Extracts from the Mystical City of God
'With the help of the Almighty's grace, thou canst rise above thyself and make thyself a daughter of heaven, whence all grace comes.'
Our Lady's Words to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. I, 310
VOLUME II
PART IIThe Incarnation
Describing the Anxieties of Saint Joseph on Account of the Pregnancy of Most Holy Mary, the Birth of Christ our Lord, His Circumcision, the Adoration of the Kings, the Presentation of the Infant Jesus In the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Death of the Holy Innocents, and the Return to Nazareth.
'If mortals would strive to know the loving care for their direction and advancement, as shown by this Father of mercies (Matt. 6, 5), they would be relieved and would not be involved in such irksome, useless and dangerous anxieties, living in perpetual toils and vain trust in the help of creatures. For they would resign themselves without hesitation to the infinite wisdom and love, which, with paternal sweetness and gentleness would watch over all their thoughts, words and actions and all things necessary for them. I do not wish thee to be ignorant of this truth, but to understand how the Lord from all eternity bears in his mind all the predestined of the different times and ages; and that by the invincible force of his infinite wisdom and goodness He continually disposes and prepares all the blessings useful to them, so that the end desired for them may be attained.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 384
'Who could ever measure the number and greatness of the blessings which He would shower upon a heart prepared to receive them!'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 386
'Learn also from this never to defend thyself against accusations, no matter how innocent thou mayest be. Oblige the Lord to do it by confiding in his love. Charge thy reputation to this account; and in the meanwhile overcome by patience and humility, by sweet and kind words, those who have offended thee. Above all things, I admonish thee never to judge evil of anyone, even if thou seest with thy own eyes the outward warrants of thy judgment; for perfect and sincere charity will teach thee to find a prudent evasion and excuse for all faults of thy neighbor . . . For in law of discreet and holy charity it must be held as prudence, not temerity, to suspect higher causes, as yet unseen, rather than to judge and condemn our neighbors for faults in which his guilt is clearly not evident.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 396
'The Majesty of God does not come in a stormcloud (III. Reg. 19, 12), nor will the rays of the supreme Sun of justice shine, when calm is not reigning in the soul.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 405
'Thus they deny Him as their merciful Father and force Him to become the severe and rigid Judge of their sins; for no faults excite Him sooner to exercise his severity than the sins of revenge and hate.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 415
'I impose upon thee as my most vigorous precept, that thou give offense neither in thought, word or deed to any of thy neighbors; and that thou prevent any of thy subjects, and, as far as thou canst, any other person in thy presence from injuring thy neighbor.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 417
'Humility makes all prayers effective and inclines the immutable Being of God to clemency.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 419
'Many times he [St. Joseph] saw Her [Blessed Mary] in ecstasy raised from the earth and resplendent with most brilliant light; at other times in the company of her angels holding celestial intercourse with them; and at other times, he found her prostrate upon the earth in the form of a cross, speaking to the Lord.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 422
'Nothing that She [Blessed Mary] wore upon her most pure and virginal body became soiled or worn; for She neither perspired, not was She subject to the punishments, which are laid upon the sin-impregnated bodies of the children of Adam.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 424
'Let all thy ambition be to humble thyself in thy own estimation and thought, so that in thy exterior actions thou mayest truly exhibit this humility of thy interior.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 426
'Hence it should be a cause of confusion and shame to the good, that deceit should urge on the sons of perdition with greater force than truth urges the elect; that the number of those, who in the world are anxious to strive in the service of their God and Creator, should be so small in comparison with the number of those who serve vanity; that there should be so few of the elect, though all are called (Matt. 20, 16).Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 426
'Sometimes the infant God would place Himself on his knees in order to pray to the Father or assume the position of one crucified, as if in order to exercise Himself therein beforehand.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 444
