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

[Therese]

"....Ascend to our throne, so that thou mayest be absorbed in the abyss of our Divinity and hold in this Trinity the fourth place, as far as is possible to a mere creature.  Take possession of our glory, the treasures of which we place in thy hands.  Thine are the heavens, the earth and all the abysses.  Enjoy in this mortal life all the privileges of the blessed more fully than all the saints...."

The eternal Father to Blessed Mary, as revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 329

[Therese]

'It is important for all the children of the Church to escape the ignorance in which they live concerning the dangers besetting their eternal salvation; for they do not know or take notice, that their ignorance of these secrets is the chastisement of the sin of Adam, and how, after being enlightened, they again lose it and become more unworthy of it than before through their own sins.  Many of the faithful are as oblivious and careless, as if there were no demons to persecute and deceive them; and if they sometimes think of them, it is superficially and lightly, falling immediately back into their forgetfulness, which for many of them means no less than eternal punishment.  If at all times and in all places, in all their works and on all occasions the demons set their snares, it is but just and proper that Christians on their part take not one step without asking divine light to see and avoid the danger.  But as the children of Adam are so torpid in regard to this matter, they perform scarcely one work without being assailed by the infernal serpent and infected by his poison.  Thus they accumulate sins upon sins, evil upon evil, irritating the divine justice and shutting out mercy.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 361

[Therese]

'Cautiously examine, whether beneath some apparent work of piety there lurk not the snares of the demon and see that thou do not suffer evil in doing good to others.  Do not trust to thy own judgment, although it may seem good and secure to thee; never hesitate to obey in all things, seeing that I by obedience safely passed through many labors and difficulties.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 362

[Therese]

'Remember that this [Our Lady of the Pillar, erected by St. James in Saragossa, Spain] was the first temple of the evangelical law and was most pleasing to the will of the most blessed Trinity.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 363

[Shin]

'It is important for all the children of the Church to escape the ignorance in which they live concerning the dangers besetting their eternal salvation; for they do not know or take notice, that their ignorance of these secrets is the chastisement of the sin of Adam, and how, after being enlightened, they again lose it and become more unworthy of it than before through their own sins.  Many of the faithful are as oblivious and careless, as if there were no demons to persecute and deceive them; and if they sometimes think of them, it is superficially and lightly, falling immediately back into their forgetfulness, which for many of them means no less than eternal punishment.  If at all times and in all places, in all their works and on all occasions the demons set their snares, it is but just and proper that Christians on their part take not one step without asking divine light to see and avoid the danger.  But as the children of Adam are so torpid in regard to this matter, they perform scarcely one work without being assailed by the infernal serpent and infected by his poison.  Thus they accumulate sins upon sins, evil upon evil, irritating the divine justice and shutting out mercy.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 361

This IS TO BE ESPECIALLY REMEMBERED!!!

[Therese]

'It is important for all the children of the Church to escape the ignorance in which they live concerning the dangers besetting their eternal salvation; for they do not know or take notice, that their ignorance of these secrets is the chastisement of the sin of Adam, and how, after being enlightened, they again lose it and become more unworthy of it than before through their own sins.  Many of the faithful are as oblivious and careless, as if there were no demons to persecute and deceive them; and if they sometimes think of them, it is superficially and lightly, falling immediately back into their forgetfulness, which for many of them means no less than eternal punishment.  If at all times and in all places, in all their works and on all occasions the demons set their snares, it is but just and proper that Christians on their part take not one step without asking divine light to see and avoid the danger.  But as the children of Adam are so torpid in regard to this matter, they perform scarcely one work without being assailed by the infernal serpent and infected by his poison.  Thus they accumulate sins upon sins, evil upon evil, irritating the divine justice and shutting out mercy.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 361

This IS TO BE ESPECIALLY REMEMBERED!!!

We should always be vigilant and pray for our Lady's protection, consulting with her before undertaking anything or going anywhere, and asking her permission to do things.  She will keep us safe if we are prudent and have recourse to her.

