1
/Tl/' /*^. />
/
<^ . ,«o. >c_>'.
I
I
MARY OF AGREDA IS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN FAVORED WITH THE
MIRACLE OF BILOCATION: ALWAYS REMAINING IN HER CONVENT AT
AGREDA. SHE WAS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS THE FIRST MESSENGER
OF THE TRUE FAITH SENT BY GOD TO THE INDIANS IN ARIZONA AND
NEW MEXICO. U. S.
City of God
THE CONCEPTION
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE
OF THE
VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
MANIFESTED TO MARY OF AGREDA
FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF MEN
Translated from the Original Spanish
BY
FISCAR MARISON
(Rev. Geo. J. Blatter)
FIRST COMPLETE EDITION
ADDRESS
THE THEOPOLITAN
so. CHICAGO, ILL.
W. R. CON KEY COMPANY
HAMMOND, INDIAN.A.
, IMPRIMATUR
Rome City, Ind., Aug. 24, 1912.
The Rev. George J. Blatter,
Dear Rev. Father: —
My Imprimatur is herewith granted to your
translation of the work entitled
"Ciudad de Dios." Wishing you every bless-
ing, I remain
Devotedly in Domino,
H. J. AlERDing, Bishop of Fort Wayne.
English
Copyright, 1014
By
Rev. Geo. J. Blatteb
All Rights Reserved.
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 obser^'ance
of the seraphic father
SAINT FRANCIS
For new enh"ghtenment of the world, for rejoicing
of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men.
. '.W .
•it
Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition
BY
FISCAR MARISON
Begun on the Feast of the Assumption
1902
0 7 ^0
•^3
CONTENTS
PACE
Special Notice and Approdations IX. -XXIV.
Introduction 3
BOOK ONE
Chapter I. Concerning Two Special Visions Vouchsafed to
My Soul by the Lord and Concerning Other Enlighten-
ments and Mysteries, which Compelled Me to Withdraw
from Earthlv Things and Raised My Spirit to Dwell above
the Earth .'. 23
Chapter II. How the Lord, in the State in which He Had
Placed Me, Manifested to Me the Mysteries of the Life
of the Queen of Heaven 35
Chapter III. Of the Knowledge of the Divinity, which was
Conferred Upon Me, and of the Decree of the Creation
of the World 46
Chapter IV. How the Divine Decrees are Classified according
to Instants, and what God in Each Determined to Commu-
nicate ad Extra 52
V/ Chapter V. Instructions concerning Holy Scriptures, and in
Particular concerning Chapter Eipht of the Proverbs, in
Confirmation of the Preceding Pages 62
Chapter VI. Concerning a Doubt, which I Proposed Regard-
ing the Doctrine Contained in these Chapters, and the
Answer to It <5
Chapter VII. How the Most High gave a Beginning to His
Works and Created all Material Things for the Use of
Man, while Angels and Men were Created to be His people
Under the Leadership of the Incarnate Word 83
Chapter VIII. Which Follows up the Previous Discourse by
the Explanation of the Twelfth Chapter of the Apocalypse. . 93
Chapter IX. The Rest of the Twelfth Chapter of the Apoca-
lypse is Explained ^^■i
Chapter X. The Explanation of the Twelfth Chapter of the
Apocalypse is Concluded 116
V
vi CONTENTS
PAGE
Chapter XI. In the Creation of All Things the Lord had
before His Mind Christ Our Lord and His Most Holy
Mother. He Chose His People and Heaped His Benefits
on Them 125
Chapter XII. How, after the Human Race had been Prop-
agated, the Clamors of the Just for the Coming of the
Redeemer Increased, and Likewise Sin; in this Night of the
Ancient Law, God Sent Two Morningstars as Harbingers
of the Law of Grace 141
Chapter XIII. How the Conception of the Most Holy Mary
was Announced by the Archangel Gabriel, and How God
Prepared Holy Anne for It by a Special Favor 151
Chapter XIV. Hotv the Almighty Made Known to the Holy
Angels the Opportune Decree for the Conception of the
Most Holy Mary; and which of Them He Selected for
Her Custody 161
Chapter XV. Of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother
of God through Divine Power 173
Chapter XVI. Of the Habits of Virtue, with which God Gifted
the Soul of the Most Holy Mary, and of Her First
Exercises of These Virtues in the Womb of her Mother
Anne ; She Herself Gives me Instructions for Imitating
Her 184
Chapter XVII. Still Treating of the Mystery of the Concep-
tion of Holy Mary and Explaining the Twenty-first Chapter
of the Apocalypse 198
Chapter XVIII. Sequel of the Mystery of the Conception of
the Most Holy Mnry as Described in the Second Part of
the Twenty-first Chapter of the Apocalypse 217
Chapter XIX. Contains the last Portion of Apocalypse XXI
in as far as it Describes the Conception of the Most Holy
Mary 232
Chapter XX. Treating of what Happened during the Nine
Months of the Pregnancy of St. Anne; the Doings of the
Most Holy Mary in the Womb of her Mother, and those of
Saint Anne during that Time 252
Chapter XXI. Of the Felicitous Birth of the Most Holy Mary
Our Mistress : of the Favors, which She then Received from
the Hand of the Most High, and How a Name was Given
Her in Heaven and on Earth 263
V
CONTENTS vii
PAGE
Chapter XXII. How Saint Anne Complied with the Law of
Moses in regard to Childbirth ; and How Most Holy Mary-
Acted in Her Infancy 278
Chapter XXIII. Of the Emblems of the Holy Guardian Angels
in their Intercourse with the Blessed Mary, and of Their
Perfections 291
Chapter XXIV. Of the Holy Exercises and Occupations of the
Queen in the First Year and a Half of Her Infancy 301
Chapter XXV. How the Most Holy Child Mary Began to
Speak at the Age of One Year and a Half ; and How She
was Occupied until the Time of Her Departure to the
Temple 309
BOOK TWO
Chapter I. Of the Presentation of the Most Holy Mary in the
Temple at the Age of Three Years 325
Chapter II. Concerning a Singular Favor, which the Almighty
Conferred on Most Holy Mary as soon as She was Estab-
lished in the Temple 337
Chapter III. Instruction which the Queen of Heaven Gave Me
concerning the Vows of My Profession 348
Chapter IV. Of the Perfection in which Most Holy Mary
Passed Her Days in the Temple, and of the Exercises which
She was Ordered to Undertake 360
Chapter V. Of the Perfections of the Most Holy Mary in the
Practice of Virtues in General, and of Her Advance in
Them 371
Chapter VI. Of the Virtue of I'aith, and How Most Holy
Mary Practiced It '.377
Chapter VII. Of the Virtue of Hope, and How the Virgin
Our Lady Practiced It 389
Chapter VIII. Of the Virtue of Charitv in the Most Holy
Mary, Our Lady ' 397
Chapter IX. Of the Virtue of Prudence as Practiced by the
Most Holy Queen of Heaven 411
Chapter X. Of the Virtue of Justice, as Practiced by Most
Holy Marj' 426
viii CONTENTS
PAGE
Chapter XI. The Virtue of Fortitude, as Practiced by the Most
Holy Mary 440
Chapter XII. The Virtue of Temperance as Practiced by the
Most Holy Mary 449
Chapter XIII. Of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost and How
the Most Holy Mary Made use of Them 462
Chapter XIV. Explanation of the Different Kinds of Divine
Visions Enjoyed by the Queen of Heaven and the Effects
vi^hich They Wrought in Her 476
Chapter XV. Description of Another Kind of Visions and
Communications, which the Most Holy Mary Enjoyed with
the Holy Angels,tof Her Guard 500
Chapter XVI. Continuation of the History of the Most Holy
Child Mary in the Temple ; the Lord Prepares Her for
Troubles, and Joachim, Her Father, Dies 510
Chapter XVII. The Princess of Heaven Begins to Suffer
Afifliction ; God Absents Himself From Most Holy Mary:
Her Sweet and Amorous Sighs 523
Chapter XVIII. Other Afflictions of Our Queen, Some of which
were Permitted by the Lord Through the Agency of
Creatures and of the Ancient Serpent 531
Chapter XIX. The Most High Enlightens the Priest concern-
ing the Spotless Innocence of Most Holy Mary; She Her-
self is Informed of the Approaching Death of Her Mother,
Saint Anne, and is Present at this Event 547
Chapter XX. The Most High Manifests Himself to His
Beloved Mary, Our Princess, by Conferring on Her an
Extraordinary Favor 558
Chapter XXI. The Most High Commands the Most Holy Mary
to Enter the State of Matrimony and Her Response to this
Command 567
Chapter XXII. The Espousal of Most Holy Mary with the
Most Chaste Saint Joseph 576
Chapter XXIII. An Explanation of Chapter Thirty-One of the
Proverbs of Solomon, to which the Lord Referred Me
Regarding the Life of Most Holy Mary in Matrimony 587
Chapter XXIV. The Same Subject Continued : the Rest of the
Thirty-first Chapter of the Proverbs is Explained 597
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
REVELATIONS
NOTHING that essentially differs from the teach-
ings of the Catholic Church can rightfully be
taught or believed by any man or under any pre-
text. Moreover, even the essential doctrines can be
taught and expounded only in the sense and spirit ap-
proved, or at least not disapproved, by the Church.
This at once will establish the position which private
revelations, whether coming from Heaven or originat-
ing from hallucination, merely human or devilish, hold
in the Church of God.
There can be no doubt that God can and does manifest
to chosen souls hidden things in addition to what He
teaches through the public ministry of His Church. It
is also an accepted truth that He sometimes reveals them
to his friends for the express purpose of communicating
this extra knowledge to other well disposed persons
through the natural and human means at the disposal
of those receiving his revelations. These manifestations
He invariably surrounds with enough evidence to satisfy
all requirements of a cautious and well founded human
belief. It follows naturally that whenever He thus sur-
rounds private revelations with evidences of their heav-
enly origin, He will be pleased with a rational and lov-
ing belief and dissatisfied with a captious and obstinate
unbelief of the facts or truths thus privately revealed.
Where, however, these external evidences are wanting,
ix
X SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
or wherever holy Church intimates the least direct or in-
direct disapproval, there any faith in private revelation
would be not only foolish, but positively wrong.
FULIy APPROVAIv
The Church has as yet given no public and full ap-
proval to private revelations of any kind ; nor will she
ever do so, since that would be really an addition to the
deposit of faith left by Christ. But tacitly and indirectly
she has approved many private revelations, and among
them the writings of Mary of Agreda. She could well
do so, since there are no writings of that kind which
exhibit more reliable human proofs of divine origin than
the "Ciudad de Dios" of the Venerable Servant of God,
Mary of Jesus of Agreda.
The existence of the Bible justifies the query, whether
there are not other books that have been written under
supernatural guidance, though we know of course that
none of them can ever have the same importance and
authenticity as the Bible. For the Bible was provided
as the record of the general revelations of God to man-
kind at all its stages to the end of times.
A VAST FIELD BETWEEN
Evidently there remains an immense domain of truths
outside the range of natural human knowledge and not
specially revealed in the Bible. You will at once say:
that whole field is covered by the one true religion. Of
course it is. The teaching and ministry of men especially
appointed for that purpose, the practice and example of
those eminent in the christian virtues, the writings of
those versed in higher truths, are the ordinary means
of spreading truth and leading men to their great
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER xi
destiny. But besides all this, history proves that God,
for special purposes, often grants to his friends higher
insight into supernatural truths and facts, which, if at his
command they are recorded in writing, are intended by
Him as an additional source of higher knowledge and
well deserve to be considered as private revelations.
Earmarks of deceit
Past ages simply teem with writings that claim to be
derived from or based on divine revelation or inspiration.
Many of them are clearly nothing but frauds, showing
the signs of conscious or unconscious hallucination.
Many again seem beyond mere natural human powers of
insight, but at the same time in their authorship and ten-
dencies show nothing divine or beneficent, thus proving
that besides human error and malice the sinister and
treacherous knowledge of malign spirits often finds its
way into such writings. Ancient sorcery and magic and
modern spiritism have their root in this sort of preter-
natural communication.
TO BE CLOSEEY SCRUTINIZED
Hence it would be foolish not to demand the closest
inquiry into anything put forward as private revelation.