'But because I have especial reason to look with favor upon the inmates of thy convent, I wish that, in my name and by my authority, thou admonish and lovingly urge them always to live retired and dead to the world, with unbroken forgetfulness of all that passes within it; that among themselves their conversation be of heaven, and that above all they preserve intact the mutual peace and love, to which I have exhorted thee so often (Philip 3, 20). If they obey me in this I offer them my protection, and I will constitute themselves their Mother, their help and defense in the same way that I am thine, and I will also promise them my continual and efficacious intercession with my most holy Son, if they do not displease me. For this purpose thou shouldst exhort them to continual love and devotion toward me, engrafting it in their hearts; in being thus faithful they will attain all that thou wishest for them, and much more, for I will obtain it for them.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 447
'Beside the thousand angels which served ordinarily as her guard, the Lord commanded other nine thousand to attend on their Queen and Mistress, and serve as a guard of honor ten thousand strong from the first day of her journey [to Bethlehem].'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 450
'It is certain that if any or all of the souls would entrust themselves to the direction and government of this Lord they would soon experience that same fidelity, punctuality and most sweet efficacy with which his Majesty arranged all things that touched upon his honor and service in my life. They would likewise taste those delightful and divine emotions which I felt in relying upon his most holy will; nor would they fail to receive the abundance of his gifts, which are enclosed as in an infinite ocean within his Divinity. And just as the waters of the ocean rush forth wherever they find a suitable opening, so the graces and blessings of the Lord overflow upon rational creatures, when they are well disposed and do not hinder their course. This truth is hidden to mortals because they do not stop to ponder and consider the works of the Almighty.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 454
'They [St. Joseph and Blessed Mary, seeking lodging in Bethlehem] knocked at the doors of their acquaintances and nearer family relations; but they were admitted nowhere and in many places they met with harsh words and insults . . . But having already applied at more than fifty different places, they found themselves rejected and sent away from them all.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 462
"My sweetest Lady, my heart is broken with sorrow at the thought of not only not being able to shelter Thee as Thou deserves and as I desire, but in not being to offer Thee even any kind of protection from the weather, or a place of rest, a thing rarely or never denied to the most poor and despised of the world. No doubt heaven, in thus allowing the hearts of men to be so unmoved as to refuse us night-lodging, conceals some mystery. I now remember, Lady, that outside the city walls there is a cave, which serves as a shelter for shepherds and their flocks. Let us seek it out; perhaps it is unoccupied, and we may there expect some assistance from heaven, since we receive none from men on earth."St. Joseph to Blessed Virgin Mary, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 463
'"Be ye perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5, 48). This command of the Most High imposed upon his holy Church is not impossible of fulfillment, and, if his faithful children on their part dispose themselves properly, He will deny to none of them the grace of attaining this resemblance to the heavenly Father. All this my most holy Son has merited for them. But the degrading forgetfulness and neglect of men hinder them from maturing within themselves the fruits of His redemption.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 466
'Let no difficulty or hardship disturb thee, nor deter thee from any virtuous exercise, no matter how hard it may be. Nor be content with striving after the love of God and salvation of thyself alone; if thou wouldst be perfect in imitating me and in fulfilling all that the Gospel teaches, thou must work for the salvation of other souls and the exaltation of the holy name of my Son, making thyself an instrument in his powerful hands for the accomplishment of mighty works to advance his pleasure and glory.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 467
'My most holy Son is such a faithful Lover of souls that He hast set me as a living example of the love of humility and true contempt of worldly vanity and pride. He ordained also for his own glory as well as for my sake that I, his Servant and Mother, should be left without shelter and be turned away by mortals, in order that afterwards his beloved souls might be so much the more readily induced to offer Him a welcome, thus obliging Him, by an artifice of love, to come and remain with them. He also sought destitution and poverty, not because He had any need of them for bringing the practice of virtues to the highest perfection, but in order to teach mortals the shortest and surest way for reaching the heights of divine love and union with God.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 465
