should have no power over any of the mortals, so that, although in the natural course many would have died, not one of the human race died within those twenty-four hours.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 412

'Though so many had acknowledged Christ our Savior and King of Jerusalem [at His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem], not one tendered Him hospitality or received Him in his house (Mark, 11, 11).

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 413

'Just as the virtuous and the friends of God gradually become instruments in the hands of the Lord and resign themselves entirely to his divine disposition, so that He alone governs and directs them and does not allow them to be moved by other agencies; so, in the like manner, many of the reprobate and of those who are forgetful of their Creator and Redeemer and who deliver themselves over to the devil by repeated sins, are moved and drawn into all kinds of wickedness and are mere tools of his depraved malice.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 427

'The sins of hate and vengeance shall be punished with greater severity than other sins on the judgment day; and in this life these vices will soonest drive away the infinite mercy of God and cause eternal punishment of men, unless they amend in sorrow.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 429

These last quotes have been truly educational!

Can we both agree that we both should be following all of our Lady's instruction found in this work, as everything pertains to us except for the instruction meant for superiors?

What's wrong, Shin?  Are you frightened to answer my question? :)  I know that our Lady asks a lot from us in this work, but I also know that it is best that we obey her in all things.

Ho ho, I am just a bit busy with the new house!

Of course we should be following Our Lady's instructions!!

 :D

'Direct all thy faculties and strain all the powers of thy heart and soul, to make thyself at least somewhat worthy of understanding and meditating upon the ignominies and sorrows of the Son of the eternal Father in his death on the Cross for the salvation of men; and also of considering my doings and sufferings in connection with his bitterest Passion.  This science, so much neglected by men, I desire that thou, my daughter, study and learn, so as to be able to follow thy Spouse and imitate me, who am thy Mother and Teacher.  Writing down and feeling deeply all that I shall teach thee of these mysteries, thou shouldst detach thyself entirely of human and earthly affections and of thy own self, so as freely to follow our footsteps in destitution and poverty.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 442

'Do thou sorrow with me; for this faithful correspondence is due to me, who favor thee with these graces.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 443

'The outward aspect of Christ our Lord was most exquisitely charming and attractive; his countenance, serenely dignified, yet sweetly expressive and beautiful, was framed in abundant waves of golden chestnut hair, freely growing after the manner of the Nazarenes; his frank and open eyes beamed forth grace and majesty; his mouth, nose and all the features of his face exhibited the most perfect proportion and his whole Person was clothed in such entrancing loveliness, that He drew upon himself the loving veneration of all who beheld Him without malice in their hearts.  Over and above all this, the mere sight of Him caused in the beholders an interior joy and enlightenment, engendering heavenly thoughts and sentiments in the soul.  This divine Personage, so lovable and venerable, Judas now saw at his feet [to wash them], striving to please him by new tokens of affection and seeking to gain him by new impulses of love.  But so great was the perversity of Judas, that nothing could move or soften his hardened heart; on the contrary he was irritated by the gentleness of the Savior, and he refused to look upon his face or take notice of his actions; for from the time in which he had lost faith and grace, he was filled with hatred toward his Master and toward his heavenly Mother and never looked them in the face.'  

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 462

"But saint John, though he recognized the traitor by the bread dipped into the sauce and handed to Judas, would not inform saint Peter.  He alone knew the secret, but taught by the charity which he had acquired in the school of his divine Master, he buried the secret in his bosom.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 463

'Remember that my Lord and Son conferred no bodily blessings on anyone, without accompanying them with spiritual, and it would have been derogatory to the divine perfection of his works, to perform them without this plentitude of goodness.  From this thou wilt understand how much we must prefer the benefits of the soul to those of the body; hence thou must always seek them in the first place, although earthly minded men blindly prefer temporal blessings, forgetting the eternal ones and those tending toward the friendship and grace of the Most High.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 466

"In order that thou mayest not lose this pearl of humility just at the time that thou thinkest thyself secure of it, remember that the exercise of it is not to be preferred to obedience, nor must thou practice it merely at thy own will, but in subjection to thy superiors; for if thou prefer thy own judgment to thy superiors even if thou do it under color of humility, thou art guilty of pride; for that would be not only refusing to seek the lowest place, but placing thyself above thy superior....Let it then be to thee an inviolable rule, that as soon as thy confessors and superiors approve of certain blessings and favors as coming from the Lord, thou accept them as such with due thanks and reverence.  Do not allow thyself to be led into new doubts and vacillating fears, but correspond with the favors of the Lord in humble fear and tranquil obedience.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 468

The science of sorrow.. . . !

Yes, and with this science of sorrow we should detach ourselves entirely of human and earthly affections and of our own selves, so as freely to follow our Lord and our Lady's footsteps in destitution and poverty.  God bless you!

'While receiving his own body and blood Christ our Lord composed a canticle of praise to the eternal Father and offered Himself in the Blessed Sacrament as a sacrifice for the salvation of man.  He took another particle of the consecrated bread and handed it to the archangel Gabriel who brought and communicated it to the most holy Mary....When saint Gabriel with innumerable other angels approached, She received it, the first after her Son, imitating his self-abasement, reverence and holy fear.  The most blessed Sacrament was deposited in the breast and above the heart of the most holy Virgin Mother, as in the most legitimate shrine and tabernacle of the Most High.  There the ineffable sacrament of the holy Eucharist remained deposited from that hour until after the Resurrection, when saint Peter said the first Mass and consecrated anew, as I shall relate in its place.  The Almighty wished to have it so for the consolation of the great Queen and in order to fulfill his promise, that He would remain with the children of men until the consummation of the ages (Matth. 28, 20); for after his death his most holy humanity could not remain in his Church any other way than by his consecrated body and blood.  This true manna was then deposited in the most pure Mary as in the living ark together with the whole evangelical law, just as formerly its prophetic figures were deposited in the ark of Moses (Heb. 9, 4).  The sacramental species were not consumed or altered in the heart of the Lady and Queen of heaven until the next consecration.  Having received holy Communion, the blessed Mother gave thanks to the eternal Father and to her divine Son in new canticles similar to the ones the incarnate Word had rendered to his Father.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 486

'The perfidious and treacherous Judas, hearing the command of his Master to partake of holy Communion, resolved in his unbelief not to comply, but if he could do so without being observed, determined to secrete the sacred body and bring it to the priests and pharisees in order to afford them a chance of incriminating Jesus by showing them what He had called his own body; or if he should not succeed therein, to consummate some other vile act of malice with the divine Sacrament.  The Mistress and Queen of heaven, who by a clear vision was observing all that passed and knew the interior and exterior effects and affections of the Apostles at holy Communion, saw also the accursed intentions of the obstinate Judas.  All the zeal for the glory of her Lord, existing in her as his Mother, Spouse and Daughter, was aroused in her purest heart.  Knowing that it was the divine will, that She should make use of her power as Mother and Queen, She commanded the holy angels to extract from the mouth of Judas the consecrated particles as well of the bread as of the wine and replace them from whence they had been taken.  It well befitted her on this occasion to defend the honor of her divine Son and prevent Judas from heaping such an ignominious injury upon Christ the Lord.  The holy angels obeyed their Queen, and when it was the turn of Judas to communicate, they withdrew the consecrated species one after the other, and purifying them from their contact with Judas, the most wicked of living men, they restored them to their place, altogether unobserved by the disciples.  Thus the Lord shielded the honor of his malicious and obstinate Apostle to the end.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 488

'But while the omnipotent and just Judge who is so greatly incensed against the Catholics for having outraged his justice by their unmeasurable and continual transgressions even under the aegis of their grand faith, none are found to consider and weigh the fearful damage, nor to approach the easy remedy of receiving the holy Eucharist with a contrite and humble heart; nor does any one ask for my intercession.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 490

Three priceless quotes.

The one about Judas at the Last Supper is especially relieving, I always wondered exactly what happened. What a privilege to finally know!

Blessed Mother, intercede we pray, to protect Our Lord's Sacred Body and Blood.

Dear Shin, if there is one work that everybody should read in its entirety (besides the Holy Bible), it is Mystical City of God.  There is so much in this work that I have not posted that you would feel most privileged to know!

Note:

Enoch and Elias were sent by the angels to the Last Supper and received Holy Communion.  Other men were present at the Last Supper besides the Apostles, Enoch and Elias.  Blessed Mary and other holy women were in a nearby room as the Last Supper took place, Mary interiorly could see all that was taking place in the other room where her Son celebrated the Last Supper.

'In this prayer Christ our Lord offered Himself anew to the eternal Father in satisfaction of his justice for the rescue of the human race; and He gave consent, that all the torments of his Passion and Death be let loose over that part of his human being, which was capable of suffering.  From that moment He suspended and restrained whatever consolation or relief would otherwise overflow from the impassible to the passible part of his being, so that in this dereliction his passions and sufferings might reach the highest degree possible.  The eternal Father granted these petitions and approved this total sacrifice of the sacred humanity.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 498

'Secluding Herself with these three [Marys] as her more intimate companions, She begged the eternal Father to suspend in Her all human alleviation and comfort, both in the sensitive and in the spiritual part of her being, so that nothing might hinder Her from suffering in the highest degree in union with Her divine Son.  She prayed that She might be permitted to feel and participate in her virginal body all the pains of the wounds and tortures about to be undergone by Jesus.  This petition was granted by the blessed Trinity and the Mother in consequence suffered all the torments of her most holy Son in exact duplication, as I shall relate later.  Although they were such, that, if the right hand of the Almighty had not preserved Her, they would have caused Her death many times over; yet, on the other hand, these sufferings, inflicted by God himself, were like a pledge and a new lease on life.  For in her most ardent love She would have considered it incomparably more painful to see Her divine Son suffer and die without being allowed to share in his torments'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 508

'Though to die for his friends and for the predestined was pleasing to Him and longingly desired by our Savior; yet to die for the reprobate was indeed bitter and painful; for with regard to them the impelling motive for accepting the pains of death was wanting....This chalice then was so bitter for Christ our Lord, because he knew that his drinking it would not only be without fruit for the reprobate, but would be a scandal to them and redound to their greater chastisement and pain on account of their despising it (I Cor. 1, 23).

