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

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

A cross for a pillow.. how inspiring..

[Therese]

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.

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

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.

[Therese]

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!

[Shin]

Have a good night Therese! 

[Therese]

Have a good night Therese! 

You too, Shin! 

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

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..

[Therese]

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!

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[whiterockdove]

'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

Ave, ave, ave Maria
Ave, ave, ave Maria!
 

[Therese]

'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