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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

I am always benefiting from every single quote. It's a continual fountain of grace!

'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.'

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

[Therese]

I am always benefiting from every single quote. It's a continual fountain of grace!

'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.'

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! 

[Shin]

I am very grateful this is the book you decided to work with in the beginning. 

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

I am very grateful this is the book you decided to work with in the beginning. 

I am glad, Shin!  God bless you!

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

It was my intention today to post a passage from the last chapter, a passage that manifests the immense love that our Lord Jesus Christ had for those cruelest of malefactors who were seeking His life; but I could not locate it in my book.  There is so much in this book that I have not posted.  How I wish that all of you would obtain Mystical City of God and read all four volumes of it so that you will not miss out on anything.  God bless you!

[Shin]

'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

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