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 502





I understood therefore that in this prayer Christ besought his Father to let this chalice of dying for the reprobate pass from Him.  Since now his Death was not to be evaded, He asked that none, if possible should be lost; He pleaded, that as his Redemption would be superabundant for all, that therefore it should be applied to all in such a way as to make all, if possible, profit by it in an efficacious manner; and if this was not possible, He would resign Himself to the will of his eternal Father.  Our Savior repeated this prayer three times at different intervals (Matth. 26, 44), pleading the longer in his agony in view of the importance and immensity of the object in question (Luke, 22, 43).  According to our way of understanding, there was a contention or altercation between the most sacred humanity and the Divinity of Christ.  For this humanity, in its intense love for men who were of his own nature, desired that all should attain eternal salvation through his Passion; while his Divinity, in its secret and high judgments, had fixed the number of the predestined and in its divine equity could not concede its blessings to those who so much despised them, and who, of their own free will, made themselves unworthy of eternal life by repelling the kind intentions of Him who procured and offered it to them.  From this conflict arose the agony of Christ, in which He prayed so long and in which He appealed so earnestly to the power and majesty of his omnipotent and eternal Father.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 503

'Estimate then, and weigh within thy soul, how important is the eternal predestination or reprobation of souls, since my most holy Son looked upon it with such great anxiety, that the difficulty or impossibility of saving all men added such immense bitterness to the Death, which He was about to suffer for us all.  By this conflict He manifests to us the importance and gravity of the matter under consideration, He prolonged His supplications and prayers to his eternal Father and his love for men caused his most precious blood to ooze forth from his body on perceiving, that the malice of men would make them unworthy of participation in the benefits of his death.  The Lord my Son has indeed justified his cause in thus having lavished his love and his merits without measure for the purchase of man's salvation; and likewise the eternal Father has justified Himself in presenting to the world such a remedy and in having made it possible for each one freely to reach out for such widely different lots, as death and life, fire and water (Eccli. 15, 71).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 510

This really makes one think of the depths of Our Lord's love.

Jesus has proven to us over and over again that His love for us is infinitely abysmal.  How can some people not be moved to return love for love?  How can we fail to love Him above all else?

"His [our Lord Jesus'] enemies could not understand or fathom the true meaning of these words:  I am He [spoken in the Garden of Gethsemane].  But his most blessed Mother and the angels understood them, as did also, to a great extent, the Apostles....As the Lord spoke with divine power, his enemies could not resist and when his words struck their ears, they all fell backwards to the ground (John 18, 6).  This happened not only to the soldiers, but to the dogs, which they had brought with them, and to the horses on which some of them rode:  all of them fell to the ground and remained motionless like stones.  Lucifer and his demons were hurled down with them, deprived of motion and suffering new confusion and torture.  Thus they remained for some seven or eight minutes, showing no more signs of life than if they had died.

"Sadly our divine Lord contemplated the picture of eternal damnation exhibited in them and listened to the prayer of his most holy Mother to let them rise, for upon her intercession his divine will had made that dependent.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 518-519

'Consider the ignorance of men who wish to come to the Father without following Christ, since they expect to reign with God without suffering or imitating his Passion, yea without even a thought of accepting any part of his suffering and Death, or of thanking Him for it.  They want it to procure for them the pleasures of this life as well of eternal life, while Christ their Creator has suffered the most bitter pains and torments in order to enter heaven and to show them by his example how they are to find the way of light.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 526

'Eternal rest is incompatible with the shame of not having duly labored for its attainment.  He is not a true son of his father, who does not imitate him, nor he a good disciple, who does not follow his Master, nor he a good servant, who does not accompany his lord; nor do I count him a devoted child, who does not suffer with me and my divine Son.  But our love for the eternal salvation of men obliges us, who see them forgetful of this truth and so adverse to suffering, to send them labors and punishments, so that if they do not freely welcome  them, they may at least be forced to undergo them and so be enabled to enter upon the way of salvation.  And yet even all this is insufficient, since their inclinations and their blind love of visible things detains them and makes them hard and heavy of heart; they rob them of remembrance and affection towards these higher things, which might raise them above themselves and above created things.  Hence it comes, that men do not find joy in their tribulations, nor rest in their labors, nor consolation in their sorrows, nor any peace in adversities.  For, altogether different from the saints who glory in tribulation as the fulfilment of their most earnest desires, they desire none of it and abhor all that is painful.  In many of the faithful this ignorance goes still farther; for some of them expect to be distinguished by God's most intimate love, others, to be pardoned without penance, others, to be highly favored.  Nothing of all this will they attain, because they do not ask in the name of Christ the Lord and because they do not wish to imitate Him and follow Him in his Passion.'

'Therefore, my daughter, embrace the Cross and do not admit any consolation outside of it in this mortal life.  By contemplating and feeling within thyself the sacred Passion thou wilt attain the summit of perfection and attain the love of a spouse.  Bless and magnify my most holy Son for the love with which He delivered Himself up for the salvation of mankind.  Little do mortals heed this mystery; but I, as an Eyewitness, assure thee, next to ascending to the right hand of his eternal Farther, nothing was so highly estimated and so earnestly desired by Him, as to offer Himself for suffering and death and to deliver Himself up entirely to his enemies.  I wish also that thou lament with great sorrow the fact that Judas, in his malice and treachery, has many more followers than Christ.  Many are the infidels, many the bad Catholics, many the hypocrites, who under the name of a Christian, sell and deliver Him and wish to crucify Him anew.  Bewail all these evils, which thou understandest and knowest, in order that thou mayest imitate and follow me in this manner.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 527-528

The consolation of Our Lord's Passion...

I think this particular quote is going to be of great help to me. I am going to meditate on it a lot.

Let us follow our Lady's instruction, which will lead us to Heaven.

There was an excerpt about never defending oneself a few pages back that I'd like to comment on.  I need to retract some of my words about that post, as I had not considered that our Lady's words were a propos to Ven. Mary of Agreda whose life would be free from certain circumstances like scandal.  When our Lady told her NEVER to defend herself she meant it to Ven. Mary of Agreda; but seeing the Church teaches that in certain circumstances the more perfect thing to do is to defend oneself--and seeing we live in the ugly world where we sometimes need to defend ourselves in order to avoid scandal and keep another soul from sinning, etc. (a circumstance the Church speaks of)--I believe our Lady must want us to follow the Church's counsel and always do the more perfect thing, like defending oneself to avoid some scandal in order to keep another soul from sinning.

Your feedback, friends, would be most welcome.

'[After the flight of the Apostles from the Garden of Gethsemane] She [Mary] by Herself alone then constituted the entire Church, because She alone preserved full faith, hope and love, complete worship and adoration for the great object of our faith, not only supplying her full share for Herself, but for the Apostles and for the whole human race.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 534

'The body [of Judas] remained hanging by the neck for three days, exposed to the view of the public.  During that time the Jews attempted to take it down from the tree and to bury it in secret, for it was a sight apt to cause great confusion to the pharisees and priests, who could not refute such a testimony of his wickedness.  But no efforts of theirs sufficed to drag or separate the body from its position on the tree until three days had passed, when, according to the dispensation of divine justice, the demons themselves snatched the body from the tree and brought it to its soul, in order that both might suffer eternal punishment in the profoundest abyss of hell.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 538

'The secret of it was, that this cavern of greater torments and fiercer fires of hell, from the creation of the world, had been destined for those, who, after having received Baptism, would damn themselves by the neglect of the Sacraments, the doctrines, the Passion and Death of the Savior, and the intercession of his holy Mother.  As Judas had been the first one who had so signally participated in these blessings, and as he had so fearfully misused them, he was also the first to suffer the torments of this place, prepared for him and his imitators and followers.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 538

'Whenever they [the demons] incited the executioners to inflict tortures unbecoming his royal and divine Person, the Lord would not permit such indignities farther than was becoming, while He gave free scope to their inhuman barbarities and savage fury in all the rest.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 541

'They were Apostles chosen by their divine Master, their true God; yet one of them fell lower than any other individual of the human race; and the others failed in faith, the foundation of all virtue.  Yet all this was conformable to the just judgments of the Most High.  Why then should those who are not Apostles, be without fear, who have not so labored in the school of Christ and who have not so merited my intercession?'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 542

'The mistake of not having recognized Christ as the true God causes the deepest and most tormenting regret to Lucifer and his evil spirits for all eternity.  Hence, on account of this error, they are filled with special wrath against those who were redeemed, particularly against the Christians, who derived the greatest benefits from the Redemption and the blood of the Lamb.  That is why the devils are so eager to cause forgetfulness and misuse of these graces in them and why afterwards in hell, they are permitted to vent so much the greater fury and wrath upon the wicked Christians.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 543

'Clearly I desire thee to forget and blot out of thy faculties all images and remembrances of mere creatures in order that thou mayest be fit to receive my salutary teaching and be capable of imitating me.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 544

Thanks for all the posts, Therese, I'm following along, just taking it all in!

I will stop posting excerpts on this thread until I get some help with this post.  Please, please help me with the following:


There was an excerpt about never defending oneself a few pages back that I'd like to comment on.  I need to retract some of my words about that post, as I had not considered that our Lady's words were specifically a propos to Ven. Mary of Agreda whose life would be free from certain circumstances like scandal.  When our Lady told her NEVER to defend herself she meant it to Ven. Mary of Agreda; but seeing the Church teaches that in certain circumstances the more perfect thing to do is to defend oneself--and seeing we live in the ugly world where we sometimes need to defend ourselves in order to avoid scandal and keep another soul from sinning, etc. (a circumstance the Church speaks of)--I believe our Lady must want us to follow the Church's counsel and always do the more perfect thing, like defending oneself to avoid some scandal in order to keep another soul from sinning.

Does this sound right?  

Are you talking about this extract Therese? Which one?


I was looking for another quote from the saints earlier to help but had to take a break and hadn't gotten back to it.

FWIW. One of the things a person who grows in virtue has to learn is how to weave the virtues together and how to aim for the greatest good.

So that sometimes the greatest good is not defending oneself and sometimes one has to defend, i.e. because if one did not defend some harm would come that would outweigh the good of not doing so. So the thing to do is to have the virtues of mind to see which is the proper course.

I think a key would be if one has a reflexive habit of self defense without consideration, if one's motivation is self centered, that would be a bad habit to be fixed preventing one from following a path of heroic virtue of suffering silently with Our Lord or a path of heroic self sacrifice.

