Advent reading

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ADVENT AND LENTON MEDITATIONS

Revelations to a 17th Century nun on merits of the Cross

My daughter, thou daily understand and declarest more fully in this history, that my Son, and I with Him, in our ardent love, embrace the way of the Cross and suffered for the whole course of our natural life. Thou receivest this knowledge more fully and hearest this doctrine repeated so often, that thou must strive to follow it closely in thy daily life. This duty grows upon thee from the day in which my Son has chosen thee as bride, and will oblige thee more and more, so that thou canst not evade the duty of embracing and loving hardships to such an extent, that thy greatest pain shall be to be without them. Renew every day this desire in thy heart, for I wish thee to be very proficient in this science, which the world abhors so much. But remember, at the same time, that God does not afflict creatures merely for the sake of afflicting them, but in order to make them more capable and worthy of receiving the blessings and treasures prepared for them beyond all human conception (I Cor. 2,9). For the confirmation of this truth and as a pledge of His promises He permitted the Transfiguration of Himself on Mount Tabor in my presence and that of some of the disciples. In the prayer which He then made to the eternal Father and which I alone knew of and understood, He humbled Himself before His Father confessing Him (as He always did in His prayers) as the true God, infinite in His perfections and attributes, and besought Him to concede a share of the glory of His own body to those, who in heir mortal bodies should afflict themselves and bear hardships for His love and in imitation of His own, and to grant this glory in the measure proper to each after the resurrection of their bodies in the final judgment. Since the eternal Father granted this request, there is a certain contract between God and man. The glory which was given to the body of Christ the Savior was a pledge of that which Christ was to secure for all His followers. Great, therefore, is the value of the momentary hardships endured in the privation of earthly delights and in mortifications and sufferings for the sake of Christ (II Cor. 4,17).

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On account of the merits of this prayer of Christ, this glory which belongs to Him is due to the creatures in justice, since men are the members of Christ’s mystical body (II Tim. 4,8). Yet this union of Christ, by which man merits such a reward, must be brought about by grace and imitation of the same suffering which merited it for the Redeemer. If all bodily suffering merits its crown, and much greater crown is merited by the patient endurance and pardoning of injuries, and by returning good for them, as We acted in regard to Judas; for the Lord did not only not take away from Judas his apostolate, or show Himself in any way irritated against him, but He patiently bore with him to the very end., when Judas had already make himself altogether unfit for any graces by giving himself up to the devil. During our mortal life the Lord is very slow in visiting his vengeance upon us; but He will make up for his slowness in the severity of his punishments after death. If then God suffers and bears with us so much, how much must one poor worm of the earth bear with another, since both are of the same nature and condition? By the light of this truth and by the charity of thy Lord and Spouse, thou must regulate the amount of thy patience and long sufferings with others and the zeal for their salvation. I do not say that thou must therefore permit what is against the honor of God, for that would not be a true zeal for the good of thy neighbor; but thou must love them as creatures of the Lord and abhor sin; thou must suffer and ignore whatever is done against thee, always seeking, as far as in thee lies, the salvation of others. Do not lose heart, when thou seest no immediate fruit, but continue to present to the eternal Father the merits of my most holy Son, my intercession and that of the saints and angels; for God is charity and as they are the ministers of the Most High, they will gladly make use of this same charity for the benefit of those who are still on their pilgrimage.

I desire that the fruit of the obedience with which thou writest the history of my life shall be, that thou become a true disciple of my most Holy Son and of myself. The main purpose of the exalted and venerable mysteries, which are made known to thee, and of the teachings, which I so often repeat to thee, is that thou deny and strip thyself, estranging thy heart of all affection to creatures, neither wishing to posses them nor accept them for other uses. By this precaution thou wilt overcome the impediments, which the devils seek to place in the way of the dangerous softness of thy nature. I who know thee, thus advise and lead thee by the way of instruction and correction as thy mother and instructress. By the Divine teaching thou knowest the mysteries of the Passion and Death of Christ and the one true way of life, which is the Cross; and thou knowest that not all who are called, are chosen. Many there are who wish to follow Christ and very few who truly dispose themselves to imitate Him; for as soon as they feel the sufferings of the Cross they cast it aside. Laborious exertions are very painful and averse to human nature according to the flesh; and the fruits of the spirit are more hidden and few guide themselves by the light. On this account there are so many among mortals, who, forgetful of the eternal truths, seek the flesh and the continual indulgence of its pleasures. They ardently seek honors and fly from injuries: They strive after riches, and contemn poverty; they long after pleasure and dread mortification. All these are enemies of the Cross of Christ (Phil. 3:18), and with dreadful aversion they fly from it, deeming it shear ignominy just like those who crucify Christ, the Lord.
 
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Another deceit has spread through the world: many imagine they are following Christ their Master, though thy neither suffer affliction nor engage in any exertion or labor, they are content with avoiding boldness in committing sins, and place all their perfection in a certain prudence or hollow self-love, which prevents them from denying anything to their will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh. They would easily escape this deception, if they would consider that my Son was not only the Redeemer, but their teacher; and that He left in this world the treasures of His Redemption not only as a remedy against its eternal ruin, but as a necessary medicine for the sickness of sin in human nature. Noone knew so much as my Son and Lord; no one could better understand the quality of love than the Divine Lord, who was and is Wisdom and Charity itself; and no one was more able to fulfil all his wishes (1st Jn 4:16). Nevertheeless, although He well could do it, He chose not a life of softness and ease for the flesh, but one full of Labors and pains; for He judged His instructions to be incomplete and insufficient to Redeem man, if He failed to teach them how to overcome the demon, the flesh, and their own self. He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent victory is gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the acceptance of contempt: all of which are the trade-marks and evidences of true love and the special watchwords of the predestined.