[Therese]

'Choose and accept only the most poor and ordinary, the most undesirable and humble things for thy use; for otherwise thou canst not imitate me in the spirit, in which without ostentation I refused all comforts and good things of this life offered to me by the faithful of Jerusalem, and of which I accepted only what was absolutely necessary for my sojourn in Ephesus.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 389

[Therese]

'The anxious desire of seeing the supreme Good and of loving God eternally and forever in heaven must alone be perpetual in thee.'

Our lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 391

[Shin]

The poor and ordinary, without ostentation..

It reminds me of another quote that we are not made for superfluities..

Prayers and prayers.. everything with prayer..

[Therese]

The poor and ordinary, without ostentation..

It reminds me of another quote that we are not made for superfluities..

Prayers and prayers.. everything with prayer..

All that we truly need are the things that will lead us to God ... prayer, mortification and detachment, self-abandonment, confidence in God, etc..

[Therese]

Here is a quote that is taken from the chapter of Mystical City of God written about the Resurrection of our Lord.  Sorry I it is not in proper order.

'As the glory of the most holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal would be obscure.  The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far exceeds that of others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light of one star; and all the beauty of creatures, if it were joined, would appear ugliness in comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to it in all creation.'
 
Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 756

[Therese]

'My Daughter and Dove, chosen for my acceptation from all the creatures, let my courtiers, angels and saints understand that, for the exaltation of my holy name, for thy glory and for the benefit of mortals, I now give thee my royal word, that if men, in the hour of their death invoke thee and call upon thee with affection in imitation of my servant James, soliciting thy intercession with me, I will bend to them in clemency and look upon them with eyes of fatherly mercy; I will defend and guard them against the dangers of that last hour; I will ward off the cruel enemies that seek the perdition of souls in that hour; I will furnish them through thee with great helps for resisting these enemies and gaining grace, if they wish to avail themselves of this help; and thou shalt present to Me their souls to be rewarded by my liberal hands.'

The eternal Father to Blessed Mary in the hearing of all the blessed, revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 410

[Therese]

'If all the love of the holy angles and of men could be united in one person, it would be less than that of the most holy Mary; yet, if we could unite the love of all the other creatures into one whole, it is certain that such a conflagration of love would result, that, without being infinite, it would seem so to us, on account of its surpassing all our comprehension.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 414

[Therese]

'O my daughter, into what a lamentable state has the Christian people been cast by the powerful, by the pastors, and by the wicked ministers, whom God has given them in his secret judgments!  O what confusion and chastisements await them!  Before the tribunal of the just Judge they will have no excuse; since the Catholic truth undeceives them, their conscience loudly protests, while they wilfully remain deaf to all warnings.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 428

[Shin]

'My Daughter and Dove, chosen for my acceptation from all the creatures, let my courtiers, angels and saints understand that, for the exaltation of my holy name, for thy glory and for the benefit of mortals, I now give thee my royal word, that if men, in the hour of their death invoke thee and call upon thee with affection in imitation of my servant James, soliciting thy intercession with me, I will bend to them in clemency and look upon them with eyes of fatherly mercy; I will defend and guard them against the dangers of that last hour; I will ward off the cruel enemies that seek the perdition of souls in that hour; I will furnish them through thee with great helps for resisting these enemies and gaining grace, if they wish to avail themselves of this help; and thou shalt present to Me their souls to be rewarded by my liberal hands.'

The eternal Father to Blessed Mary in the hearing of all the blessed, revealed to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 410

O Blessed Virgin, assist uncle Jim I pray, in the hour of his death, and on his sickbed. St. Joseph, help us.

[Shin]

'As the glory of the most holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal would be obscure.  The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far exceeds that of others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light of one star; and all the beauty of creatures, if it were joined, would appear ugliness in comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to it in all creation.'
 
Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 756

It makes one so happy to think of such things!