 Introduction When both are united, the visions of Mary of Agretta and Anne-Catherine Emmerich, we possess the most magnificent contemplations upon the mysteries of the Incarnation of God, down Prosper Gerenje, O.S.B., Abbott of Solem. One Private Revelations Due to the special nature of its sources, the life of Mary as seen by the mystics is not, does not purport to be, and therefore should not be considered a historical biography. The study of history is based primarily on contemporaneous written documents. This work, however, has been compiled entirely from the visions and private revelations of Saint Elizabeth of Chonau, 1127 to 1164, Saint Bridget of Sweden, 1303 to 1373, Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agretta, 1602 to 1665, and Venerable Anne-Catherine Emmerich, 1774 to 1824, as recorded in their writings or in those of their secretaries. It is therefore essential, in order properly to evaluate this book, that the reader have a clear understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church, concerning the nature and reliability of private revelations. The following brief outline of the subject is derived from the masterful analysis of the Reverend Auguste Poulain, S.J., in his work entitled The Graces of Interior Prayer, A Treatise on Mystical Theology, St. Louis B. Herder, 1912, Part 4, Revelations and Visions. First and most important of all, we must always make a very sharp distinction between, one, the divinely guaranteed universal public revelation which is contained in the Bible and the apostolic tradition of the Church, and, two, the numerous private or special revelations of saintly Christian men and women. The first came to an end with the preaching of the apostles, and is a matter of faith for all Catholics, whereas the second have occurred throughout the history of the Church and do not require belief, even when approved. Quote, it matters little whether or not one believes in saint-budgets revelations or those of the other saints, these things have nothing to do with faith. Even when the Church approves them, they are not to be used as deciding questions of history, philosophy, or theology. Next, we must understand why it is possible that the writings or revelations of some saintly mystics have occasionally contained minor inaccuracies or details which do not agree with similar accounts of other equally holy mystics. This is especially observable when their visions represent historical scenes, such as the life and death of Jesus Christ and his mother. For instance, Saint Bridget and Mary of Agreda differ as to various details of the nativity. Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich saw the Savior crucified with three nails, whereas Saint Bridget saw four nails, and all three disagree concerning the number of years which the blessed virgin lived after the crucifixion. This does not mean that in each case only one mystic saw correctly and the others must have been mistaken, for his father Poulain very wisely explains, and the importance of this statement for our work cannot be overstressed. Quote, when visions represent historic scenes, they often have an approximate and probable likeness only. It is a mistake to attribute an absolute accuracy to them. Many saints have, in fact, believed that the event took place exactly as they saw it, but God does not deceive us when he modifies certain details. If he tied himself down to absolute accuracy in these matters, we should soon be seeking to satisfy in visions an idle desire for erudition in history or archaeology. He has a noble aim, that of the soul's sanctification, and to arouse in her a love of Jesus' suffering. He is like a painter who, in order to excite our piety, is content to paint scenes in his own manner but without departing too far from the truth. This argument cannot be applied to the historical books of the Bible. God has another reason for modifying certain details. Sometimes he adds them to a historical scene in order to bring out the secret meaning of the mystery. The actual spectators saw nothing similar. We see, therefore, that it is imprudent to seek to remake history by the help of the saints' revelations. And in his article on the same subject in the Catholic Encyclopedia, Fr. Poulayne reads, quote, A vision need not guarantee its accuracy in every detail. One should thus beware of concluding without examination that revelations are to be rejected. Much less should one suspect that the saints have been always or very often deceived in their vision. On the contrary, such deception is rare, and as a rule, in unimportant matters only. In his treatise on mystical theology, Fr. Poulayne also lists the following possible causes of errors in private revelations. The human mind may mingle its own action with the divine action in a certain measure by injecting some of its own favorite or preconceived ideas. A true revelation may subsequently be altered when its recipient records it after an interval of time, or the secretary of the mystic may not write or edit it with perfect fidelity, and finally a printed text may be an incomplete version or an inaccurate translation of the original manuscript. We may therefore concede with a learned Fr. Herbert