Excerpts from Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

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

What do you think Therese of the last two quote?

[Therese]

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.  

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

That should be 'for no faults' I see. 

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

That should be 'for no faults' I see. 

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

[Shin]

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

[Therese]

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

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

[Therese]

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

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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

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

[Therese]

'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