Mystical City of God

What did Jesus Wear? How did he dress? - The Incarnation - Bk4 - Ch29

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda tells us about how The Blessed Virgin Mary clothed the infant Jesus in the seamless tunic and how she put shoes on His feet. She also describes some of the activities and observances of the Lord. The Blessed Virgin Mary warns us against ingratitude for the sacrifices and many graces that Christ secured for us in His life saying, "My daughter, from the very beginning of this history of my life you were made to understand, that among other purposes, the Lord wished to call the attention of mortals to the debt contracted by their unfeeling forgetfulness of his divine love and of mine toward them. It is true that all his love is included and made manifest in his having died on the Cross for them, for this was the extremity of his immense charity (John 3:16). But many ungrateful men are loath to remember even this blessing. For such and for all others the knowledge of what He did for them during the thirty-three years should be a new incentive and spur of love; since each of his acts was worth an infinite price and merited our eternal gratitude. The Almighty set me as a witness to all of them: and I assure you, that from the first instant of his conception in my womb, He ceased not to clamor to the Father for the salvation of men. From that moment He began to embrace the Cross (Hebrews 10:5), not only in desire, but also as far as was possible in effect, placing Himself in the position of one crucified from his infancy and continuing these exercises during his whole life. I also imitated Him in this, joining Him in his prayers and labors for mankind and in the very first acts of his most sacred humanity by which He rendered thanks for the salvation of men."

The Return to Nazareth - The Incarnation - Bk 4 - Ch30

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda tells us about the journey of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph when they returned to Nazareth at the command of our Heavenly Father. The Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that we need no other explanation for doing God's will than it's God's will, saying, "My daughter, while journeying at the command of the Lord from one country to another and during the works enjoined upon me, my heart was never troubled nor my spirit cast down; for I always held myself prepared to fulfill entirely the will of God. Although the Lord made known to Me his high ends, yet this was not always done at the beginning, thus permitting me to endure so much the greater sufferings; for in obeying the Lord no further reason is necessary than that the Lord Creator so commands and disposes. The souls must accustom themselves to look for this motive alone and to learn solely to please the Lord, without distinguishing between fortunate or unfortunate events and without looking to their own inclinations. In this kind of wisdom, I wish that you advance. In imitation of me and to satisfy your obligations toward my most holy Son, do thou receive prosperity or adversity in this mortal life with unmoved countenance and with equanimity and peace of mind. Let not the one grieve, nor the other vainly rejoice you, but attend only to all that which the Almighty ordains according to his pleasure."

Mary Undergoes Another Trial - The Transfixion: Bk5 - Ch1

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda tells us how the Lord tried The Blessed Virgin Mary further by acting with a certain distance and severity toward her and Mary's meritorious reaction. The Blessed Virgin Mary tells us that Jesus has not stopped personally instructing His disciples, but we must be prepared and actively participate saying, "First of all you must keep your conscience pure, undented, serene and quiet, keeping a constant watch against falling into any sin or imperfection throughout all the events of this life. At the same time, you must withdraw yourself and disentangle yourself from all that is earthly, so much so that (as I have already formerly admonished you) you do not retain any image or memory of human or visible things, but maintain the utmost sincerity, purity, and serenity of heart. When you thus have cleared your interior from the images and shadows of earthly things, then you will pay attention to the voice of your God like a beloved daughter, forgetting the voice of Babylon, the house of her father Adam, and all the aftertastes of sin. I assure you, that He will speak to you words of eternal life (John 6:69). It will be your duty to listen to Him with reverence and humble gratitude; to appreciate his teachings, and to follow them in practice with all diligence and punctuality."

Mary’s restored and the Law of Grace - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch2

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes how the view of the operations of the soul of Jesus was restored to The Blessed Virgin Mary, the depth of her sorrow during the event, and how Mary was instructed in the Law of Grace. The Blessed Virgin Mary tells us what we are called to do saying, "I desire of you to prepare your heart with new diligence and attention, so that like a chosen soil, it may receive the living and holy seed of the word of the Lord producing fruits a hundred-fold (Luke 8:8). Make your heart attentive to my words; and at the same time, let your reading of the Holy Gospels be continual; meditate and ponder within yourself the doctrines and mysteries which you perceive therein. Hear the voice of your Spouse and Master. He calls all men and invites them to the feast of his words of eternal life (John 6:69). But so great is the dangerous deception of this mortal life, that only very few souls wish to hear and understand the way of light (Matthew 7:14). Many follow the delights presented to them by the prince of darkness, and those that follow them know not where they are led (John 12:35)."