Fortunately it is easy to apply sure and unfailing tests.
All that is necessary, is to ascertain the character and
motives of the writer and the result or drift of his writ-
ings. Mahomet proves himself an epileptic adventurer
and his Koran a travesty of Judaism and Christianity,
settling like a blight upon civilization. Joseph Smith
and his companions turn out to be rebellious incendiaries
and murderers and their book of Mormon a ridiculous
fake, establishing a fanatic and bigamous theocracy.
xii SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
The fakir Dowie pretending prophecy, ends as a luna-
tic in a bankrupt Zion, yet leaving millions to his rela-
tives. The humbugging Eddy, after crazy-quilting
scraps from the Bible with shreds of Buddhism, Brah-
manism and Theosophy, shuffles off her wrinkled coil
amid a numerous following of dupes who rather ex-
pected her faked science to keep her perpetually alive
or raise her up from the dead;
Is there any difficulty in discovering the fraud in
revelations of such a kind? Yet they claim divine in-
spiration and very often contain passages which show
sources of information and deceit not altogether human.
The sinister manifestation of spiritism and the astound-
ing information often furnished by mediums, are not
all sleight of hand or illusion of the senses; some of these
things can be explained only by assuming interference
of a sinister spirit world.
REALLY ANOTHER ARGUMENT FOR PRIVATE REVELATIONS
Would it not be absurd to concede the communica-
tion with evil spirits or departed souls, damned or other-
wise, (and all reasonable people concede it), and deny
the possibility of communing with the good spirits or
souls and with God? Who would want to limit the
power of God in this way? It will not do to claim that
all the communication of God and the good spirits takes
the ordinary course provided in the public ministry of
the true religion. For it does not. Saint Paul saw
things that he dared not reveal, though he was not slow
in writing down his other revelations. The doctrine of
the Immaculate Conception and the Infallibility was pri-
vately revealed many times before they were officially
defined and accepted as self-understood truths by all
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER x
111
reasonable men. Before these doctrines were defined,
who had the greater prudence and insight? Those peo-
ple who refused to believe these truths because they were
privately revealed, or those who examined those reve-
lations and finding them humanly credible, and not con-
trary to the true religion, simply accepted them as re-
vealed by God? I should think the latter showed them-
selves ahead of their times and far more enlightened in
their belief than the former, who persisted in a finical
unbelief concerning all private revelations.
NO DIFFICULTY TO DISTINGUISH THE TRUE FROM
THE FALSE
If we find that the author of alleged private revela-
tions has been a faithful adherent of the one true re-
ligion established by God, that he has led a good and
blameless life, that his writings do not run counter to
the Bible nor to the public teachings of the true Church,
that he was not actuated by motives of selfish gain, pe-
cuniary or otherwise, that the writings themselves tend
toward the practice of perfection both as far as the
writer as well as the reader is concerned, that they have
not been openly disapproved by the Church; then cer-
tainly, if the information recorded is such that it would
presuppose supernatural inspiration or direct communi-
cation with the higher world, we are not justified in
immediately rejecting the writings as fraudulent. Closer
examination may easily lead to reasonable certaintv
that they are privately revealed. But we all know that
this acceptance can never mean anything more than a
mere human belief, not the belief of faith, such as for
instance is demanded by holy Scripture. In fact, as
xiv SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
soon as any such writing lays claim to implicit faith,
it certainly is no revelation and ought to be rejected at
once as spurious.
MARY OF AGREDA
She was the daughter of Francis Coronel and Catherine
of Arana, born April 2, 1602, in the small town of Agreda
near Tarazona in Spain. In 1617 she entered the convent
of the discalced Franciscan Nuns in the Convent of the
Immaculate Conception in Agreda and took her vows one
year later. In 1625 she was chosen abbess, much against
her wishes, and, ^except during a short intermission, was
re-elected every three years until she died, in 1665. The
fame of her prudence and foresight, not only in the gov-
ernment of her convent but in other matters, soon spread
outside the convent walls and persons of the highest rank
in state and Church were eager to obtain her counsel in
important affairs. King Philip IV visited her several
times in her convent and corresponded with her about
national affairs for many years.
But she was no less famous for her exalted virtues. In
many respects her life was a faithful copy of that of St.
Francis. The miracle of bilocation related of her is in
fact more remarkable and lasted a longer time than that
recorded anywhere in the lives of the saints. Her good
sense, her truthfulness, her sincerity, her humility, her
unselfish love of God and man eminently adapted her for
the communication of messages from God to men.
WHAT INDUCED HER TO WRITE
In all writing that lays claim to private revelation, the
motives of the writer must be closely scrutinized. If it
appears to be a self-imposed task, for selfish ends, pe-
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER xv
cuniary or otherwise, tending- to particularity in religious
teachings or practice not approved by the established faith
or written without knowledge or consultation of the right-
ful superiors, it ought to be rejected as spurious. God will
reveal nothing for such purpose or under such circum-
stances, and He will permit human error and deceit and
the sinister influence of hell to run their natural course.
Nothing of all this appears in the writings of Mary of
Agreda. Though she was urged interiorly and exteriorly
to record the facts of history revealed to her concerning
the Mother of God, she resisted for twelve years and was
finally induced to write only through the positive com-
mands of her superiors. Reluctantly she began her his-
tory in the year 1637 and finished it in the year 1645,
continually asking to be relieved from the task because
she thought herself unworthy. As soon as the insistence
of her superiors relaxed and an error of judgment on the
part of an outside confessor gave her a plausible excuse,
she burned all her writings, thus destroying the labor of
many years. When this came to the knowledge of the
higher authorities and when they insisted on her rewrit-
ing the history \vhich continued to be supernaturally
made known to her, she again succeeded in delaying the
task for ten years. Only the strictest command under
obedience and the threat of censures finally induced her
to write the manuscript w'hich she began in 1655 and fin-
ished in 1665, and which is still preserved in the convent
of Agreda.
WHY REVEALED TO A WOMAN
It is to be remembered that God's almighty power is
restricted to no particular instrument ; He creates out of
nothing. In the case of Balaam, he used not only that
xvi SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
wicked man but even his beast for special revelation. It
does seem that He prefers women for private revelation.
He chose men to reveal the great public truths of the
Bible and to attend to the public teaching, but to women
in the new law He seems to have consigned the task of
private revelations. At least most of the known private
revelations have been furnished us by women and not
men. We must infer from this that they are better
adapted for this work. In fact, no special learning or
great natural insight is required of a messenger; such
qualities might tend to corrupt or narrow down the in-
spired messagd to mere human proportions, whereas pri-
vate revelation is given precisely for the purpose of com-
municating higher truths than can be known or under-
stood naturally. Humility, great piety and love, deep
faith are the requisites of God's special messengers.
Women as a rule are more inclined to these virtues than
men, and therefore are not so apt to trim the message
of God down to their own natural powers of understand-
ing. In choosing women for his special revelations He
gives us to understand from the outset, that what He
wishes to reveal is above the natural faculties of per-
ception and insight of either man or woman.
HOW WAS "CIUDAD" RECEIVED?
As soon as the "City of God" appeared in print it was
welcomed and extolled as a most wonderful work. The
different translations found no less enthusiastic welcome
in nearly all the European countries. It secured the im-
mediate approbation and encomium of the ordinaries, the
universities, the learned and eminent men of Christendom.
There is probably no other book which was so closely
scrutinized by those in authority, both civil and religious,
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER xv
'11
and afterwards so signally approved as the "City of God."
By order of Innocent XI., Alexander VIII., Clement IX.,
Benedict XIII., and Benedict XIV. it was repeatedly sub-
jected to the closest scrutiny and declared authentic,
worthy of devout perusal and free from error. The title
"Venerabilis" was conferred upon the author. A large
sized volume would be required to record the praises and
commendations written in favor of the great "City of
God."
OPPOSITION
As the "City of God" so strenuously maintains the
prerogatives of the Mother of God and the authority of
the Popes, it was not to be expected that it should escape
the malicious slander and intrigues of those tainted with
Jansenism and Gallicanism. Many members of the Sor-
bonne in Paris were secret or open adherers of these
sects at the time when the "Ciudad" was first published
in French about the year 1678. The first translation in
French was very inexact and contained many interpola-
tions and false versions of the original. Dr. Louis Elias
du Pin and Dr. Hideux of the Sorbonne made this trans-
lation the foundation of virulent attacks. Du Pin was
called by Pope Clement XI. "Xequioris doctrinas liomi-
nem," "A man of pernicious doctrines." Hideux turned
out to be a rabid and fanatical Jansenist. cut off from
the Church as a heretic. As they and other members of
the Sorbonne succeeded in enlisting the sympathy of in-
fluential Gallican courtiers and church dignitaries, both
in Paris and at Rome, they secured a clandestine prohi-
bition of the "City of God," which appeared in the acts
of the Congregation of the Office. When it was discov-
ered, no one could be found who would dare stand
1-2
xviii SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER
sponsor for it, and immediately Pope Innocent XL, on
November 9, 1681, annulled the act, positively decree-
ing that the "City of God" be freely spread among the
clergy and laity. The very fact that this prohibition did
not issue from the Index Commission but from a depart-
ment not concerned with the examination of books, proves
that it owes its insertion to Galilean intrigue, secretly ex-
tending even to high circles in Rome, and to the fair-
minded, this sectarian attempt will be a convincing argu-
ment for the excellence and orthodoxy of the doctrines
contained in the revelations of Mary of Agreda.
MANY EDITIONS
The popularity and excellence of the great history of
the Mother of God is also evidenced by its widespread
diffusion. It has appeared in over sixty editions in Span-
ish, Italian, French, Portuguese, German, Latin, Arabic,
Greek, and Polish. Does it not seem providential that the
first English translation of this great work should have
been reserved for our own times? No other language on
the face of the earth is the medium of so many theories,
sects and isms as the English language and the "City of
God" is a most timely and efficient antidote for the epi-
demic of false doctrines, which is sweeping over all the
earth, and affects especially the English-speaking portion
of the human race.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE TRANSLATOR
The translator and promoter of the "City of God" is
confident that it will not be one of the books idly filling
the shelves of libraries, but one which at the first cursory
SPECIAL NOTICE TO THE READER xix
inspection will arouse the desire of further inquiry and
lead to repeated and attentive perusal.
The translation herewith offered is as exact and as per-
fect a rendition of the original Spanish into English, as
ten years of assiduous labor and a considerable experi-
ence in literary production give a right to expect. The
subject-matter surely ought to secure for it a proper
place in the more elevated ranks of English Literature.
May this first English translation, under the guidance
of our holy faith, bring forth abundant fruits of the
Spirit among English-speaking people in all parts of the
world.
Feast of the Annunciation, 1912.
Fiscar Marison, South Chicago.
APPROBATIONS
THE first Pope officially to take notice of "Ciudad
de Dios" was Pope Innocent XI, who, on July 3,
1686, in response to a series of virulent attacks
and machinations of some members of the Sorbonne,
known to be Jansenists, issued a breve permitting- the
publication and reading of the "Ciudad de Dios." Similar
decrees were afterward issued by Popes Alexander VIII,
Clement IX and Benedict XIII. These decrees were
followed by two decrees of the Congregation of Rites,
approved by Benedict XIV and Clement XIV, in which
the authenticity of "Ciudad de Dios" as extant and writ-
ten by the Venerable Servant of God, Mary of Jesus, is
officially established. The g-reat pope Benedict XIII,
when he was archbishop of Benevent, used these revela-
tions as material for a series of sermons on the Blessed
Virgin. On Sept. 26, 1713, the bishop of Ceneda, Italy,
objecting to the publication of the "City of God." was
peremptorily ordered by the Holy Office to withdraw his
objections as interfering with the decree of pope
Innocent XI for the universal Church.
The process of canonization of Mary of Agreda was
promoted by the Spanish bishops and other eminent men
of the Church soon after her death in 1666. It has re-
sulted so far in securing her the title of Venerabilis. thus
clearing the way to her beatification, for which, let us
hope, God will soon raise a promoter among the many
pious and eminent men who hold in esteem her writings
XX i
xxii APPROBATIONS
and have learned of her holy life and of the miracles
wrought at her tomb.