'She [Blessed Mary, feeling the approach of the most blessed Birth] requested her spouse St. Joseph to betake himself to rest and sleep as the night was already far advanced. The man of God yielded to the request of his Spouse and urged Her to do the same; and for this purpose he arranged and prepared a sort of couch with the articles of wear in their possession, making use of a crib or manger, that had been left by the shepherds for their animals. Leaving most holy Mary in the portion of the cave thus furnished, saint Joseph retired to a corner of the entrance, where he began to pray. He was immediately visited by the divine Spirit and felt a most sweet and extraordinary influence, by which he was wrapt and elevated into an ecstasy. In it was shown him all that passed during that night in this blessed cave; for he did not return to consciousness until his heavenly Spouse called him.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 472
'She was kneeling in the manger, her eyes raised to heaven, her hands joined and folded at her breast [sic], her soul wrapped in the Divinity and She herself was entirely deified. In this position, and at the end of the heavenly rapture, the most exalted Lady gave to the world the Onlybegotten of the father and her own, our Savior Jesus, true God and man, at the hour of midnight, on a Sunday, in the year of the creation of the world five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine (5199), which is the date given in the Roman Church, and which date has been manifested to me as the true and certain one.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 475
'At the end of the beatific rapture and vision of the Mother ever Virgin, which I have described above (No. 473), was born the Sun of Justice, the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father and of Mary most pure, beautiful, refulgent, and immaculate, leaving Her untouched in her virginal integrity and purity and making Her more godlike and forever sacred; for He did not divide, but penetrated the virginal chamber as the rays of the sun penetrate the crystal shrine, lighting it up in prismatic beauty.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 477
'The sacred Evangelist Luke tells us that the Mother Virgin, having brought forth her firstbegotten Son, wrapped Him in swathing clothes and placed Him in a manger. He does not say that She received Him in her arms from her virginal womb; for this did not pertain to the purpose of his narrative. But the two sovereign prices, saint Michael and saint Gabriel, were the assistants of the Virgin on this occasion. They stood by at a proper distance in human corporeal forms at the moment when the incarnate Word, penetrating the virginal chamber by divine power, issued forth to light, and they received Him in their hands with ineffable reverence. In the same manner as a priest exhibits the sacred host to the people for adoration, so these two celestial ministers presented to the divine Mother her glorious and refulgent Son. All this happened in a short space of time. In the same moment in which the holy angels thus presented the divine Child to his Mother, both Son and Mother looked upon each other, and in this look, She wounded with love the sweet Infant and was at the same time was exalted and transformed in Him. From the arms of the holy princes the Prince of all the heavens spoke to his holy Mother: "Mother, become like unto Me, since on this day, for the human existence, which thou hast today given Me, I will give thee another more exalted existence in grace, assimilating thy existence as a mere creature to the likeness of Me, who am God and Man.' The most prudent Mother answered: "Trahe me post Te, curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum" (Cant. 1, 3). Raise me, elevate me, Lord, and I will run after Thee in the odor of thy ointments."'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 480
"And as the most blessed Trinity assisted in an especial manner at the birth of the Word, heaven was at it were emptied of its inhabitants, for the whole heavenly court had betaken itself to that blessed cave of Bethlehem and was adoring the Creator in his garb and habit of a pilgrim (Phil. 2, 7) And in their concert of praise the holy angels intoned the new canticle; "Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae volunatits" (Luke 2, 14)." In sweetest and sonorous harmony they repeated it, transfixed in wonder at the new miracles then being fulfilled and at the unspeakable prudence, grace, humility and beauty of that tender Maiden of fifteen years, who had become the worthy Trustee and Minister of such vast and magnificent sacraments.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 484
'I remind and exhort thee to forget all that is of earth and lose it out of thy sight; that thou seek nothing, or engage thyself with nothing except what can help thee to withdraw and detach thee from the world and its inhabitants; so that, with a heart freed from all terrestrial affection, thou dispose thyself to celebrate in it the mysteries of the poverty, humility and divine love of the incarnate God.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 487