'He who really wishes to become a saint must never defend himself, except in a few rare cases, but always acknowledge himself in fault, even when what is alleged against him is untrue.'

St. Philip Neri

'The love of Christ arouses us, urges us to run, and to fly lifted on the wings of holy zeal . . . The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame; he desires and works with all his strength to inflame all men with the fire of God's love. Nothing deters him: he rejoices in poverty; he labors strenuously; he welcomes hardships; he laughs off false accusations; he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and by caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.'

St. Anthony Mary Claret

No that is not the quote, Shin.  The quote is one of Mary saying that we should NEVER defend ourselves.  But what St. Philip Neri says is what I've been taught by the Church and the Saints.  I'll try to find the quote for you.  Please tell me why you think Mary used the word NEVER.  Was it because she was talking specifically to Ven. Mary of Jesus and in her circumstances at the convent and not to all of us?   God bless you!

Here is the post in question, Shin:

'Learn also from this never to defend thyself against accusations, no matter how innocent thou mayest be.  Oblige the Lord to do it by confiding in his love.  Charge thy reputation to this account; and in the meanwhile overcome by patience and humility, by sweet and kind words, those who have offended thee.  Above all things, I admonish thee never to judge evil of anyone, even if thou seest with thy own eyes the outward warrants of thy judgment; for perfect and sincere charity will teach thee to find a prudent evasion and excuse for all faults of thy neighbor....For in law of discreet and holy charity it must be held as prudence, not temerity, to suspect higher causes, as yet unseen, rather than to judge and condemn our neighbors for faults in which his guilt is clearly not evident.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. II, 396

Why does Mary use the word never, Shin?  Is it because she is talking exclusively to Ven. Mary of Jesus in her circumstances at the convent and not to us all?

Ah-ha, thank you Therese. I had a recollection of it, but couldn't find it -- so it was back in the previous volume.

Let's take out the whole passage:

395. Let it therefore be to thee as a rule always to be followed that thou reveal nothing to any one except to thy spiritual guide, unless I command otherwise. Since I have constituted myself thy Teacher, I will not fail to give thee advice and direction in this and in all other things, lest thou stray from the path appointed to thee by the will of my most holy Son. Yet I admonish thee to appreciate highly all the favors and revelations of the Most High. Preserve them with a magnanimous heart; esteem them, give thanks for them, and put them to practice in preference to anything else, especially in preference to anything originating from thy own inclinations.

The reverential fear of God bound me to silence, having (as was proper) such a high regard for the Treasure deposited in me. Notwithstanding the natural feeling of love and obligation toward my master and spouse saint Joseph, and in disregard of the sorrow and compassion for his afflictions, of which I so desired to free him, I hid the secret of my state in silence, preferring the pleasure of the Lord to all these, and leaving to Him the defense of my cause. Learn also from this never to defend thyself against accusations, no matter how innocent thou mayest be. Oblige the Lord to do it by confiding in his love. Charge thy reputation to his account; and in the meanwhile overcome by patience and humility, by sweet and kind words, those who have offended thee.

Above all things I admonish thee never to judge evil of any one, even if thou seest with thy own eyes the outward warrants of thy judgment; for perfect and sincere charity will teach thee to find a prudent evasion and excuse for all faults of thy neighbor. God has placed my spouse, saint Joseph, as a shining example for such a
course of action, since no one had more evident proofs of evil, and no one was more discreet in deferring his judgment. For in the law of discreet and holy charity it must be held as prudence, not temerity, to suspect higher causes, as yet unseen, rather than to judge and condemn our neighbors for faults in which his guilt is not clearly evident. I do not give thee special instructions for those that are in the state of matrimony, since they can derive them manifestly from the whole course of my life. But from the above instruction all can profit, although just now I have in view thy own advancement, because I desire it with especial love. Hear me, daughter, and fulfill my counsels and follow these my words of eternal life.

396. Let it therefore be to thee as a rule always to be followed that thou reveal nothing to any one except to thy spiritual guide, unless I command otherwise. Since I have constituted myself thy Teacher, I will not fail to give thee advice and direction in this and in all other things, lest thou stray from the path appointed to thee by the will of my most holy Son. Yet I admonish thee to appreciate highly all the favors and revelations of the Most High. Preserve them with a magnanimous heart ; esteem them, give thanks for them, and put them to practice in preference to anything else, especially in preference to anything originating from thy own inclinations. The reverential fear of God bound me to silence, having (as was proper) such a high regard for the Treasure deposited in me. Notwithstanding the natural feeling of love and obligation toward my master and spouse saint Joseph, and in disregard of the sorrow and compassion for his afflictions, of which I so desired to free him, I hid the secret of my state in silence, preferring the pleasure of the Lord to all these, and leaving to Him the defense of my cause. Learn also from this never to defend thyself against accusations, no matter how innocent thou mayest be. Oblige the Lord to do it by confiding in his love. Charge thy reputation to his account; and in the meanwhile overcome by patience and humility, by sweet and kind words, those who have offended thee. Above all things I admonish thee never to judge evil of any one, even if thou seest with thy own eyes the out ward warrants of thy judgment; for perfect and sincere charity will teach thee to find a prudent evasion and excuse for all faults of thy neighbor. God has placed my spouse, saint Joseph, as a shining example for such a course of action, since no one had more evident proofs of evil, and no one was more discreet in deferring his judgment. For in the law of discreet and holy charity it must be held as prudence, not temerity, to suspect higher causes, as yet unseen, rather than to judge and condemn our neighbors for faults in which his guilt is not clearly evident. I do not give thee special instructions for those that are in the state of matrimony, since they can derive them manifestly from the whole course of my life. But from the above instruction all can profit, although just now I have in view thy own advancement, because I desire it with especial love. Hear me, daughter, and fulfill my counsels and follow these my words of eternal life.

[editing: to include all passages]

For what little it's worth --

I could take the 'never' as perhaps in its strictest form aimed at Ven. Mary, but for us in the context of St. Philip Neri's quote.

From the beginning I tended towards taking it as a general never not an all exclusive never, 'commandment'.


 

 :rejoice: :rejoice: :rejoice:

Thank you again for finding it again!

This was very wise of you.  Thanks so much for your help with this quote, Shin!!

You are most welcome! :D

Does this mean that we shouldn't discuss our spiritual life with others, Shin?

'The denial of Peter caused our Lord greater pain to the Lord than the buffet which He had received; for this sin was directly opposed and abhorrent to his immense charity, while pains and sufferings were sweet and welcome to Him, since He could thereby atone for our sins.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 553

Let's see what was said earlier again. . .

My daughter, the example of my silence, which thou hast been writing about, should teach thee to use it as a guide in thy treatment of the favors and sacraments of the Lord, namely that thou keep them concealed within thy heart. Although it might at times seem useful to reveal them for the consolation of some soul, thou must not act upon this opinion without having first consulted God in prayer, and then thy superiors. For these spiritual matters must not be made dependent upon human feeling, which are so much subject to the passions and inclinations of nature. There is always great danger of considering that to be an advantage which is harmful, and a service to God, what is injurious. It is not given to eyes of the flesh and blood (I Cor. 2, 14) to discern the interior movements, so as to decide which of them are divine and caused by grace, or which are human, engendered by the disorderly affections. Although there is great difference between these two kinds of affections and their causes, nevertheless, if the creature is not highly enlightened and dead to its passions, it can not recognize this difference, nor separate the precious from the vile (Jer. 15, 19). This danger is greater when some temporal or human motive is mixed up with or underlies our actions ; for then our natural selflove is wont to creep in and take away discretion and supervision of heavenly and spiritual things, leading on to many sudden and dangerous falls.

Let it therefore be to thee as a rule always to be followed that thou reveal nothing to any one except to thy spiritual guide, unless I command otherwise. Since I have constituted myself thy Teacher, I will not fail to give thee advice and direction in this and in all other things, lest thou stray from the path appointed to thee by the will of my most holy Son. Yet I admonish thee to appreciate highly all the favors and revelations of the Most High. Preserve them with a magnanimous heart; esteem them, give thanks for them, and put them to practice in preference to anything else, especially in preference to anything originating from thy own inclinations. The reverential fear of God bound me to silence, having (as was proper) such a high regard for the Treasure deposited in me. Notwithstanding the natural feeling of love and obligation toward my master and spouse saint Joseph, and in disregard of the sorrow and compassion for his afflictions, of which I so desired to free him, I hid the secret of my state in silence, preferring the pleasure of the Lord to all these, and leaving to Him the defense of my cause.

'When the Lord was bound with the chains and ropes, She [Blessed Mary] felt on her wrists such pains, that the blood oozed from her fingernails, as if they had really been bound and crushed:  in the same manner the other wounds affected her body.  As to these tortures were added the sorrows of her heart in seeing Christ our Lord suffer, She shed miraculous tears of blood.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 553

So Ven. Mary of Jesus was told not to reveal the favors and sacraments of the Lord to others, right, Shin?   As far as favors are concerned, I don't think it is normally a good idea to speak of one's favors received from the Lord.  The part about not revealing the sacraments (revelations) of the Lord is a little more difficult for me to understand, as I thought that it is a good thing to share them with others ... this is why I post these passages. 

"I tell thee truly, my dearest, only my intercession and the merits of his Son, which I offer to the eternal Father, can delay the punishment and placate his wrath, can retard the destruction of the world and the severe chastisement of the children of the Church, who know his will and fail to fulfil it (John, 15, 15).  But I am much incensed to find so few who condole with me and try to console my Son in his sorrows, as David says (Ps. 68, 21).  This hardness of heart will cause great confusion to them on the day of judgment; since they will then see with irreparable sorrow, not only that they were ungrateful, but inhuman and cruel toward my divine Son, toward me and toward themselves.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 554

 

I don't really understand how to weigh all the factors in the matter.. so I hesitate to speak..

No, I would not think that. I would think that we have to practice carefulness and pray about it, to see whether it will be truly for the good and proceed from right motives. As Our Lady says it is very difficult to separate the affections and their causes.. when I think of how much time I try to discern the source and purify my interior life, feelings and motivations.. sigh..