Thurston, S. J., that, quote, it seems impossible to treat the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, or, indeed, any other similar visions, as sources which can contribute reliably to our knowledge of past history. What then is the value of the best private revelations? The famous Dom Prosper Guerinje, O. S. B., Abbot of Soleim, and pioneer of the modern liturgical revival, summed up the age-old wisdom of Holy Mother Church's reply to that question when he wrote, quote, private revelations are a powerful means of strengthening and increasing Christian sentiments. For, according to his biographer, quote, in the thought of Dom Guerinje, private revelations, even though the human element may enter into their composition with the revealed element, are one of the channels by which edification and the supernatural penetrate among the Christian faithful. The following statements on this subject by Dom Guerinje are significant and relevant, quote, in all periods the Church has had in her bosom souls to whom it pleases God to communicate extraordinary lights, of which he allows some rays to fall under the community of the faithful. What counts for the Christian who wishes to know the things of God in the measure which is permitted to us here below is to know that beyond the teaching generally imparted to all the children of the Church, there are also certain lights which God communicates to souls whom he has chosen, and that those lights pierce through the clouds when he so determines in such a way that they spread far and wide for the consolation of simple hearts and also to be a certain trial for those who are wise in their own opinion, those to whom the seer communicates what he has thus learned from a divine source being reduced to a human and fallible intermediary. Need give it only that assent which we give to probable matters, an assent which we call pious belief. No doubt this is little if we consider the invincible certitude of faith, yet it is much if we think of the shadows which surround us. While granting the possibility of human imperfections in private revelations, Dom Guérangé insists on the spiritual value of the best examples in this masterful psychological analysis, quote, but there always remains that superhuman tone, both gentle and strong at the same time, an echo of the divine words which resounded in the soul, that unction which penetrates into the reader's mind and soon obliges him to say, the source of this is not human. As we read, our heart slowly takes fire, our soul feels desires for virtue which it had not hitherto experienced, the mysteries of faith appear more luminous to us, bit by bit the world and its hopes vanish, and the longing for the good things of heaven which seemed to have been dozing within us, awakens with new fervor. That generations of devout Catholics, including many learned theologians and prelates and writers, have in fact derived great spiritual benefit and inspiration from a judicious reading of the private revelations which have been compiled here will be definitively established in the following critical estimates of the works of the four mystics that constitute our sources as found in the most authoritative Catholic encyclopedias and treatises on the subject. 2. Saint Elizabeth of Shonau This daughter of a humble German family in the Rhineland entered the great Benedictine monastery at Shonau near Bonn at the age of twelve. She became a remarkably fervent and mortified nun, and from the age of twenty-three until her death in eleven sixty-four experienced frequent extraordinary mystical graces. Her writings were edited by her brother Egbert, a Benedictine abbot, though honored locally and in her order Saint Elizabeth of Shonau was never formally beatified. Her revelations, like those of saints Hildegard, Gertrude and Bactilda, exercised a profound influence on medieval spirituality. 3. Saint Bridget of Sweden Bridget, Burgita, not to be confused with the Irish Saint Bridget of Kildare, four fifty-three to five twenty-one, was born about thirteen oh three, the daughter of a wealthy provincial governor. At the age of fourteen she married Ulf Kudmarsen, and they became the parents of eight children. In thirteen forty-three her devout husband entered the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra, where he died the following year. After spending several years at the court of King Magnus Erickson, Bridget went to Rome in thirteen forty-nine. Except for a number of pilgrimages to Italian shrines and one to the Holy Land in thirteen seventy-two, she resided in Rome until her death on July twenty-three thirteen seventy-three. So great was her fame for sanctity that she was canonized by Pope Boniface the Ninth on October three thirteen ninety-one. Before leaving Sweden she began to dictate her revelations at the urging of Jesus Christ and his mother to one of the several learned priests who were at various times her spiritual directors. These heavenly revelations comprise nine books, amounting to over one thousand five hundred pages. They contain numerous lengthy discourses by our Lord and a Blessed Virgin on such subjects as the Church, Moral Advice for Clergy and Laity, Marriage and Education, Purgatory, as