The Redemptorist Fathers published a new German
translation in 1885, which was approved and highly
recommended by the Bishop of Ratisbon in the follow-
ing terms :
"We take pleasure in giving our episcopal approba-
tion to the annotated translation of the Spanish original
"Ciudad de Dios" of Mary of Jesus and recommend this
book, which will surely edify all readers and be the occa-
sion of great spiritual blessings."
Ratisbon, September 29, 1885.
^Ignatius, Bishop of Ratisbon.
Notable is the high recommendation of the Prince-
Archbishop of Salzburg, Apost. Legate, Primate of Ger-
many, etc.
"According to the decrees of Pope Innocent XI and
Clement XI the book known as 'Ciudad de Dios' written
by the Venerable Servant of God, Maria de Jesus, may
be read by all the faithful."
"A number of episcopal approbations, the recommen-
dations of four renowned universities, namely, of Tou-
louse, Salamanca, Alcala and Louvain, and of prominent
members of different orders, coincide in extolling the
above-named work. The learned and pious Cardinal
D'Aguirre says that he considers all the studies of fifty
years of his previous life as of small consequence in com-
parison with the doctrines he found in this book, which in
all things are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures, the
Holy Fathers and Councils of the Church. The Ven-
erable Superior-General of St. Sulpice, Abbe Emery,
adds : "Only since I read the revelations of Mary of
Agreda do I properly know Jesus and his Holy Mother."
APPROBATIONS xxiii
"We therefore do not hesitate — in granting our epis-
copal approbation to — "Ciudad de EHos" — and wish to
recommend it to the faithful and especially to our
clergy."
^ Franz Albert,
Archbishop.
Archiepiscopal Chancery^ Salzburg.
September 12, 1885.
A more recent official approbation of "Ciudad de Dios"
is from the Bishop of Tarazona, prefacing the new edi-
tion of 1911-1912.
"We, Dr. James Ozoidi y Udave, by the grace of God
and of the Apostolic See, Bishop of Tarazona, Admin-
istrator Apostolic of the Diocese of Tudela, etc., etc.
Having charged the priest Don Eduardo Royo,
chaplain and confessor at the convent of the Immacu-
late Conception of Agreda, carefully and exactly to
compare the manuscript which is to serve as copy for
the printing of the new edition of the "City of God"
now about to be published by the religious of the above-
named convent, with the authenticated autograph
manuscript of that work there preserved, — and hav-
ing ascertained by a personal revision of a great part
of the manuscript that the said priest has diligently
and faithfully fulfilled this charge imposed upon him
by us:
We now therefore certify that this present edition
of 'Ciudad de Dios,' with the exception of a few mere
orthographic modifications, is entirely conformable to
the autograph of that work as composed and written
by the Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda.
Tarazona, April 7, 1911.
[Diocesan Seal] ^James, Bishop of Tarazona.
xxiv APPROBATIONS
Finally follows the official approbation of the Right
Reverend Bishop of the Fort Wayne Diocese, where this
English translation is published.
Rome City, Ind., Aug. 24, 1912.
The Rev. George J. Blatter,
Dear Rev. Father : —
My Imprimatur is herewith granted to your English
translation of the work entitled 'Ciudad de Dios.' Wish-
ing you every blessing, I remain.
Devotedly in Domino,
^H. J. AlERDINg, Bishop of Fort Wayne.
The author has made use of capital letters in the text slightly at
variance with common usage, in order to avoid complication and se-
cure greater clearness. The paragraph numbers are those of the
newest Spanish edition of "Ciudad de Dios" in 1912. In the abridg-
ment they vary slightly.
City of God is divided into three Parts and eight Books. Part I
contains Books 1 and 2. Part II contains Books 3, 4, 5 and 6. Part
III contains Books 7 and 8. As circumstances compel a serial publi-
cation of the four volumes, the author judged it best to head these
divisions as follow :
The Conception, Books 1 and 2.
The Incarnation, Books 3 and 4.
The Transfixion, Books 5 and 6.
The Coronation, Books 7 and 8.
C|)e Conception
l^igf) in t\)t (€imm of l^eabcii from tf)c Cime
of l)cr 5mtt^afulatc Conception until ti^t 9n^
tarnation of tfjc ^orli in Ijcr birginal ^omto,
anti f)ota mucf) iHcrit «^I)c Ijcr^efclf acquired
tf)rou0!) bibinc 43racc ftp profiting from tfje
f abor^ conferrcO upon l^er During tl)o^c fir^eft
fifteen fear^^ of f^tt Hife,
INTRODUCTION
TO THE
LIFE OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN
GIVING THE REASON FOR WRITING IT, AND EXPLAINING
OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES IX CONNECTION THEREWITH.
1. I should not be astonished to hear myself con-
demned as audacious, foolhardy and presumptuous by
any person who will begin to realize (if realized it can
be) that I, a simple woman, who is of herself but sheer
weakness and ignorance and who is, on account of her
sins, most unworthy, has resolved and attempted to write
of divine and supernatural things. This condemnation
will be the more justified in these, our present times, in
which the holy Church, our mother, is so abundantly
supplied with teachers and holy men, so rich in doctrines
of the holy Fathers and Doctors ; in this our most oppor-
tune age, when even prudent and wise persons, full of
holy zeal in the spiritual life, are disturbed and troubled
at the least mention of a higher life, looking upon visions
and revelations as most suspicious and dangerous paths
for the pursuit of Christian perfection. If no excuse can
be found for such an enterprise in itself, or even for at-
tempting things that are so far above and superior to
what man can hope to compass, and so far beyond all
human capacities, then we can only conclude that to un-
dertake them is either a sign of perverse judgment or the
result of an activity far surpassing all the human power.
2. As faithful children of the holv Church we must
4 INTRODUCTION
confess that all the mortals, not only with the use of all
their natural powers, but with the simultaneous use of all
the common and ordinary graces, are but incapable and,
as it were, mute and ignorant weaklings for so difficult an
undertaking as to explain and describe the hidden mys-
teries and magnificent sacraments w^hich the powerful
arm of the Most High has wrought in that Creature
whom, as his Mother, He has designed to be an immense
ocean of grace and privilege and the Depositary of the
greatest treasures of the Divinity. How incapable must
our weakness acknowledge itself to be, when even the
angelic spirits confess that words fail them when at-
tempting to describe that which is so far above their
thoughts and capacities. The life of this Phoenix
among the works of God is a book so sealed up that none
is found among all the creatures of heaven and earth,
worthy to open it (Apoc. 4, 3). It is evident then, that
only the powerful Lord can unseal it ; He who made Her
more perfect than all the creatures; or She herself, the
Mistress, our Queen and Mother, who was worthy to re-
ceive and properly to appreciate her ineffable gifts. It
is in her power to select suitable instruments, and such as
for her glory seem capable of manifesting these gifts in
the proportion, at the time, and in the manner serviceable
to her Onlybegotten Son.
3. I would willingly maintain that these instruments
can be no other than the teachers and learned saints of
the Catholic Church, or the doctors of the schools, who
have all taught the way of truth and life. But the
thoughts and the judgments of the Most High are ex-
alted as much above ouf own as heaven is exalted above
the earth and no one knows his mind and no one can
counsel Him in his works (Rom. 11, 34) ; He it is that
holds the scales of the sanctuary in his hands (Apoc. 6,
INTRODUCTION 5
5), and who weighs the winds (Job 28, 25) ; who
grasps in his hands all the orbs (Is. 40, 12), and who,
by the equity of his most holy counsels, disposes of all
things with weight and measure (Wis, 11, 21), assign-
ing to each one opportune time and place. He dispenses
the light of wisdom (Ecclus. 24, Z7 ) and by his most
equitable bounty He distributes it, and no one can ascend
to the heavens to draw it down (Baruch 3, 29), or fetch
it from the clouds, or know its ways or investigate the
hidden paths thereof (Baruch 3, 31). He alone observes
it as it is in itself, and transfuses it as the vapor and
emanation of his immense charity (Wis. 7, 25) as the
brightness of his eternal light, as the flawless reflection
and image of his eternal bounty, through holy souls
among the nations in order to make them friends of the
Most High and constitute them as Prophets (Wis. 7, 27).
The Lord alone knows why and for what purpose He
thus prepared me, the last of his creatures; why He thus
called and raised me, obliged and compelled me, to write
the life of his most holy Mother, our Queen and Lady.
4. It is beyond the prudent surmise of any man that,
without this influence and power of the Most High, the
thought of such a work should enter into a human heart,
or such an enterprise should take shape in my mind. For
I acknowledge and confess myself to be a weak woman,
wanting in all virtue; therefore, it should be far from
my thoughts to approach such a work, but equally as far
from me to refuse it on my own account. In order that a
just estimate may be had in this matter I will mention in
simple truth something of that which happened to me re-
garding this histor\\
5 In the eighth year after the foundation of this con-
vent, in the twenty-fifth of my life, obedience imposed
upon me the office which I unworthily hold at the pres-
6 INTRODUCTION
ent day, namely to be the abbess of this convent. I found
myself much troubled, sorrowful and discouraged, be-
cause neither my age nor my inclinations were such as are
requisite for governing and commanding, but they were
rather such as befitted one who should be governed and
obey. I knew also, that in order to invest me wnth this
office a dispensation had been obtained. On account of
these and other just reasons, the terrors with which the
Most High has crucified me during all my life, were
much augmented. In addition thereto God left me in
dreadful doubt whether I was on the secure path or
whether I should obtain or lose his friendship and grace.
6. In this tribulation I cried to the Lord with all my
heart that He help me and if it be his will that I should
be freed from this danger and burden. Although it is
true that the Lord had prepared me sometime before-
hand and commanded me to accept the office, and al-
though when I tried to excuse myself on account of my
pusillanimity, He always consoled me and reiterated his
command, I nevertheless did not cease my petitions, but
rather augmented them. For I perceived and understood
in the Lord that, although He showed this to be his holy
will, which I could not hinder, yet I was aware at the
same time that he left me free to retire and resist, and, if
I wished, to act according to my weakness as a creature
and in the consciousness of my total insufficiency ; such is
the prudence of the Lord in his dealings with men. Re-
lying on this kindness of the Lord, I increased my efforts
to be relieved from this evident danger, which is so little
estimated by our human nature with its bad habits and
disorderly passions. The Lord, however, repeated con-
tinually that it was his will and He consoled me, admon-
ishing me through his holy angels to obey.
7. I fled in this affliction to our Queen and Lady as
INTRODUCTION 7
to my only refuge in all troubles, and after I had mani-
fested to Her my way of life and my desires, She deigned
to answer me in these sweetest of words : "My daughter,
console thyself and do not be disturbed in thy heart on
account of this labor; prepare thyself for it and I will be
thy Mother and Superior, whom thou shalt obey; and
the same I will be to thy subjects. I will supplement thy
deficiencies and thou shalt be my agent, through whom
the will of my Son and my God shall be fulfilled. In all
thy temptations and troubles thou shalt take refuge with
me, confer about them with me, and take the advice,
which I will give thee in all things. Obey me, and I will
favor thee and will continue to be attentive to thy afflic-
tion." These were the words of the Queen, as consoling
as they were soothing to my soul. From that day on the
Mother of mercy multiplied her mercies toward me, her
slave ; for She became more intimate with me and con-
tinued her intercourse with my soul, receiving me, listen-
ing to me, teaching me with ineffable condescension, giv-
ing me counsel and encouragement in my affliction, filling
my soul with the light and knowledge of eternal life and
commanding me to renew the vows of my profession in
her presence. Finally this our most amiable Mother and
Lady revealed Herself still more fully to her slave, with-
drawing the veil from the hidden sacraments and mag-
nificent mysteries which are contained, though unknown
to mortals, in her most holy life. And, although this
blessed and supernatural light was uninterrupted, and
especially clear on her festival days and on other occa-
sions when I was instructed in many mysteries ; yet it was
not so full, frequent and clear as that which was after-
wards vouchsafed to me when She added the command
that I write the history of her life according as her Ma-
jesty herself should dictate and inspire me. Particularly
8 INTRODUCTION
on one of these festivals of the most holy Mary the Most
High informed me that He had in reserve many hidden
sacraments and blessings, which He had conferred upon
this his heavenly Mother in the days of her pilgrimage
and that it was his intention to manifest them to me, in
order that I might write them down according to her^
guidance. This will of the Most High, though I resisted
it, was continually present to my mind for the space of
ten years, until I attempted the first writing of this divine
history.