For what little it's worth -- Since she spoke of consulting superiors if we were to as laity consider that if the matter is serious enough that we think there could be consequences for us if we spoke of it -- we could consult with our spiritual director before discussing it with others, but for lighter things I do not think that would be necessary unless we had a bad habit of garrulousness.. I am the opposite, perhaps too quiet more often, though I can be too talkative.. so it's hard to judge.. so too we are not receiving revelations and such like Ven. Mary.. and too it depends on how reliable the person we are speaking to is in spiritual conversation. Is the person a spiritual friend who has shown to be a benefit to speak to? Is the person a spiritual friend whom natural feelings are a danger with on the other hand?

And too Ven. Mary's circumstances were special as her spiritual favors were such miracles as we see.  

I don't fully understand this matter. Sometimes it benefits people to tell them of spiritual things, and spiritual conversation generally speaking is what is the conversation of the people of God. A person's spiritual virtues cannot help but come forth in how the person speaks and acts and what the person chooses to discuss. Sometimes we speak of God's gifts to help others to appreciate Him and give Him thanks, sometimes we hide them, lest we lose them, or lose treasure in Heaven by them being misappropriated to us, or sinful vanity, vainglory, etc. which are poison.

"Who pardons an insult for the sake of imitating Him?  Just the contrary is set up as law in this world, not only by the infidels, but by the very children of the faith and of light.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 555

I think the thing to avoid is 'I' centeredness..

And to have prudence and reserve about some kinds of things in the interior life more than others. A person knows what temptations a person receives.. it's hard to put it into words.. If could see it I would be more able to say, 'This person is talking and revealing too much', or 'This person is saying something helpful for everyone, I am grateful it was revealed'..  or 'This person needs help with this and so brought it up out of necessity..' or 'This is the sort of thing that is not to be spoken of in public but only privately.'

Of course whether I would be right to think those judgements would be another matter too.  :+:

Yes, Shin.  Self-love and pride can get mixed in when we speak of our favors received from God.  What bad can happen when we reveal the sacraments/revelations of God?  All I can think of is that others might not be ready for them and might be irreverent towards them.  What do you think?

'I remind thee, that there is no exercise more profitable and useful for the soul than to suffer: for suffering gives light, undeceives, detaches the heart from visible things and raises it up to the Lord.  He will come to meet those in suffering, because He is with the afflicted and sends them his protection and help (Ps. 40, 15).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 556

Yes, of course.

I'm grateful you asked these questions and brought up these passages again as they are quite helpful to me.. I see I have been trying to use natural means to sort out the supernatural and preternatural rather than relying on God and the spiritual...

Well, when you ask that.. what harm, it makes me think of the 'discipline of the secret' from early Christianity.. do your recall hearing of this?

Yes irreverence as you said:  "Give not that which holy to dogs; neither cast your pearls before swine; lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you" (Matthew 7:6)

It reminds me of the hidden natural of the proverbs of Our Lord.. and indeed the way everything is hidden in Holy Scripture to a certain degree.. so that those who are not virtuous or given the spiritual help to, will often take matters incorrectly.. or.. like you posted earlier.. ah wait.. I forget what it was.. Had a moment there where I had something and it just disappeared.

There was also a quote once I read about why God hid matters in the proverbs.. irreverence yes.. perhaps simply lack of deserving of such knowledge I think..

It would take a whole lot to incense the Mother of Mercy, but men have incensed her.

The black Madonna!

Ah how I love those intricate shrines full of relics and discarded crutches and incensed to blackness!

Yes, that sounds right.  "That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them" (Mark 4:12).

No, Shin, the incense that is being referred to here in reference to our Lady is a feeling of or showing of anger, not the sweet smelling incense that you are thinking of.  It is being beyond mad.

Ah I misread it. Thank you Therese. I was thinking of the incense of prayers and intercession.

Have a good afternoon Therese!  :D

And you have a good evening, Shin!  Take a good rest after your busy labors and enjoy the cooler evening temperatures in your nice backyard. :D

Is incense really the reason the Black Madonna is black, Shin?  I never knew this.

I think that might be the case, but I am not certain. It could be originally so, it could also be due to Canticle of Canticles 1:5.

'I am black but beautiful, o ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tabernacles of Cedar, as the skins of Salomon.'

Let me see if I can find out some more info. Oh, here is a description from one source I just briefly looked up online:

Monastery of Jasna Gora, Czestochowa, Poland -- Tradition tell us that St. Luke painted it on top of a cypress wood table from the home of the Holy Family. Mary sat for the portrait and was so pleased by it that she said, "My grace shall accompany it". The painting was later brought to Constantinople and several centuries later it was given to a nobleman from Kiev. In 1382 the neck in the painting was pierced by an invading Tartar's arrow. Concerned with its safety, Prince Ladislaus Opolski decided to move it to a safer location; but the horses carrying the wagon with the painting suddenly stopped on a hill called Jasna Gora (Brigh hill) and nothing could make them move. Mary appeared to Ladislaus and told him that this was to be her new home. The recorded history of miracles surrounding the painting began in 1382 when it began to protect Poland from successive invading armies. The monastery of Jasna Gora became a monastic fortress and Our Lady of Czestochowa was crowned as Queen of Poland in 1430. Once, Hussites sacked the monastery, seized the painting and set off in their wagons. But the horses wouldnít budge. A hussite then threw the painting from the wagon and slashed it twice with his sword into the right cheek of Mary. When he went to strike it for a third time, he fell dead. Repeated efforts by artists to patch the scars failed since the facial cuts reappeared every time. The Black Madonna nickname refers to the dark skin colors caused by 2000 years of libations of incense and candles as well as from the major fire it was in during its years in Constantinople.

Ah, yes, the candles and fire would add a lot to the effects of the incense on the Black Madonna image.  Thanks for the information!

'He [Caiphas] made of himself an execrable blasphemer in maintaining that He, who is holiness itself, had blasphemed.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 562

Some of them [at the house of Caiphas] struck Him in the face, others kicked Him, others tore out his hair, others spat upon his venerable countenance, others slapped or struck Him in the neck, which was a treatment reserved among the Jews only for the most abject and vile of criminals.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 562

'Never among men were such outrageous and frightful insults heaped upon any one as were then heaped upon the Redeemer.  Saint Luke and saint Mark say that they covered his face and then struck Him with their hands and fists saying:  Prophesy, prophesy to us, Thou Prophet, who was it that struck Thee?  The reason for their doing this was mysterious:  namely, the joy with which our Savior suffered all these injuries and blasphemies (as I will soon relate) made his face shine forth with extraordinary beauty, and on this account those ministers of wickedness were seized with unbearable consternation and shame.  They sought to attribute it to sorcery and magic and, by a resolution befitting also well their unworthiness, they covered the face of the Lord with an unclean cloth, so that they might not be hindered and tormented by its divine light in venting their diabolical wrath.  All these affronts, reproaches and insults were seen and felt by the most holy Mary, causing in Her the same pains and wounds in the same parts of her body and at the same time as afflicted upon the Lord.  The only difference was, that in our Lord the blows and torments were inflicted by the Jews themselves, while in his most pure Mother they were caused by the Almighty in a miraculous manner and upon request of the Lady.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 563

'Because I was a Daughter of Adam I mortified in me the senses and faculties with which he sinned, and I humiliated myself as one that had fallen and one guilty of his sin and disobedience, though I was entirely free from them.  All this I did not only for Adam, but for all who by nature are my brethren.  Thou canst not imitate me under like conditions, since thou art a partaker in his sin and guilt.  But I herewith impose upon thee to labor without ceasing for thyself and for thy neighbor, and to humiliate thyself to the very dust; since a contrite and humble heart draws down mercy from the divine goodness.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 571

'I would be the most ungrateful of all woman-born, if I would not now abhor sin more than death and as much as even the demon, and I cannot but intimate and assert, that this is the duty likewise of all the children of the holy Catholic church.'

Cen. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 572

'The order of the council of wickedness was executed; the servants dragged the Creator of heaven and earth to that polluted and subterranean dungeon there to imprison Him.  As the Lord was still bound with the fetters laid upon Him in the garden, these malicious men freely exercised all the wrathful cruelty with which they were inspired by the prince of darkness; for they dragged Him forward by the ropes, inhumanly causing Him to stumble, and loading Him with kicks and cuffs amid blasphemous imprecations.  From the floor in one corner of the subterranean cavern protruded part of a rock or block, which on account of its hardness had not been cut out.  To this block, which had the appearance of a piece of column, they now bound and fettered the Lord Jesus with the ends of the ropes, but in a most merciless manner.  For they forced Him to approach it and they tied Him to it in a stooping position, so that He could neither seat Himself or stand upright for relief, forcing Him to remain in a most painful and torturing posture.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 574

'My Son and I look with especial love upon those who imitate this sorrow and afflict themselves on account of the perdition of so many souls.  Seek thou my dearest, to distinguish thyself in this exercise and continue to pray: for thou canst scarcely imagine how acceptable are such prayers to the Almighty.  But remember his promise, that those who pray shall receive (Luke 11, 9), and that to those who knock the gates of his infinite treasures shall be opened.  In order that thou mayest have something to offer in return, write into thy heart, what my most holy Son and thy Spouse suffered at the hands of those vile an depraved men, and the invincible patience, meekness and silence with which He submitted to their wicked whims.  With this example, labor from now on, that no anger, nor any other passion of a daughter of Adam have any sway over thee.  Let an interior and ever active horror of pride, and a dread of injuring thy neighbor, be engendered in thy bosom.  Solicitously ask the Lord for patience, meekness, and peacefulness and for a love of sufferings and Christ's Cross.  Embrace this Cross with a pious affection and follow Christ thy Spouse, in order that thou mayest at last possess Him (Matth. 16, 14).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 585

I am always benefiting from every single quote. It's a continual fountain of grace!


Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Yes, for me too, Shin!  This book is most excellent!  A friend once told me that it was required reading for priests before Vatican II.  I certainly understand why.  As you say, it's a continual fountain of grace.  I am so glad that others appreciate this book as much as I do!  God bless you! 

I am very grateful this is the book you decided to work with in the beginning.  :rejoice:

'She [Blessed Mary] loved them as sincerely as if She were receiving favors and blessings at their hands.  She permitted no indignation or anger to rise in her heart against the sacrilegious ministers of the Passion and Death of her beloved Son, nor any sign of such feelings in her exterior conduct.  All of them she looked upon with charity and the desire of doing them good.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, City of God, Vol. III, 591

I am glad, Shin!  God bless you!