well as accounts of apparitions of St. Anne, St. John the Baptist, St. Matthew, St. Francis of Assisi, and other saints. According to the Dictionnaire de Spirtualité Essétique et Mystique, quote, Benedict the Fourteenth, has pronounced the decisive word concerning the orthodoxy of the revelations of Brigitte in the De Savorum dei Beatificazioni. Therefore, there is no doubt the revelations of Brigitte are included among those which have the approval of the Church. They are orthodox. This formal approval, however, means only that they contain nothing contrary to faith and morals, and that there is good evidence for their authenticity, for, in the words of Pope Benedict the Fourteenth, quote, Even though these revelations have been approved, we cannot and we ought not to give them the assent of divine faith, but only that of human faith, according to the dictates of prudence, wherever these dictates enable us to decide that they are probable and worthy of pious credence. The revelations of St. Brigitte of Sweden were among the most popular books in Europe during the late Middle Ages. Their, quote, value resides in the spirituality of the saint, unquote. They contain, quote, an entire Mariology which is extremely rich. It is the Blessed Virgin most often who describes the scenes of the childhood and of the passion of Christ. Four, venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda. Born in Agreda, old Castile Spain on April 2, 1602, in a middle-class family, Maria Coronel entered in January 1619 with her mother and youngest sister, a conceptionist poor Claire Convent, which her devout parents had founded in their hometown, while her father and two brothers became Franciscans. From 1627 until her death on May 24, 1665, except for a period of three years, Mother Mary of Jesus was re-elected Abbas no less than eleven times. Mary of Agreda, as she is usually called, is a figure of special interest to Americans because in the 1630s, in one of the most thoroughly documented cases of by-location in history, without ever leaving her convent in Spain, she appeared innumerable times to the Indians of Western Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, instructed them in the Catholic religion and sent them southward to be baptized by the approaching Franciscan missionaries. Her famous biography of the Blessed Virgin, the mystical city of God, became the subject of considerable controversy among theologians when it was first published in 1670. On November 9, 1681, at the request of King Charles II of Spain, Pope Innocent XI suspended in Spain a condemnation of the work by the Holy Office of the Inquisition of June 26 of the same year. That this suspension was generally interpreted by theologians and ordinaries as being of universal application is indicated by the publication between 1700 and 1750 of about twenty French, Italian, Latin, German and Polish translations in France, Italy, Germany and Belgium. Although, as Dame Guéringer and the Abbey H. Bremon have shown, a Jansenist and Gallican majority of professors at the Sorbonne University in Paris issued a condemnation of the book in 1696. The Spanish Inquisition and, quote, the universities of Granada, Burgos, Cadiz, Madrid, Canarias, Salamanca, Alcala, Toulouse, Louvain and seventeen of the greatest colleges in Europe have favored the mystical city of God with their official approbation. According to the authoritative modern Catholic lexicon, Führer Kirke und Theologie, quote, it contains several errors in profane matters, but nothing which contradicts the teaching of the church. The point which was most displeasing to its opponents, particularly Gallicans, Jansenists and followers of the Enlightenment, was the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. However, the definition of this doctrine as a dogma in 1854 proved that the venerable servant of God was right and again drew the attention of the Catholic world to a writings. The Holy See has repeatedly permitted them to be read, but has not made a positive decoration concerning the character of the visions. Many bishops and scholars have warmly recommended the work. Despite all controversies, it has been widely distributed in many editions and translations and has filled countless souls, including priests also, with new love and reverence for the mother of our Lord. This remarkable book has indeed gained an ever-increasing favor during the past hundred years, even though the controversies of the 18th century resulted in halting the author's process of beatification. In 1850, the scholarly Jesuit editor of the journal The Sevilleta Cattolica wrote, quote, we must conclude that the book, The Mystical City of God, must with prudence be judged praiseworthy. Between a blind belief and a no less blind scorn, the middle ground is a clear-seeing respect. Thirty years later, the same journal announced, quote, with great pleasure the new Italian version of the life of the Blessed Virgin, originally written in Spanish by a venerable sister Mary of Jesus, to whom, as we may piously, though by merely human faith believe, it was communicated by the Blessed Virgin herself. Intrinsic reasons render it probable, and extrinsic reasons likewise render it probable, that