 Book 1, Chapter 6, of the Mystical City of God, Volume 3, by the venerable sister Mary of Jesus of Agreta. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Book 1, Chapter 6, concerning a vision which was granted to Most Holy Mary when the child Jesus was 12 years old and which was to assist in producing within her the perfect copy and image of the evangelical law. In the first and second chapters of this book, I began what I must now complete in the following chapters, but I do it not without misgivings as to my halting and inadequate powers of expression and with much more hesitation on account of the lukewarmness of my heart, all of which make me unfit to speak of the hidden intercourse of the incarnate word with his most blessed mother. And especially do they make me unworthy of treating about that heavenly intercourse of the son and the mother at Nazareth during the 18 years intervening between his dispute with the doctors at Jerusalem and the beginning of his public preaching in his 30th year. On the shores of this vast ocean of mysteries I stand full of confusion and doubt, asking the Most High Lord from the bottom of my soul to transfer my pen to the hands of an angel in order that no injustice may be done to the subject of the discourse or that he himself, the most powerful and wise God, speak for me, enlighten my faculties so that, governed by his divine light, they may be fit instruments of his will and truth and be free from the human frailty of an ignorant woman. I have already said in former chapters that our great lady was the first and especially privileged disciple of her most holy son, chosen among all creatures as the model of the new evangelical law and its author, according to which he was to mold all the saints of the new law and judge of all the results of the redemption. In regard to her, the incarnate word proceeded like a most skillful artist, who understands the art of painting and all that pertains to it most thoroughly, who, throwing all his powers into one chosen work, seeks to gain from it alone, renown and fame, as from the whole exposition of his art. It is certain that all the holiness and glory of the saints was the result of the love and merits of Christ. Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 2 verse 3 But in comparison with the excellence of Mary they seem insignificant and, as it were, only rough sketches, for in all the saints are found defects. First letter of Saint John, chapter 1 verse 8 But this living image of the only begotten was free from all imperfections and the first strokes of his pencil in her were of greater beauty than the last touches in the highest angels and saints. She is the model for all the perfection of holiness and virtues of all his elect and the utmost limit to which the love of Christ can proceed in mere creatures. No one received any grace or glory that most holy Mary could not receive, and she received all that others were incapable of receiving and her most blessed son gave to her all that she could receive and that he could communicate. The multitude and variety of the saints silently enhance the artificer of their great sanctity and the greatness of the highest is made more conspicuous by the beauty of the lowest, but all of them together are a glorification of most holy Mary, for by her incomparable holiness they are all surpassed and they all partake of so much the greater felicity as they imitate her whose holiness redounds over all. If the most pure Mary has reached the highest pinnacle in the ranks of the just, she may also on this very account be considered as the instrument or the motive power through which the saints themselves have reached their station. As we must judge of her excellence, even if only from afar, by the labor which Christ the Lord applied for her formation, let us consider what labor he spent upon her and how much upon the whole church. To establish and to enrich his church, he deemed it sufficient to spend only three years in preaching, selecting the apostles, teaching the people and inculcating the evangelical law by his public life. And this was amply sufficient to accomplish the work enjoined upon him by the eternal Father and to justify and sanctify all the true believers. But in order to stamp upon his most holy mother the image of his holiness he consumed not three years, but ten times three years, engaging in this work with all the power of his divine love, without ever ceasing hour after hour to add grace to grace, gifts to gifts, blessings to blessings, and holiness to holiness. And at the end of all this he still left her in a state in which he could continue to add excellence after his ascension to his eternal Father as I will describe in the third part. Our reason is unbalanced. Our words fail at the greatness of this incomparable lady, for she is elect as the Son. Canticles chapter 6 verse 9 And her effulgence cannot be borne by terrestrial eyes, nor comprehended by any earthly creatures. Christ our Redeemer began to manifest his designs in regard to his heavenly mother after they had come back from Egypt to Nazareth, as I have already mentioned. And from that time on he continued to follow up his purpose in his quality as teacher and as the Divine Enlightener in all the mysteries of the incarnation and redemption. After they returned from Jerusalem in his twelfth year, the Great Queen had a vision of the Divinity. Not an intuitive vision, but one consisting of intellectual images, one very exalted and full of the new influences of the Divinity and of the secrets of the Most High. She was especially enlightened in regard to the decrees of the Divine Will, concerning the Law of Grace, which was now to be established by the incarnate Word, and concerning the power which was given to him in the Consistory of the Most Blessed Trinity. At the same time she saw how for this purpose the Eternal Father consigned to his Son, the Seven Sealed Book, of which Saint John speaks. Apocalypse chapter 5 verse 1 And how none could be found either in heaven or on earth who could unseal and open it until the Lamb broke its seals by his passion and death and by his doctrines and merits. For in this figure God wished to intimate that the secret of this book was nothing else than the new Law of the Gospel and the Church founded upon it in this world. Then the Heavenly Queen saw in spirit that by the decree of the Most Blessed Trinity she was to be the first one to read and understand this book, that her only begotten was to open it for her and manifest it all to her while she was to put it perfectly into practice, that she was the first one, who was to accompany the Word, who was to occupy the first place next to him on the way to heaven, which he had opened up for mortals and traced out in this book. In her, as his true mother, was to be deposited this New Testament. She saw how the Son of the Eternal Father and of herself accepted this decree with great pleasure and how his sacred humanity obeyed it with ineffable joy on her account. Then the Eternal Father turned to the Most Pure Lady and said, My spouse and my dove, prepare thy heart for the plentitude of knowledge and for receiving the New Testament and law of my only begotten in thy soul. Excite thy desires and apply thy mind to the knowledge and practice of our teachings and precepts. Receive from us the gifts of our liberality and of our love for thee. In order that thou mayest give us fitting thanks, consider that by the disposition of our infinite wisdom we have resolved to make thee a mere creature, the closest image and likeness of our only begotten, and thus produce in thee effects and fruits worthy of his merits. Therein shall his Most Holy Name be magnified and honored in a fitting degree. Be mindful, therefore, my beloved and chosen daughter, that a great preparation is required of thee. And the Most Humble Lady answered, Eternal Lord and immense God, in thy real and divine presence I lie prostrate, acknowledging at the sight of thy infinite being my own insignificance, which is mere nothingness, I perceive thy greatness and my littleness. I know that I am unworthy to be thy slave, and for the kindness with which thou hast looked upon me, I offer to thee the fruit of my womb and thy only begotten, and I beseech him to answer for his unworthy mother and his handmaid. My heart is prepared, and it is overwhelmed with gratitude for thy mercies and consumed with affection, as long as it cannot satisfy its vehement longings. But if I shall find grace in thy eyes, I will speak, oh my Lord and Master, in thy presence, asking only this, that thou do with thy slave whatever thou wishest and commandest, for no one is able to execute it unless thou thyself assist him, oh Lord and Most High King. If thou desire is from me a heart free and devoted, I now offer it to thee, ready to obey thee and suffer for thee until death. Immediately the heavenly princess felt new influences of the divinity, being enlightened, purified and spiritualized, with such plentitude of the Holy Ghost as to exceed all that had happened to her until that day. For this blessing was one of the most memorable ones for the peerless and sovereign lady, although all of them were exalted and without equal in any of the rest of creatures, reaching the highest perfection. Yet in the participation of the divine perfections there is no measure, as long as the capacity of the creature to receive them does not fail. As this power of participation was so vast in this queen and increased with each participation, the great gifts merely disposed her for still greater ones. The divine power therefore, not finding in her any obstacle, set all its treasures in motion and laid them up in the secure and most faithful depository of the Most Holy Mary, our Queen. She issued from this ecstatic vision and betook herself to her Most Holy Son, prostrating herself at his feet and saying, My Lord, my Light and my Teacher, behold thy unworthy Mother, prepared for the fulfillment of thy wishes, admit me anew as thy disciple and servant, and make use of me as the instrument of thy wisdom and power, execute in me thy pleasure and that of thy eternal Father. Her Most Holy Son received her with the majesty and authority of a divine teacher and instructed her in most exalted mysteries. In most persuasive and powerful words he explained to her the profoundest meanings of the works and joined upon him by the eternal Father. In regard to the redemption of man, the founding of the church and the establishment of the new evangelical law, he declared and reaffirmed that in the execution of these high and hidden mysteries she was to be his companion and co-attetrics, receiving and enjoying the first fruits of grace, and that therefore she, the most pure Lady, was to follow him in his labors until his death on the cross with a magnanimous and well-prepared heart in invincible and unhesitating constancy. He added heavenly instruction, such as enabled her to prepare for the reception of the whole evangelical law, the understanding and practice of all its precepts and counsels in their highest perfection. Other sacramental secrets concerning his works in this world, the child Jesus manifested to his most blessed mother on this occasion, and the heavenly Lady met all his words and intentions with profound humility, obedience, reverence, thanksgiving, and most ardent love. Instruction which the heavenly Lady gave me My daughter, many times in the course of thy life and especially while thou art writing this history of my life, I have called upon thee and invited thee to follow me by the closest invitation possible to thee. I now renew this invitation and demand, for now thou hast, by the condescension of the Most High, received light and intelligence in the sacrament of his powerful arm in my heart. How he wrote therein the whole law of grace, and all the doctrine of the gospel, what effects this favor wrought in me, and how I corresponded by the closest and most perfect imitation of my Most Holy Son and Teacher. The knowledge of all this thou must consider as one of the greatest favors ever bestowed upon thee by the Lord, for in it thou wilt 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 thee, whereon thou canst walk secure from the darkness of ignorance enveloping other mortals. Come then, my daughter, come and follow me, and in order that thou mayst imitate me, as I desire, and that thy understanding may be properly enlightened, thy spirit sufficiently ennobled and prepared, and thy will inflamed. Separate thyself from all earthly things, as thy spouse wishes. Withdraw thyself from all that is visible, forsake all the creatures, deny thyself, close thy senses to the deceits and fabulations of the world. Psalm 39 verse 5 And in thy temptations I exhort thee not to be troubled or afflicted very much, for if they cause thee to halt in thy course, they will already have gained a great advantage over thee, and they will prevent thee from becoming strong in the practice of perfection. Listen therefore to the Lord alone, who is desirous of the beauty of thy soul. Psalm 44 verse 12 Who is liberal in bestowing his gifts upon it, powerful to deposit therein, the treasures of his wisdom, and anxious to see thee prepare thyself to receive them. Allow him to write into thy heart the evangelical law. Let that be thy continual study, thy meditation day and night, the sweet nourishment of thy memory, the life of thy soul, and the sweet nectar of thy spiritual taste. And thou wilt obtain what the most high an eye require of thee, and what thou thyself desirest. End of chapter 6 Book 1 chapter 7 Of the mystical city of God, volume 3, by the venerable sister Mary of Jesus of a Greta. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Book 1 chapter 7 The exalted purpose of the instruction of most holy Mary is explained more at large, and how she put these instructions into practice. All free and voluntary causes must have some reasonable end or purpose, which move them to act, and having obtained a clear view of this end, they proceed to choose the means for obtaining it. This is certainly true of the works of God, who is the first and primary cause, and who is infinite wisdom itself, disposing and executing all things, and reaching from end to end in sweetness and power, as the wise man says. Nor does he seek the destruction and annihilation of any creature, but all of them he has made in order that they may enjoy life and existence. Wisdom chapter 8 verse 1 The more wonderful and excellent the works of the most high, so much the more admirable and exalted are the ends to which they tend. Although the ultimate end of all things is the manifestation of his own glory, yet all are ordained according to infinite knowledge and are connected, one with each other, like the links of a chain. Thus all creatures succeed each other from the lowest to the highest and nearest to God, the author of all. All the excellence and sanctity of our great lady is included in her having been molded by God as the image or living stamp of his own son, being so well adjusted and refined in grace that she seemed another Christ by communication and privilege. Letter to the Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 Thus was established a singular and divine intercourse between her and her son. She had given him the form and existence of man, while the Lord gave her that other highest spiritual existence of grace, so that there was a mutual correspondence and similarity of gifts. The ends which the most high had in view were proportionate to this rare wonder, and to this, the greatest of all his operations in mere creatures. In the second and sixth chapter I have said something concerning the honor of Christ and is being bound up with the efficacy of his doctrines and merits. That his honor required their power to be made known in his most holy mother, and that all the effects of the evangelical law and the fruits of his redemption should read down to his glory by being exhibited in her. More than in all the rest of his holy church, and in all the predestined, was this to be found in the sovereign lady, his mother. The second end, which the Lord had in view in this work, concerned likewise the ministry of the Redeemer, for the work of our redemption was to correspond with those of the creation of the world, and the remedy of sin was to be correlative with its entrance among men. Therefore it was befitting that, just as the first Adam had as a companion in sin our mother Eve, and was moved and abetted therein by her. Causing the loss of the whole human race, so also, in the reparation of this great ruin, the second and heavenly Adam, Christ our Lord, was to have as a companion and helper his most pure mother. She was to concur and cooperate in the redemption, although in Christ alone, who is our head, existed the full power and adequate cause of the general redemption. In order that this mystery might not want the proper dignity and correspondence, it was necessary that what was said, by the most high, in the first formation of man, be also fulfilled in regard to Christ and his mother. It is not good for man to be alone, let us make him a help, like unto himself. Genesis chapter 2 verse 18 This the Lord in his omnipotence did, so that, speaking of the second Adam, Christ, he could say, This now is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Genesis chapter 2 verse 23 I shall not detain myself in further explanation of this sacrament, for it is clearly seen by reason, enlightened by divine faith, and the resemblance between Christ and his most holy mother is clearly manifest. Another motive for this mystery, though here mentioned in the third place, is first in regard to the intention, for it concerns the eternal predestination of Christ our Lord, which I have described in the first part of this history. The primary intention of the eternal word, in assuming flesh and becoming the teacher of men, correspond with the greatness of that very work, which was to be performed. This was the greatest of all his works, and it was really the end to which all the rest were to be executed. Hence the divine wisdom so arranged matters, that among mere creatures there should be one, which fully met his desire of being our teacher and adopting us as his children by his grace. If the Creator had not thus formed the most holy Mary and furnished her, with a degree of sanctity, like to that of his divine son, according to our courseway of speaking. The adequate motive for his incarnation, so far as it is manifest to us, would have been wanting. Compare with this what is said of Moses when he received the tablets of the law written by the finger of God. He broke them, as soon as he saw the people in their idolatry, judging them too faithless to be worthy of such great benefit. Afterwards the law was written on other tablets made by the hands of man, and these were preserved in the world. The first tablets, made by the hands of God, and having written upon them, law of the Lord, were broken by the first sin, and we would not have had any evangelical law if there had not been other tablets Christ and Mary formed in another way. She in the ordinary and natural way, he by the consent and of the substance of Mary. If this great lady had not concurred and cooperated as a worthy instrument, we other mortals would be now without this evangelical law. In the plentitude of this divine science and grace, Christ our Lord attained all these sublime ends by teaching the most blessed mother the mysteries of the evangelical law. In order that she might be proficient in all of them, and at the same time understand them in their different aspects. In order that she might afterwards be herself, the consummate teacher and mother of wisdom, the Lord used different means of enlightening her. Sometimes by abstractive visions of the divinity, with which during this part of her life she was more frequently favored, at other times by intellectual visions which were more habitual, though less clear. In the one as well as in the other, she saw the whole militant church with all its history from the beginning of the world until the incarnation and what was to be its lot afterwards until the end of the world and later on in eternal beatitude. This knowledge was so clear, distinct and comprehensive, that she knew all the just and the saints and those who were to distinguish themselves afterwards in the church, the apostles, martyrs, patriarchs of the religious orders, the doctors, confessors and virgins. All these our Queen knew in particular with all their merits and graces and the rewards apportioned to them. She was acquainted also with the sacraments which her divine son was to establish in the church, their efficacy, the results in those that received them, varying according to the different dispositions of the recipients, and all their strength flowing from the sanctity and merits of her most holy son, our Redeemer. She was also furnished with a clear understanding of all the doctrines which he was to preach and teach, of the new and old testament and of all the mysteries hidden under its four different ways of interpreting them, the literal, moral, allegoric and anagogic, and all that the interpreters of the scriptures were to write in explanation. But her understanding of all these was much more extensive and profound than theirs. She was aware that all this knowledge was given to her in order that she might be the teacher of the whole church, for this was her office in the absence of her most holy son after his ascension into heaven. In her the new children of the church and the faithful engendered by grace were to have a loving mother, who carefully nourished them at the breast of her doctrines as with sweetest milk, the proper food of infant children. Thus the most blessed lady, during these eighteen years of her hidden intercourse with her most holy son, fed upon and digested the substance of the evangelical doctrines, receiving them from their author, Christ the Redeemer. Having tasted and well understood the scope and efficacy of this law, she drew forth from it sweet nourishment for the primitive church, whose members were yet in their tender years and unfit for the solid and strong food of the scriptures and the perfect imitation of their master and Redeemer. But since I am to speak of this part of her history in its proper place, I do not expatiate farther upon this matter. Besides these visions and instructions concerning her divine son and his human nature, the great lady had also two other sources of information which I have already mentioned. The one was the reflection of his most holy soul and its interior operation, which she saw as in a mirror, and in which was included, at the same time, a reflex image of all his knowledge of things created, so that she was informed of all the counsels of the Redeemer and artificer of sanctity and also of all the works which he intended to undertake and execute either by himself or by his ministers. The other source of information was his own spoken word, for the Lord conversed with his most worthy mother about all things concerning his church from the greatest to the smallest, including also all the happenings contemporary with and bearing upon the different phases of the history of the church. On this account, the heavenly disciple and our instructress was so imbued with his doctrine and so proficient in the most perfect practice of it, that the perfection of her works corresponded with her immense wisdom and science. Her knowledge was so clear and deep that it comprehended everything and was never equaled by any creature, nor can it be conceived in its full extent, either in thoughts or words. Neither was there anything wanting, that is necessary, nor was there anything added, that was superfluous, nor did she ever mistake one thing for another, nor was she in need of discourse or inquiry in order to be able to understand the most hidden mysteries of the scriptures whenever such explanation was necessary in the primitive church. Instruction given to me by the Heavenly Mother, Our Lady The Most High, who in his sheer goodness and bounty has given existence to all creatures and denies his providential care to none, 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. To the souls whom, according to his secret judgments, he calls to his church, he shows himself still more liberal. For with the grace of baptism he infuses into them not only those virtues which are called essentially infused and which the creature cannot merit by its own efforts, but also those which are accidentally infused and which it can merit by its own labors and efforts. These the Lord gives freely beforehand in order that the soul may be more prepared and zealous in the observance of his holy law. In other souls, in addition to the common light of faith, the Lord in his clemency grants supernatural gifts of knowledge and virtue for the better understanding of the evangelical mysteries and for the most zealous practice of good works. In this kind of gifts, he has been more liberal with thee than with many generations, obliging thee thereby to distinguish thyself and loving correspondence due to him and to humble thyself before him to the very dust. In order that thou mayest be well instructed and informed, I wish to warn thee as a solicitous and loving mother of the cunning of Satan for the destruction of these works of the Lord. From the very moment in which mortals begin to have the use of their reason, each one of them is followed by many watchful and relentless demons, for as soon as the souls are in a position to raise their thoughts to the knowledge of their God and commence the practice of the virtues infused by baptism, these demons, with incredible fury and astuteness, seek to root out the divine seed, and if they cannot succeed in this, they try to hinder its growth and prevent it from bringing forth fruit by engaging men in vicious, useless, and trifling things. Thus they divert their thoughts from faith and hope and from the pursuit of other virtues, leading them to forget that they are Christians and diverting their attention from the knowledge of God and from the mystery's other redemption and of life eternal. Moreover, the same enemy instills into the parents a base neglectfulness and carnal love for their offspring, and he incites the teachers to carelessness so that the children find no support against evil in their education, but become depraved and spoiled by many bad habits, losing sight of virtue and of their good inclinations and going the way of perdition. But the most kind Lord does not forget them in this danger and he renews in them his holy inspirations and special helps. He supplies them with the holy teachings of the church by his preachers and ministers. He holds out to them the aids of the sacraments and many other inducements to keep them on the path of life. That those who walk in the way of salvation are the smaller number is due to the vice and depraved habits imbibed in youth and nourished in childhood, for that saying in Deuteronomy is very true. As the days of thy youth so also shall thy old age be. Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse 25 Hence the demons gain courage and increase their tyrannical influence over souls in their early years of man's life, hoping that they will be able to induce men to commit so much the greater and the more frequent sins in later years, the more they have succeeded in drawing them into small and insignificant faults in their childhood. By these they draw them on to a state of blind presumption, for with each sin the soul loses more and more the power of resistance, subjects itself to the demon and falls under the sway of its tyrannical enemies. The miserable yoke of wickedness is more and more firmly fastened upon it, the same is trod underfoot by its own iniquity and urged onward under the sway of the devil from one precipice to another from abyss to abyss. Psalm 41 verse 8 A chastisement merited by all those that allow themselves to be overcome by evil doing in the beginning. By these means Lucifer has hurled into hell so great a number of souls and continues so to hurl them every day, rising up in his pride against the Almighty. In this manner has he been able to introduce into the world his tyrannical power, spreading among men forgetfulness of death, judgment, heaven and hell, and casting so many nations from abyss to abyss of darkness and bestial errors, such as are contained in the heresies and false sects of the infidels. Do thou therefore beware of this terrible danger my daughter, and let not the memory of the law of thy God, his precepts and commands, and the truths of the Catholic Church, and the doctrines of the Gospels ever fail in thy mind. Let not a day pass in which thou dost not spend much time in meditating upon all these, and exhort thy religious and all those who listen to thee to do the same. For thy enemy and adversary is laboring, with ceaseless vigilance, to obscure thy understanding and forgetfulness of the Divine Law, seeking to withdraw thy will, which is a blind faculty from the practice of justification. This, thou knowest, consists in acts of living faith, trustful hope, ardent love, all coming from a contrite and humble heart. Book 1, Chapter 8, of the Mystical City of God, Volume 3, by the venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Agerda. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Book 1, Chapter 8, How Our Great Queen Practiced the Teachings of the Gospel as Taught Her by Hermes' Holy Son. Our Redeemer advanced in age and divine activity, leaving behind him the years of his boyhood, and fulfilling the task imposed upon him by his eternal Father for the benefit of mankind. He did not engage in the work of preaching, nor did he perform at that time such open miracles as afterwards in Galilee or before in Egypt, but under the cover of secrecy he produced great effects in the souls and bodies of men. He visited the poor and infirm, he consoled the afflicted and sorrowful. By special enlightenment and holy inspirations, he led many souls to the way of salvation, inducing them to turn to their Creator and to withdraw from the devil and the works of death. These labors were continuous, and he was frequently absent from the house of the Blessed Virgin. Although the persons thus assisted were aware that they were moved and converted by the words in the presence of Jesus, yet as they were left in ignorance of the mystery of his assistance and could ascribe it only to the agency of God himself, they did not speak about it. The great lady learned of these wonders by seeing them reflected in the most holy soul of her son and by other means, and she adored him and gave him thanks for them, prostrate at his feet. The rest of the time her most holy son passed with his mother, instructing her and engaging with her in prayer. He spoke to her of his solicitude for his cherished flock, of the merits which he wished to accumulate for the benefit of souls, and of the means to be applied for their salvation. The most prudent mother listened to all his words and cooperated with his divine love and wisdom, assisting him in his office of father, brother, friend, teacher, advocate, protector, and redeemer of the human race. These conferences they held either by conversation or by interior communications, for in both ways the son and the mother could whole converse with each other. Her most holy son would say, I wish to give them the law of Moses so renewed and improved that it shall contain also the precepts and councils. All these intentions of the master of life, his heavenly mother understood with profoundest insight and accepted with ardent love, reverencing and thanking him in the name of all the human race. And as the Lord proceeded in all his instructions, she understood more and more fully the efficacy of all these sacraments, the powerful influence of the evangelical law and doctrine in obedient souls, and the reward attached to it. And she labored in his practical fulfillment as if she were the representative of each one of the creatures. She knew all the four gospels word for word as they were to be written, and all the mysteries which were to be contained therein. She of herself understood all the teachings of the gospels, for her knowledge was greater than that of its authors. She could have explained them without having seen the text. She knew also that her knowledge was to be copied from that of Christ, engraved on her soul as was the law of the Old Testament, on the tablets in the Ark. Her knowledge was to serve as the original, legitimate and voracious manuscript of the new law of grace, for the guidance of the saints and the just. For all of them were to copy the virtues and the holiness contained in this archive of grace most holy Mary. Her divine teacher also instructed her in her obligation of practicing this holy doctrine in its entirety, so that the high purposes, which he had in view in making her partake in such exalted blessings and favors, might be attained. If we were to relate here how fully and exquisitely the great queen corresponded with his designs, it would be necessary to describe her whole life in this chapter, for it was a complete summary of the gospel copied from her own son and teacher. All that this holy doctrine has effected in the apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and in all the just and the saints, which have lived and shall live to the end of the world, could not be described much less understood except by the Lord himself. Yet we must consider that all the saints and the just were conceived in sin, and all of them placed some hindrance to grace. All of them could have attained higher grace and holiness, and fell short in their correspondence with grace. But our heavenly lady had no such defects or failings. She alone was material adequately disposed and adapted for the powerful activities of God and his blessings. She was the one who, without embarrassment and without opposition, received the impetuous torrent of the divinity communicated to her by her own son and God. From all this we may understand that only in the beatific vision and in eternal felicity we shall be able to estimate how much was due to this wonder of his omnipotence. Whenever I wish to explain some of the more important things manifested to me in this matter, I am at a loss what terms to use. For our great queen and lady observed the precept and doctrines of the gospel according to the measure of her profound understanding of them and no creature is capable of reaching the limits of the science and intelligence of the mother of wisdom in these teachings of Christ. Moreover, that which is understood of it exceeds the capacity of human words and speech. Let us take for an example the doctrine of that first sermon which the Teacher of Life gave on the mountain to his disciples and which is recorded by St. Matthew. Matthew chapter 5 verse 1 Yet Mary alone penetrated and fully weighed the greatness of this poverty in spirit and just as she understood it, so she practiced it to its last limits. Into her heart the image of temporal riches found no entrance, nor did she feel the inclination toward them, but while loving created things as the handiwork of the Lord, she at the same time detested them insofar as they were a hindrance or a burden to the love of God. She made use of them in moderation and only insofar as they were useful toward divine love. This admirable and most perfect poverty entitled her to possess all things as queen of heaven and earth. What I have said here in regard to poverty, though strictly true, is but little in comparison to what our great lady really understood and practiced in regard to this poverty of spirit, the first beatitude. The second beatitude is, Blessed are the meek for they shall possess the earth. By her sweetest meekness the most holy Mary excelled in the practice of this beatitude, not only over all mortals, just as Moses excelled all men of his time, but she surpassed the angels and seraphim themselves. For this sincerest dove, being yet in mortal flesh, was interiorly and exteriorly no more exposed to disturbance and excitement of her faculties than these pure spirits who are not endowed with senses. In such an unlimited degree was she mistress of all her bodily faculties and powers, as well as of the hearts of all with whom she had intercourse, that she possessed the earth in every day and reduced it to peaceful subjection. The third beatitude is, Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. The most holy Mary understood, more than any tongue can explain, the value and excellence of tears, and at the same time, the foolishness and danger of laughter and human enjoyment. For while all the children of Adam, though they are conceived an original sin, and afterwards incur many other actual sins, give themselves over to laughter and gaiety, this heavenly mother, being without sin at her conception and ever after, was aware that this mortal life should be consumed in weeping over the absence of the supreme good and over the sins, which have been and are committed against God. For the sake of all men, she wept over their sins, and merited by her most innocent tears, the great consolations and favors of the Lord. Her most pure heart was in continual distress, at the sight of the offences committed against her beloved and her God, her eyes distilled incessant tears. Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 1 And her bread, day and night, was to weep over the ingratitude of sinners toward their Creator and Redeemer. Psalm 41 verse 4 No creatures, not all of them together, wept more than the Queen of Angels, though for men, on account of their sins, there is abundant cause of wailing and weeping, while in her there was cause only for joy and delight, on account of her treasures of grace. Though forth be attitude, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Helped our heavenly lady to enter into the understanding of this mysterious hunger and thirst. In her, this hunger and thirst for justice was greater than all the disgust ever entertained against it by the enemies of God. Having arrived at the pinnacle of justice and sanctity, her desire for it increased in proportion, while the plentitude of graces poured out upon her in a continual stream from the treasury of the Divinity, satiated her longing desires. As for the fifth be attitude, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. She possessed it in such a high degree, that she alone deserved to be called the mother of mercy, just as the Lord alone is called the father of mercies. Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verse 3 She, who was most innocent and without any fault in the eyes of God, exercised mercy in its highest degree for the benefit and for the salvation of the human race. As she knew by her exalted science the excellence of this virtue, she never denied and never will deny mercy to anyone, whoever may ask, nor will she ever cease to seek out and hasten to the relief of the poor and needy in order to offer them her assistance. Without calm peer, she was also in the exercise of the sixth be attitude. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. And she was elect as the sun. CHAPTER VI. A true imitator of the real son of justice and an image of our material son, which is not defiled by things beneath it. Into the heart and mind of our most pure princess, no touch of defilement has ever found entrance. Defilement was made impossible in her on account of the exquisite purity of her thoughts and because, from the first moment of her existence and many times afterwards, she was favored with the vision of the divinity, although, being yet in a state of pilgrimage, these visions were not continual. The seventh be attitude. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Was conferred upon her in admirable measure. She stood in need of this blessing in order to preserve the peace of her heart and of her faculties and the trials and tribulations of her life and in the passion and death of her most holy son. Never was she inordinately disturbed and she knew how to accept the greatest sufferings with supreme peace of mind, being in all things a perfect daughter of the heavenly father. In the eighth be attitude, it was especially by the practice of this be attitude that she deserved to be called the daughter of the eternal father. In the eighth be attitude, blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mary reached the pinnacle of perfection, for she alone besides God was capable of bearing with equanimity the sacrifice of the life and honor of Christ our Lord and the atrociousness with which it was consummated. For we must remember that she was the true mother, as God was the true father of his only begotten. This lady alone imitated the Lord in his passion and understood fully that to such extremes must be executed the law of her divine teacher in the gospels. In this manner I am able to explain part of what I have understood of the knowledge of the gospel possessed and put into practice by this great lady. In the same way she comprehended the evangelical precepts, councils and parables of the gospel. As for instance, the precepts of loving enemies, pardoning injuries, doing good works in secret and without vain glory, avoiding hypocrisy. The councils of perfection and the teachings contained in the parables of the recovered treasures, the lost pearl, the virgins, the seed scattered on the ground, the talents and all other parables of the four gospels. All of them she understood, together with the doctrines they inculcate and the high ends which the master had in view. She knew all things in the most holy and perfect manner and thus she also accomplished them to the last point. Of this lady we can say what Christ said of himself, that she came not to abrogate the law but to fulfill it. Instruction vouchsafed me by the Queen of Heaven, most holy Mary. My daughter, 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 chapter 5 verse 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. For in it the practical results of the teachings of Christ are exhibited, such as they brought forth in me by imitating him. Of great value are the sacred gospels and for this reason thou must look upon them with utmost veneration. I call thy attention to the fact that my most holy son and I are much honored and pleased to see the divine sayings and the doings of his life properly esteemed and respected among men. On the other hand, the Lord considers the forgetting and the neglecting of the doctrines contained in the gospels a great injury done to him by the children of the church in our times. For there are many who do not listen or attend to them who give no thanks for this blessing and who make no more of them than if they were pagan writings or if they did not contain in them the light of faith. My debt is great in this regard, for thou hast received insight into the veneration and esteem in which I held the evangelical doctrines and thou was made aware how I labored in order to put them into practice. Thou hast not been able to learn all of what I practiced and understood as thy capacity is too limited. Yet remember at least that with no entire nation have I been so condescending as with thee alone in lavishing this blessing. Therefore be very careful how thou correspond with it, lest thou render fruitless the love which has been instilled into thee for the divine scriptures and particularly for the gospels and their exalted doctrines. They are to serve thee as a shining beacon light and my life shall be thy model for modeling thy own. Take heed how important and necessary it is for thy welfare to attend to this with all diligence, how much pleasure thou canst thereby give to my son and lord, how I shall consider myself obliged anew to treat with thee as a mother and as a teacher. Fear the danger of not attending to the divine calls, for that is the cause of the loss of innumerable souls. Since thou receivest so many and so wonderful calls from thy merciful and omnipotent god, how reprehensible will be thy rudeness, how abominable will thou make thyself to the lord, to me and the saints, if thou fail to correspond with them. End of chapter 8 Book 1 chapter 9 of the mystical city of God, volume 3, by the venerable sister Mary of Jesus of a greater. This lever vox recording is in the public domain. Book 1 chapter 9. How the most holy Mary was instructed in the articles of faith and what use she made of this knowledge. The unshakable foundation of our justification and the beginning of all holiness in men is the belief in the truths which have been revealed by God in his holy church. Like a most skillful architect, the Lord has built his church on a firm rock in order that the storms and floods of her earthly course of existence might find her altogether immovable. Luke chapter 6 verse 48 Thus wisely provided with a firm foundation in her articles of faith, the evangelical church is invincibly established as the only true one, the Roman Catholic Church. She is one in the unity of faith, hope and charity to be found only in her. One without the division or contradiction which reigns in the synagogues of Satan, the sex and heresies are full of darkness and errors and are at war not only with each other and with right reason, but each one is at war with itself by maintaining contradictory and erroneous doctrines at the same or different times. Against all these, our holy faith shall ever remain victorious and the portals of hell shall never prevail against it in the least of its points. Matthew chapter 16 verse 18 Though according to the prophecy of the master of life, the powers of hell incessantly winnow and sift it like wheat, as has happened to Saint Peter and his successors. In order that our queen and lady, this wonderful ocean of grace and knowledge might receive adequate information concerning the evangelical law, it was necessary that she come into possession also of all the truths of the Catholic faith which would in all times be believed by the faithful. She must be especially well instructed in the first principles of all Christian belief. For all truths, down to the very dogmas, which were to be defined and believed concerning her own self, were within the capacity of most holy Mary and could be entrusted to her admirable wisdom. Hence as I shall describe afterwards, she was informed of all tenets of the Catholic faith together with the circumstances of time, place and manner, of their publication as they became opportune and necessary in the course of the history of the church. In order to instruct the Blessed Virgin, especially in these articles, the Lord sent upon her an abstractive vision of the divinity, such as I have described on other occasions. In this vision were manifested to her most hidden mysteries of his inscrutable judgment and providence. She became aware of the infinite bounty whereby he established the blessing of infused faith and enabled men deprived of the vision of the divinity easily and quickly to come to the knowledge of God without hesitation and without waiting or searching for this knowledge by limited and short-sighted investigation of natural science. For from the first dawn of reason, our Catholic faith raises us immediately to the certain knowledge, not only of the divinity in three persons, but of the humanity of Christ our Lord and of the means of gaining eternal life. All this is not attained by the fruitless and sterile human science, unless the mind is impregnated with the force and virtue of divine faith. In this vision, then, our great Queen clearly perceived all these mysteries and all that is contained in them. She saw how the Holy Church propounded 14 special articles of Catholic belief from the very beginning and how she afterwards, in diverse times, defined many truths and dogmas which are contained in them and in the Holy Scriptures, as in roots ready to be cultivated and to bring forth fruit. After seeing all this in her vision, she saw it reflected also in the Most Holy Soul of Christ where the whole fabric of divine teachings originated. Thereupon, the celestial princess entered into conference with her Lord concerning the practical application of these articles of faith to her life. He informed her that she was to be the first one who should, in singular and most perfect manner, believe and practically exhibit all the articles of divine faith. In regard to the first of those seven articles that pertained to the divinity, she understood that there is but one true God, independent, necessary, infinite, immense in his attributes and perfections, unchangeable and eternal. She understood also how just and necessary it is for creatures to believe and confess this truth. She gave thanks for the revelation of this first article and begged her Most Holy Son to continue to favor the human race by conferring upon men the grace of believing and accepting this truth. By this infallible, though obscure light, she saw the wickedness of idolatry and wept with indescribable sorrow and bitterness over such aberration. In reparation, she ardently exercised herself in faith and worship of God and performed many other acts inspired by her intimate sense of this obligation. Then proceeding to the second article, that God is the Father, she learned how it was to lead on men to the belief of the Trinity and other doctrines, which explained the three persons in one God and how men are to come to the full knowledge of their last end, its proper attainment and enjoyment. She understood how the person of the Father could not be born or proceed from the others and how he is, as it were, the origin of all else. Hence she clearly saw how he created heaven and earth and all creatures and how he is without beginning and at the same time the beginning of all things. For this truth our heavenly Lady gave thanks and in the name of the whole human race began to shape her actions in correspondence with this new knowledge. The third article, that there is a son, the mother of grace believed with particular clearness of comprehension, especially as regards the processions of the deity, Ad Intra. The first and most important of these acts, Ad Intra, is none other than the eternal generation of the son. This takes place from all eternity by the operation of the divine intellect through which the son is engendered of the Father, being not inferior, but equal in