'The image of her divine Son, thus wounded, defiled and bound, remained so firmly fixed and imprinted in the soul of our Queen, that during her life it was never effaced, and remained in her mind as distinctly, as if She were continually beholding Him with her own eyes.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 594

'Because they do not heed the contagion of Lucifer through sin, which is perpetuated in the world, they do not seek in the Physician the medicine of suffering, which the Lord in his immense charity has left to the world in word and deed. 'Let men then consider themselves conceived in sin (Ps. 50, 7), and let them realize how strong has grown in them the hellish seed of pride, of presumption, vanity, self-esteem, avarice, hypocricy, deceitfulness, and all other vices.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 601

'Abhor human ostentation, suffer in silence and let the world consider thee ignorant; for it does not know where true wisdom dwells.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 602

'The sight of the white vestment, by which they proclaimed Him fit to be treated only as an insane fool, pierced her heart with new sorrow; though She alone, of all mankind, recognized the mystery of his purity and innocence indicated by this vestment.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 608

'Our most beautiful Rachel the purest Mary, sought not revenge, but pardon for her enemies, who were depriving Her of the Onlybegotten of the Father and her only Son.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 598

'As the term of each man's life is preordained for each one as the time in which he is to gain the eternal reward, so the measure or number of sins to be borne by the patience or forbearance of the Lord is likewise preordained.  This measure of divine justice is determined not only by the number and quantity of sins, but also by their quality and weight.  Thus it may happen, that in the souls favored by greater enlightenment and grace of heaven, the grievousness supplies for what is wanting in the number of sins, and that with fewer sins they are forsaken sooner and chastised more severely than others with many more sins.  Nor can all expect for themselves the same issue as David (II Reg. 12, 13) and saint Peter; because not all of them have to their credit as many good actions to be remembered by the Lord.  Besides the special privileges of some cannot be set up as the rule for all others; because according to the secret judgments of the Lord, not all are destined for a special office.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 622

Thanks be to God now we can too see a little!

'See Jesus Christ in His priest, clothed in the habiliments of His Passion.

The amice represents the piece of cloth which His captors muffled the Savior's eyes. The alb is the white robe with which the lewd Herod derisively vested Him. The girdle recalls to us the rope with which the Jews bound Him in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to lead Him before His judges. The maniple represents the chains with which He was fastened to the pillar to be scourged; the stole, the rope by which He was dragged beneath His Cross through the streets of Jerusalem. The chasuble symbolizes the purple mantle cast about His shoulders in the praetorium, or else the heavy Cross upon Him.'

St. Peter Julian Eymard

Yes there is so much! I am even now reading and looking for the passage! Fear not, whether we find it or not, I think sometime you will find it again for us in the future. 

I honestly hope to.  I'll have to note the chapter number.  When I read about how Jesus loved and prayed for His evil malefactors as they were doing Him very great injury I saw the depths of God's love and how deep our love is supposed to be.  God bless you! 

Wow!  The comparison is so beautiful!  Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Shin!

'I understand that some of the doctors have said or have persuaded themselves, that our Savior Jesus at his scourging and at his crucifixion, for his greater humiliation, permitted the executioners to despoil Him of all his clothing.  But having again been commanded under holy obedience to ascertain the truth in this matter, I was told that the divine Master was prepared to suffer all the insults compatible with decency; that the executioners attempted to subject his body to this shame of total nakedness, seeking to despoil Him of the cincture, which covered his loins; but in that they failed; because, on touching it, their arms became paralyzed and stiff, as had also happened in the house of Caiphas, when they attempted to take off his clothes (Chapt. XVII).  All the six of his tormentors separately made the attempt with the same result.  Yet afterwards, these ministers of evil, raised some of the coverings; for so much the Lord permitted, but not that He should be uncovered and despoiled of his garments entirely.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 627

'Their ceaseless blows inhumanly tore the immaculate virginal flesh of Christ our Redeemer and scattered many pieces of it about the pavement; so much that a large portion of the shoulder-bones were exposed and showed red through the flowing blood; in other places also were laid bare larger than the palm of the hand.  In order to wipe out entirely that beauty, which exceeded that of all other men (Ps. 44, 3), they beat Him in the face and in the feet and hands, this leaving unwounded not a single spot in which they could exert their fury and wrath against the most innocent Lamb.  The divine blood flowed to the ground, gathering here and there in great abundance.  The scourging in the face, and in the hands and feet, were unspeakable painful, because these parts are so full of sensitive and delicate nerves.  His venerable countenance became so swollen and wounded that the blood and the swellings blinded Him.  In addition to their blows the executioners spirted upon his Person their disgusting spittle and loaded Him with insulting epithets (Thren. 3, 30).  The exact number of blows dealt out to the Savior from head to foot was 5, 115.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 629

'Although She [Blessed Mary] shed no blood except what flowed from her eyes with her tears, nor was lacerated in her flesh [as Her Son was at the Scourging of the Pillar]; yet the bodily pains so changed and disfigured Her, that saint John and the holy women failed to find in her any resemblance of Herself.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 630

'They placed upon his sacred head a cap made of woven thorns, to serve Him as a crown (John, 19, 2).  This cap was woven of thorn branches and in such a manner that many of the hard and sharp thorns would penetrate into the skull, some of them to the ears and others to the eyes.  Hence one of the greatest tortures suffered by the lord was that of the crown of thorns.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 633


'When the Blessed among women, most holy Mary, saw her divine Son as Pilate showed Him to the people and heard him say: "Ecce homo!" She fell upon her knees and openly adored Him as the true Godman.  The same was also done by saint John and the holy women, together with all the holy angels of the Queen and Lady; for they saw that not only Mary, as the Mother of the Savior, but that God himself desired them thus to act.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 636

In order that the most ignominious death foretold for my Lord should be brought about (Sap. 2, 20; Jer. 11, 19) it was necessary that He should be persecuted by men.  But that these men should happen to be the Jews, the priests and the unjust Pilate, was their own misfortune, not the choice of the Almighty, who wishes to save all (Tim. 2, 4).

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 640

'The same, which happened in the head Christ the Lord and Son of God, must happen to all members of his mystical body, that is, to the just and predestined to the end of the world.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 641

Not too long ago I read the book A Doctor at Calvary by Dr. Pierre Barbet, M.D..  In this book Dr. Barbet reveals his study of the Shroud of Turin.  He states that our Lord was crowned with a cap of thorns and not with a wreath of thorns, as is commonly depicted in pictures.  Ven. Mary of Agreda says the same thing as Dr. Barbet, that our Lord was crowned with a cap of thorns. 

According to Ven. Mary of Agreda, our Lord was scourged by six torturers, two at a time they took turns scourging our Lord.  The first two used "thick cords, full of rough knots."  The second pair continued the scourging with "hardened leather thongs."  The last pair of scourgers used "tough rawhides, dried hard like osier twigs." 

May the Lord grant us to in some way console Our Lady of Sorrows!

Yes, every day and all day!

'O my sweetest Love, Jesus, light of my intellect and glory of my soul!  Do not, O my Lord, trust in my sluggish torpidity to follow Thee with my Cross on the way!  Take it upon Thee to do me this favor; draw me after Thee, to run after the fragrance of thy sweetest love (Cant. 1, 3) of thy ineffable patience, of thy deepest humility, that I may desire for contempt and anguish, and seek after participation in thy ignominy, insults and sorrows.  Let this be my portion and my inheritance in this mortal and oppressing life, let this be my glory and my repose; and outside of the Cross and its ignominy, I desire not to live or be consoled or to partake of any rest or enjoyment.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 655

'The executioners, bare of all human compassion and kindness, dragged our Savior Jesus along with incredible cruelty and insults.  Some of them jerked Him forward by the ropes in order to accelerate his passage, while others pulled from behind in order to retard it.  On account of this jerking and the weight of the Cross they caused Him to sway to and fro and often to fall to the ground.  By the hard knocks He thus received on the rough stones great wounds were opened, especially on the two knees and they were widened at each repeated fall.  The heavy Cross also inflicted a wound on the shoulder on which it was carried.  The unsteadiness caused the Cross to knock sometimes against his sacred head, and sometimes the head against the Cross; thus the crowns of his thorns penetrated deeper and wounded the parts, which they had not yet reached.  To these torments of the body the ministers of evil added many insulting words and execrable affronts, ejecting their impure spittle and throwing the dirt of the pavement into his face so mercilessly, that they blinded the eyes that looked upon them with such divine mercy.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 656

'Another deceit has spread through the world: many imagine that they are following Christ their Master, though they neither suffer affliction nor engage in any exertion or labor.  They are content with avoiding boldness in committing sins, and place all their perfection in a certain prudence or hollow self-love, which prevents them from denying anything to their will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh....He [Jesus] chose not a life of softness and ease for the flesh, but one full of labors and pains; for He judged His instructions to be incomplete and insufficient to redeem man, if He failed to teach them how to overcome the demon, the flesh and their own self.  He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent victory is gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the acceptance of contempt:  all of which are the trademarks and evidences of true love and the special watchwords of the predestined.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 662

'Le this be to thee a general rule:  that all human consolation is an imperfection and a danger, and that thou shouldst welcome only that, which the Most High sends to thee Himself or through his holy angels.  And even these favors of the divine right hand thou must accept only insofar as they strengthen thee to suffer more constantly and to withdraw thee from all that ministers to the senses.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Ageda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 663

This statement is a true guiding light to holiness!

So true!

The path to salvation is to live a supernatural life!

Yes, that's right!

The power of the Divinity, which deified his most holy humanity by its hypostatic union, helped Him, not to lighten his pains, but to strengthen Him against death; so that, still retaining life until death should be permitted to take it away on the Cross, He might satiate his love to the fullest extent.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 664

Near her [Blessed Mary] were saint John and the three Marys; for they alone, through her intercession and favor of the eternal Father, had obtained the privilege of remaining so constantly near to the Savior and to his Cross.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 664

'Four times during the Passion did they despoil Jesus of his garments and again vest Him.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 667

'The most prudent Virgin never forgot or disregarded the first word which She had heard from the mouth of her divine Son as an infant:  "Become like unto me, my Beloved."