is, the opinions of very learned theologians who have given the work their approval after a most detailed examination. According to Ludwig Kleris, Wilhelm Gustav Volk, the editor of the German version published in 1853, quote, The Mystical City of God has aided many persons to find the true faith and to acquire virtue. This statement is especially noteworthy in view of the fact that Kleris himself joined the Catholic Church in 1855. In 1858 to 1859, Dom Geringet devoted a series of twenty-four articles to a thorough analysis and defense of Mary of a Greta's book, while granting that it was not lacking in human flaws. He summed up his considered opinion thus, quote, The least that one can say in praise of this work is that it remains one of the most impressive monuments of the human spirit, unquote, calling it, quote, a marvelous summa, amazing if not superhuman. Dom Geringet declared that, quote, after a lengthy study of The Mystical City and of the voluminous writings that have been published for and against it, unquote. In his judgment, quote, The revelations of Mary of a Greta on the life of the Blessed Virgin have a right to the respect and the esteem of all those who are capable of undertaking to read them, that they deserve to occupy a distinguished place among writings of that kind, and that the judicious use that can be made of them can serve as a powerful stimulus to a revival of devotion in souls. Father Frederick William Faber, 1814 to 1862, the intimate friend of Cardinal Newman and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, whom Dom Geringet considered a saint, and whom the Catholic encyclopedia describes as a master in mystical theology, wrote that he found a number of beautiful things in the mystical city of God, from which he frequently quoted passages in his inspiring devotional works. Typical of the many official recommendations to be found in the editions of that time is the following statement of Archbishop Descampes of Malin and Primate of Belgium when Vicar General of the Diocese of Tornai, quote, We exhort the pious faithful and the clergy in particular who desire a deeper insight into the grandeur of the Most Holy Virgin to take advantage of this publication, which they cannot read without edification and profit. A German edition published by the Redemptorist Fathers in 1885 was recommended by the Bishop of Radispon in these words, it, quote, will surely edify all readers and be the occasion of great spiritual blessings. The famous French writer J.K. Huisman disclosed in his autobiographical novel that the writings of Mary of Agretta and Anne-Catherine Emmerich influenced him in his return to the sacraments. After complaining of the former's verbosity and other faults, he added with profound perspicacity, quote, I know well that the abbey, the hero's spiritual director, would say that we need not concern ourselves with those singularities and those heirs, but that the Cité mystique is to be read in relation to the inner life of the Blessed Virgin. On February 15, 1900 in Rome, a French-Canadian lady named Rose de l'Ima Duma wrote a letter to his holiness, Pope Leo XIII, in which she told him that for several years after reading the mystical city of God, she had adopted as a rule of life the moral instructions of the Blessed Virgin that are found at the end of each of its chapters and that her feelings of gratitude and a desire, quote, to spread the science of the saints had impelled her to publish, unquote, a one-volume compilation of those instructions in French, quote, in order to offer it especially to devout persons living in the world, unquote. While giving his holiness a copy of the book, she begged for his blessing, quote, for herself and for all those who will strive to put into practice the counsels of the Mother of God and who will do all they can to persuade others to do likewise, unquote. On February 28, 1900, his eminence M. Cardinal Rampola wrote to her in reply that, quote, the devout thoughts which you expressed to the Holy Father were received with pleasure by his holiness, who, wishing to confirm you in your virtuous projects, gladly gives you the apostolic blessing, unquote. Of special significance is the fact that the edition involved entitled Sublime Doctrine de la Mère de Dieu sur les Vertus Crotienne Extrait de la Cité Mystique de Dieu was printed by the presses of the sacred congregation of the propaganda in Rome. Consequently, a few months later, a Canadian diocesan journal stated, quote, the reserve which is ordinarily maintained on the subject of revelations really no longer has any reason to exist in relation to the mystical city. Since his holiness Leo XIII has been so good as gladly to encourage the project of spreading among the faithful the science of the saints which is contained in that heavenly life of the mother of God, unquote, footnote 33. And in 1915, the same lady published, also in Rome, a complete French edition of Mary of Agretta's work bearing the statement of the Reverend Reginaldo Fe, OP, Doctor in Sacred Theology, quote, that it contains nothing against faith and morals, unquote, footnote 34. Meanwhile, in 1903, the Reverend van de Gain, SJ, one of the learned and cautious Bollandist