8. Consulting about my doubts with the holy princes
and angels, whom the Most High had appointed to direct
this work of writing the history of our Queen, and mani-
festing to them how great was my disturbance and afflic-
tion of heart and how stuttering and mute was my tongue
for such an arduous task, they replied over and over
again that it was the will of the Most High that I write
the life of his most pure Mother and our Mistress. On
one day especially, when I made many objections and de-
clared to them my difficulties, and my incapability and
great fears, they spoke to me these words: "With good
reason thou fearest and art disturbed, O soul, doubtest
and hesitatest in a matter, where we angels ourselves
would do the same, as considering ourselves unable wor-
thily to describe the high and magnificent doings of the
Omnipotent in the Mother of Piety and our own Queen.
But remember, dearest soul, that the firmament, the
whole machinery of the world and all things created will
sooner fail, than the words of the Most High Many
times He has promised to his creatures, and in the holy
Scriptures it is recorded, that the obedient man shall
speak of victories over his enemies and shall not be repre-
hensible in obeying (Pro v. 21, 28). And when Pie cre-
ated the first man and gave him the command not to eat
INTRODUCTION 9
of the tree of knowledge, he established the virtue of
obedience, and swearing He swore, in order to give
greater assurance to man. For the Lord has repeatedly
given such an oath ; for instance, when He promised to
Abraham that the Messias should descend from his race.
He added thereto the assurance of an oath (Gen. 22,
16) ; the same He did when He created the first man,
assuring him that the obedient shall not err. He also
repeated this oath, when He ordained that his most holy
Son should die (Luke 1, 73) ; and He gave a like assur-
ance to men that they, who should obey this second
Adam, imitating Him in the obedience, by which He re-
stored what the first lost through his disobedience, shall
live forever and that the enemy shall have no part in
them. Remember, Mary, that all obedience takes its rise
from God as from its first and principal source, and we
angels obey the power of his divine right hand and his
most just will. We cannot contravene or ignore it, be-
cause we see the immutable being of God face to face
and we perceive that his will is holy, pure and true, most
equitable and just. Now this certainty, which we angels
possess through the beatific vision, you mortals also pos-
sess in its proper proportion as wayfarers through the
words of the Lord concerning your prelates and supe-
riors : "He who hears you, hears Me ; and who obeys you,
obeys Me." (Luke 20, 16). Now since obedience is ren-
dered on account of God, who is the principal Cause and
who is the Superior of all, it is befitting to his almighty
Providence that He take the consequences of obedience,
whenever that which is commanded is not in itself sin-
ful. Accordingly the Lord assures us of these things by
an oath, and He will sooner cease to exist, though this is
impossible, than that He will fail in his word. In the
same way as the children proceed from their parents, and
10 INTRODUCTION
all the living from Adam, multiplied from his natural
being in his posterity; so also all superiors are consti-
tuted by God as by the supreme Lord on whose account we
yield obedience to them ; human beings to their living su-
periors, we angels to our higher hierarchies of the same
nature, and all beings together, in their superiors, obey
the eternal God. Remember now, that all of these have
directed and commanded thee to do that, about which
thou still hesitatest; if thou now shouldst begin to write
by mistake, intending thereby to fulfill his commands in
obedience, then the Most High would do with thy pen the
same as He did with the knife of Abraham, when he was
about to sacrifice his son Isaac, for on that occasion the
Lord commanded one of us angels to withhold the arm
and the knife. He did not thus command us to withhold
thy pen, but has ordered us with lightest breath to speed it
on, and while gazing on his Majesty, to direct and assist
thee by illuminating thy intellect."
9. Such encouragement and instruction my holy angels
and lords gave me at this time. On many other occa-
sions the prince saint Michael informed me of the same
wish and command of the Most High. By the continual
enlightenments, favors and instructions of this great
prince, I have understood great sacraments and mysteries
of the Lord and of the Queen of heaven ; for this angel
was one of those, who guarded and assisted Her and
who were delegated from the angelic choirs, as I will re-
late in its place (Part I, 201-206). He is at the same
time the general patron and protector of the holy Church.
He was a special witness and faithful minister of the mys-
teries of the Incarnation and Redemption. This I have
often heard of saint Michael himself, who showed me
singular favors in my troubles and dangers, and has
promised me his assistance and direction in this under-
taking.
INTRODUCTION 11
10. In addition to all this and other facts, which need
not here be mentioned, and in addition to what I shall say
farther on, the Lord has directly, in his own person, com-
manded and manifested to me his will many times, and in
words which I shall presently repeat. He said to me one
day on the festival of the Presentation of most holy
Mary in the temple : "My spouse, many mysteries per-
taining to my Mother and the saints have been made
manifest in the Church militant; but many are still hid-
den, especially the interior secrets of their lives, and these
I wish now to make known ; and I desire thee to put them
down in writing according as thou art directed by the
most pure Mary. I will reveal and explain them to thee ;
for until now I have, according to the hidden designs of
my wisdom, kept them in reserve, because the time for
revealing them was not befitting or opportune to my
Providence. Now, however, it is, and it is my will that
thou write. Obey, soul!"
11. All these facts which I have mentioned, and many
more which I could mention, would not have been urgent
enough to rouse my will to an enterprise so arduous and
so foreign to my condition, if to them had not been added
the motive of obedience to my superiors, who are set to
govern my soul and teach me the way of truth. For cer-
tainly my mistrusts and fears were not so unimportant
as to permit me to come to a full decision without their
commands in so great a matter, when in resolving upon
others, also supernatural and vastly less difficult, I rely
so much on the guidance of obedience. As an ignorant
woman I have always sought this northstar, for it is a
duty incuml>ent on all to test all things, even though they
seem to be most noble and excellent beyond suspicion, by
the approbation of the teachers and ministers of the holy
Church, Such assurance I have been solicitous to pro-
12 INTRODUCTION
cure for the direction of my soul, and more particularly
in this undertaking of writing the life of the Queen of
heaven. I have frequently tried to prevent my superiors
from being moved by any accounts of my interior ex-
periences, disguising, as much as I could, many things,
and in tears begging the Lord to enlighten them and to
fill them with mistrust against me, to watch over them
lest they be deceived or lest they permit me to be deceived
or misdirected. Many times I have desired that the very
thought of allowing me to engage in this enterprise
would fade from their minds.
12. I will also confess that the demon, availing himself
of my natural dispositions and of my fears, has made
great efforts to hinder this work by seeking to terrify and
afflict me. He would no doubt have succeeded in keep-
ing me from it if the zeal and persistence of my superiors
had not counteracted my cowardice. In this persecution
the Lord, the most pure Virgin and the holy angels often
took occasion to renew their enlightenment, their tokens
and wonders. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, I de-
ferred, or to speak more appropriately, I resisted this un-
dertaking many years ; I refused compliance, as I will de-
scribe further on, not having the boldness to attempt the
execution of something so far above all my powers. And
I believe that this was not without special providence of
his Majesty; for in the course of those years so many
things have happened to me, and I may say, so many
mysterious and various difficulties intervened, that I
would not have been able to preserve the tranquillity and
quiet of spirit, which is necessary for retaining the
proper light and information; for not in all states of
mind, though they are of the highest and most advanced,
can the soul engage in that exalted activity which is
necessary to correspond to such exquisite and delicate in-
INTRODUCTION 13
Alienees. In addition to this, there was still another rea-
son, namely: During this protracted delay I could inform
myself and assure myself of the truth of these things not
only by means of the new enlightenment, which grew as
time passed on, and by the prudence which experience
gives, but also by the persevering insistence of the Lord,
of the holy angels and of my superiors, under whose
obedience I lived. Likewise an opportunity was given
me to quiet my fears and misgivings, to overcome my
cowardice and perplexity, and to trust that to the Lord,
which I would not trust to my weakness.
13. Confiding then in the great virtue of obedience, I
resolved in the name of the Lord and of my Queen and
Mistress to lay aside my reluctance. I call this virtue
great, not only because by it the most noble activities in
the faculties of a creature, namely the mind, the judg-
ment and free will, are offered as a holocaust to the
Lord ; but also because no other virtue ever assures suc-
cess more unfailingly than obedience ; for by it the crea-
ture then does not operate of itself alone, but also as an
instrument of him that governs and commands. This was
the assurance of Abraham, when he overcame the force
of the natural love for his son Isaac (Gen. 22, 3), And
if it was sufficient for such an act, and sufficient to detain
the sun and the heavens in their swift course (Josue
10, 13), it can certainly be sufficient to influence the
movement of the earth. Perchance if the hand of Oza
had been guided by obedience, he would perhaps not
have been punished as presumptuous in touching the ark.
Well do I know that I am more unworthy than Oza in
stretching out ray hand to touch, not the lifeless and fig-
urative ark of the old covenant, but the living Ark of the
New Testament, which contained the manna of the Di-
vinitv, the source of grace and the New Law. But if I
14 INTRODUCTION
remain silent, I fear with good reason to disobey most
high commands, and I could exclaim with Isaias : "Woe
is me because I kept my peace!" (Is. 6, 5). Therefore,
O my Queen and Lady, it is better that thy benignest
goodness and mercy and the blessings of thy liberal hand
should shine forth through my base and unworthy ef-
forts ; it is better that I should experience thy blessings in
obeying thy commands, than that I should fall into thy
displeasure. I\ will be a work of thy clemency, O purest
Mother, to raise the poor from the earth and to execute
through a weak and unfit instrument, a work so difficult ;
for thereby Thou shalt magnify thy condescension and
the graces which thy most holy Son communicates to
Thee. Moreover Thou thereby shalt exclude that deceit-
ful presumption, which might make us imagine that by
human efforts, or by earthly prudence, or by the force
and authority of deep discussion, this work is accom-
plished. Thou thereby showest, that by divine virtue
Thou awakenest anew the hearts of the faithful, drawing
them toward Thee, Thou fountain of kindness and
mercy. Speak therefore, O Lady, that thy servant may
hear with an ardent desire fully to obey Thee (I Kings
3, 19). But how can my desires ever reach or equal my
indebtedness? A befitting response on my part will be
impossible, but if it were possible, I would desire to give
it. O powerful and exalted Queen, fulfill thy promises
by manifesting to me thy graces and attributes, in order
that thy greatness may be made known and heralded
through the nations and generations. Speak, O Lady,
for thy servant heareth ; speak and magnify the Most
High in the powerful and wonderful works, which his
right hand performed for Thee in thy most profound hu-
mility. Let them flow from the hollow of his hands
filled with hyacinths into thine (Cant. 5, 14), and from
INTRODUCTION IS
thine to thy devout servants, in order that the angels
may bless Him, the just magnify Him, and the sinners
seek Him. Let all of them see the example of thy high-
est sanctity and purity, and by the grace of thy most holy
Son, let me be favored with this mirror and efficacious
rule, by which I can set my life in order. For this is to
be the principal purpose and first object of my solicitude
in writing thy life. This Thou hast repeatedly intimated
to me, condescending to offer me a living pattern and a
mirror without flaw, in which I should see and according
to which I should adorn my soul, so as to become worthy
to be thy daughter and the bride of thy most holy Son.
14. This shall be my whole object and intention; and
therefore I shall not write as a teacher, but as a disciple ;
not as one instructing, but as one trying to learn, know-
ing that it is the duty of women to be silent in the holy
Church, and to listen to the teachers (I Cor. 14, 34).
But as an instrument of the Queen of heaven I will de-
clare what She deigns to teach me and whatever She
commands me ; for all the souls are capable of receiving
the Spirit, which her divine Son has promised to pour
out over men of all conditions (Joel 2, 28). The souls
are also able to communicate it in a befitting manner,
whenever a higher authority acting according to the dis-
pensations of Christ's Church so disposes. I am now
convinced that the Church has authorized this history
through my superiors. That I should err is possible, and
to an ignorant woman, natural ; but then I err, while
obeying and not acting of my own free will ; thus I remit
myself and subject myself to those who are my guides
and to the correction of the holy Catholic Church, to
whose ministers I fly in all my difficulties. And I wish
that my superior, teacher and confessor be a witness and
a censor of this doctrine, which I receive, and also a
16 INTRODUCTION
severe and vigilant judge of the manner in which I put
it into practice, or fail in the fulfilling of the obligations
consequent upon this blessing.