Pilgrimages of the Holy Family - The Transfixion - Bk 5 - Ch 3

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes when the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph would go to Jerusalem every year according to the requirement of the law and how Jesus traveled with them. The Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that we must be cautious, saying: "...the fulfillment of the precepts of the Lord must not be cold and lukewarm, but most fervent and devoted. For this favor will prevent you from being satisfied with common virtue, and excite you to undertake works of purest love beyond that which God imposes upon you by command. For this is one of the artifices of His wisdom, that He seeks to be obliged by his true servants and friends, in order that He may reward them, and this is what I desire of you. Remember, dearest, that the journey from the mortal to the eternal life is long, painful, and dangerous (Matthew 7 14): long, because it takes up the whole life, painful, on account of the hardships, dangerous, on account of human frailty and the astuteness of the enemies."

How they lost Jesus in Jerusalem - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch4

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes the events leading up to finding Jesus at the temple at the age of twelve. was He lost or hidden? The Blessed Virgin Mary explains the loss of God saying, "...by oft-repeated experience mortals know, that they do not lose without sorrow what once they have possessed with delight. This truth, so well established, should convince men what little love they have for their God and Creator; since among the many who lose Him, there are so few who heartily grieve at this loss, and thereby show, that they have never possessed or loved Him with a love flowing from grace. Just as they fail to grieve at losing the highest Good, which they do not hold in loving possession, so they also fail to seek after their God when they have lost Him. But there is a great difference in the manner in which men lose sight of their highest Good; for it is not the same to lose sight of God for the purpose of being tried in virtue and love and to lose sight of Him in punishment for sins committed."

Finding Jesus at the Temple. What were they talking about? - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch5

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes the conversation in the Temple of Jerusalem. Jesus was asking questions, but to instruct, not to be instructed. The Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that uncertainty and a longing for the Lord serves a purpose saying, "The Lord absented Himself from me in order that, seeking Him in sorrow and tears, I might find Him again in joy and with abundant fruits for my soul. I desire that you imitate me in this mystery and seek Him with such earnestness, as to be consumed with a continual longing without ever in your whole life coming to any rest until you hold Him and can lose Him no more (Canticles 5:4). In order that you may understand better this sacrament of the Lord, remember, that the infinite Wisdom made men capable of his eternal felicity and placed them on the way to this happiness, but left them in doubt of its attainment, as long as they have not yet acquired it, and thus filled them with joyful hope and sorrowful fear of its final acquisition."

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostle x10 - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch6

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes the special grace and vision that was granted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and how it produced in here the perfect copy and image of the evangelical law. The Blessed Virgin Mary tells us how important it is to study this endlessly, saying, "The knowledge of all this you must consider as one of the greatest favors ever bestowed upon you by the Lord. For in it you will find the sum total and essence of the most exalted sanctity and perfection, reflected as in the clearest mirror. The paths of divine light will therein be revealed to you, whereon you can walk secure from the darkness of ignorance enveloping other mortals."

The Evangelical Law - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch7

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda explains the exalted purpose of the instruction of the Most Host Mary. And she also describes how The Blessed Virgin Mary put these instructions into practice. Our Heavenly Mother reminds us, "...[God] faithfully supplies all souls with light, by which they can enter into the knowledge of Him and of eternal life, provided they do not of their own free will prevent and obscure this light by sin or give up the quest of the kingdom of heaven."

How Mary Practiced the Teachings of the Gospels - The Transfixion - Bk5 - Ch8

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes how our Great Queen practiced the teachings of the Gospel as taught to her by Jesus. The Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us the importance of both teaching and living the Gospels saying, "...it was proper that the Teacher of virtue should make known to us what He did, and that He should fulfill what He taught. For both word and action belong to the office of teaching. The words should instruct, while the example should move and give witness to the teaching, in order that it may be accepted and practiced. All this was fulfilled by my most holy Son, and by me in imitation of Him (Matthew 5:9). As neither He nor I was to remain always upon this earth, He wished to leave behind Him the holy Gospels as a summary of his life and of mine, in order that the children of the light, by believing and practicing its teachings, might regulate their lives in imitation of his."