'What St. Luke says about those that wondered at what the shepherds said concerning the holy Family, happened later, after the Queen, the Child and St. Joseph had departed and fled from the neighborhood of Bethlehem; for divine Providence so arranged things, that the shepherds were unable to spread about these news before that time. Not all of those that heard them speaking about this matter believed them, for they held them to be uncultured and ignorant people. These shepherds however were saints and were filled with divine knowledge until they died. Among those who believed them was Herod, although not because of any laudable faith or piety, but on account of his worldly and wicked fear of losing his kingdom. Among the children, who merited to be sacrificed by him, there were also some belonging to these holy men. Their parents consented joyfully to the martyrdom, which the children themselves desired and offering themselves up to the Lord, whom they were made to know beforehand.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 497
'Thy legitimate and chosen occupation should be none other than the love and the praise of the infinite God. All the rest thou must enter into only sparingly, in such a way as if visible and earthly things scarcely concerned thee and cannot detain thee for even a moment. Thou must maintain thyself in this soaring height, so that thou seem not to have anything earnestly to attend to, except to seek the highest and true God. Me thou shoudlst imitate and for God alone shouldst thou live; all the rest should not exist for thee, nor should thou exist for it. But the gifts and blessings, which thou receives I wish thou dispense and communicate for the good of thy fellow men, observing the perfect order of holy charity; thus thy gifts will not evaporate, but be still more increased (I Cor. 13, 8 ). In all this thou must keep the regulations, which befit thy condition and state, as I have already shown and instructed thee in other places at other times.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 512
'When any grave and doubtful affair arose, in which there was danger of offending God, or some urgent undertaking for the good of creatures, in which it would be necessary to know the divine will, She [Blessed Mary] first asked permission to submit her petition for enlightenment regarding the divine pleasure.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol, II, 514
'Whenever necessity urged it upon me for the glory of his Majesty, or some circumstance made it unavoidable, I asked permission to propose my wishes. Although I always found Him most propitious, ready to answer me with kindness and mercifully urging me to declare my wishes, I nevertheless humiliated myself to the dust and merely asked Him to inform me of what was most pleasing and acceptable in his eyes.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 528
'Ponder then, dearest, upon the small return given for the love of my Son and Lord by mortals, and how forgetful of thanks even his faithful continue to be. Assume it as thy task, as far as thy weak powers allow, to render satisfaction for this grievous offense: loving Him, thanking Him and serving Him with all thy powers, for all the other men who fail to do so. Therefore thou must be an angel in promptitude, most fervent and punctual on all occasions; thou must die to all earthly things, eliminating and crushing all human inclinations and rising upon the wings of love to the heights of love designed for thee by the Lord.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 538
'Hear me, my daughter, and bend thy ears to these counsels and doctrines of eternal life. Cast out from thy faculties every image and affection toward human creatures and turn all the powers of thy heart and soul toward the mysteries and blessings of the Redemption. Occupy thyself wholly with them, ponder and weigh them, give thanks for them as if thou alone wert in existence, as if they had been wrought solely for thee, and singly for each human being in particular (Gal. 2, 20). Thus thou wilt find life and the way of life, proceeding thus thou canst not err; but thou shall find therein the light of thy eyes and true peace.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 539
'Since I trusted in the Lord, He provided for me in the time of my need.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 547
'The Child Jesus showed exterior signs of affection by his pleased looks, by reclining upon his [St. Joseph's] breast, and by other tokens of affection usual with children in regard to their fathers, but in Him these tokens were always tempered with kingly majesty. Yet all this was not so frequent in his dealings with saint Joseph, nor with such endearment, as with his true Virgin Mother. Whenever She left Jesus in his care, She received from saint Joseph the relic of the Circumcision, which the latter ordinarily bore about him for his consolation. Thus both the two Spouses were continually enriched: She by holding her most holy Son, he by his sacred blood and deified flesh. They preserved it in a crystal vase, which saint Joseph had purchased with the money sent to them by saint Elisabeth. In this they had enclosed the particle of flesh and the sacred blood shed at the Circumcision, which had been caught up in pieces of linen. The opening of the vase was encased in silver, which the mighty Queen, in order to preserve the sacred relics more securely, had sealed by her mere command. Thus the silver opening was more firmly sealed than if it had been soldered by the artisan, who had made the vessel. In this vase the prudent Mother treasured the relics during her whole life and afterwards She entrusted it to the Apostles, leaving it as an inheritance to the holy Church.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 549