15. Pursuant to the will of the Lord and the com-
mand of obedience, I have written for the second time
this heavenly history; for during the first writing of it,
though the light by which I perceived the mysteries was
abundant and fruitful in proportion as my shortcomings
were great, my tongue was unequal to the task of finding
the proper terms, and my pen not swift enough for a full
statement, I omitted some things, and with the lapse of
time and by the aid of new enlightenments, I found my-
self better prepared to write at this second time Nev-
ertheless there always remains much of what I imder-
stood and have seen, which I must leave unsaid; since to
say all will never be possible. Besides these reasons,
there was another known to me in the Lord, namely ;
That in my first writing my mind was much hindered
from attending to the matter and arrangement of this
work by my temptations and great fears. They raised
such tempests of contrary thoughts and suggestions with-
in me, that, deeming it the greatest presumption to have
attempted such an arduous task, I concluded to burn it.
And I believe that this did not happen without the per-
mission of the Lord, for in the turbulency of my soul I
could not present myself in a state entirely befitting and
desirable to the Lord for writing and engraving into my
heart and spirit his doctrine, as He commands me to do
now and as can be seen from the following event.
16. On one of the festival days of the Purification of
Our Lady, after having received the most holy Sacra-
ment, I wished to celebrate this holy festival, which was
the anniversary of my profession, with many acts of
thanksgiving and of total resignation to the Most High,
INTRODUCTION 17
who without any merits of mine had chosen me as his
spouse. While I was thus exciting these affections, I felt
in my interior a most powerful change accompanied by
abundant light which raised me and urged me strongly
and sweetly toward the knowledge of the essence of God,
his goodness, perfections and attributes, and to the dis-
closing of my own misery (Wis. 8, 1). And these dif-
ferent things, which were placed before my understand-
ing at one and the same time, produced in me various
effects : The first was that all the attention of my mind
and all my aspirations were raised on high ; the other
effect was, that I was humbled in mind to the very dust,
in such a way that it seemed to take away my own exist-
ence. At the same time I felt a most vehement sorrow
and contrition for my grievous sins, joined to the de-
termination to amend and to renounce all worldly things,
aspiring instead toward complete love of God. In these
affects I remained as if annihilated, and the greatest pain
seemed but consolation, and death, but life. The Lord
having pity on my faintness, in sheer mercy, spoke to
me: "Be not dismayed, my daughter and spouse, for in
order to pardon, to wash and to purify thee from thy
sins, I will apply my infinite merits and the blood, which
I shed for thee; animate thyself to desire all perfection
in imitation of the life of the most holy Mar\'. Write it
a second time in order that thou mayest supply what was
wanting and impress her doctrines on thy heart. Do not
again irritate my justice, nor show thyself thankless for
my mercy by burning what thou shalt have written. lest
my indignation deprive thee of the light which, without
thy merits, thou hast received for the manifestation of
these mysteries."
17. I immediately thereupon saw the Mother of God,
who also spoke to me: "My daughter, as yet thou hast
18 INTRODUCTION
not derived becoming fruit for thy soul from the tree of
life, which was offered thee in the writing of my history,
nor didst thou enter into the substance of its contents.
Thou hast scarcely yet thought of this hidden manna,
nor hast thou attained that perfect and ultimate prepara-
tion, which the Almighty requires in order to engrave
and imprint, in a proper manner, my virtues into thy
soul. I am^to give thee the befitting qualities and per-
fections for that which the divine right hand is to accom-
plish in thee. I have asked Him that, through my inter-
cession and through the abundant graces conferred upon
me, I be permitted to adorn thee and compose thy soul,
so that thou mayest turn again to the writing of my life
with less attention to the material and more to the spir-
itual and substantial part of it. Remove the hindrances
which oppose the currents of divine grace flowing to
thee from the Almighty through me and make thyself ca-
pable of readily accepting the full portion assigned to thee
by the divine will. See that thou do not curtail or limit
i'- by thy shortcomings and imperfections." Thereupon
I saw that the divine Mother clothed me in a garment
whiter than the snow and more shining than the sun ;
and She girded me with a most precious girdle and said :
"This is a participation of my purity." I also asked for
the infused science of the Lord, which should serve me
as most beautiful hair for my adornment and for other
precious gifts and presents, the value of which I saw and
knew was great, but which I was not able fully to esti-
mate. After having thus adorned me, the heavenly Lady
said : "Work faithfully and earnestly to imitate me and
to be my most perfect daughter, engendered of my spirit,
nourished at my breast. I give thee my blessing, in
order that in my name and under my direction and assist-
ance thou mayest again resume thy writing."
INTRODUCTION 19
18. The whole of this holy life of Mary is divided,
for greater perspicuity, into three parts. The first treats
of aU that pertains to the first fifteen years of her life,
from the moment of her most pure Conception until the
moment when in her virginal womb the eternal Word
assumed flesh, including all that the Most High per-
formed for Mary during these years. The second part
embraces the mystery of the Incarnation, the whole life
of Christ our Lord, his Passion and Death and his As-
cension into heaven, thus describing the life of our Queen
in union with that of her divine Son and all that She did
while living with Him. The third part contains the life
of the Mother of grace during the time She lived alone,
deprived of the companionship of Christ our Redeemer,
imtil the happy hour of her transition, assumption and
crowning as the Empress of heaven, w'here She is to live
eternally as the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of
the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Ghost. These three
parts I subdivided into eight books, in order that they
may be more convenient for use and always remain the
subject of my thoughts, the spur of my will and my
meditation day and night.
19. In order to say something of the time in which
I wrote this heavenly history, it must be noticed that my
father, brother Francis Coronel, and my mother, sister
Catharine de Arana, my parents, founded in their own
house this convent of the discalced nuns of the Immacu-
late Conception by the command and the will of God,
which was declared to my mother, sister Catharine, in a
special vision and revelation. This foundation took place
on the octave of the Epiphany, January 13th, 1619. On
the same day we took the habit, my mother and her two
daughters; and my father took refuge in the order of our
seraphic Father Saint Francis, in which two of his sons
20 INTRODUCTION
had already been living as religious. There he took the
habit, made his profession, lived an exemplary life, and
died a most holy death. My mother and myself received
the veil on the day of the Purification of the Queen of
heaven, on the second of February, 1620. On account
of the youth of the other daughter her profession was
delayed. The Almighty in his sheer goodness favored
our family so much, that all of us were consecrated to
Him in the religious state. In the eighth year of the
foundation of this convent, in the twenty-fifth of my age,
in the year of our Lord 1627, holy obedience imposed
upon me the office of abbess, which to this day I un-
worthily hold. During the first ten years of the time in
which I held this office, I received many commands from
the Most High and from the Queen of heaven to write
her holv life, and I continued in fear and doubt to resist
these heavenly commands during all that time until the
year 1637, when I began to write it the first time. On
finishing it, being full of fears and tribulations, and be-
ing so counseled by a confessor (who directed me dur-
ing the absence of my regular confessor), I burned all
the writing containing not only this history, but many
other grave and mysterious matters ; for he told me, that
women should not write in the Church. I obeyed his
commands promptly ; but I had to endure most severe re-
proaches on this account from my superiors and from the
confessor, who knew my whole life. In order to force
me to rewrite this history, they threatened me with cen-
sures. The Most High and the Queen of heaven also
repeated their commands that I obey. During this sec-
ond writing, so abundant was the light concerning the
divine Essence, so copious were the blessings of the di-
vine right hand for the renewal and vivification of my
soul in the teachings of my heavenly Mother, so perfect
INTRODUCTION 21
were the instructions and so exalted were the sacraments
communicated to me, that it was necessary to write an-
other book in connection with this history, the title of
which will be : "Laws of the Spouse ; heights of his di-
vine love and fruits gathered from the tree of life of
most holy Mary, our Lady." By divine favor I begin re-
writing this history on the eighth of December, 1655, on
the day of the Immaculate Conception.
BOOK ONE
Treats of the Divine Fore-Ordalnment of Christ and His (Mother as the
Highest Ideals of all Creation; of the Creation of the Angels and
Men as their Servants; of the Lineage of the Just Men,
Finally Resulting in the Immaculate Conception and
Birth of the Queen of Heaven; and of Her Life
up to Her Presentation in the Temple.
CHAPTER I.
CONCERNING TWO SPECIAL VISIONS VOUCHSAFED TO MY
SOUIv BY THE LORD AND CONCERNING OTHER ENLIGHT-
ENMENTS AND MYSTERIES, WHICH COMPELLED ME TO
WITHDRAW FROM EARTHLY THINGS AND RAISED MY
SPIRIT TO DWELL ABOVE THE EARTH.
1. I confess to Thee (Matth. 11, 25) and magnify
Thee, King Most High, that in thy exalted Majesty Thou
hast hidden these high mysteries from the wise and from
the teachers, and in thy condescension hast revealed them
to me, the most insignificant and useless slave of thy
Church, in order that Thou mavest be the more admired
as the omnipotent Author of this history in proportion
as its instrument is despicable and weak.
2. After I had overcome the above mentioned reluc-
tance and disorderly fears which caused so much timid
hesitation, lest I suffer shipwreck in that sea of marvels,
the most exalted Lord caused me to feel a virtue from on
high, strong, sweet, efficacious and gentle ; an enlighten-
ment which illumined the intellect, subjected the rebel-
lious will, tranquillizing, directing, governing and attract-
ing the whole range of interior and exterior senses, thus
2^
24 CITY OF GOD
subjecting my entire being to the will and pleasure of the
Most High and directing it in all things toward his honor
and glory alone. Being thus prepared, I heard a voice
from the Almighty, which called me and raised me up
toward Him, exalting my dwelling-place on high (Ec-
clus. 51, 13) and strengthening me against the lions, that
hungrily roared about me in order to snatch my soul
from the enjoyment of great blessings in the boundless
mysteries of this holy Tabernacle and City of God. Sur-
rounded by the sorrows of death and perdition (Ps. 17, 5)
and beset by the flames of Sodom and Babylon, in which
we live, it liberated me from the portals of sorrow, into
which I was enticed to enter. My enemies, forming vis-
ions of fallacious and deceitful delights for the misleading
of my senses and the capture of them by pretended pleas-
ures, set their allurements about me, in order that I might
blindly turn toward these flames and be consumed by
them. But from all these snares, laid for my footsteps
(Ps. 56, 7), the Most High has delivered me, elevating my
spirit and teaching me by the most efficacious admonitions
the way of perfection. He invited me to a life spiritual-
ized and angelic, and obliged me to live so cautiously, that
in the midst of the furnace, the fire touched me not (Ec-
cli. 51,6). He often liberated me from the impure tongue,
when it sought to communicate to me its earthly fables
(Ps. 118, 85). His Majesty invited me to rise from the
dust and littleness of the law of sin, to resist the defec-
tions of sin-infected nature and restrain its disorders,
combatting them by his enlightening inspirations and rais-
ing myself above myself (Lam. 3, 28). He called me re-
peatedly, sometimes by the power of his omnipotence,
sometimes with the correction of a Father, and at others
with the love of a Spouse, saying: Arise, my dove, creation
of my hands, make haste and come to Me (Cant. 2, 10),
THE CONCEPTION 25
who am the light and the way (John 8, 12), he that fol-
lows Me, walks not in darkness. Come to Me, who am
the secure truth, and unchangeable holiness, to Me, who
am the Powerful and the Wise, and the Teacher of those
that follow wisdom (Wis. 7, 15).
3. These words were like arrows of sweet love, which
filled me with admiration, reverence, knowledge and
dread of my sins and of my vileness, so that I retired
from his presence, shrunken and annihilated in the
knowledge of my nothingness. And the Lord spoke to
me: ''Come, O soul, come to Me, who am thy omnipo-
tent God, and although thou hast been a prodigal child
and a sinner, arise from the earth and come to Me, thy
Father; receive the stole of my friendship and the ring
of a spouse."