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 670

'In order to find places for the auger-holes on the Cross, the executioners haughtily commanded the Creator of the universe (O dreadful temerity!), to stretch Himself out upon it.  But they, following their human instinct of cruelty, marked the places for the holes, not according to the size of his body, but larger, having in mind a new torture for their Victim.  This inhuman intent was known to the Mother of light, and the knowledge of it was one of the greatest afflictions of her chastest heart during the whole Passion.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 671

'I must not omit mentioning another barbarity inflicted upon the Lord as they raised Him:  for some of them placed the sharp points of their lances and halberds to his body and fearfully lacerating Him under the armpits in helping to push the Cross into position.  At this spectacle new cries of protest arose with still more vehemence and confusion from the multitude of people.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 676

'Thou [Dismas] has now ceased to rob earthly possessions of thy neighbor, and immediately snatchest heaven from the hands of thy Master.  Thou seizes in justice and He yields it to thee in grace, since thou wast the last disciple of his doctrine on earth and the most alert of all in practicing it after having heard it from his mouth.  Thou hast lovingly corrected thy brother, confessed thy Creator, reprehended those who blasphemed Him, imitated Him in patient suffering, asked Him humbly as thy Redeemer not to forget thy miseries; and He, as thy Exalter, has at once fulfilled thy desires without delaying the guerdon merited for thee and all the mortals.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 682

'By the third vow, that of chastity, thy feet are nailed to the Cross, in order that all thy steps and movements may be pure, chaste and beautiful.  For this thou must not permit in thy presence the least word offensive to purity, nor, by looking upon or touching any human creature, allow any sensual image or impression within thee; thy eyes and all thy senses are to remain consecrated to chastity, without making more use of them than to fix them upon Jesus crucified.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 700

May the Lord grant us holy purity always.

'By the third vow, that of chastity, thy feet are nailed to the Cross, in order that all thy steps and movements may be pure, chaste and beautiful.  For this thou must not permit in thy presence the least word offensive to purity, nor, by looking upon or touching any human creature, allow any sensual image or impression within thee; thy eyes and all thy senses are to remain consecrated to chastity, without making more use of them than to fix them upon Jesus crucified.'


Do you think that our Lady doesn't want me to hug and kiss people any more, Shin?  My family and I hug and kiss when we great each other and depart from each other.  Of course we hug and kiss each other with no temptations against holy purity.  Sometimes, though not often, when I am really, really grateful to and happy with a friend I hug or kiss her; there is no temptation I feel against holy purity here too.  Do you think our Lady doesn't want me to hug and kiss people anymore?

'Before He assumed flesh I hated Him and refused to acknowledge Him as being more worthy than I to be adored by the rest of creation.  Although on account of this resistance I was cast out from heaven with you and was degraded to this abominable condition so unworthy of my greatness and former beauty, I am even more tormented to see myself thus vanquished and oppressed by this Man and by his Mother.'

Lucifer to his counsel of demons, after Christ's Victory of the Cross, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 714

'Some of the devils charged themselves with perverting the inclinations of children at their conception and birth; others to induce parents to be negligent in the education and instruction of their children, either through an inordinate love or aversion, and to cause a hatred of parents among the children.  Some offered to create hatred between husbands and wives, to place them in the way of adultery, or to think little of the fidelity promised to their conjugal partners.  All agreed to sow among men the seeds of discord, hatred and vengeance, proud and sensual thoughts, desire of riches or honors, and suggesting sophistical reasons against all the virtues Christ has taught; above all they intended to weaken the remembrance of his Passion and Death, of the means of salvation, and of the eternal pains of hell.  By these means the demons hoped to burden all the powers and the faculties of men with solicitude for earthly affairs and sensual pleasures, leaving them little time for spiritual thoughts and their own salvation.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 719

'This close imitation and living reproduction of Christ, confronting the demons in the first children of the Church, they feared so much, that they dared not approach and they precipitously fled from the Apostles and the just ones imbued with the doctrines of my divine Son.  In them were offered up to the Almighty the first fruits of grace, and of Redemption.  What is seen in the saints and in perfect Christians in those times, would happen in the present times with all the Catholics if they would accept grace and work with it instead of permitting it to go to waste, and if they would seek the way of the Cross; for Lucifer fears it just as much now as in the times thou hast been writing of.  But soon the charity, zeal and devotion in many of the faithful began to grow cold and they forgot the blessings of the Redemption; they yielded to their carnal inclinations and desires, they loved vanity and avarice, and permitted themselves to be fascinated and deceived by the false pretenses of Lucifer, obscuring the glory of their Savior and inveigling them into the meshes of their mortal enemies.  This foul ingratitude has thrown the world into the present state and has encouraged the demons to rise up in their pride against God, audaciously presuming to possess themselves of all the children of Adam on account of this forgetfulness and carelessness of Catholics.  They presume to plot the destruction of the whole Church by the perversion of so many who have fallen away from it; and by inducing those who are in it, to think little of it, or by hindering them from producing the fruits of the blood and death of their Redeemer....In these evil times dost thou live, my dearest; and in order that thou mayest not be included in the perdition of so many souls, do thou bewail it in the bitterness of thy heart, never forgetting the mysteries of the Incarnation, Passion and Death of my Divine Son.  I desire thee to give thanks in compensation for the great number of those, who forget it, and I assure thee that the mere memory and contemplation of these mysteries are terrible to hell, torment and drive away the demons, and that they avoid and fly those who thankfully remember the life and passion of my divine Son.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 724

If it's not a problem for you then it would be whether you wished to, and it would be best for you to make that particular sacrifice. A matter for your discernment.

 :crucifix:

Thanks so much for your good help, Shin!

'Above all, without failing in the least of her duties, She preserved her humble dignity and serenity of countenance in the midst of her heartrending affliction.  With uniform adaptation to her circumstances She spoke to her beloved Son, to the eternal Father, to the angels, to the bystanders, and to the whole human race, for whose Redemption the Lord had undergone his Passion and Death.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 736

'My daughter, the lance-thrust which my blessed Son received in his side, was cruel and very painful only to me; but its effects and mysteries are most sweet to those souls who know how to taste its sweetness.  It was a great affliction to me; but whoever meets with this mysterious favor will find it a great relief and consolation in his sorrows.  In order that thou mayest understand this and participate in it, thou must know, that my Son and Lord, on account of his most ardent love for men, in addition to the wounds of the feet and hands, wished to open the wound of his heart, the seat of love, in order that through this port the souls might enter and there receive refuge and relief.  This is the only retreat which I wish thee to seek during the time of thy banishment and which thou must consider thy habitation upon earth.  There thou wilt find the conditions and laws of love for imitating me and learn how for injuries thou must return blessings to all who commit them against thee and thine, just as thou hast seen me do, when I was grieved by the wounding of the side of my dead Son.  I assure thee, my dearest, that thou canst not do anything more adapted to the attaining of the efficacious graces from the Almighty.  The prayer, who thou offerest in a forgiving spirit, is powerful not only for thy own good, but for the good of the one that offends thee; for the kind heart of my Son is easily moved, when He sees that creatures imitate Him in pardoning offenders and in praying for them; for they thereby participate in his most ardent charity manifested on the Cross.  Write this doctrine in thy heart and in imitation of me practice this virtue, of which I thought so highly. Through this wound look upon the heart of Christ thy Spouse and upon me, sweetly and ardently loving in it thy enemies and all creatures.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 740

'This is the admirable disposition of the sweet and powerful providence of God, that in order to bind Himself to do good to some of his creatures, He sends afflictions upon others, thus giving an occasion for the practice of benevolence, so that at the same time those in necessity may be benefitted.  Thus the benefactor, on account of the good work he does and on account of the prayer of the poor, is rewarded by receiving graces of which he otherwise would not be worthy.  The Father of mercies, who inspires and assists the good work done, afterwards pays for it as if it were due in justice.  For we can correspond to his inspirations merely according to our insignificant abilities, while all that is really good, comes entirely from his hands (James 1, 17).'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 741

'Consider also the equity maintained by this Providence in compensating the injuries received in patient suffering.  For after my divine Son had suffered death amid the contempt, dishonor and blasphemies of men, the Most High at once provided for an honorable burial and moved many to confess Him as the true God and Redeemer, to proclaim Him as holy, innocent and just, and, at the very time when they had finished their frightful crucifixion, to adore Him as the Son of God.  Even his enemies were made to feel within themselves the horror and confusion of their sin in persecuting Him.  Although these benefits availed not all men, yet all of them were effects of the innocent Death of the Lord.  I also concurred in my prayers, in order that the Lord might be acknowledged and honored by those known to me.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 742

'My daughter, attend to the teaching of this chapter as being the most appropriate and necessary for the state assigned to thee by the Most High and for the correspondence in love which thou owest Him.  This requires of thee, that in the midst of thy labors and intercourse with creatures, whether in commanding or governing as superior, or obeying as a subject, thou do not permit thyself by any of these duties or other exterior occupations to neglect the attention due to the presence of thy Savior in the secret and higher parts of thy soul; nor withdraw thyself from the light of the holy Spirit and his constant communications.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 753

'In order then to imitate me in all this as I require, it is necessary, that neither by the unavoidable intercourse with creatures, nor by the labors in thy state of life, nor by the hardships of this life of exile, nor by the temptations or malice of the demon, thou permit thy heart to desire anything that will hinder thee, or pay attention to anything which destroys thy recollection.  And I warn thee, my dearest, that if thou art not very vigilant and careful in this matter, thou wilt lose much time, abuse immense extraordinary blessings, frustrate the high and holy purposes of the Lord, and wilt grieve me and the angels; since all of Us desire that thy conversation be with Us.  Thou wilt lose the quiet of thy spirit and the interior consolations, many degrees of grace, the desired increase of divine love, and finally the most copious reward in heaven....Take heed also to imitate me in the faithful love, by which I abstained from the sweets of inferior delights in imitation of my Master.'
 
Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 754

'The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following.  During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom He had delivered from those nether prisons as spoils of his victory and as an earnest of his glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell.  In the sepulcher were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 755

Wow! I really like this passage. Powerful stuff.....evil always trying to get things,   But the remedy is so simple!

So true!  Yes, the remedy is so simple, Whiterockdove.

