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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

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.

[Shin]

I much agree Therese!

The last statement of Our Lady reminds me of one of the first quotes in the selections.

[Therese]

I much agree Therese!

The last statement of Our Lady reminds me of one of the first quotes in the selections.

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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'"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

[Therese]

'... 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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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