4. Still remaining in that secure retreat of which I
have spoken, I saw on a certain day, six angels, whom
the Almighty had appointed to assist and guide me in
this undertaking and in other dangers. Coming toward
me, they purified and prepared my soul, and then pre-
sented me before the Lord. His Majesty gave to my in-
terior being a new light and, as it were, a participation
in glory, by which I was made capable and desirous of
seeing and understanding the things, which are above the
powers of a mere terrestrial creature. Soon after, two
other angels, of a still higher order, appeared to me and I
felt within me the power of the Lord by which they
called me. I understood that they were most mysterious
envoys and that they wished to reveal to me high and
hidden sacraments. Eagerly I responded, and desirous
of enjoying the blessing which they pointed out to me. I
declared to them, how ardently I longed to see what they
wished to show me and yet so mysteriously concealed
from me. Then they at once answered with great seren-
26 CITY OF GOD
ity: "Restrain thyself, O soul." I turned to the great
princes of heaven and said : "Princes of the Almighty
and messengers of the great King! Why do you now de-
tain me contrary to my will and why do you defer my
joy and my delight, after you have called me? What
force is this of yours, and what power, which calls me,
fills me with fervor, which allures and yet detains me,
which attracts me to follow after the odor of my beloved
Lord and of his ointments, and yet restrains me with
strong bonds? Tell me the cause of all this!" They
answered : "Because, in order to be instructed in all these
mysteries, thou must needs, O soul, come with bare feet
and despoiled of all thy desires and passions; for these
mysteries do not accommodate or lend themselves to dis-
ordered inclinations. Take off thy shoes like Moses
(Exodus 3, 5), for such was the command given to him
before he could see the wonderful bush." "Princes of
heaven and my lords," I answered, "much was asked of
Moses, when he received the command to perform the
works of an angel while yet living in mortal flesh : but he
was a saint, and I am but a sinner full of miseries. My
heart is disturbed and I am in conflict with the slavery
and the oppression of sin, which I feel in my members,
and which are opposed to the law of the spirit" (Rom.
7, 23). To which they rejoined: "Soul, it would in-
deed be for thee a most difficult enterprise, if thou hadst
to execute it merely with thy own power; but the Most
High, who wishes to see in thee this disposition, is pow-
erful, and He will not deny to thee his help, if from thy
heart thou ask his assistance and thou prepare thyself to
receive it. And his power, which caused the bush to
burn and at the same time prevented it from being con-
sumed, can prevent also the fire of the passions which
encompass and beset the soul, from consuming it, if it
THE CONCEPTION 27
truly desires to be saved. His Majesty asks for that
which He desires, and can execute what He asks.
Strengthened by Him, thou canst do that which He com-
mands (Phil. 4, 13) ; take off thy shoes and weep in bit-
ter sorrow, call out to Him from the bottom of thy heart,
in order that thy prayers may be heard and thy desires
fulfilled."
5. Presently I saw a most precious veil covering a
treasure and my heart burned with desire to see it raised
and to look upon the sacred mystery which I understood
was hidden beneath. My desire was answered in the fol-
lowing manner: "Obey, O soul, in what was enjoined
and commanded thee ; despoil thyself of thyself, and then
this mystery will be revealed to thee." I resolved to
amend my life and to overcome my appetite; I sighed
and wept with many aspirations from my inmost soul
for the manifestation of this blessing. While I made
my good resolves, the veil which covered the treasure,
began to be lifted. Presently the veil fell entirely and
my interior eyes saw what I shall not know how to de-
scribe in words. I saw a great and mysterious sign in
heav^en; I saw a Woman, a most beautiful Lady and
Queen, crowned with the stars, clothed with the sun, and
the moon was at her feet (Apoc. 12, 1). The holy an-
gels spoke to me: "This is that blessed Woman, whom
Saint John saw in the Apocalypse, and in whom are en-
closed, deposited and sealed up the wonderful mysteries
of the Redemption. So much has the most high and pow-
erful God favored this Creature, that we. his angelic
spirits, are full of astonishment. Contemplate and ad-
mire her prerogatives, record them in writing, because
that is the purpose for which, according to the measure
suitable to thy circumstances, they will be made mani-
fest to thee." I was made to see such wonders, that the
28 CITY OF GOD
greatness of them took away my speech, and my admira-
tion of them suspended my other faculties ; nor do I think
that all the created beings in this mortal life will ever
comprehend them, as will appear in the sequel of my dis-
course.
6. On another day, while my soul sweetly tarried in
the aforesaid habitation, I heard a voice from the Most
High saying: "My spouse, I desire that thou rouse thy-
self in earnest to seek Me, and to love Me with fervor;
that thou make thy life more angelic than human, and
that thou forget entirely the terrestrial affairs. I wish to
raise thee as one that is poor from the dust, and as one
full of need from the dunghill (Ps. 112, 7), so that,
while I exalt thee, thou mayest humiliate thyself, and
the nard of thy sweet odor may remain in my presence ;
knowing thy own misery, be thou convinced from the
bottom of thy heart, that thou meritest for thyself only
tribulation and humiliation. Consider my greatness and
thy littleness; remember that I am just and holy; I deal
with thee considerately, making use rather of my mercy
and not chastising thee as thou deservest. Strive to build
upon this foundation of humility all the other virtues in
order to fulfill my wishes. I appoint my Virgin Mother
to teach, correct and reprehend thee. She will spur thee
onward and accompany thy footsteps according to my
liking and pleasure."
7. While the Most High spoke to me the Queen stood
near by; and the heavenly Princess disdained not to ac-
cept the office which his Majesty assigned to Her. She
accepted it benignly and said to me : "My daughter, I
desire that thou be my disciple and my companion, and
I will be thy Teacher; but remember that thou must obey
me courageously and from this day on no vestige of a
daughter of Adam must be found in thee. My conduct
THE CONCEPTION 29
and my works during my pilgrimage on earth, and the
wonders, which the arm of the Almighty wrought
through me. shall be the mirror and the model of thy
life." I prostrated myself before the throne of the King
and Queen of the universe and I offered to obey Her in
all things; I gave thanks to the Highest for the favor,
which He, so much in excess of my merits, conferred
upon me in giving me such a Guide and Protectress. Into
Her hands I renewed the vows of my profession; I of-
fered myself to Her and proposed to work anew at the
amendment of my life. Again the Lord spoke to me :
"Behold and see !" Turning 1 saw a most beautiful lad-
der with many rungs ; around it were many angels, and
a great number of them were ascending and descending
upon it. His Alajesty said to me: "This is the mys-
terious ladder of Jacob, the house of God and the portal
of heaven (Gen. 28, 17) ; if thou wilt earnestly strive to
live irreprehensible in my eves, thou wilt ascend upon
it to ]\Ie."
8. This promise incited my desires, set my will aflame
and enraptured my spirit; with many tears I grieved,
that I should be a burden to myself in my sinfulness
(Job. 7, 20). I sighed for the end of my captivity and
longed to arrive where there would be no obstacle to my
love. In this anxiety I passed some days, trying to re-
form my life; I again made a general confession and
corrected some of my imperfections. The vision of the
ladder continued without intermission, but it was not ex-
plained to me. I made many promises to the Lord and
proposed to free myself from all terrestrial things and
to resen-e the powers of my will entirely for his love,
without allowing it to incline toward any creature, be it
ever so small or unsuspicious ; I repudiated all visible
and sensible things. Having passed some days in these
30 CITY OF GOD
affections and sentiments, I was informed by the Most
High, that the ladder signified the hfe of the most Holy
Virgin, its virtues and sacraments. His Majesty said to
me : "I desire, my spouse, that thou ascend this stair of
Jacob and enter through this door of heaven to acquire
the knowledge of my attributes and occupy thyself in the
contemplation of my Divinity. Arise then and walk,
ascend by it to Me. These angels, which surround it
and accompany it, are those that I appointed as the gtiar-
dians of Mary, as the defenders and sentinels of the cita-
del of Sion. Consider Her attentively, and, meditating
on her virtues, seek to imitate them." It seemed to me
then, that I ascended the ladder and that I recognized
the great wonders and the ineffable prodigies of the Lord
in a mere Creature and the greatest sanctity and perfec-
tion of virtue ever worked by the arm of the Almighty.
At the top of the ladder I saw the Lord of hosts and the
Queen of all creation. They commanded me to glorify,
exalt and praise Him on account of these great mysteries
and to write down so much of them, as I might bring
myself to understand. The exalted and high Lord gave
me a law, written not only on tablets, as He gave to
Moses (Exod. 3L 18), but one wrought by his omnipo-
tent finger in order that it might be studied and ob-
served (Ps. 1, 2). He moved my will so that in her
presence I promised to overcome my repugnance and
with her assistance to set about writing her history, pay-
ing attention to three things: First, to remember that
the creature must ever seek to acknowledge the profound
reverence due to God and to abase itself in proportion to
the condescension of his Majesty toward men and that
the effect of greater favors and benefits must be a greater
fear, reverence, attention and humility; secondly, to be
ever mindful of the obligation of all men, who are so for-
THE COXXEPTION 31
getful of their own salvation, to consider and learn what
they owe to the Queen and Mother of piety on account
of the part assumed by Her in the Redemption, to think
of the love and the reverence which She showed to God
and the honor in which we are to hold this great Lady ;
thirdly, to be willing- to have my spiritual director, and if
necessary the whole world, find out my littleness and
vileness, and the small returns which I make for w^hat I
receive.
9. To these my protestations the most Holy Virgin
answered : "My daughter, the world stands much in need
of this doctrine, for it does not know, nor does it prac-
tice, the reverence due to the Lord omnipotent. On ac-
count of this ignorance his justice is provoked to afflict
and humiliate men. They are sunken in their careless-
ness and filled with darkness, not knowing how to seek
relief or attain to the light. This, however, is justly their
lot, since they fail in the reverence and fear, which they
ought to have." Besides this the Most High and the
Queen gave me many other instructions, in order to make
clear to me their will in regard to this work. It seemed
to me temerity and want of charity toward myself, to re-
ject the instruction which She had promised me for nar-
rating the course of her most holy life. It seemed
equally improper to put off the writing of it, since the
Most High had intimated this as the fitting and oppor-
tune time, saying to me in this regard : "My daughter,
when I sent my Onlybegotten, the world, with the excep-
tion of the few souls that served Me, was in worse condi-
tion than it ever had been since its beginning; for human
nature is so imperfect that if it does not subject itself to
the interior guidance of my light and to the fulfillment of
the precepts of my ministers by sacrificing its own judg-
ment and following Me, who am the way, the truth and
32 CITY OF GOD
the life (John 14, 6), and by carefully observing my com-
mandments in order not to lose my friendship, it will
presently fall into the abyss of darkness and innumerable
miseries, until it arrives at obstinacy in sin. From the
creation and sin of the first man until I gave the law to
Moses, men governed themselves according to their own
inclinations* and fell into many errors and sins (Rom. 8,
13). After having received the law, they again com-
mitted sin by not obeying it (John 7, 19) and thus they
lived on, separating themselves more and more from
truth and light and arriving at the state of complete for-
getfulness. In fatherly love I sent them eternal salvation
and a remedy for the incurable infirmities of human na-
ture, thus justifying my cause. And just as I then
chose the opportune time for the greater manifestation of
my mercy, so I now select this time for showing toward
them another very great favor. For now the hour has
come and the opportune time to let men know the just
cause of my anger, and they are now justly charged and
convinced of their guilt. Now I will make manifest my
indignation and exercise my justice and equity; I will
show how well justified is my cause. In order that this
may come to pass more speedily, and because it is now
time that my m.ercy show itself more openly and be-
cause my love must not be idle, I will offer to them an
opportune remedy, if they will but make use of it for re-
turning again to my favor. Now, at this hour, when the
world has arrived at so unfortunate a pass, and when,
though the Word has become incarnate, mortals are more
careless of their weal and seek it less ; when the day of
their transitory life passes swiftly at the setting of the
sun of time; when the night of eternity is approaching
closer and closer for the wicked and the day without a
night is being born for the just; when the majority of
THE CONCEPTION 33
mortals are sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness
of their ignorance and guilt, oppressing the just and
mocking the children of God ; when my holy and divine
law is despised in the management of the iniquitous af-
fairs of state, which are as hostile as they are contrary to
my Providence; when the wicked least deserve my mer-
cy; in these predestined times, I wish to open a portal
for the just ones through which they can find access to
my mercy; I wish to give them a light by which they can
dispel the gloom that envelops the eyes of their minds.
