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charity, God, HolySpirit, humility, Jesu, Jesus, Lady, love, Mary, Mystical City of God, obedience, Saint Joseph, Spouse
Part 2 of Chapter IV of Volume II (The Incarnation) of The Mystical City of God:
However, if it was a proof of the magnanimity of the glorious Saint Joseph and a clear evidence of his great sanctity, that he did not wear away and die of the grief sustained at the thought of the loss of his beloved Spouse, it is yet more astonishing, that he was not overwhelmed by the unexpected joy of this revelation of the true mystery connected with his Spouse.
In the former he proved his high sanctity;
but in the latter he showed himself worthy of gifts, such which, if the Lord had not expanded his heart, he could neither have been capable of receiving nor could he have outlived to bear in the joy of his spirit.
In all things he was renewed and elevated, so as to be able to treat worthily Her, Who was the Mother of God Himself and His Spouse, and to co-operate with Her in the mystery of the Incarnation and in taking care of the ‘Word made man,’ as I shall relate farther on.
In order that he might be still more apt, and so much the more recognize his obligation to serve his heavenly Spouse, it was also made known to him, that all the gifts and blessings came to him because of Her:
those before his espousal, because he had been selected for her husband, and
those afterward, because he had won and merited this distinction.
He also perceived with what prudence the great Lady had acted toward him, not only in serving him with such inviolable obedience and profound humility, but also in consoling him in his affliction, soliciting for him the grace and assistance of the Holy Spirit, hiding her feelings with such discretion, tranquilizing and soothing his sorrow, thus fittingly disposing him for the influence of the divine Spirit.
Just as the Princess of Heaven had been the instrument for the sanctification of Saint John the Baptist and his mother, so She also was instrumental in procuring for Saint Joseph the plenitude of graces in still greater abundance.
All this the most faithful and fortunate man understood and for it, as a most faithful servant, was proportionately thankful.
Our Heavenly Mother divulged these details about Saint Joseph and Herself to Mother Mary of Agreda so that people in the Church Militant (humans engaged in passing their earthly test) would be encouraged, by reading these passages from ‘The Mystical City of God’ to mirror their lives after Mary’s and Joseph’s and always keep in mind the teachings of eternal life.
These great sacraments and many others, connected with our Queen and Her spouse Saint Joseph, the sacred Evangelists passed over in silence, not only because they wished to treasure them in their hearts, but also because neither the humble Lady nor Saint Joseph had spoken of them to any one.
Nor was it necessary to mention these wonders in the life of Christ our Lord, which they wrote in order to establish our belief in the new Church and the law of grace;
for such things might give rise to many inconveniences among the heathens in their first conversion.
The admirable providence of God, in His hidden and inscrutable judgments, reserved these secrets for a more suitable time foreseen in divine wisdom.
He wished that, after the Church had been already established and the Catholic faith well grounded, the faithful, standing in need of the intercession, the assistance and protection of their great Queen and Lady, should draw, from the knowledge of these mysteries, new and old treasures of grace and consolation (Matthew Chapter 15 Verse 52: He said unto them: Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old. – ait illis ideo omnis scriba doctus in regno caelorum similis est homini patri familias qui profert de thesauro suo nova et vetera).
Perceiving by new enlightenment what a loving Mother and powerful Advocate they had in heaven with Her most holy Son, to Whom the Father has given the power to judge (John Chapter 5 Verses 26 – 27 & Verse 30: For as the Father hath life in Himself, so He hath given to the Son also to have life in Himself. And He hath given Him power to do judgment, because He is the Son of man. – sicut enim Pater habet vitam in semet ipso sic dedit et Filio vitam habere in semet ipso et potestatem dedit ei et iudicium facere quia Filius hominis est – I cannot of Myself do any thing. As I hear, so I judge. And My judgment is just: because I seek not My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. – non possum ego a me ipso facere quicquam sicut audio iudico et iudicium meum iustum est quia non quaero voluntatem meam sed voluntatem eius qui misit me ), let them fly to Her for help as to the only and sacred refuge of sinners.
Let the tribulations and the tears of the Church themselves give witness, whether such times of affliction have not come upon us in our days;
for never were Her trials greater than now, when Her own sons, reared at Her breast, afflict Her, seek to destroy Her, and dissipate the treasures of the blood of Her Spouse with a greater cruelty than was done by Her most embittered enemies.
We give Thee thanks, O Lord, for all Thy benefits, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.
Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda concludes this chapter with the following questions and recommendation.
In this crying need, when the blood, shed by Her children calls heavenward, and much more loudly, the blood of our high Priest Christ (The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews Chapter 12 Verse 24: And to Jesus the mediator of the new testament, and to the sprinkling of blood which speaketh better than that of Abel. – et testamenti novi mediatorem Iesum et sanguinis sparsionem melius loquentem quam Abel) trodden under foot and polluted under pretext of justice, resounds in anguish, what are the most faithful children of the Church doing?
Why are they so speechless?
Why do they not call upon most holy Mary?
Why do they not invoke Her aid and urge Her to help?
What wonder if help is delayed, since we postpone seeking Her and acknowledging Her as the true Mother of God?
I give witness, that great mysteries are enclosed in this ‘City of God’ and that in lively faith we should confess and extol them.
They are so great, that the deeper insight into them is reserved for the time after the general resurrection, when all the saints will know them in the Most High.
But in the meanwhile, let the pious and faithful souls acknowledge the condescension of this their most loving Queen and Lady in revealing some of the great and hidden sacraments through me, a most unworthy instrument;
for I, in my weakness and insignificance, could be induced to attempt this work only by the repeated command and encouragement of the Mother of piety, as was stated several times.
Our Heavenly Queen’s object in revealing to us, in this history so many sacraments and secrets, is for us to recognize them as a mirror of Her life and as an inviolable rule of action for our own.
We should let the humble care and watchfulness of the Virgin Mary’s spouse Saint Joseph and his submission to divine direction and his esteem for heavenly enlightenment serve as examples for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us and teach us how to be humble, obedient and kind so that we can more readily model our actions toward others along the lines of humility and love that you showed to Jesus and Mary during your life on earth. Amen.
And, we should reflect upon the humility and love shown to Saint Joseph by the Virgin Mother and use these perfect examples as guides for us to follow in our own lives.
From: The Mystical City Of God: The Miracle Of His Omnipotence And The Abyss Of His Grace The Divine History And Life Of The Virgin Mother Of God Our Queen And Our Lady, Most Holy Mary Expiatrix Of The Fault Of Eve And Mediatrix Of Grace – Manifested in these later ages by that Lady to her handmaid Sister Mary of Jesus, Superioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception of the town of Agreda, of the province of Burgos in Spain, under obedience to the regular observance of the seraphic father Saint Francis for new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men (Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (pen-name used by Reverend George J. Blatter) – Volume 2 – The Incarnation – The Mysteries Of The Life Of The Holy Mother Of God From The Incarnation Of The Divine Word In Her Virginal Womb To The Return Of The Holy Family From Egypt.
Imprimatur: † Edwin V. Byrne, D.D., Archbishop of Santa Fe, 9 February 1949 A.D.
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