'My daughter, in the foregoing chapter, thou hast been instructed not to seek information from the Lord by supernatural means, neither in order to relieve any suffering, nor in order to satisfy a natural hankering of curiosity. Now I exhort thee likewise not to yield for any of these reasons, to the desire of performing any exterior action according to the promptings of nature. For in all the activity of thy exterior faculties and senses thou must seek to moderate and subject thy inclinations, not yielding to them in their demands, although they may have the color of virtue or piety. I was in no danger of going to excess in these affections on account of my sinlessness; nor was there a want of piety in my desire of remaining in the cave, where my most holy Son had been born and had been circumcised. Yet I did not wish to express my desire, even when asked about it by my spouse; for I preferred obedience to this pious inclination, and I knew that it is more secure for souls and more according to the pleasure of the Lord to seek his will in the counsel and decision coming from other, rather than in their own inclination. In me this course of action was advisable only on account of the greater perfection contained therein, but in thee and in other souls, who are subject to error in their judgment, this rule must be observed most rigorously, so as to prevent and avoid mistakes diligently and discreetly. For in their ignorance and pusillanimity men are easily carried away by their feelings and inclination toward insignificant things, and very often they occupy themselves with trifles as if they were important matters, and with vanities, as if they were realities. All such activity weakens the soul and deprives it of great spiritual blessings, of grace, enlightenment and merit.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 550
'The three Magi Kings, who came to find the divine Infant after his birth, were natives of Persia, Arabia and Sabba (Ps. 71, 10).Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 552
'These three Kings were well versed in the natural sciences, and well read in the Scriptures of the people of God; and on account of their learning they were called Magi. By their knowledge of Scripture, and by conferring with some of the Jews, they were imbued with a belief in the coming of the Messias expected by that people. They were, moreover, upright men, truthful and very just in the government of their countries . . . Because these Magi governed adjoining countries and lived not far from each other, they were mutual friends and shared with each other the virtues and knowledge which they had acquired, consulting each other in the more important events of their reigns.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 553
'I have already mentioned in the eleventh chapter (No. 492) that in the same night in which the incarnate Word was born, they [the Magi] were informed of his Birth by the ministry of the holy angels . . . They were informed that the King of the Jews was born as true God and true man; that He was the Messias and Savior who was expected; that it was the One who was promised in the Scriptures and prophesies (Gen. 3, 10); and that they themselves, the three Kings, were singled out by the Lord to seek the star, which Balaam had foretold. Each one of the three Kings also was made aware that the same revelation was being made to the other two in the same way; and that it was not a favor or miracle which should remain unused, but that they were expected to co-operate with the divine light and execute what it pointed out. They were inspired and inflamed with a great love and with a desire to know the God made man, to adore Him as their Creator and Redeemer, and serve Him with most perfect devotion. In all this they were greatly assisted by their distinguished moral virtues, which they had acquired; for on account of them they were excellently disposed for the operation of the divine enlightenment.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 554
'On the following day at dawn they [the Magi] returned to the cave of the Nativity in order to offer to the heavenly King the special gifts which they had provided. Arriving they prostrated themselves anew in profound humility; and opening their treasures, as Scripture relates, they offered Him gold, incense and myrrh (Matt. 2, 11). They consulted the heavenly Mother in regard to many mysteries and practices of faith, and concerning matters pertaining to their consciences and to the government of their countries; for they wished to return well instructed and capable of directing themselves to holiness and perfection in their daily life. The great Lady heard them with exceeding pleasure and She conferred interiorly with the divine Infant concerning all that they had asked, in order to answer and properly to instruct these sons of the new Law.Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 567
'On their departure from Bethlehem the same or a similar star appeared in order to guide them home, conducting them on their new route to the place where they had first met, whence each one separated to reach his own country.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 569