divinity, eternity and infinite attributes. She believed and comprehended also in the fourth article, that there is a Holy Ghost, the third person, proceeding from the Father and the Son, as from one principle, by an act of the will equal to the other persons in all things and having only these personal distinctions, which result from the emanations and processions of the infinite intellect and will. Although concerning these mysteries, most Holy Mary possessed the knowledge which she had already attained in her former visions. It was supplemented in this vision by the knowledge of the circumstances and qualifications attached to these truths and articles of the Catholic faith and by the discernment of the heresies, which Lucifer concocted and sowed in opposition to these articles ever since he fell from heaven and knew of the incarnation of the Word. In satisfaction for these errors, the Most Blessed Lady excited acts of supreme faith in the manner already described. In also the fifth article, that the Lord is the Creator, most Holy Mary believed and understood. She perceived that the creation of all things, though it is attributed to the Father, is common to the three persons, in as far as they are one only God, infinite, omnipotent, and the first cause of the existence and preservation of all creatures, but no other being has the power to create or produce out of nothing any other being, even if there were question of an angel creating the lowest worm. For only he, who is independent of any inferior or superior cause, can create. She understood the necessity of this article of the Holy Faith for counteracting the errors of Lucifer in order that God might be known and acknowledged as the author of all things. In the sixth article, she understood anew all the mysteries of predestination, vocation, and final justification, how the reprobate, because they did not profit by the means offered to them by Divine Mercy, lose eternal happiness. The Most Faithful Lady perceived also how the work of salvation is common to the three persons and how it pertains especially to the Word, in as far as he is man, because he was to be the price of the rescue, which would be accepted by God. In satisfaction for original and actual sins. The Great Queen took notice of all the sacraments and mysteries, accepted and believed by the Holy Church, and she accompanied the understanding of each of them with heroic acts of many virtues. In the seventh article, which contains the doctrines of God's activity in bringing about the eternal happiness of man, she understood all that pertains to the eternal felicity of mortal creatures. In the fruition of the beatific vision, how important it is for them to believe in this truth in order to attain eternal happiness, and how they should consider themselves, not a progeny of this earth, but citizens of heaven, who are only making a pilgrimage and ought therefore be consoled in this faith and hope of heaven. Of the seven articles which pertain to the Divine Humanity, our Great Queen had a similar knowledge, yet accompanied by new affections of her purest and humblest heart, that he was conceived as man by the operation of the Holy Ghost she had experienced in herself and she knew that this would be an article of the Holy Faith. Indescribable were the effects which this knowledge wrought in the most prudent lady. She humbled herself below the most insignificant of creatures and to the very dust of the earth. She was profoundly penetrated by the consciousness of having been created out of nothing. She completed the deep trenches and built the strong foundations of humility upon which the Almighty was to erect the high and exquisite edifice of infused science and exalted perfection. She extolled the Almighty and gave thanks to him for herself and for the whole human race, because he had chosen such an excellent way of drawing toward him the hearts of men by his human presence and by the intimate relations established with them by the Christian faith. The same effects were produced in her by the second of these articles that Christ our Lord was born of Mary, a virgin. She had full understanding of the mysteries contained in this dogma that she was the one chosen by God to retain intact her virginity and yet be also selected among all creatures as the mother of the Lord, that as well the Almighty as she herself should share in the dignity and excellence of such divine handiwork, and that the Holy Church should believe and hold such a doctrine as one of her certain tenants. Enraptured by the consideration of these and many other truths, the heavenly lady excited within herself such acts of exalted virtue as cannot be expressed by any human terms. She spent herself in returning a full measure of praise, worship, and thankful acknowledgement for each of them, humbling herself in proportion as she was exalted and annihilating herself to the dust. The third of these articles is that Christ our Lord underwent suffering and death, the fourth that he descended into hell and freed the souls of the just who were in limbo awaiting his coming, the fifth that he rose from the dead, the sixth that he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Eternal Father, the seventh that thence he is to come to judge the living and the dead in the general judgment in order to give each according to his works. These truths, just as the others, the most holy Mary believed and understood profoundly as well in themselves as in regard to the order, sequence and necessity with which they are to be held and believed by mortals. She alone made up for the false of those who have not or will not believe in these truths and for the deficiencies caused by our slowness in believing them and by our want of proper esteem, veneration and thankfulness due to these divine teachings. The whole Church calls our Queen most fortunate and blessed not only because she gave belief to the messenger of heaven. Luke chapter 1 verse 45 But because she unswervingly trusted in the fulfillment of the mysteries wrought and accomplished in her virginal womb, and she believed them both for herself and for all the children of Adam. She was the champion of the divine faith, who in the sight of the heavenly court unfurled the banner of holy faith to all the faithful on earth. She was the first queen of the Catholic faith in this world and was to have no equal. In her all Catholics have a true mother, and on this account those that call upon her are especially her children for without a doubt this kind mother and commanderess of the Catholic faith looks with an especial love upon those who follow her in this great virtue of faith and who exert themselves in its spread and defense. My discourse would be to prolix if I were to say all that I have learned of the faith of our great lady, of all her penetration into the circumstances and secrets of these articles of faith, and into all the truths connected with these Catholic doctrines. Certainly I have not words enough to rehearse the mysteries revealed to her in her conferences with her divine teacher, Jesus, in her humble and prudent inquiries, in the answers of her most sweet son, in the profound secrets laid bare before her eyes, and in the sacraments manifest only to mother and son. Moreover, I was informed that it is not proper to reveal all of them to men in this mortal life. But in most holy Mary, the whole of this new and divine testament was deposited and she alone preserved it most faithfully in order that she might in proper time dispense whatever the necessities of the holy church might demand. Oh, most fortunate and happy mother, for if a wise son is the delight of his father! Proverbs chapter 10 verse 1 Who can describe the joy of this great queen when she saw the glory resulting to the eternal father through the work of his only begotten, who was also her son, and when she fully penetrated the vast mysteries contained in the doctrines of the holy Catholic faith? Instructions given me by the heavenly lady, most holy Mary. My daughter, mortal mind is not capable of comprehending what I was made to feel through the infused knowledge and faith of the articles established by my most holy son as those of the holy church, and what were the effects wrought thereby upon my faculties. Necessarily, therefore, thy words fail thee in seeking to declare what thou hast understood concerning them, for all the concepts of the mind fall short of comprehending and expressing these mysteries. But what I desire and command is this, that thou preserve with all reverence and solicitude the precious knowledge and understanding of these venerable sacraments. For as mother I remind and warn thee of the cruel and cunning efforts of thy enemies to rob thee of them. Be thou ever on thy guard, that they may find thee full of strength, and thy domestics, which are the faculties of thy body and mind, be clothed with the double vestments of interior and exterior watchfulness in order to be able to resist the onslaught of their temptation. Proverbs chapter 31 verse 17 The powerful arms for battling against those who make war on thee must be the doctrines of the Catholic faith. Romans chapter 1 verse 17 For the firm belief in them and the continual exercise of them, the incessant meditation and remembrance of them, illumine the souls, drives away errors, disclose the deceits of Satan, and disperse his falsehoods as the rays of the sun dispel the dark clouds. Moreover, all these exercises serve as substantial nourishment of the spirit to strengthen the soul for the battles of the Lord. If the faithful do not feel these, and even more wonderful effects of faith, it is not because faith has not the strength and efficacy to produce them, but it is because some of the faithful are so forgetting and negligent, while others give themselves up so much to a carnal and bestial life, and thereby counteract the blessings of faith. They think so rarely of it that they might as well not have received it at all, as they live like the infidels who have never enjoyed its advantages, and as they gradually become conscious of their unhappy infidelity, they fall into greater wickedness than the unbelievers. For such is the result of their abominable ingratitude and contempt for this exalted and sovereign gift. I ask of thee, my dearest daughter, that thou give thanks for the blessings of holy faith with profound humility and fervent love, that thou practice it with unceasing and heroic acts, that thou continually meditate on its mysteries. Thus shalt thou enjoy without hindrance, its sweet and godlike effects. The more vivid and penetrating thy knowledge of the mysteries of faith, so much the greater and more powerful will be its effects upon thee. If thou concurris with proper diligence, thou wilt grow in the understanding of the exalted and wonderful mysteries and sacraments pertaining to the essence of the triune God, to the hypostatic union of the divine and human nature, to the life, death, and resurrection of my most holy son, and to the other activities of the God-man. Thus wilt thou taste of his sweetness, and gather plentiful fruits of peace and of eternal life. Book 1, Chapter 10, of the Mystical City of God, Volume 3, by the venerable Sister Mary of Jesus, of a Greta. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Book 1, Chapter 10, the most holy Mary received enlightenment on the Ten Commandments and how she applied it. Just as the doctrines of the Catholic faith pertain to the activity of the intellect, so the commandments pertain to the activity of the will. Although all free acts, as well those required by the practice of the infused, as those of the acquired virtues, depend on the activity of the willpower, yet they do not all depend upon it in the same way. For the acts of faith proceed immediately from the intellect and depend upon the will, only insofar as they are embraced by it with a sincere, pious, and reverential affection. The obscure acts and truths of faith do not force their acceptance upon the intellect without cooperation of the will, and therefore the intellect awaits upon the decision of the will. But in the exercise of virtues founded upon faith, the will acts for itself and relies upon the intellect only for guidance toward the accomplishment of that which was resolved upon. The will is so free and independent that it permits no commands of the intellect nor any kind of violence. This is the order established by the Lord, so that no one might be forced to serve Him unwillingly, through necessity, by compulsion or violence, but that, according to the apostle, each one may serve God with unrestricted liberty and joyfulness. After the Blessed Virgin had been so divinely instructed in the articles and dogmas of our holy faith, she was favored by another vision of the Divinity, similar to that mentioned in the last chapter. It was vouchsafed to her for the purpose of renewing in her the understanding of the Ten Commandments of the Decalogue. In it were manifested to her, with great clearness and fullness, all the mysteries of the commandments as they were propounded by the Divine Clemency for the guidance of men to eternal life and as they had been given to Moses on the two tablets. On the first of these tablets were written the three precepts concerning the honor and worship of God, on the second, the seven pertaining to our intercourse with our neighbors. The Redeemer of the world, her most holy son, was to rewrite all of them in the hearts of men. First Letter of St. Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 4 She saw how well adjusted and conformable they were to human nature, how well they can and ought to be embraced with joy and appreciation, and how their author proffered the help of his grace for their observance. Our great Queen perceived in this vision many other exalted mysteries and secrets concerning the Holy Church, concerning those who, in it, would observe the Divine commands and those who would despise and transgress them. The Blessed Lady issued from this vision, transformed by an ardent and zealous love for the Divine Law, immediately she betook herself to her most holy son, in whose soul she saw the Divine Laws clearly mirrored, to reproduce them in her own self according to the order of grace. At the same time, by abundant enlightenment, she was made aware how it pleased the Lord to make her a living model of the observance of all these commandments. It is true, as I have said several times, that our great Lady possessed the habitual infused knowledge of all these mysteries for her continual guidance, yet this habitual knowledge was renewed and intensified day by day. As the extent and depth of mysteries was, so to say, infinite, there always remained a measureless field of new secrets open for her interior vision. On this occasion, many new points were explained to her by the Divine Teacher, and he propounded to her the new law and precepts in their bearing upon each other and in sequence, which they were to hold in the militant church of his gospel. Also concerning each one of them separately, she obtained new and special enlightenments. Although our limited capacity and understanding cannot comprehend such high and sovereign sacraments, none of them were concealed from the heavenly Lady, for we must not measure her profound knowledge with the capacity of our short-sighted understanding. With a most humble and ready heart, she subjected herself to the observance of all his commandments, and petitioned God to instruct her and grant her this divine grace to execute all that he had commanded. The Lord answered her as follows, My mother, thou art the one whom I have eternally chosen and predestined for the greater pleasure of my Father, one in divinity with me. Our eternal love, which urges us to communicate the blessings of our divinity to creatures, and thus raise them to the participation of our glory and felicity, has established this holy and pure law by which mortals may attain the end for which they were created. This our wish shall be fulfilled perfectly in thee, my beloved dove, for in thy heart our divine law shall be written so clearly and deeply that from the very beginning of thy existence to all eternity it shall not be effaced, and in no wise shall it remain unfulfilled or ineffectual in thee, as is the case with other children of Adam. Take notice, dearest Sulamite, that this law is entirely pure and immaculate, and that therefore we wish to deposit it in thee, who art also pure and immaculate, and in whom all our intentions and operations are glorified. These words, which were realized in the heavenly mother without any hindrance, enriched and deified her with the full understanding and acceptance of the ten commandments and the mysteries contained therein, directing her intellect by the celestial light and conforming her will to that of the divine teacher, she entered into the meaning of the first and most noble of all the commandments. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind. Matthew chapter 22 verse 37 Just as deep as it was her understanding of this commandment, so great was her zeal in fulfilling all that the Lord wished to command thereby. I have sufficiently discoursed upon the love of the Blessed Virgin. On this occasion particularly, she shed the most bitter tears because of the sins which were to be committed against this great commandment, and she took it upon herself to satisfy by her love for the defects and faults of mortals. Upon the first precept, followed the two others, not to dishonor the name of God by false and vain swearing, and to honor him by observing and sanctifying his feasts. These commandments, the mother of wisdom understood and penetrated, engraving them in her pious and humble heart, and resolving to render supreme veneration and worship to the deity. Deeply she pondered on the injuries committed by creatures against the immutable being of God and his infinite goodness by false and vain oaths, or by blasphemies against God and against his saints. In her sorrow, on account of the presumptuous transgression of these commandments by the rational creatures, she conjured her attending angels in her name to charge the guardian spirits of all men to prevent the commitments of this outrage against God, to restrain men by holy inspirations and by the fear of God from perjuring or blaspheming his holy name. Moreover, she besought the Almighty to shower his benedictions of sweetness on those who abstained from vain oaths and who reverenced his holy name. In regard to keeping the holidays, which is the third commandment, the great queen was made acquainted by her guardian angel with all the feasts, which were to be instituted by the church, and with the manner of their celebration and observance. As I have mentioned in its place, she had commenced to celebrate those which commemorate the already consummated mysteries of her life, such as that of the Most Holy Trinity, and those pertaining to her Most Holy Son and the Angels. To celebrate these and other mysteries, afterwards solemnized by the church, she invited the heavenly court, and in union with them, she sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. The days which are especially assigned for the worship of God, she spent entirely therein, not that her exterior activity ever interfered with her interior attention or hindered the flights of her soul, but because she wished to sanctify the feasts of the Lord in such a manner as was required by the new law of grace, and all this as the first disciple of the Redeemer of the world, she eagerly strove to fulfill. The same knowledge and understanding Most Holy Mary possessed in regard to the seven commandments which concern our duties toward our neighbor. Regarding the fourth commandment, to honor our father and mother, she understood well who were to be included under the name of parents, how after the honor due to God, that due to parents comes next, and how children are to render them this honor in all reverence, also what are the obligations of parents toward their children. She saw the justice of the fifth commandment forbidding murder, since the Lord is the master of life and being of man, and withheld power over it even from its owner, and therefore much more from any of his fellow beings. As life is the first of the natural goods and the foundation of grace, she gave thanks to the Lord for having by his commandment so bountifully protected it. She looked upon all men as creatures of his hand, capable of his grace and glory, and purchased by the blood of her son, and therefore she earnestly prayed for the faithful observance of this commandment in the Church of God. Our most pure lady understood the nature of the sixth commandment, in the same manner as the blessed, who need no precaution against human passions, and can look upon it without being touched by it. The most blessed lady, although preserved from the taint of sin, understood the nature of this commandment even from a higher standpoint of grace than the saints. Such were the sentiments awakened in this great paragon of chastity, while she excited love for it, and sorrow for the impurities committed by men, that she wounded anew the heart of the Almighty. And according to our way of speaking, consoled her divine son for the offenses of mankind against this precept. Since she knew that in the new law of the Gospel, the observance of this commandment was to be carried so far as to make possible congregations of virgins and men, who would promise inviolate, chastity by vow, she besought the Lord to guarantee them his unbroken blessings. The Lord granted this request of his purest mother, and he assured her that, as a reward of virginal purity, its devotees should have the privilege of being the followers of her, who was the virgin mother of the Lamb. Psalm 44 verse 15 Of the eighth, thou shalt not give false testimony. Of the ninth, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. And of the tenth, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods and possessions. In regard to each of them, she excited great acts of interior compliance with them, and for each of them, she praised and thanked the Lord, that he should have provided for men such wise ineffectual means of attaining their eternal happiness through these beneficial and well-adapted laws. For she saw that by their observance, men would not only secure eternal reward due to them, but could also enjoy true peace and tranquility adapted to each one's state and circumstances. For if all rational creatures would submit to the just requirements of God's law, and would resolve to follow and observe his commandments, they would enjoy that most delightful and exquisite happiness, which is produced by the testimony of a good conscience. All the human delight cannot be compared to the consolation of having been faithful to the divine law in all things, great and small. Matthew chapter 25 verse 21 This is because we do not observe his commandments. The labors, misfortunes and unhappiness of the people are the inseparable effects of the transgressions of mortals, and though each one contributes his share in causing our misfortunes, yet we are so senseless that as soon as we are overtaken by any adversity, we begin to lay the blame on others while we should lay it only on ourselves. Who can estimate the evils of this life, springing from dishonest dealings, forbidden by the seventh commandment, or from the want of contentment with one's own lot, in reliance on the help of the Lord, who forgets not the birds of the air or the smallest worm of the earth? What miseries and afflictions do not Christian nations suffer merely because their rulers are not satisfied with the territories given into their charge by the highest king? Seeking to extend their sway and influence, they have left in this world neither peace, nor quiet possession, nor any souls for the service of their Creator. No less evil and discord is caused by false testimony and lies, which offend the infinite truth and hinder human intercourse, sowing the seed of strife, destroying peace and tranquility in the human hearts. Both the one as well as the other prevent the Creator to dwell in them as is His wish. Covening another's wife and adultery violate the holy law of matrimony, confirmed and sanctified by the sacrament, and how many hidden and open evils have they not caused, and do they not cause, among Catholics? If we consider how many transgressions are manifest to the eyes of the world, and how many more remain hidden to men, while they are not hidden to God, the exact and just judge, who punishes them even now? Shall we not be convinced that He will be so much the more severe in His punishments, the more He has overlooked our sins at present, and the longer He has patiently allowed the Christian commonwealths to continue in existence? All these truths our great Queen perceived in the Lord, although she was aware of the wickedness of men, and thus lightly throwing aside the respect and reverence due to their God, after He had so kindly provided for them such necessary laws and precepts. Yet the most prudent lady was neither scandalized at human frailty, nor did she wonder at men's ingratitude, but like a kind mother, she pitied the mortals, and with most ardent love, she thanked the Almighty for His benefits, trying to satisfy for the transgressions against the evangelical law, and asking for the grace to observe them perfectly. The summary of all these commandments, to love God above all, and our neighbor as ourselves, the most Holy Mary comprehended perfectly, also the truth that the proper understanding and practice of these two commandments is the perfection of true virtue. He that practices them is not far from the kingdom of God, and the observance of them is to be preferred to the offering of holocausts, as the Lord Himself teaches us in the Gospel. Mark, Chapter 12, Verses 33 and 34 In the proportion as our Queen understood these precepts, so she put them into practice, fulfilling them as they are contained in the Gospel, without the omission of the least of its precepts or councils, this heavenly princess put the teachings of the Redeemer more perfectly into practice than all the saints and faithful of the Holy Church. Instruction which the heavenly Lady and Queen gave me. My daughter, when the word of the Eternal Father issued forth from his bosom and assumed humanity in my womb, he came to enlighten those that walk in the darkness and in the shadow of death. Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 79 And to restore them to their lost happiness. Hence, in order to be their light, their way, their truth, and their life, it was necessary he should give them a law so holy that it would justify them, so clear that it would enlighten them, so secure that it would encourage them, so powerful that it would move them, so efficacious that it would help them, so truthful that it would bring joy and delight to all that would observe it. The immaculate law of the Gospel has in it the power to produce all these and other more wonderful effects, and God has created and constituted rational creatures in such a way that all their happiness, corporal and spiritual, temporal and eternal, depends entirely upon observing this law. Hence, thou canst judge of the blind ignorance with which their deadly enemies have fascinated mortals. Letter to the Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 1 Since all men, in the inordinate desire and pursuit of happiness, neglect the divine law, where alone it can be found, and hence few really attain happiness. Knowing this, prepare thy heart so that the Lord may write in it his holy law, forget and put away from thee all that is visible and earthly, so that all thy faculties may be free and unencumbered of these images, except of those which are fixed there by the finger of God, and are contained in the doctrine and precepts of the Gospel truths. In order that thy desires may not be frustrated, beseech the Lord day and night to make thee worthy of the blessings and promises of my most holy Son. Remember that the negligence is more abominable in thee than all the other mortals, for no one else has his divine love so urgently called or assisted with the light blessings and helps. In the days of abundance, as well as in the days of affliction and temptation, remember thy debt to the Lord and his jealous zeal, so that neither favors may exalt thee, nor sufferings and pain oppress thee. If in the one as in the other state, do thou turn to the divine law, written in thy heart, observing it inviolably and incessantly, with all attention and perfection. In regard to the love of the neighbors, apply always the first law of doing unto others as thou wish is done to thyself, which is the standard of all intercourse with men. If thou desirest them to think and act well toward thee, thou thyself must do the same with thy brethren. If thou feel that they offend thee in little things, avoid giving them any such offence. If thou see others doing what seems evil and disagreeable to their neighbor, avoid it thyself, for thou knowest how much it offends against the law established by the Most High. Weep over thy faults and those of thy fellow men, because they are against the law of God. This is true charity toward the Lord and toward thy neighbor, sorrow over the afflictions of others as over thy own, for thus wilt thou imitate me. In order to complete the beauty and the riches of the Holy Church, it was proper that her founder, Christ our Redeemer, should institute the seven sacraments which were to serve as the common treasury of all his merits. Yea, the creator of all these blessings himself, was to remain really present in one of them, as the nourishment and consolation of the faithful, and as a pledge of their enjoying him eternally face to face. For the perfection of the knowledge and grace of the Most Holy Mary, it was necessary that the fullness of these sacramental blessings be transplanted into her dilated and ardent soul, in order that to its full extent and in the same manner, as it existed in the heart of her holiest son, the law of grace might be written and recorded in the tablets of her mind. In his absence, she was to be the teacher of the Church, and she was to instruct the primitive Christians to venerate and enjoy these sacraments with all the perfection possible. By a new enlightenment, each of these mysteries in particular were accordingly made manifest to the Blessed Mother in the interior of her Most Holy Son. In regard to the first of these sacraments, she saw that the ancient law of circumcision was to be honorably laid aside and to be replaced by the admirable and sweet sacrament of baptism. She was informed that the matter of this sacrament was to be pure natural water and that its form was to contain the names of the three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, thus implicitly including faith in our Most Holy Trinity. She understood how Christ, its author, was to impart to this sacrament the power of taking away all sins and of perfectly sanctifying its recipient. She saw the admirable effects it was to cause in men, regenerating them so as to constitute them, adoptive sons of God and heirs of heaven, infusing into them the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with many other virtues, and impressing upon their souls the character of children of the Holy Church. This and all other effects of this Holy Sacrament were made manifest to Most Holy Mary. Thereupon she sought her Divine Son with burning desire to be allowed to receive it in proper time, which he promised her and as I shall describe later on afterwards really fulfilled. Unlike understanding, the great lady also received, concerning the second sacrament, that of confirmation. This is given in the second place because baptism is intended to engender the children of the Church, while confirmation is to make them strong and courageous in confessing the faith received in baptism, augmenting the first graces and adding there to the graces suited to each one state. She understood the form, matter, minister and effects of this sacrament, and the character it impresses upon the soul, and how by the Holy Oil and Chrism, which form the matter of this sacrament, is to purify the odor of the good works of Christ, in which the faithful participate by faith, while the same only in a different way, is also indicated by the form of the sacrament, namely by the words used in its administration. Corresponding with these enlightenment, our great Queen elicited heroic acts of praise, thanksgiving and fervent petition, desiring that all men draw from these fountains of the Lord and enjoy these incomparable treasures, while acknowledging and confessing Him as the true God and Redeemer. She wept bitterly over the lamentable loss of so many, who, in spite of the preaching of the Gospel, feel not its healing powers. In regard to the third sacrament, that of penance, the heavenly Lady saw the usefulness and necessity of this means of restoring souls to the grace and friendship of God, since by their frailty they lose it so often. She understood its requirements and the power of its ministers and the ease with which the faithful can secure to themselves its blessings. As the true mother of mercy, she gave special thanks to the Almighty for providing such a powerful medicine against the repeated and daily faults of her children. She prostrated herself upon the ground, and in the name of the Holy Church, she reverently acknowledged the sacred tribunal of confession, where the Lord, with ineffable kindness, relieved and solved all doubts of the souls in regard to their justification or condemnation, leaving it to the judgment of the priests, whether they should grant or deny absolution. Especially deep was the intelligence of the Most Prudent Lady in regard to the sovereign sacramental mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist. Her penetration of its secrets surpassed that of the Most Exalted Seraphim. For to her was manifested the supernatural manner of the presence of the humanity and divinity of her son, under the appearances of bread and wine. The power of the words of consecration, by which the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of his body and blood, while the appearances remain. How he could be present at the same time in so many diverse parts. How the sacred mystery of the mass was to be instituted in order that he may be consecrated and offered to the Eternal Father to the end of times. How he should be reverenced and adored in the Holy Sacrament in so many temples of the Catholic Church throughout the world. What effects of grace he would produce in those who were to receive him more or less well prepared, and what punishments would come to those who receive him unworthily. She was informed also of the faith of the believers and the errors of the heretics in regard to this mystery, and especially of the immense love of her son, and thus resolving to give himself as food and nourishment of eternal life to each one of the mortals. By these and other enlightenments concerning the most holy Eucharist, her most chaste bosom was visited with new conflagrations of love beyond the conception of human intellect. Although she had invented new canticles of praise and worship at the enlightenments, which she had recede concerning each article of faith and each mystery, yet in considering this great sacrament her heart expanded more than ever before and prostrate on the ground. She spent herself in new demonstrations of love, worship, praise, thanksgiving and humility, in sentiments of deepest sorrow for those who were to abuse it for their own damnation. She burned with the desire of seeing the sacrament instituted, and if she had not been sustained by the power of the Almighty, the force of her affection would have bereft her of natural life. Moreover, the presence of her most holy son was also calculated to moderate the excess of her longings and enable her to abide the time of its institution. Even from that time on, she wished to prepare herself for its reception and asked her son to be allowed to receive him in the holy sacrament as soon as it should be instituted. She said to him, Supreme Lord and life of my soul, shall I, who am such an insignificant worm, and the most despicable among men, be allowed to receive thee? Shall I be so fortunate as to bear thee once more within my body and soul? Shall my heart be thy dwelling and tabernacle, where thou shalt take thy rest, and shall I thus delight in thy close embrace, and thou, my beloved, in mine? The Divine Master answered, My beloved Mother, many times shalt thou receive me in the holy sacrament, and after my death and ascension into heaven, that shall be thy consolation, for I shall choose thy most sincere and loving heart as my most delightful and pleasant resting place. At this promise of the Lord, the great Queen humbled herself anew and prostrate in the dust. She gave him thanks, exciting the admiration of heaven itself. From that hour she began to dispose all her thoughts and actions with the object of preparing herself for the time when she would be allowed to receive her most holy son in the holy sacrament, and during all the years she never forgot or interrupted these acts of her will. Her memory, as I have already said, was more tenacious and constant than that of an angel, and her intelligence was greater than that of all the angels. Therefore, as she always bore in mind, this and other mysteries, her actions corresponded to her great knowledge. From that time on also, she continually and fervently besought the Lord, that he give light to mortals in order that they might know and revere this, the greatest of all the sacraments, and that they might receive it worthily. Whenever we receive this holy sacrament in proper disposition, and