I wish to furnish them a suitable remedy for restoring
them to my grace. Happy they who find it, and blessed
they who shall appreciate its value, rich they who shall
come upon this treasure, and blessed and very wise those
who sh.Jl search into and shall understand its marvels
and hidden mysteries. I desire to make known to mor-
tals how much intercession of Her is worth, who brought
restoration of life by giving mortal existence to the im-
mortal God. As recompense I desire that they look upon
the wonders wrought by my mighty arm in that pure
Creature, as upon a mirror by which they can estimate
their own ingratitude. I wish to make known to them
much of that, which according to my high judgment is
still hidden concerning the ^lother of the Word."
10. "I have not revealed these mysteries in the primitive
Church, because they are so great, that the faithful
would have been lost in the contemnlation and admira-
tion of them at a time when it was more necessary to
establish firmly the law of grace and of the Gospel. Al-
though all mysteries of religion are in perfect harmony
with each other, yet human ignorance might have suf-
fered recoil and doubt at their magnitude, when faith
in the Incarnation and Redemption and the precepts of
the new law of the Gospel were yet in their beginnings.
34 CITY OF GOD
On this same account the person of the incarnate Word
said to his disciples at the last supper: "Many things
have I to say to you ; but you are not yet disposed to re-
ceive them" (John 6, 12). These words He addressed
to all the world, for it was not yet capable of giving full
obedience to the law of grace and full assent to the faith
in the Son, much less was it prepared to be introduced
into the mysteries of his Mother. But now, mankind
has greater need for this manifestation, and this neces-
sity urges Me to disregard their evil disposition. And if
men would now seek to please Me by reverencing, be-
lieving, and studying the wonders, which are intimately
connected with this Mother of Piety, and if they would
all begin to solicit her intercession from their whole
heart, the world would find some relief. I will not longer
withhold from men this mystical City of refuge; de-
scribe and delineate it to them, as far as thy shortcom-
ings allow. I do not intend that thy descriptions and
declarations of the life of the Blessed Virgin shall be
mere opinions or contemplations, but reliable truth. They
that have ears to hear, let them hear. Let those who
thirst come to the living waters and leave the dried-out
cisterns ; let those that are seeking for the light, follow it
to the end. Thus speaks the Lord God Almighty!"
11. These are the words of the Most High on the oc-
casion before mentioned. Obedient to the authority,
which commands me, I will in the following chapter de-
scribe the manner in which I receive my information and
enlightenment, and how I see the Lord. Thus comply-
ing with his orders, I will explain, once for all, the illu-
minations and the favors which are vouchsafed to me for
this work and to which I will refer in the sequel of this
history.
CHAPTER II.
HOW THE LORD, IN THE STATE IN WHICH HE HAD
PLACED ME, MANIFESTED TO ME THE MYSTERIES OF
THE LIFE OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
12. It seemed to me proper to preface this history
with an explanatory chapter, describing and explaining
once for all, as far as is given me and as far as I can,
the manner in which the Lord manifested to me these
wonders.
13. Ever since I have had the use of reason, I was con-
scious of especially one blessing, which in my estimation
is the greatest of all those bestowed upon me by God's
liberality ; namely, a great and penetrating fear, lest I
should lose Him. And this moved and urged me on to
Strive after the better and more secure way and to follow
after it and implore it from the Lord day after day. He
has wounded my flesh with the dart of fear of his judg-
ments (Ps. 118, 120), and I live continually in the dread-
ful thought: Have I perhaps lost the friendship of the
Most High or am I still in his friendship? My bread day
and night have been the tears, which this fear has drawn
from my eyes (Ps. 91, 4). On account of this dread,
since it is more necessary than ever that the friends of
the Lord should practice their virtues in secret and with-
out ostentation, I have in these latter times begun to send
up earnest and heartfelt prayers and petitions to the
Lord, asking also the intercession of the Queen and Vir-
gin, that I may be guided and led along the secure paths
hidden from the eves of men.
ml
35
36 CITY OF GOD
14. In answer to these repeated prayers the Lord said :
"Do not fear, soul, nor afflict thyself; for I will give thee
a state of mind and show thee a path of light and secur-
ity, which only its Author himself could know of or even
conceive. Whatever is exterior and dangerous shall leave
thee today and thy treasure shall be altogether hidden.
Take care* of it on thy part and preserve it by a perfect
life. I will direct thee toward a hidden path, unobstruct-
ed, unfailing and pure ; walk thou in it." And presently
I felt a change within me and a highly spiritualized state
of mind. To my understanding was given a new light,
which illuminated it and infused into it a knowledge of
all things in God, and of his operations as they are in
themselves and as they are known and seen by God, ac-
cording to the measure of his communication. It is a
knowledge of Light, holy, sweet and pure, subtle, pene-
trating, sure and agile, causing love of good and hatred
of evil. It is a breath of the power of God and an ema-
nation of a most subtle light, which acts as a m.irror for
my understanding. Thus the higher faculties and the in-
terior perception of my soul began to expand in their
activity. For the Object, by means of the light which
flashed from It, showed Itself to be infinite, though the
perception of It remained limited and the understanding
finite. It is a vision as it were of the Lord seated on a
throne of great majesty, where, always within mortal
limitation, I perceive his attributes distinctly. A veil,
which seems like purest crystal intervenes, through
which the wonderful attributes and perfections of God
appear distinctly and clearly perceptible; yet this vision is
not entire, immediate or intuitive, or entirely free from
obstruction, but always comes through a medium, which
is nothing else than this crystalline covering above men-
tioned. The perception of that which it covers is not
THE CONCEPTION 37
painful to the understanding, but is marvelous, because
the mind is aware that what is perceived is infinite, and
that the one who perceives is finite. The mind reposes in
the hope of once possessing that which it perceives, and
of once seeing the veil removed and the medium done
away with, as soon as the soul shall have been freed from
the mortality of the body (II Cor. 4, 6).
15. In this vision there are three different ways or
degrees, according to the different methods, by which the
divine Will communicates it and according to the dispo-
sitions of the human will. Sometimes He manifests
Himself more clearly, at other times less. At times some
mysteries are revealed to the exclusion of others of great
importance. This difference is usually in accordance
with the dispositions of the soul ; for if the soul does not
preserve itself in peace or if it is guilty of some fault,
no matter how small, it will not experience this vision in
its fullness. In the one I have described the Lord is per-
ceived so plainly and so securely, that there is not the
least room for doubt. However, the conviction of the
real presence of God in the vision always precedes and
impresses itself upon the mind, before one understands
fully that which his Majesty speaks. And this knowl-
edge produces a pleasing constraint, powerfully and effi-
caciously urging the soul onward to love, serve, and obey
the Most High. In this vision great truths are made
clear; how estimable virtue is, and what a valuable treas-
ure is its exercise and preservation. The beauty and se-
curity of virtue is exhibited and a powerful impulse given
toward the good, while a hatred and disgust toward evil
and all disorderly inclinations fills the soul, ver>' often
entirely subduing them. As long as the soul enjoys this
vision and does not lose it, it will never be conquered
(Wis. 7, 30), because it gives life, security, fervor and
38 CITY OF GOD
joy. Strongly and lovingly it calls and urges the soul
onward, gives it lightness and alertness, and establishes
the superior part of the being firmly above the inferior.
Even the body becomes agile and spiritualized during
such times, freeing itself from its grossness and weight.
16. And beginning to perceive and feel these delight-
ful sensations, the soul lovingly calls out to the Most
High: "Trahe me post Te" (Cant. 1, 3) let us run to-
gether; for, united to its Beloved, it does not any more
feel the doings of this earthly life. Seeking to fly after
the odor of the ointments of its Beloved, it begins to live
more where it loves, than where it lives. Having already
left behind its lower nature, it turns back only for the
purpose of reforming it and curtailing its animal appe-
tites of the passions. If at any time they seek to rise in
rebellion, the soul will subdue them with alacrity, for
already "not I live, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2, 20).
17. To a certain extent, in all these holy operations
and aspirations, is felt the assistance of the spirit of
Christ, who is the God and the life of the soul (John 5,
11) and who is known as such by the fervor, by the en-
lightenment, by the holy desires, by the light, and by the
facility of action inspired by Him. These are such, that
only God can be the Author of them. One feels the un-
interrupted activity of love which it causes, and of inti-
mate conversation with God, living and continuous,
which rivets the attention of the mind to the things of
God and withdraws it from earthly things. Christ mani-
fests Himself as living within the soul, exerting his
power and dispersing the darkness by his light. This
may be properly designated as standing in the entrance
of the house of the Lord ; for there the soul beholds the
splendor emanating from the beaconlight of the Lamb of
God (Apoc. 21, 23).
THE CONCEPTION 39
18. I do not say that this is the whole Hght, but it is
part of it ; and it consists in a knowledge superior to the
capabilities and faculties of a creature. In furtherance
of this vision the Most High animates the intellect by a
certain subtlety and light, thus adapting it for the exalted
knowledge. Moreover the knowledge thus given is ac-
companied by the certainty which is peculiar to faith, as
experienced in regard to the more common truths of
revelation. Faith accompanies the vision and the Omnip-
otent gives to the soul power to appreciate the value of
the knowledge and the light, which He infuses. Its light
is inextinguishable (Wis. 7, 10) and all good things
and a nobility of great price come to me with it. This
light goes before me, directing my ways (Wis. 8, 16)
and I took possession of it unerringly, and I desired to
communicate it without envy, nor have I concealed its
excellence. It is a participation of the Divinity and its
presence is a great delight and joy. It teaches great
things freely and it disciplines the heart; with irresistible
force it banishes and expels the deceitful things of this
world, wherein, solely by looking upon them in this light,
the spirit finds immeasurable bitterness. By it the soul
leaves behind the perishable things and flies to the sacred
refuge of eternal truths. It enters into the cellar of fer-
mented wine (Cant. 2, 4) where the Most High orders
in me most holy charity. And by it He urges me to be
patient and without envy (I Cor. 13, 4), to be kind with-
out offense, to be free from pride and ambition or anger,
thinking ill of nobody and suffering and tolerating all
things. Its voice is ever within me (Prov. 8, 1) and se-
cretly warns me powerfully to do what is most holy anil
most pure, teaching me in all things; and if I fall short in
the slightest degree, it reprehends me without ever pass-
ing over the smallest point.
40 CITY OF GOD
19. This is the Hght, which at one and at the same
time enHghtens, raises to fervor, teaches and reprehends,
chastens and enhvens, calls and deters, warns and com-
pels, makes clear the distinction between good and evil,
discloses the hidden and the profound, the length and
the breadth (Eph. 3, 18) ; which reveals to me the world,
its state,^its inclinations, its deceits and the lies and falla-
cies of its lovers and clients. Above all, it teaches me to
despise the world, to tread it under foot and to raise my-
self to the highest Lord and Governor of the universe.
And in his Majesty I see and learn the ordering of all
things (Wis. 7, 17), the power of the elements, the
beginning, the middle and the end of time, its changes
and variations, the onward course of the years, the har-
mony of all creatures and their innate qualities; all the
secrets of men, their acts and their thoughts; how far
they stray from the Lord ; the dangers in which they live
and the errors of their ways ; the states and governments,
their curtailed existence and their great instability, their
beginning and their end, the true and the false principles
which guide them. All this is learnt and seen distinctly
in God through this light, even as far as pertains to the
separate individuals and circumstances. But as soon as
the soul descends to a lower condition and a more ordi-
nary state, wherein it must make use only of the substance
or acquired habit of this enlightenment and cannot enjoy
its full splendor, this exalted knowledge of persons, of
conditions, and of the secret thoughts before described is
more circumscribed and limited. In this lower state I
perceive only so much as is necessary to avoid danger
and fly from sin, and to feel true compassion with other
persons, though at the same time I am not permitted to
speak clearly with any one about that which is revealed
to me of their evil statg^ I could not do it if I tried, for
THE CONCEPTION 41
it seems as if I am made dumb, except at times, when the
Author of this light gives me permission and commands
me to admonish one of my neighbors. But even on such
occasions I must not disclose the nature of my cognition,
but I am constrained to speak to the heart, using plain
arguments, simple, ordinary and charitable persuasion in
God. At the same time I am urged to pray for their ne-
cessities, which for that object become known to me.