'All that thou dost for the Lord, thou should offer up to Him with fervent affection and promptitude, without negligence or fear; for negligent works, and those not enlivened by love, are not an acceptable sacrifice in the eyes of his Majesty.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 572
'Among the more rare and excellent privileges of most pure Mary, the chief one is, that She is Mother of God, which is the foundation of all the rest. The second is, that She was conceived without original sin. The third, that She enjoyed many times the beatific vision in this mortal life, and the fourth is that She continually saw clearly the most holy soul of her Son and all its operations for her imitation.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 578
'But it is to the intimate and frequent intercourse with the Lord by unceasing love, praise and reverence, that I wish thee to attend to most of all.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 583
'My daughter, one of the misfortunes, which deprive souls of happiness, or at least diminish it, is that they content themselves with performing good works negligently or without fervor, as if they were engaged in things unimportant or merely accidental. On account of this ignorance and meanness of heart few of them arrive at an intimate friendship of God, which they can attain only by fervent love.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 594
'Enamoured and drawn onward He approaches closely to those souls, who thus love and serve Him in all things, while He withdraws from the lukewarm and the negligent ones, or deals with them only according to the general rules of his divine Providence.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 595
'My daughter, one of the misfortunes, which deprive souls of happiness, or at least diminish it, is that they content themselves with performing good works negligently or without fervor, as if they were engaged in things unimportant or merely accidental. On account of this ignorance and meanness of heart few of them arrive at an intimate friendship of God, which they can attain only by fervent love.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 594
'If He would use his absolute power and perform great miracles for preventing the course of secondary causes, the order of nature would be confounded, and to a certain extent He would contradict Himself in his double role as Author of grace and as Author of nature. Therefore, miracles must happen but rarely, and on special occasions for particular reasons, or when some end is to be served. Therefore, God reserves them for the manifestations of his power at certain times.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 616
'My daughter, one of the misfortunes, which deprive souls of happiness, or at least diminish it, is that they content themselves with performing good works negligently or without fervor, as if they were engaged in things unimportant or merely accidental. On account of this ignorance and meanness of heart few of them arrive at an intimate friendship of God, which they can attain only by fervent love.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 594
'If He would use his absolute power and perform great miracles for preventing the course of secondary causes, the order of nature would be confounded, and to a certain extent He would contradict Himself in his double role as Author of grace and as Author of nature. Therefore, miracles must happen but rarely, and on special occasions for particular reasons, or when some end is to be served. Therefore, God reserves them for the manifestations of his power at certain times.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 616
"' . . . Tell me, life of my soul and light of my eyes, whether the labors of this journey [to Egypt] are fatiguing Thee, whether the rigors of the season and of the weather cause Thee affliction, and what I can do for thy service and for thy relief." And the divine Infant answered: "All the labors, O Mother, and all fatigue are most light and sweet to Me, since I undergo them for the honor of my eternal Father and for the instruction and Redemption of men, especially in thy company." The Child wept a few times, yet in great serenity and in the manner of a grown-up and perfect man; and immediately the loving Mother sought the interior cause of these tears, finding it in his soul. She understood that they were tears of love and compassion for the salvation of men and caused by their ingratitude; in this sorrow and weeping the sweetest Mother imitated Him.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 627
'But, since my understanding, by means of the most exalted inspiration, penetrated so deeply into the very essence of God in the person of the Word united to the Divinity, and since I knew that my most holy son was the eternal, all-powerful, infinite Creator and Preserver of all things, and that this iniquitous king [Herod] depended for his life and existence entirely upon this beneficence, I was particularly struck with wonder to see the most sacred humanity pray and beseech his eternal Father to confer upon Herod, at this very time [of his seeking to kill the divine Infant] enlightenment, help and blessing; to see my Son, who had it so much in his power to punish him, by his prayers prevent the full measure of chastisement which he deserved. Although Herod's purpose was frustrated, yet this obstinate reprobate was visited with less chastisement than would have been given to him if my holy Son had not prayed for him.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 628