experts in hagiography, wrote in his article on Mary of Agretta in the authoritative Dictionnaire de Theologgi, catalique, quote, the mystical city of God, says Gore, contains a truly grandiose mystical contemplation. However, we must admit that there are in this work some very extraordinary assertions. On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that the author's only aim was to edify and that she had no intention of engaging in critical history. Mary of Agretta herself said, quote, error on my part is possible, for I am only an ignorant woman. Moreover, I submit to my guides and to the correction of the Holy Catholic Church, unquote, what credence does the work deserve? In the present case, the saintly life of Mary of Agretta creates a prejudice in favor of the complete good faith of the author. There is no serious reason to doubt her sincerity, which is evidenced by an admirable obedience and a profound humility. But on the other hand, the limited spiritual culture of the writer, her ignorance of positive theology and of history render possible, and even probable, some error in the description of revelations which may have been supernatural. Quote, if we wish to judge the work of Mary of Agretta without the partisan spirit, which has unfortunately officiated a good number of appreciations that have been made of her writings, it must be recognized that from the point of view of mystical theology and of edification the mystical city of God deserves the popularity which it has enjoyed, unquote, footnote 35. At the same time, Father Poulain was writing in his graces of interior prayer, quote, whatever opinion we may form as to Mary of Agretta's revelations taken as a whole, we are obliged to admit that they contain some errors. Thus, she says that the earth's radius is 1,251 miles. Note, actually it is about 3,960 miles. Let us not, however, conclude from this that Mary of Agretta deceived herself also as to her purely intellectual visions of the divinity. A mort who criticized her a great deal adds, quote, I unhesitatingly admit that she received wonderful lights from God, unquote, footnote 36. In 1911, 1912, a new critical Spanish edition of the mystical city of God, based on the author's original manuscripts, was published with the approval of the Bishop of Tarazona, whose diocese includes Agretta. In 1910, the very reverend Ubaldes de Pandofe compiled an excellent life of Mary of Agretta in English, which was published by the poor clairs of Evansville, Indiana. And in 1914, the reverend George J. Blatter brought out his complete four-volume English translation of the mystical city of God with the imprimatur of the right reverend H.J. Allerding, Bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is also a significant fact, especially in view of the early Dominican opposition to this work, for its scotistic leanings, that the foremost modern Spanish-Dominican, quote, champion of the true traditional doctrine in mystical theology, unquote, the saintly reverend Juan G. Arendtero, 1860, 1928, who was, quote, an authority in the discernment of spirits, unquote, did not hesitate to quote freely from the mystical city of God in his masterpiece The Mystical Evolution in the Development and Vitality of the Church. The reverend S.J. Drogelus of New York City has written a series of sacred dramas on the life of the Blessed Virgin, which are based entirely on the work of Mary of Agretta. Madonna of Nazareth, the first of the series to be printed, was published in 1949 by the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. A favorable review of this work, which appeared in the Sunday edition of the Asservatory Romano, referred to the noble task undertaken by the author and to the important influence of Mary of Agretta, quote, not only on the strictly religious but also in the political and moral fields of 17th century Spain. On November 10, 1949, his Eminence P. Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi wrote to Father Drogelus, quote, I hope and pray that Almighty God will bless this undertaking and that he will grant you great success not only in increasing devotion to the Immaculate Virgin but also in making her better and more widely known in a world that has so much need of her. And last but not least in importance is the following impressive statement in the New Italian Catholic Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Cattolica, edited by the foremost ecclesiastical scholars in Italy and published in the Vatican City in 1949, quote, considered objectively, although historical, geographical and chronological errors are not lacking in the mystical city of God, from which it follows that the work does not contain only revelation. Its high ascetical and mystical value must be recognized. 5. Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich Born on September 8, 1774, in a family of poor Westphalian peasants, Anne Catherine entered the Augustinian convent in Duelmen in 1802. When the convent was closed in 1812 due to the Napoleonic Wars, she moved to a private home in which she resided until her death on February 2, 1824. From childhood she experienced many extraordinary mystical graces. Before becoming a nun, she endured the pains of the crown of thorns and in 1808 those of the other wounds of Christ. In 1812 the stigmata became visible. When Clemens von Brentano, 1778 to 1842, a prominent German romantic poet, visited her in 1818 soon after his return to the Catholic Church, she recognized him as the secretary who was destined to be the editor of her revelations. He remained with her throughout the last five years of her life, taking extensive notes of her visions of the life of Christ, whose public ministry she witnessed day by day in 1821 to 1824. Quote, in editing his notes, Brentano did not exercise such fidelity that these visions may simply pass for verbal communications of Emmerich. As a result, the Emmerich-Brentano writings are not being considered as evidence in her process for beatification. They have, nevertheless, merited the recommendations of numerous learned prelates and theologians like Father Poulain, Dom Guérinier, and Cardinals Gibbons and Erl, who have been a source of profound spiritual benefit to many persons, including such distinguished writers as J.K. Hoisman, Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., Leon Bloy, Jacques and Reissa Martin, and Paul Claudel as the following quotations will demonstrate. J.J. Guerin, quote, I know of no revelations richer, more profound, more wonderful, or more thrilling in their nature than those of Sister Emmerich. The Catholic Encyclopedia, quote, the rapid and silent spread of her works through Germany, France, Italy, and elsewhere, speaks well for their merit. Strangely enough, they produced no controversy. Dom Prosper Guérinier, OSB, quote, in the publication of this work, The Life of Jesus Christ, we must recognize a disposition of divine providence who has deigned to console Catholic Germany in the midst of the most dreadful blasphemies that have been and still are uttered against the Holy Gospels, by thus placing before our eyes the facts of the Gospel narratives. Indeed, Catherine Emmerich has her mission. God does not lavish the extraordinary gifts which have been revealed in her. Not in vain has he placed her in the heart of Germany just before the outbreak of the most frightful infidelity. I shall allow no favorable opportunity to pass without pain and Catherine Emmerich, the tribute she deserves. Her revelations have found no reader who has perused them with greater diligence and appreciation than I, and I have ever been most eager to communicate my impressions concerning them to all my acquaintances. Most Reverend August Maria Taube, Bishop of Covington, Kentucky, 1882, quote, The writings of the venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich breathe so deeply, a spirit of faith, and so heart felt a love for God that the devout perusal of them must afford the faithful a rich treasure of blessings and edification. Most Reverend William H. Gross, C. S. R., Archbishop of Oregon, 1888, quote, It is a masterpiece of its kind. We heartily approve its translation and sincerely hope that a copy of it will soon be found in every Catholic family. Most Reverend William H. Elder, Archbishop of Cincinnati, 1892, quote, The life of our Lord, according to the revelations of Catherine Emmerich, I have found extremely interesting and edifying. If received according to the explanations given and if read in the spirit of piety, it is wonderfully adapted to increase in our heart the love of our Lord Jesus Christ by giving us vivid pictures of what he did and said during his mortal life. His Eminence J. Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, quote, From our own deep conviction of the great advantage to be derived from the pious perusal of the work, we do not hesitate in its approval to add our signature. Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S. J., quote, One day in the long retreat, which ended on Christmas Day, they were reading in the refectory Sister Emmerich's account of the agony in the garden and I suddenly began to cry and sob and could not stop. I put it down for this reason that if I had been asked a minute beforehand I should have said that nothing of the sort was going to happen and even when it did, I stood in a manner wondering at myself. Leon Bloy in the Maritains, quote, At the very beginning of the latter's conversion, Leon Bloy made us read Schmerger's three thick volumes on the life and visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, one of the greatest mystics of the 19th century. The religious beauty of the visions and spiritual illuminations is so great that there must have been at least one mystic involved, either Catherine or Bentano. No mere poet could have given a picture of such depth, coherence and theological value of the inner life of a co-sufferer in Christ's passion. The revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich gave us a picture of Catholicism that was crowded and vivid, moving and yet familiar. They taught us countless things. Two knew nothing of Catholic history, dogmas, theology, liturgy, mysticism. Paul Claudel. The books which proved very helpful during that period of his conversion were Pascal, Basway, Dante, not to forget the marvelous private revelations of Catherine Emmerich. J. K. Heusman, quote, The tonic, the stimulant