Thou, my daughter, knowest the value of the Holy Cross and the honor which it confers upon ignominies and tribulations; do thou embrace the Cross and bear it with joy it imitation of my Son and Master (Mt. 16:24). In this mortal life let thy glory be in tribulations, persecutions (Rom. 5:3). Contempt, infirmities, poverty, humiliation and in whatever is painful and averse to mortal flesh. And in order that in all they exercises thou mayest imitate me and give me pleasure, I wish that thou seek no rest or consolation in any earthly thing. Thou must not dwell on thy thoughts upon what thou bearest, nor seek to relieve thyself by enlisting the compassion of others. Much less must thou make much of, or try to impress others with the recital of the persecutions or molestation of creatures, nor should it ever be heard from thy lips, how much thou indurest, nor shouldst thou compare thy sufferings of those of others. I do not wish to say, that it is a sin to accept of some reasonable and moderate alleviation, or to mention thy afflictions. But in thee, my dearest, much alleviation, if not a sin, would be an infidelity to thy Spouse and Lord; for He has put thee personally under more obligation than many generations of men and thy response in suffering and love will be defective and wanting, if it is not complete and loyal in all respects. So faithful does the Lord wish thy correspondence to be, that thou must allow they weak nature not even one sigh for mere natural relief and consolation. If love alone impels thee, thou wilt allow thyself to be carried along by its sweet force and rest in it alone; and the love of the Cross would immediately dispense with such natural relief, in the same way that thou knowest I have done in my total self-sacrifice. Let this be to thee a general rule: that all human consolation is an imperfection and a danger, and that thou shouldest welcome only that, which the Most High sends to thee Himself or through His holy angles. And even these favors of the Divine right hand thou must accept only insofar as they strengthen thee to suffer more constantly and to withdraw thee from all that ministers to the senses.

Taken from the Book City* of God*, by Venerable Mary of Agreda, Volume 3 pages 387 – 389 and 638 - 641.
 
Sorry… um… I don’t take something for “true” unless it’s declared so by the Church.

I’m skeptical.

Is there an imprimator or nihil obstat on that book that you claim to quote someone I’ve never heard of that says she’s quoting from our Blessed Mother?
 
Veroncia Anne,

Yes, these have been approved by the church, its called mystical City of God, by Ven. Mary of Agreda. you can look at ewtn.com/library/MARY/DEATJOS.HTM

they will show an impramatur

Mel Gibson also used these to help make the film the Passion of the Christ

God Bless,
Kaily
 
With all of the false aparitions out there today, it is prudent to be a little suspicious. However, the writings of Mary of Agreda have been accepted by the Church, and even personally promoted by many Popes. I would highly recommend purchasing the book Mystical City of God.

Quote: "The first Pope officially to take notice of “Ciudad de Dios” (City of God) was Pope Innocent XI, who on July 3, 1686, in repsonse to a series of virulent attacks and machinations of some members of the Sorbonne, known to be Jansenists, issued a breve permitting the publication and reading of the “Ciudad de Dios” (i.e. City of God). Similar decrees were afterward issued by Popes Alexander VIII, Clement IX, and Benedict XIII. These decress were followed by two decress of the Congregation of Rites, approved by Bendict XIV and Clement XIV, in which the authencity of “Ciudad de Dios” as extant and written by the Venerable Servant of God, Mary of Jesus, is officially established. The great Pope Benedict XIII, when he was archbishop of Benevent, used these revelations as material for a series of sermons on the Blessed Virgin. On Sept. 26, 1713, the bishop of Ceneda, Italy, objecting to the publication of the “City of God,” was peremptorily ordered by the Holy Office to withdraw his objections as interfering with the decree of pope Innocent XI for the universal Church.
"The process of canonization of Mary of Agreda was promoted by the Spanish bishops and other eminent men of the Church soon after her death in 1666. It has resulted so far in securing her the title of Venerabilis, thus clearing the way to her beatification, for which, let us hope, God will soon raise a promoter among the many pious and eminent men who hold in esteem her writings and have learned of her holy life and of the miracles wrought at her tomb.

"The Redemptorist Fathers published a new German translation in 1885, which was approved and highly recommended by the Bishop of Ratisbon in the following terms:

“We take pleasure in giving our episcopal approbation to the annotated translation of the Spanish original “Ciudad de Dios” of Mary of Jesus and recommend this book, which will surely edify all readers and be the occasion of great spiritual blessings.”

Ratisbon, September 29, 1885

+Ignatius, Bishop of Ratisbon.

Notable is the high recommendation of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Apost. Legate, Primate of Germany, etc.

“According to the decrees of Pope Innocent XI and Clement XI the book known as ‘Ciudad de Dios’ written by the Venerable Servant of God, Maria de Jesus, may be read by all the faithful.”

"A number of episcopal approbations, the recommendations of four renowned universities, namely, of Toulouse, Salamanca, Alcala and Louvain, and of prominent members of different orders, coincide in extolling the above-named work. The learned and pious Cardinal D’Aguirre says that he considers all the studies of fifty years of his previous life as of small consequence in comparison with the doctrines he found in this book, which in all things are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Fathers and Councils of the Church. The Venerable Superior-General of St. Sulpice, Abbe Emery, adds: “Only since I read the revelations ofMary of Agreda do I properly know Jesus and His Holy Mother.”

“We therefore do not hesitate – in granting our episcopal approbation to - “Ciudads de Dios” – and wish to recommend it to the faithful and especially to our clergy.”

+FRANZ ALBERT,
 
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