'Now if persecutions afford thee the advantage of imitating Him, why should thou not esteem them as a great blessing? Why should thou not love those who give thee the occasion to practice this highest perfection, why not thank them for this benefit, and hold them not as enemies but as benefactors, who afford thee a chance to obtain what is of so much importance for thy welfare?'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 629
'However, just as his blessings are distributed to the good and to the bad, so also it cannot be a rule with God to give greater temporal goods to the good and less to the bad. On the contrary He prefers that the chosen and predestined ones be poor (James 2, 5), both because they thus gain more merit and reward, and because there are few who know how to use wealth properly and who can retain it without inordinate greed. Although my most holy Son and I had nothing to fear from this danger, yet He wished to furnish this example to men and to teach them this science, through which eternal life comes to them.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 640
'So then the Infant Jesus, with his Mother and saint Joseph, reached the inhabited country of Egypt. On entering the towns the divine Infant, in the arms of his Mother, raised his eyes and his hands to the Father asking for the salvation of these inhabitants held captive by satan. And immediately He made use of his sovereign and divine power and drove the demons from the idols and hurled them to the infernal abyss. Like lightning flashed from the clouds they darted forth and descended to the lowermost caverns of hell and darkness (Luke, 10, 4). At the same instant the idols crashed to the ground, the altars fell to pieces, and the temples crumbled to ruins.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 643
'Whatever can duly be procured by human exertion, is not to be expected by a miracle, nor must one try to exempt himself from labor in the hope of a supernatural interference on the part of God; for the Lord sweetly concurs with the ordinary and natural course of created things.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 663
'While at work the rational creature can praise God and adore Him in spirit and in truth (John 4, 23). In order to fulfill this duty, direct thy activity according to his pleasure, consult his will in regard to them, weighing them with the scales of the sanctuary and riveting thy attention upon the divine light which the Almighty infuses in thy soul.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 663
'In regard to the cure of the sick and wounded the heavenly Lady hesitated between two different sentiments: the one of charity, which drew Her to nurse the wounded with her own hand, and the other of modesty, which forbade her to touch anyone. In order that all propriety might by observed, her most holy Son empowered Her to cure the men by her mere word and exhortations; while she might cure the woman by the touch of her hands and cleansing their wounds. This course of action She maintained thenceforward, taking upon Herself as well the office of a mother as of a sick-nurse, respectively. But, as I will narrate, after they had lived two years in that place [Heliopolis, Egypt] saint Joseph also began to cure the sick, while the matchless charity of the Queen busied itself more particularly with the cure of the women.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 668
'But in all these occupations and cures (O wonderful to relate!) this most modest Mistress never looked upon the face of either man or woman. Even when the wound was in the face, her modesty was so exquisite that She would not have been able to recognize any of her patients by their features if She had not known all men by another interior kind of vision.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 668
'Looking into it [the Soul of the Infant Jesus] as into a clear mirror, She saw all that passed in Bethlehem more clearly than if She herself had been present to hear the wailing of the children and the parents. She saw also how her Son prayed to his eternal Father for the parents of these innocents [the Holy Innocents]; that He offered up the murdered children as the first fruits of his own Death; asking Him also that they receive the use of reason, in order that they might be a willing sacrifice for their Redeemer and accept their death for his glory. Thus He would be able to reward them with the crowns of martyrdom for what they suffered. All this the eternal Father granted, and as it was made known to the Queen in her Onlybegotten Son, She joined Him in his prayers and sacrifices.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 674
'Be very careful not to allow thyself to be mastered by anything, be it ever so small; for in order to start a great conflagration the smallest spark is sufficient. I have often repeated to thee this same warning, and I shall continue to do so more often in the future; for the greatest difficulty in practicing virtue consists in dying to all that is pleasurable to the senses. Thou canst not be a fit instrument in the hands of the Lord, such as He desires thee to be, if thou does not cleanse thy faculties even of the images of all creatures, so that they do not find entrance into thy desires. I wish it to be to thee an inexorable law that all things, except God, his angels and saints, be to thee as if they did not exist. These should be thy sole possession; on this account the Lord has opened to thee his secrets, honors thee with his familiarity and intimacy, and for this purpose also do I honor thee with mine, that thou neither live nor wish to live without the Lord.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 680
