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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Shin]

'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?

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.

 

[Therese]

'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?

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.

 

Thanks so much for your good help, Shin!

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[whiterockdove]

'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

Wow! I really like this passage. Powerful stuff.....evil always trying to get things,   But the remedy is so simple!

[Therese]

'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

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.

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'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

[Therese]

'[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