and weakness, the strict nine for failure of faith, the gold which drives you in tears to the feet of Christ, the dolerous passion of Sister Emmerich. A. Mille Baumann, quote, We find that Catherine Emmerich's originality is most valuable in her visions thanks to the ability which she had of revealing their essential elements. Theologically, hers are inferior to those of St. Teresa and of many others. The three books of her revelations nevertheless constitute one of the most beautiful supernatural poems that can be described as inspired. Reverend Paul de Yeager, S.J., quote, But as Brentano himself pointed out in the first edition of the dolerous passion, Anne never claimed historical accuracy for her visions. They are just powerfully realistic pictures whose vividness and imaginative force have helped many a soul to appreciate the passion with more intensity and love. Georges Gauillot, quote, Henceforth too, the veneration of the humanity of Christ was to play an increasingly important role in religious fervor. The visions of Catherine Emmerich deserve to be taken as a landmark in the development of this worship. All the detail which they add to the dramatic story of Christ is an enrichment, not indeed of the deposit of faith itself but of Christian piety. They do not impose themselves on belief, still less on their eudition. But the light they cast, the emotions they arouse, bear up the wings of meditation. Clement Brentano, by making himself at the bedside of the stigmatized woman, the assiduous chronicler of all that Catherine saw and said, brought a fresh source of sustenance to the devout curiosity of believing souls. Before the eyes of that Germany in which certain schools were beginning to regard the story of Christ as a kind of myth, he developed scenes of pathos, scenes picturesque in their tragedy, in which the face of Christ became animated by a new life, more troubled, more poignant. One might almost say more in the raw than the one which the sobriety of the Gospel narrative shows us. And thanks to Brentano, she who threw a stigmata, let herself become in conformity with Christ, was to lead coming Christian generations, if not to know Christ better, at least to feel for Him better, in a compassion in which faith and love mingle and kneel together. His eminence Franz Cardinal Erl, S.J., in 1934, quote, one cannot deny the divine touch in them. The New Italian Catholic Encyclopedia, her revelations, quote, exercised a widespread influence on the piety of the Catholic faithful, particularly in the devotion of the Passion of Jesus, and not only in Germany, six summary. In concluding the study of our sources, we submit the following profoundly wise and enlightening comments of Dom Prosper Guerinje, OSB, and the Reverend August Poulin, S.J., on the value of the revelations of both Mary of Agreda and Anne Catherine Emmerich, which, as will be explained in the next section, have the largest share in this compilation. Dom Guerinje, quote, while we acknowledged Mary of Agreda's superiority in point of ideality, we accorded to Sister Emmerich a preeminence with regard to the richness and exactness of facts. Both bear upon them the marks of supernatural visions and the contradictions between them that we notice here and there should not prejudice one against the communications as a whole. If I have drawn a parallel between Mary of Agreda and Catherine Emmerich, I have the intention of undervalue in the German ecstatica. I look upon both the one and the other as true prophetesses. And if I think that Catherine Emmerich is to be accused of some errors in regard to facts, I find no difficulty in making the same charge against Mary of Agreda. Private revelations like theirs are always mixed with imperfections. God permits this in order that they may not be confounded in uninspired canonical books. I think the proper rule in judging such private revelations is that we be satisfied here and there to stumble upon certain innocent mistakes. We may say that Catherine Emmerich supplies Mary of Agreda's deficiencies. The former received the aesthetic, the latter the doctrinal mission. When both are united, we possess the most magnificent contemplations upon the mysteries of the incarnation of God. Father Poulain Quote, It may also be that the revelation can be regarded as divine in its broad outlines, but doubtful in minor details. Concerning the revelations of Mary of Agreda and Anne Catherine Emmerich, for example, contradictory opinions have been expressed. Some believe unhesitatingly everything they contain, and are annoyed when anyone has confidence. Others give the revelations no credence whatsoever, generally on a priori grounds. Finally, there are many who are sympathetic, but do not know what to reply when asked what degree of credibility is to be attributed to the writings of these two ecstatics. The truth seems to be between the two extreme opinions. In particular instances, these visionaries have been mistaken. In the general statement of facts given in these works, we can admit with probability that many of them are true. For these two visionaries led lives that were regarded as very holy. Competent authorities have judged their ecstacies divine. It is therefore prudent