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

[Therese]

'Of all mortals the Evangelist saint John alone had cognizance of this mystery [of Our Lady's triduum of glory in the heavens]; for in a vision he had seen the great Queen of heaven ascend with her divine Son and had also seen Her descend in her glory and graces for the enrichment of the Church.  Two days he remained as it were entranced and suspended in admiration at this extraordinary mystery.  Knowing that his most holy Mother had descended from on high he desired to speak to Her, but dared not presume.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 5

St. John sought the presence of our Lady to prostate himself at her feet; "he fell to the earth, without power of again rising to his feet for the space of an hour.'

[Therese]

'When I saw Her in this place of inaccessible light [seated at the right hand of her Son on the throne of the Blessed Trinity], it seemed to me, that She possessed no other splendor than that of God himself, who seemed to communicate it to Her from the fount and origin of his immutable Being.  Through the humanity of his Only-begotten the same light and clearness seemed to be in both the Mother and the Son, each according to their degree; yet in substance seeming one and the same, not found in any of the other blessed, nor in all of them together.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 26

[Therese]

'The greater part of the guilt and its punishments falls upon those who call themselves Catholic, whose offenses, as being those of children, are more heinous; for they know the will of their heavenly Father, who dwells on high, and yet do not strive to fulfil it more earnestly than the strangers.  Though knowing that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and must be gained by labors, they have nevertheless given themselves over to idleness and pleasure, temporizing with the world and the flesh.  This dangerous deceit of the demon, the just Judge punishes by the demon himself, giving him, in his just judgments, the liberty to afflict the holy Church and scourge its children with rigor.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 34

[Therese]

'But the Father of Mercies, who is in heaven, does not permit the works of his kindness to be entirely undone;  and in order to preserve them He offers us the opportune protection of most holy Mary, in order that through her prayers and intercession his divine justice may find some pretext or excuse for the suspension of the rigorous chastisements hanging over us.  He wishes to wait and see, whether we shall avail ourselves of the intercession of this great Queen and Lady of Heaven for pacifying the just indignation of her divine Son, and whether we shall amend our lives, by which we make ourselves unworthy of his mercy and provoke his justice.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 35

[Therese]

'She [Blessed Mary] is never roused to indignation or hatred against men; in Her there is no deceit, no fault or defect; She cannot fail in anything that mortals may need for their salvation.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 36

[Therese]

The following should have been mentioned when I had first started posting excerpts of Mystical City of God:

"The author has made use of capital letters in the text slightly at variance with common usage, in order to avoid complication and secure greater clearness.  The paragraph numbers are those of the newest Spanish edition of "Ciudad de Dios" in 1912.  In the abridgement of Mystical City of God they vary slightly."

--Translator

[Shin]

'Of all mortals the Evangelist saint John alone had cognizance of this mystery [of Our Lady's triduum of glory in the heavens]; for in a vision he had seen the great Queen of heaven ascend with her divine Son and had also seen Her descend in her glory and graces for the enrichment of the Church.  Two days he remained as it were entranced and suspended in admiration at this extraordinary mystery.  Knowing that his most holy Mother had descended from on high he desired to speak to Her, but dared not presume.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 5

St. John sought the presence of our Lady to prostate himself at her feet; "he fell to the earth, without power of again rising to his feet for the space of an hour.'

This reminds me of the:

Ancient Prayer to St. Joseph

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach you while He reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us.

[whiterockdove]

I think about what this passage refers to quite often.  If I have it right, it is saying  that we have a bigger responsibility to avoid sin and keep returning to God and are in more danger of damnation  from sin because we have been taught to know better.  (?).  Does that sound right?

I remember when I was baptized and confirmed,, after being cradled in RCIA as a catechumen, I felt for the first time such a sense of responsibility.   

[Therese]

I think about what this passage refers to quite often.  If I have it right, it is saying  that we have a bigger responsibility to avoid sin and keep returning to God and are in more danger of damnation  from sin because we have been taught to know better.  (?).  Does that sound right?

I remember when I was baptized and confirmed,, after being cradled in RCIA as a catechumen, I felt for the first time such a sense of responsibility.  