'When they [Mary Magdalen, Mary Joseph* and the other holy women] came forth from the house of the Cenacle, it was yet dark, but before they arrived at the sepulchre the sun had already dawned and risen; for on that day the three hours of darkness which had intervened at the Death of the Savior, were compensated by an earlier sunrise.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 767

*not a typo

'The Evangelists do not state when the Lord appeared to saint Peter, although saint Luke supposes it; but it was after He had appeared to the women....This happened on the same day, after the holy women had informed him of his apparition to them.  Soon after also happened the apparition of the Lord to the two disciples going that afternoon to Emmaus, which is related minutely by saint Luke (Luke 24, 13).'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 772

'[A few days before the Ascension of the Lord] The eternal Father commanded two of the highest angels to call Mary, which they did by approaching Her, and in sweetest voices intimating to Her the divine will.   [She had been lying prostrate in a corner of the room in deepest reverence of the Blessed Trinity and in it her own incarnate Son].  She arose from the dust with the most profound humility, modesty and reverence.  Accompanied by the angels She approached the foot of the Throne [which had descended from heaven with the Father and the Holy Ghost on it and on which our Lord Jesus had seated Himself with the other two], humbling herself anew.  The eternal Father said to Her:  "Beloved, ascend higher!"  (Luke 14, 10).  As these words at the same time effected what they signified, She was raised up and placed on the throne of royal Majesty with the three divine Persons.  New admiration was caused in the saints [now delivered from limbo and purgatory and present with them in the Cenacle] to see a mere Creature exalted to such dignity.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 789

'Whoever shall call upon Her [Blessed Mary] from his heart shall not perish; whoever shall obtain her intercession shall secure for himself eternal life.  What she asks of Us, shall be granted, and We shall always hear her requests and prayers and fulfill her will; for She has consecrated Herself perfectly to what pleases Us.'

The three Divine Persons, addressing the choir of holy angels and the other saints, as revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 790




'He elevated Her [Blessed Mary] into a new state of knowledge and power, by means of which nothing was to be hidden from Her either of the divine mysteries or of the inmost secrets of the human heart.  She was made to understand and know when and how She was to use this communicated power of the Divinity in her dealings with men, with the demons and with all creatures.  In short, all that can possibly be conferred upon a mere creature was received and given over in all its fullness and excellence to our great Queen and Lady.  Of these sacramental operations saint John was to a certain extend made aware, in order that he might form an estimate, how much he was to esteem and appreciate the inestimable Treasure consigned to his care.  From that day on he venerated and served the great Lady with new solicitude and reverence.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 790

''My sweetest children, I am about to ascend to my Father, from whose bosom I descended in order to rescue and save men.  I leave with you in my stead my own Mother as your Protectress, Consoler, and Advocate, and as your Mother, whom you are to hear and obey in all things.  Just as I have told you, that he who sees Me sees my Father, and he who knows Me, knows also Him; so I now tell you, that He who knows my Mother, knows Me; her who hears Her, hears Me; and who honors Her, honors Me.  All of you shall have Her as your Mother, as your Superior and Head, and so shall also your successors.  She shall answer your doubts, solve your difficulties; in Her, those who seek Me shall always find Me; for I shall remain in Her until the end of the world, and I am in Her now although you do not know how."  This the Lord said, because He was sacramentally present in the bosom of his Mother; for the sacred species, which She had received at the last Supper, were preserved in Her until consecration of the first Mass, as I shall relate further on.  The Lord thus fulfilled that which He promised in saint Matthew:  "I am with you to the consummation of the world" (Matth. 28, 20)  The Lord added and said: "You will have Peter as the supreme head of the Church, for I leave him as my Vicar; and you shall obey him as the chief highpriest.  Saint John you shall hold as the son of my Mother; for I have chosen and appointed him for this office on the Cross."'

Our Lord Jesus Christ to the 120 faithful in the Cenacle, as revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 794

'I myself have commanded the Evangelists not to write anything about my privileges except what is contained in the articles of faith and in the commandments of the divine law and what was necessary for the establishment of the Church.  For, as the Teacher of the Church, I knew by infused science of the most High, what would then be proper for its beginning.  The manifestations of my prerogatives, being included in the dignity of Mother of God and in my being full of grace, was reserved by the divine Providence for a more opportune and convenient time; namely, when the faith should be better known and established.  In the course of the centuries some mysteries pertaining to me have been made plain; but the plentitude of light has been given to thee, who art a poor and insignificant creature; and this has been done on account of the necessities and unhappy state of the world.  God in his kindness wishes to offer this opportune remedy to men, in order that all of them may seek help and eternal salvation through my intercession.  This thou hast always understood, and thou shalt understand it still better.  But above all I desire, that thou occupy thyself entirely in the imitation of my life and in the continual contemplation of my virtues and works, in order that thou mayest gain the desired victory over my and thy enemies.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 796

Interesting!

Who would have known?!

'It is in conformity with the inclinations of his holy and perfect will to regale rather than afflict creatures, to console them rather than cause them sorrow, to reward them rather than to chastise them, to rejoice rather than to grieve them.  But mortals ignore this divine science, because they desire from the hands of the Most High such consolations, delights and rewards, as are earthly and dangerous, and they prefer them to the true and more secure blessings.  The divine Love then corrects this fault by the lessons conveyed in tribulations and punishments.  Human nature is slow, coarse and uneducated; and if it is not cultivated and softened, it gives no fruit in season, and on account of its evil inclinations, will never of itself become fit for the most loving and sweet intercourse with the highest Good.  Therefore it must be shaped and reduced by the hammer of adversities, refined in the crucible of tribulation, in order that it may become fit and capable of the divine gifts and favors and may learn to despise terrestrial and fallacious goods, wherein death is concealed.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 818


END OF THIRD VOLUME

I wish that all you folks would obtain Mystical City of God and read it, all four volumes.  There is so much that has been passed over.  In this last chapter, written about the Ascension of our Lord, we read about how Blessed Mary was taken up to the empyrean heavens with her Son where she took her seat on the divine throne to the right of her Son, while at the same time remaining on earth (miraculously she was able to be in two places at the same time).  She remained in heaven with God and all the Saints for three entire days and was given the choice by God to remain in glory in heaven or to return to earth to console, assist and instruct the new Church.  In heroic imitation of her Son she chose to return to earth to console, assist and instruct the new Church.  Some of the Saints had their bodies with them up in heaven just like Jesus Christ and Blessed Mary had their bodies in heaven.

Congratulations Therese!

Three volumes of extracts! You must be very thankful to God and I know everyone here is very thankful! Thank God and thank you Therese for this!  :tinyangel: :angelbell: :tinyangel:

Isn't this is what is called making the memories that last forever in this life and the next, because they are truly good and holy -- works of virtue done in charity! Works done in charity for the sake of the love of God and neighbor for the sake of the love of God. . .

Often enough people wonder if what they are doing is good or worthwhile.. but here is something doubtlessly worthwhile and good that one can be happy about and look back upon happily now and forever.  People will read these extracts and benefit!

Yes I can only echo what you are saying, after reading these extracts who cannot wish to open the volumes themselves? And read the further priceless knowledge. . .

Thank you, Shin!  Yes, I am very thankful to God for this project.  All for Jesus and Mary! ... and for the salvation of souls!  I am so pleased that you can appreciate Mystical City of God for its true worth!  What a magnificent work it is!!

The author of Mystical City of God has made use of capital letters in the text slightly at variance with common usage, in order to avoid complication and secure greater clearness.  The paragraph numbers are those of the newest Spanish edition of "Ciudad de Dios" (1912).  In the abridgement of Mystical City of God they vary slightly.

'Thy conversation is to be on high (Phil. 3, 20); thy intercourse, with the Lord of all creation and thy Spouse; thy conference shall be with the angels and saints, and thou must rivet thy whole attention upon me, thy Mother and Teacher.  For all the rest that is earthly and visible thou must have neither movement of life, nor any activity; no more than a dead body, which shows no feeling of life in response to anything that may happen to it or may be done to it.  Neither must difficulties disquiet thee, nor flattery or pleasures affect thee; thou must not respond to injuries, nor be elated by honors; let neither presumption inflate thee, nor mistrust cast thee down; thou must not give consent to any feeling of concupiscence or anger; because thy model in all these passions must be a dead body, already freed from all of them.  Nor must thou have any more dealings with the world than the dead; for the world immediately forgets those whom it has praised in life, and to such an extent, that, though they be father or brother, and the most intimate relatives, it hastens to put them out of sight.  All this the deceased permit, without a murmur of a feeling of offense; nor do the dead make any account of the living, much less do they attend to them or to anything they may have left among their survivors.'

Ven. Mary of God, Mystical City of God, Volume IV, Introduction, 12

In Mystical City of God Introduction to Vol. IV it says that Ven. Mary of Agreda had as her Guardian Angel one of the 1,000 Angels who were guardians of our Blessed Mother.  He was appointed because he was an eye-witness of the BVM's divine works and excellences.  He furnished her with the necessary images and understandings to elucidate what Blessed Mary was to instruct her.

It's a great gift to know of these angels and so be able to thank God for them and ask for their help.

Hi Therese, you are a hardworking scribe  O:)
I often wonder how you decide on what to pick for your posts, any page in these volumes could be posted;
 its all so interesting to read.

I would have a hard time deciding what to post!

I sure like reading them, though.

 

Yes, that's right!

I'm doing well, thanks, Whiterockdove!  I pick passages from MCG that strike me and that are not too long, and passages that I think others should know about.

'Of all mortals the Evangelist saint John alone had cognizance of this mystery [of Our Lady's triduum of glory in the heavens]; for in a vision he had seen the great Queen of heaven ascend with her divine Son and had also seen Her descend in her glory and graces for the enrichment of the Church.  Two days he remained as it were entranced and suspended in admiration at this extraordinary mystery.  Knowing that his most holy Mother had descended from on high he desired to speak to Her, but dared not presume.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 5

St. John sought the presence of our Lady to prostate himself at her feet; "he fell to the earth, without power of again rising to his feet for the space of an hour.'