to admit that they received a special assistance from God, preserving them not absolutely, but in the main, from air. Seven, this compilation. In accordance with the enlightened caution of those distinguished theologians and with the sound principles of mystical theology governing private revelations, the method of selection adopted in compiling this book has been to examine all available critical analyses of the writings which constitute its sources and to exclude any statements which might appear to be either unacceptable or implausible or unsuitable for a narrative designed only for popular edification. The specific editions used are indicated in the bibliography which also includes references to standard works in the lives and writings of the four mystics. It should be clearly understood that, except for a few scriptural quotations, every statement in the life of Mary as seen by the mystics has been borrowed directly from one of its four sources. The compiler has merely combined, condensed, and adapted into a unified style the materials which he found therein. Occasionally, elements from the two or three principal sources have even been brought together in one sentence or phrase as one or the other supplied a relevant detail. With regard to the relative contribution of each of the sources, in general, venerable mother Mary of Agreta and sister Anne Catherine Emmerich had laid two-thirds of the total text. Of those two, the former contributed most of the material concerning the interior life of the Blessed Virgin while the latter was usually responsible for exterior actions. St. Bridget of Sweden supplied valuable light on the major events, whereas St. Elizabeth of Schoenau's contribution was limited to the years in the temple and, in part, to the Annunciation. The compiler wishes to acknowledge his gratitude to the many priests, religious and lay persons who have prayed for the spiritual success of this work, and particularly to the reverent oblates of Mary Immaculate, editors of the Annals of Our Lady of the Cape, the official magazine of the National Canadian Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary at Cap de la Madeleine, PQ, in which it appeared as a series of articles in 1946 through 1949. In conclusion, he urges his readers to adopt the prudent and wise counsel of the learned ballandist Hippolyte de la Hay, S.J., who, referring only to the Emmerich-Brentano writings, advised, quote, let them read this book as a religious novel, but not as a fifth gospel. If any of them should be laboring under the dangerous illusion that visions and revelations are to be desired or that they constitute an essential, rather than a secondary element in Christian contemplation and perfection, let them study attentively the several treatises on Catholic spirituality which are listed in the general section 1 of the Bibliography. From the life of Mary as seen by the mystics, we may learn to be true Christian mystics, not seekers of phenomena, but cultivators of the interior life of contemplative union with God through the practice of the virtues and the humble love of Christ and His cross. The principal lesson for us in this life of Mary is that she is above all a model of the interior life and that only insofar as we imitate her recollection and prayer and charity of heart, will we be pleasing to God and capable of serving Him, for only thus will we be united to Him and do His will. Thus, too, we will become like Mary and so Christ will be born and grow in our souls. By our progressive self-purification through penitential loving sacrifices by the grace of God we will be able to give Him to others. The life of Mary as seen by the mystics is hereby offered with filial love as a bouquet of little flowers to Mary immaculate, co-redemptrix and mediatrix of all graces. May she deign to give it her blessing so that it may help its readers to live as she did in ever closer union with her divine son, the Savior of mankind. The compiler Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 1950. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is reported to have said to St. Budget of Sweden quote, know that it is not for your own sake alone that I speak to you, but also for the salvation of all Christians. Know, too, that when it pleases me men shall come who will take up the words of the heavenly revelations with joy and consolation unquote. Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda quote, many mysteries pertaining to my mother are still hidden especially the interior secrets of her life please I wish now to make known. I desire to make known to mortals how much her intercession is worth. If men would now seek to please me by reverencing, believing and studying the wonders which are intimately connected with this mother of piety and if they would all begin to solicit her intercession from their whole heart the world would find some relief unquote. I give you these visions not for yourself they are given to you in order that they may be recorded I give you these visions and I have ever done so to prove that I shall be with my church till the end of my days but visions alone sanctify no one you must practice charity, patience and all the other virtues unquote.