so it should be always, we owe it, next to the influence of the Redeemer, to the tears and prayers of this heavenly Mother, who merited this grace for us. If any one of us audaciously receives it, in the state of sin, let him know that, besides the sacrilegious insult offered to his Lord and God, he also offends the most holy Mother, since he despises and abuses her love, her pious desires, her prayers, tears and sighs. Let us exert ourselves to avoid such horrible crimes. In regard to the fifth sacrament, that of extreme unction, most holy Mary understood the object for which it was instituted, its matter and form, and the part borne by its minister. She saw that its matter must be the blessed oil of olives, serving as a symbol of mercy. That its form should be the words of supplication, spoken while the senses, with which we have sinned, are anointed, and that none other than a priest could be its minister. She knew its object and results, which are the help afforded to the faithful in the danger of death, and strengthening them against the temptations and assaults of the devil, so frequent and terrible in the last hour. Thus he that receives this sacrament, worthily recovers the strength of soul, which has been lost by the sins previously committed, and also, if it is useful, health of the body. At the same time, the sick are moved to sentiments of devotion and to a desire of seeing God, while venial sins are forgiven together with some of the effects of mortal sin. It stamps upon the body, the seal of heaven, though not an indelible one, so that the devil dares not approach where, by grace and by his sacraments, the Lord has taken up his habitation. By the power of this sacrament, Lucifer loses the authority and right acquired over man through original and actual sin, so that the body of the just, which is to rise and with the soul, is to enjoy its God, maybe properly marked for its union with its soul. All this the most faithful mother and lady knew, and for it she gave thanks in the name of the faithful. Concerning the sixth sacrament, holy orders, she understood how her most blessed son, the provident founder of grace and of the church, thereby constituted apt ministers of his sacraments for the sanctification of his mystical body and for the consecration of his body and blood, giving them a dignity above that of all men and of the angels themselves. This caused in her such an extreme reverence for the dignity of priests, that she began from that moment to revere and honor them. She asked the Almighty to make them worthy any efficient ministers of his grace, and to inspire the faithful with a high veneration for the priesthood. She wept over the faults, as well of the priests, as of the people, in regard to their duties toward each other, but since I have already spoken of the great respect due to the priests, I will not now expatiate upon this subject. All the rest which pertains to this sacrament, its matter and form, its effects in ministry, was likewise made known to the most blessed mother. She was also instructed in the great object of matrimony, the seventh and last of the sacraments, namely, to sanctify and bless the propagation of the faithful in the evangelical law and to typify the mystery of the spiritual marriage and close union of Christ with his church. Letter to the Ephesians chapter 5 verse 32 She understood how this sacrament was to be perpetrated, what is its matter and form, what great benefits resulted from it for the faithful children of the church, and all the other mysteries concerning its effects, necessity and power. For all this she composed hymns of praise and thanksgiving in the name of the faithful who were to share in its blessings. At the same time she was informed of the rites and ceremonies to be instituted by the church in future times for the ministration of the sacraments and for the well ordering of divine worship among the faithful. Also of the laws of the holy church, for the government of the faithful, especially of the five precepts of the church, namely, to hear mass on feast days, to confess and partake of the most sacred body of Christ at stated times, to fast on the appointed days, to give tithes and first fruits of our earthly goods to the Lord. In all these precepts of the church, the most blessed lady perceived the mysteries of our justification, the object of their establishment, the effects caused by them in the faithful, and the necessity of their existence in the new church of God. She saw how necessary for the faithful was the first of these commandments, establishing days consecrated to the Lord that men might seek their God, assist at the sacred and mysterious sacrifice of the mass, which was to be offered for the living and the dead, that they might renew the profession of faith and the memory of the divine passion and death by which we were redeemed, that they might, as much as possible, cooperate in the offering of this great sacrifice and partake of the blessings and fruits gained by the church in the most sacred mystery of the mass. She saw also the necessity of stirring up our loyalty and fervor by sacramental confession and holy communion in order to restore to us the friendship and love of the Almighty, for besides the danger incurred by forgetting or neglecting the use of these two sacraments, men commit another injury by frustrating the loving desires of their God in establishing such sacraments for our benefit, since such neglect cannot exist without great contempt of the divine goodness, either tacit or express, it is a very serious insult to God in the guilty ones. She had the same understanding of the last two precepts, to fast and to pay tithes, she saw how necessary it was for men to vanquish their enemies by restraint and mortification of the passions, which caused so many unhappy and negligent Christians to lose eternal happiness. It is the disorder of the flesh which foments these passions and the flesh is subdued by fasting. Here in the Teacher of Life himself has given us an example, although he had no need to conquer the disorders of sin. The paying of tithes, most holy Mary recognized, as specially ordained by the Lord, in order that thereby the faithful might acknowledge him as the supreme creator and Lord of all, paying tribute to him of their temporal goods and thanking him for the gifts of his providence in the preservation of life. He wished also that these offerings be appropriated for the sustenance and comfort of his priests, for, seeing that their sustenance is secured by the sweat of the people, they were to be thankful to the Lord for so abundantly supplying their needs and mindful of their obligation to seek the spiritual welfare of souls and to devote their whole life to the worship of God and the advance of his holy church. I have tried to be very succinct in my explanations of these great mysteries which secretly transpired in the inflamed and magnanimous heart of the Queen of Heaven when she was instructed by the Almighty in the laws and precepts of the New Church of the Gospel. The fear of being too prolix and much more that of committing an error has prevented me from manifesting all that has interiorly been made known to me and all that I have understood in this matter. The light of our holy faith, assisted by Christian piety and prudence, will teach Catholics the greatest venerations for these high mysteries. It will lead them to contemplate with lively faith the wonderful harmony of the sacraments, laws, doctrines and mysteries contained in the Catholic Church and how she has governed herself steadily from the beginning and will govern herself to the end of the world. All this was treasured up admirably in the soul of the Blessed Lady and Queen. In her, according to our way of speaking, Christ brought his church to the highest purity and perfection. In her, he deposited all the riches of the new law in order that she might be the first to enjoy them to their full extent and that she might fructify, love, increase them and render thanks for them in the name of all the other mortals. She was also to weep over their sins in order that the flood of mercy for the human race might not be impeded. The soul of Mary was to serve as the public record of all that God was to do for the redemption of man and the document which was to bind him to complete his redemption. She was to be both the co-attetrics and the everlasting memorial of all the wonders he intended to work among us. Instruction which the Queen of Heaven gave me. My daughter, many times I have reminded thee how injurious to the Almighty and how dangerous to mortals is the forgetfulness and the neglect of the mysterious and wonderful works of his divine clemency toward men. My maternal solicitude urges me to renew in thee the memory and the sorrow for this lamentable tendency. Where is the judgment and good sense of men, that they should forget their eternal welfare and the glory of their Redeemer and Creator? The gates of grace and of glory are open, and yet they not only do not enter, but they fly from light and life, and shut them out from hearts darkened by the shadows of death. Oh, more than inhuman cruelty of the sinner toward himself! Overtaken by the most dangerous and deathly sickness, he does not wish to accept the remedy so graciously offered to him. Who would not willingly be snatched from death and restored to life? What sick person would not be grateful to the physician for curing him of his sickness? If men knew how to be thankful for the restoration of health, which is so soon to be again taken from them by death, and only serves them to endure new labors and dangers, why are they so foolish and heart of heart, as not to be thankful for, or even recognize the blessings of him, who gives them eternal life and happiness, who rescues them from pains without end, and inconceivably great? Oh, my dearest daughter, how can I receive as children and be a mother to those who thus despise my dearest son and lord and all his clemency? The angels and saints of heaven understand his kindness, and they are astounded at the gross and dangerous ingratitude of mortals, and they see how the rectitude of divine judgments shall become manifest before the whole world. Already in previous parts of this history I have declared to thee many of these secrets, and now I have made known to thee still more, in order that thou mayst imitate me so much the more closely, and weep with me over this unhappy state of mortals, by which God has been, and is, so greatly offended. Weep thou over their sins, and at the same time try to make up for them. I wish that thou let no day pass, without having given most humble thanks to his greatness, since he had instituted the great sacraments, and receives only abuse in return. Do thou receive them with profound reverence, faith and firm hope? Especially must thou be filled, with highest esteem, for the sacrament of penance, and try to excite in thee the dispositions and fulfill the requirements which the Holy Church and its teachers point out as necessary for its worthy reception. Approach it with a humble and thankful heart, day after day, and whenever thou art conscious of any fault, do not postpone the remedy afforded by this sacrament. Wash and cleanse thy soul, for it is the most abominable carelessness to know oneself stained with sin, and to remain in such disgrace for a long time, yea, even for one instant. Particularly do I wish thee to understand the wrath of the Almighty against those who dare to receive the sacraments unworthily, especially the august sacrament of the altar. Oh soul, how dreadful is this sin in the eyes of the Lord and His saints! Yea, not only the receiving of Him unworthily, but the irreverences committed in His real presence on the altar. How can they be called children of the Church? Who, claiming to believe and respect this mystery, not only neglect to visit Him in the many places where He is sacramentally present, but also dare to indulge in such disrespect toward Him, as even the heathens are not guilty of, against their false idols. This is a matter which could not be deplored sufficiently in many discourses, and I tell thee, my daughter, that the men of the present age have so outraged the justice of the Lord that I cannot even manifest to them what in my kindness I desire as a remedy of this evil. But let them know at present that His sentence shall be dreadful and without mercy rendered against those wicked and faithless servants who are condemned by the words of their own mouth. Luke 19 verse 22 For men do not know how much they lose by their negligence in this regard. End of chapter 11