'When I saw Her in this place of inaccessible light [seated at the right hand of her Son on the throne of the Blessed Trinity], it seemed to me, that She possessed no other splendor than that of God himself, who seemed to communicate it to Her from the fount and origin of his immutable Being.  Through the humanity of his Only-begotten the same light and clearness seemed to be in both the Mother and the Son, each according to their degree; yet in substance seeming one and the same, not found in any of the other blessed, nor in all of them together.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 26

'The greater part of the guilt and its punishments falls upon those who call themselves Catholic, whose offenses, as being those of children, are more heinous; for they know the will of their heavenly Father, who dwells on high, and yet do not strive to fulfil it more earnestly than the strangers.  Though knowing that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and must be gained by labors, they have nevertheless given themselves over to idleness and pleasure, temporizing with the world and the flesh.  This dangerous deceit of the demon, the just Judge punishes by the demon himself, giving him, in his just judgments, the liberty to afflict the holy Church and scourge its children with rigor.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 34

'But the Father of Mercies, who is in heaven, does not permit the works of his kindness to be entirely undone;  and in order to preserve them He offers us the opportune protection of most holy Mary, in order that through her prayers and intercession his divine justice may find some pretext or excuse for the suspension of the rigorous chastisements hanging over us.  He wishes to wait and see, whether we shall avail ourselves of the intercession of this great Queen and Lady of Heaven for pacifying the just indignation of her divine Son, and whether we shall amend our lives, by which we make ourselves unworthy of his mercy and provoke his justice.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 35

'She [Blessed Mary] is never roused to indignation or hatred against men; in Her there is no deceit, no fault or defect; She cannot fail in anything that mortals may need for their salvation.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 36

The following should have been mentioned when I had first started posting excerpts of Mystical City of God:

"The author has made use of capital letters in the text slightly at variance with common usage, in order to avoid complication and secure greater clearness.  The paragraph numbers are those of the newest Spanish edition of "Ciudad de Dios" in 1912.  In the abridgement of Mystical City of God they vary slightly."

--Translator

This reminds me of the:

Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach you while He reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us.

I think about what this passage refers to quite often.  If I have it right, it is saying  that we have a bigger responsibility to avoid sin and keep returning to God and are in more danger of damnation  from sin because we have been taught to know better.  (?).  Does that sound right?

I remember when I was baptized and confirmed,, after being cradled in RCIA as a catechumen, I felt for the first time such a sense of responsibility.   

I know that we Catholics are more culpable than others when we sin, as we should know better.  God bless you!

'The vigilant Mother, empowered by the right hand of her divine Son, took care of that happy family in order to bring all their works up to the highest perfection.  After her descent from heaven, She instructed the Apostles, yet She never entered upon this duty without first being requested by saint Peter or saint John.  Through her prayers She moved her divine Son to inspire them with these commands, in order that She might obey them as his vicars and priests.  Thus all things happened as arranged by the Mother of humility and She obeyed as a handmaid.  Laying aside all pretense to her dignity as Queen and Lady, and making no use of her sovereignty and dominion, She obeyed as a servant and conducted Herself as if She were an inferior, and in this spirit She conferred with the Apostles and the other faithful.  During those days She explained to them the mystery of the blessed Trinity in terms most exalted and mysterious, yet suited to the understanding of all.   She explained also the mystery of the hypostatic union, and those of the Incarnation, adding many others, which they had already been taught by the Master; telling them at the same time that they would be enlightened by the Holy Ghost for a deeper understanding of all these things.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 48

'She [Blessed Mary] taught them [the Apostles] how to pray mentally, insisting on the excellence and necessity of that kind of prayer; how the principal duty and the most noble occupation of the rational creature was to raise itself, by understanding and the will, above all that is created to the knowledge and love of God; and that no other object or occupation should ever be preferred or should ever interrupt this duty, so as not to deprive the soul of this supreme benefit, the beginning of eternal life and happiness.  She taught them also how to thank the eternal Father for having given us his only Son for our Redeemer and Master, and for the love with which the Lord redeemed us at a cost of his Passion and Death.  She exhorted them to give thanks to God for having singled them out as his Apostles, and his companions and as the founders of his holy Church....She exhorted them to persevere in humble prostrations and other actions of worship and reverence in adoring the greatness and majesty of the Most High.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 49

Always, always, always -- and humble prostrations! Do not forget!

Thanks for the reminder, Shin!  God bless you!

'[On Pentecost Sunday] This plentitude of wonders and prodigies overflowed and communicated itself also to others outside of the Cenacle; for it caused diverse and various effects of the Holy Spirit among the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its vicinity.  All those who, who with some piety had compassioned our Savior Jesus in his Passion and Death, deprecating his most bitter torments and reverencing his sacred Person, were interiorly visited with new light and grace, which disposed them afterwards to accept the doctrine of the Apostles.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 64

Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem.  By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy.  This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him.  All these fell to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours.  Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master.  The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul.  Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses.  These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities.  This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and Pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior.  As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 65

'Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem.  By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy.  This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him.  All these fell to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours.  Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master.  The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul.  Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses.  These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities.  This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and Pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior.  As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 65





'The chastisement and terror extended also to the depths of hell, where the demons felt themselves seized with new confusion and oppression for three days, just as the Jews lay on the earth for three hours.  During these three days Lucifer and his demons broke forth in fearful howlings, communicating new terror and confusion of torments to all the damned.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 66

Thank you for providing the quote!!  :D

My pleasure!  I posted this quote because I know how very important mental prayer and keeping recollected is.  God bless you!

The Apostles on Pentecost spoke in tongues when speaking their own language of Palestine.  They also were given the science of understanding different languages and conversing with others in their different languages, which was very helpful for converting the world.

'This grace [speaking in various languages] was given not only to the Apostles, although it was more complete and noticeable in them; also the disciples and the all the one hundred and twenty, who were in the Cenacle at the time, and also the holy women, who received the Holy Ghost, were thus favored.  This was really necessary at the time on account of the great multitudes, who came to the faith....Although all the men and many of the women came to the Apostles, yet many, after having heard them, went to Magdalen and her companions, who catechized, instructed and converted them and others that came at the report of the miracles they performed.  For this gift was also conferred on the women, who, by the imposition of hands, cured all sicknesses, gave sight to the blind, tongue to the mute, motion to the lame, and life to many of the dead.  These and other wonders were principally wrought by the Apostles, nevertheless both their miracles and those of the women excited the wonder and the astonishment of all Jerusalem; so that nothing else was talked about except the prodigies and the teachings of the Apostles of Jesus, of his disciples, and followers of his doctrine.

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 83

'I content myself with saying, that the power and grace of the Holy Spirit were not exhausted in those first-fruits.  His influence is always the same and would be just as efficacious with the many to the end of the Church, as it was with a few in its beginnings, if those many were as faithful as those few.  It is true that the times have changed; but this change from virtue to vice, from good to evil, consists not in any change of the heavens and the stars, but in a change of men, who have strayed form the straight way of life eternal and walk the way of perdition...I speak of the faithful, who pride themselves in being children of light, but content themselves with only the name, and who sometimes use it merely to cloak their vices and to cover up their crimes.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 86

'Let then mortals, who have sinned against God, undeceive themselves: without penance their shall be no grace, without reform no pardon, without pardon no glory.  But just as these are not conceded to those that are unworthy, so they are never denied to those that are worthy; nor is ever the mercy of God withheld from anyone who seeks to obtain it.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 94

How few souls these days practice penance.  A real pity.

'And since my divine Son ordains all these things [holy inspirations, helps and instructions] for thy own good and for the good of other souls, I wish, lastly, that in imitation of me, as has been shown thee, thou impregnate thy heart with a most sincere determination to assist all the children of the Church, and all other men, as far as thou canst, clamoring to the Lord from thy inmost heart and asking Him to look upon the souls with mercy for their salvation.  And in order that thy may gain this blessing, offer to suffer for them as a victim if necessary; remembering, that they cost my divine Son and thy Spouse the shedding of his blood and his life, and remembering my own labors in the Church.  Do thou continually implore the divine mercy for the fruit of that Redemption, and this practice I command thee under obedience.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 95

Many thanks and best wishes for so many fascinating posts: what an enormous labor of Love.

You are most welcome, Eschator83!  And thank you so much!  I'm so glad that you are fascinated by Ven. Mary of Agreda's work as much as I am.  This work of Ven. Mary of Agreda is so edifying and should be read by everybody, so it is my great pleasure to make at least some parts of it available for you and others to read.  I have tried to post the most important parts of this work, but I'm afraid that there are so many more important parts that I have not been able to include due to their lengthiness.  Enjoy the rest of the excerpts of Vol. IV, which I'll be posting over the next month or so!  God bless you!

[On the octave of Pentecost (Trinity Sunday, the day around 5,000 people received Baptism), at the first holy Sacrifice of the Mass, after receiving her Son in the Blessed Sacrament, at the hands of St. Peter] She [Blessed Mary] remained in a trance, elevated from the floor; but the holy angels shielded Her somewhat from view according to her own wish, in order that the attention of those present might not be unduly attracted by the divine effects apparent in Her.  The disciples continued to distribute holy Communion, first to the disciples and then to the others who had been believers before the Ascension.  But of the five thousand newly baptized only one thousand received Communion on that day; because not all were entirely prepared or furnished with the insight and attention required for receiving the Lord in this great sacrament and mystery of the Altar.  With regard to the manner of Communion in that day, the Apostles observed the distinction of giving to the most holy Mother and to the one hundred and twenty, upon whom the Holy Ghost had come, both species, of bread and wine; but the recently baptized partook only of the species of bread.  But this difference was not made because the new faithful were less worthy of the one species than of the other; but because the Apostles knew, that in either one of the species they received the same Object in its entirety, namely the sacramental God; and that there was no precept, and likewise no necessity that each one receive both species.  They considered, that there would be great danger of irreverence and other very grave inconveniences to permit the multitude to partake of the species of the blood, while this was not to be feared of the Communion of the few, who then partook of them at that time.  I have been made to understand, that, for all those who were not consecrating or celebrating, the practice of communicating only the specie obtained from the very beginning of the Church.  Although some, that were not priests, for some time partook of both species; yet, as soon as the Church increased and spread over the whole world, she being guided by the Holy Ghost, very wisely ordained, that laymen and those not celebrating Mass should communicate only in the specie of the sacred body; and that it was to pertain to those who were celebrating these divine mysteries, to partake of both species.  Such is the secure practice of the Roman Catholic Church.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 113

The bold-faced print should read: where she took her seat on the throne of the Divinity or on the throne of the Blessed Trinity.  I did not mean to call the throne of God a divine throne.  When I went back to edit my mistake it was too late, so now I am making the necessary correction.  Sorry about my mistake and for my typos found throughout this thread of excerpts.  God bless you!

Don't trouble yourself Therese I think folks'd understood it properly. :D

I found that last quote about Holy Communion very instructive! :D