'"My Mother," answered the Infant Jesus, "on account of the love which I bear towards man, whom I have created and come to redeem, the swathings of my childhood have not seemed irksome to Me, since when I shall be grown up I shall be bound and delivered over to my enemies unto death (Matt. 20, 18). If this prospect is sweet to Me for the love of my Father all the rest is certainly easy to me. I wish to possess only one garment during all my life, for I seek nothing more than what is sufficient to cover Me. Although all created things are mine because I have given them being, I turn them all over to men in order that they may owe Me so much the more and in order that I may teach them, according to my example and for my love, to repudiate and despise all that is superfluous for natural life. Clothe Me, my Mother, in a tunic of a lowly and an ordinary color. This alone I will wear, and it shall grow with Me. Over this garment they shall cast lots at my death (Ps. 21, 19); for even this shall not be left at my disposal, but at the disposal of others; so that men shall see that I was born and wish to live poor and destitute of visible things, which being earthly, oppress and darken the heart of man . . . "'Infant Jesus at age one, to His Mother Mary, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 684
'On these occasions [of Blessed Mary always having the sight of the most holy humanity and soul of her Son with all their activities] it often happened that the Child Jesus in the presence of his most holy Mother wept and perspired blood, for this happened many times before his agony in the garden. Then the blessed Lady would wipe his face interiorly perceiving and knowing the cause of this agony, namely the loss of the foreknown and of those who would be ungrateful for the benefits of their Creator and Redeemer and in whom the works of the infinite power and goodness of the Lord would be wasted.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 695
'Having now reached the age of six years He began now and then to visit the sick in hospitals, seeking out the stricken ones and mysteriously comforting and consoling them in their afflictions.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 696
'Many of the children of Heliopolis gathered around the Child Jesus, as it is natural with children of similar age and condition. Since they were free from great malice and were not given to inquire, whether He was more than man, but freely admitted the heavenly light, the Master of truth welcomed them as far as was befitting. He instilled into them the knowledge of God and of the virtues; He taught and catechised them in the way of eternal life, even more abundantly than the adults. As his words were full of life and strength, He won their hearts and impressed his truths so deeply upon them, that all those, who had this good fortune, afterwards became great and saintly men; for in the course of time they ripened in themselves the fruit of this heavenly seed sown so early into their souls.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 697
'In his intercourse and conversation with his parents, this most wonderful and beautiful Child [Jesus], after He had begun to walk and grow larger, showed more gravity than when He was younger. The tender caresses, which always had been tempered and measured, were now withheld, for in his countenance shown forth such majesty as a reflection of his hidden Deity, that, if He had not mixed it with a certain sweetness and affability, reverential fear would have prevented all intercourse with Him. The heavenly Mother and saint Joseph felt the effects of a divine power and efficacy, as well as the kindness and devotedness of a loving Father, proceeding from his countenance.'Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 699
'The disorderly love for one creature which it cannot attain, moves the soul presently to desire another, expecting a balm for its disappointment in the former. And if it is successful, the soul becomes involved and flurried in retaining what it possesses, thus casting itself by these velleities into still greater disorders and passions. Attend, therefore, dearest, to this danger and attack it at the root by preserving thy heart independent and riveted only on divine Providence, without ever allowing it to incline toward what it desires or is longs for, or to abhor what is painful to it. Let the will of the Lord be thy only delight and joy. Let neither thy desires draw thee on, not thy fears dishearten thee. Let not thy exterior occupations, and much less thy regard or attention to creatures, ever impede thee or divert thee from thy holy exercises, attending always to my example. Seek thou lovingly and diligently to follow in my footsteps.'Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. II, 711
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