I know that we Catholics are more culpable than others when we sin, as we should know better.  God bless you!

[Therese]

'The vigilant Mother, empowered by the right hand of her divine Son, took care of that happy family in order to bring all their works up to the highest perfection.  After her descent from heaven, She instructed the Apostles, yet She never entered upon this duty without first being requested by saint Peter or saint John.  Through her prayers She moved her divine Son to inspire them with these commands, in order that She might obey them as his vicars and priests.  Thus all things happened as arranged by the Mother of humility and She obeyed as a handmaid.  Laying aside all pretense to her dignity as Queen and Lady, and making no use of her sovereignty and dominion, She obeyed as a servant and conducted Herself as if She were an inferior, and in this spirit She conferred with the Apostles and the other faithful.  During those days She explained to them the mystery of the blessed Trinity in terms most exalted and mysterious, yet suited to the understanding of all.   She explained also the mystery of the hypostatic union, and those of the Incarnation, adding many others, which they had already been taught by the Master; telling them at the same time that they would be enlightened by the Holy Ghost for a deeper understanding of all these things.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 48

[Therese]

'She [Blessed Mary] taught them [the Apostles] how to pray mentally, insisting on the excellence and necessity of that kind of prayer; how the principal duty and the most noble occupation of the rational creature was to raise itself, by understanding and the will, above all that is created to the knowledge and love of God; and that no other object or occupation should ever be preferred or should ever interrupt this duty, so as not to deprive the soul of this supreme benefit, the beginning of eternal life and happiness.  She taught them also how to thank the eternal Father for having given us his only Son for our Redeemer and Master, and for the love with which the Lord redeemed us at a cost of his Passion and Death.  She exhorted them to give thanks to God for having singled them out as his Apostles, and his companions and as the founders of his holy Church....She exhorted them to persevere in humble prostrations and other actions of worship and reverence in adoring the greatness and majesty of the Most High.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 49

[Shin]

'She [Blessed Mary] taught them [the Apostles] how to pray mentally, insisting on the excellence and necessity of that kind of prayer; how the principal duty and the most noble occupation of the rational creature was to raise itself, by understanding and the will, above all that is created to the knowledge and love of God; and that no other object or occupation should ever be preferred or should ever interrupt this duty, so as not to deprive the soul of this supreme benefit, the beginning of eternal life and happiness.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 49

Always, always, always -- and humble prostrations! Do not forget!

[Therese]

Thanks for the reminder, Shin!  God bless you!

[Therese]

'[On Pentecost Sunday] This plentitude of wonders and prodigies overflowed and communicated itself also to others outside of the Cenacle; for it caused diverse and various effects of the Holy Spirit among the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its vicinity.  All those who, who with some piety had compassioned our Savior Jesus in his Passion and Death, deprecating his most bitter torments and reverencing his sacred Person, were interiorly visited with new light and grace, which disposed them afterwards to accept the doctrine of the Apostles.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 64

[Therese]

Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem.  By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy.  This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him.  All these fell to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours.  Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master.  The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul.  Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses.  These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities.  This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and Pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior.  As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 65

[Therese]

'Not less wonderful, although more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem.  By the dreadful thunders and violent commotion of the atmosphere and the lightnings accompanying his advent, He disturbed and terrified the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy.  This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in procuring the death of Christ, and who had signalized themselves in their rabid fury against Him.  All these fell to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours.  Those that had scourged the Lord were suddenly choked in their own blood, which shot forth from their veins in punishment for shedding that of the Master.  The audacious servant, who had buffeted the Lord, not only suddenly died, but was hurled into hell body and soul.  Others of the Jews, although they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and abominable sicknesses.  These disorders, consequent upon shedding the blood of Christ, descended to their posterity and even to this day continue to afflict their children with most horrible impurities.  This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, although the priests and Pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior.  As these events, however, were not so important, neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 65





'The chastisement and terror extended also to the depths of hell, where the demons felt themselves seized with new confusion and oppression for three days, just as the Jews lay on the earth for three hours.  During these three days Lucifer and his demons broke forth in fearful howlings, communicating new terror and confusion of torments to all the damned.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 66