20. Although all these things were revealed to me
with the greatest clearness, yet never has the Lord shown
me the final ruin of any soul, which has damned itself.
This knowledge is withheld from me by the providence
of God, because He is so just, that He does not deem it
befitting to reveal the damnation of a soul except for
some great purpose; and if I were to come to the knowl-
edge of such a great ruin, I think I should die of sorrow.
This would doubtlessly be the effect of such a revelation,
so great is the grief caused by the sight of a soul forever
separated from God. I have besought Him not to show
me any one who will damn himself. I would not refuse,
at the cost of my life, to liberate any one who is in sin,
nor would I object even to see the present state of such
soul ; but may I never see one, who is beyond redemption !
21. This light is given me, not that I may reveal my
secrets in particular, but that I may make use of it with
prudence and wisdom. Though it continues to be only
accidental, it remains with me in the same way as some
substance, that vivifies and comes from God himself; and
in the manner of a habit, to insure the good government
of my lower appetites and feelings. Moreover, in the
superior part of my soul, I enjoy a vision and habitation
of peace and I understand the mysteries and sacraments
of the life of the Queen of heaven and of other mysteries
of faith, which were thus continuallv made manifest and
42 CITY OF GOD
present to me in this never failing light. And if at any
time I descend, creaturelike, to attend to human affairs,
the Lord presently calls me with a sweet yet rigorous
severity and again draws my attention to his words and
teachings and to the conscious meditation of these sacra-
ments, graces and virtues, and to the exterior and in-
terior works of the Virgin Mother, as I will explain
farther on.
22. Thus, when in the state of enlightenment afore-
said, I see also and recognize the same Queen and Lady
as She speaks with me ; also the holy angels, their na-
ture and excellence. Sometimes I see and recognize them
in the Lord, at other times I see them in themselves ; but
with this difference that in seeing them in themselves, I
descend to a lower grade of knowledge. I perceive also
this difference, which results from the object and from
the kind of knowledge. In this lower degree of vision
I see, speak and listen to the holy princes ; they converse
with me and explain many of the mysteries, which the
Lord has shown me. The Queen of heaven likewise
manifests and propounds to me the mysteries of her most
holy life and of its admirable events. With great clearness
I recognize each one of these holy persons, feeling the
divine effects, which each one excites in the soul.
23. But when I see these same persons in the Lord,
I perceive them as through a mirror placed freely by His
Majesty, in which He shows to me the saints according
to his pleasure, with great clearness and producing most
exalted effects in my soul. For this admirable light, the
Lord himself becomes known, as also the Saints and their
excellent virtues and wonderful works ; likewise the man-
ner in which they exercised these virtues by the help of
the graces, that made them capable of all this (Philip
4, 13). In this state of knowledge the creature is more
THE CONCEPTION 43
abundantly and completely filled with a joy, that still
further increases the power and satisfaction of the soul,
and poises it as if on its center of gravity. For, the more
intellectual and the less corporeal or imaginary the light,
so much the more powerful and exalted are the effects,
and so much the more substantial and certain is the
knowledge attained. Yet also here there is a dift'erence :
for the vision or knowledge of God himself, of
his attributes and his perfections is superior and
its effects are most sweet and affable; while the
vision and knowledge of the creatures, even in
the Lord, is of an inferior order. This inferiority,
it seems to me, arises in part from the soul itself; since
its own vision is so limited, that it cannot attend to or
perceive God so well, when seeing Him conjointly with
creatures, as when seeing Him by Himself and without
them. Also this vision of God by Himself is accom-
panied by a greater plenitude of joy than the vision of
creatures in God. So delicate is this cognition of the
Divinity, that to attend to any other thing in conjunction
with it, impairs to a certain extent its clearness, at least
so long as we shall be in our mortal state.
24. In the inferior state, which I have mentioned. I
see the most holy virgin and the angels in themselves and
their mode of teaching me, speaking to me, and enlighten-
ing me. I understand this to be similar to the mode in
which the angels themselves enlighten, communicate and
speak with each other, when the superior orders en-
lighten the inferior. The Lord is the first cause of this
light, but the Queen who has received it in its highest
plenitude, communicates it as through a channel to the
superior part of my soul, so that I begin to know her
excellence, her prerogatives and mysteries in the same
manner as an inferior angel perceives that, which is com-
44 CITY OF GOD
municated to him by the superior spirits. I recognize
Her also by the doctrine which She teaches, by the ef-
ficacy pecuhar to it, and by other quahties, which are
felt and tasted and which indicate the purity, elevation
and certainty of these visions. There, nothing impure,
or obscur^, or false, or suspected is met with ; and nothing
that is holy, pure and true is withheld from view. The
same happens to me in its proper proportion, when con-
versing with the holy angels; for the Lord himself has
often informed me, that they enlighten and communicate
with me in the same manner as they converse with each
other. Often it happens that the enlightenments pass
through all these channels and conduits in succession : the
Lord gives the intelligence or light, the most holy Virgin
reveals it to me and the angels express it to me in words.
At other times (and this is the most ordinary mode) the
Lord communicates and teaches me his holy doctrine,
sometimes the most holy Queen, and sometimes the holy
angels. It also happens, that I receive only the under-
standing of things, and then I am left to find for myself
the terms which befit that which I hold in the intelligence.
In finding these terms I may err, if the Lord allows, for
I am only an ignorant woman and I must rely on what
I have heard. If any difficulties arise in the explanation
of my visions, I take counsel with my master and spir-
itual g^iide, especially in more difficult and arduous
matters.
25. In this condition and state I very seldom see
corporeal visions, but imaginary visions I see sometimes;
these are of a much lower grade than the exalted, more
spiritual, or intellectual vision, of which I have until now
spoken. But this I can assert with confidence : in all the
spiritual enlightenments, which I receive, great and small,
lower or higher, whether they come from the Lord, the
THE CONCEPTION 45
most blessed Virgin, or the holy angels, in all of them I
obtain most abundant light and help of salvation, en-
abling me to see and know the truth and the possibility
of greater perfection and sanctity. I feel within me a
divine force, which compels me to seek the greater purity
of my soul, and advancement in the grace of the Lord,
which makes me ready to die for it and to act in all
things according to greater perfection. With the help
of the different grades and kinds of intelligence already
described, I learn to know all the mysteries of the life of
the Queen of heaven to the great advancement and re-
joicing of my spirit. For this I thank the Almighty with
my whole heart and mind, I magnify Him, I adore and
praise Him as the all powerful and holy God. strong and
admirable, worthy of honor, magnificence, glory and rev-
erence through all the ages. Amen.
CHAPTER III.
o? The knowledge oe The divinity, which was con-
ferred UPON ME, and OE the decree OF THE CRE-
ATION OF THE WORED.
26. O King, most high and most wise Lord : How
incomprehensible are thy judgments, and inscrutable thy
ways (Rom. 11, 24)! Invincible God, enduring for-
ever and whose beginning is unknown (Eccli. 18, 1)!
Who can understand thy greatness and who can be worthy
of thy most magnificent works, or who can tell Thee why
Thou hast created them (Rom. 9, 20) ? For Thou art
exalted above all of them and our vision cannot reach
Thee and our understanding cannot comprehend Thee.
Mayest Thou be blest, magnificent King, because Thou
has deigned to show me, thy slave and a vile worm of
the earth, great sacraments and most sublime mysteries,
exalting my habitation and raising my spirit to a height,
in which I saw things unspeakable. I saw the Lord and
Creator of all things ; I perceived as it were the exalted-
ness of a Being existing in Itself, before It created any
other thing; I do not know the manner in which It
showed Itself to me, but I know what I saw and per-
ceived. His Majesty, comprehending all things, is aware
that, while I am speaking of his Deity, my thoughts stand
still, my soul is troubled, my faculties cease their opera-
tions, and the superior part of my being deserts the lower
and animal parts, despises that which is of the senses
and flies toward its Beloved, leaving lifeless the body
which it should keep alive. In these excursions and aban-
46
THE CONCEPTION 47
donmenls of love my eyes flow over in tears and my
tongue becomes mute. O my most high and incompre-
hensible Lord, infinite Object of my understanding! How
am I annihilated at the sight of Thee, the Measureless
and the Eternal, and how my being grovels in the dust,
scarcely knowing what I am ! How can my insignificance
and misery dare to admire thy magnificence and thy
great majesty? Vivify, O Lord, my being; strengthen
my vision and give the breath of life to my fear, so that
I may be able to describe what I saw and thus obey thy
command.
27. I saw the Most High, at the same time under-
standing how his ]\Iajesty is in Himself; I received a
clear intelligence and a true perception of what is meant
by a God, infinite in his substance and attributes, eternal,
exalted above all, being three in Person, and one true
God. Three in Person, because of the three activities of
knowing, comprehending and loving each other; one, so
as to secure the boon of eternal unity. It is the Trinity
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Father
is not made, nor created, nor begotten, nor can He be
generated or have a beginning. I perceived, that the
Son derives his origin from the Father alone by eternal
generation; and that They are equal in their duration
from eternity; and that He is begotten by the fecundity
of the intelligence of the Father. The Holy Ghost pro-
ceeds from the Father and the Son through love. In
their indivisible Trinity there is nothing which can be
called first or last, greater or smaller: all three Persons
are equally eternal and eternally equal ; there is unity of
essence in a trinity of persons. Nor are the Persons
mingled in order to form one God. nor the divine sub-
stance separated or divided in order to form three Per-
sons, being distinct as the Father, as the Son and as the
48 CITY OF GOD
Holy Ghost. They are nevertheless one and the same
Divinity, equal in Each is the glory, and majesty, the
power, the eternity, the immensity, the wisdom and sanc-
tity, and all the attributes. And though there are three
Persons, in whom these infinite perfections subsist. He
is the ona and true God, the Holy, the Just, the Power-
ful, the Eternal and the Measureless.
28. I also obtained an understanding of the manner in
which this Trinity comprehends Itself by simple vision,
so that no new or distinct cognition is necessary : the
Father knows that, which is known to the Son, and the
Son and the Holy Ghost know that which is in the in-
telligence of the Father. I understood how they love
One another with one and the same immense and eternal
love ; how there is a single, indivisible and equal oneness
of intelligence, love and action, how there is one simple,
incorporeal and indivisible nature, a divine essence of the
true God, in which are joined and united all the perfec-
tions in their highest and in an infinite degree.
29. I learnt also to understand the quality of these per-
fections of the highest Lord: that He is beautiful with-
out a blemish, great without quantity, good without need
of qualification, eternal without the duration of time,
strong without any weakness, living without touch of
decay, true without deceit, present in all places, filling
them without occupying them, existing in all things with-
out occupying any space. There is no contradiction in
his kindness, nor any defect in his wisdom. In his wis-
dom He is inscrutable, in his decrees He is terrible, in
his judgments just, in his thoughts most hidden, in his
words most true, in his works holy, in his riches affluent.
To Him no space is too wide, no narrowness causes re-
straint, his will does not vary, the sorrowful does not
cause Him pain, the past has not passed for Him, nor
THE CONCEPTION 49
does the future happen in regard to Him. O eternal
Immensity, what inimitable expansion have I seen in
Thee? What vastness do I see in thy infinite Being?
Vision does not terminate, nor ever exhaust itself in thy
abyss of being. This is the unchangeable Essence, the
Being above all other beings, the most perfect sanctity,
the most constant truth ; this is the infinite, the length, the
breadth, the height and the depth, glory and its cause,
rest without fatigue, goodness immeasurable. All this
I saw at the same time, but the power to describe it more
fully fails me.
30. I saw the Lord as He was before He had created
anything and with great astonishment I looked to see
where was the throne of the Most High, for the em-
pyrean heavens were not, nor the lower ones, nor did
the sun exist, nor the moon, nor the other stars, nor the
elements, only the Creator was, without any of his
creatures. All was void, without presence of angels, or
men or animals. I saw how of necessity it must be ad-
mitted, that God has his being in Himself, and that He
stands in want or need of none of the created things.
For He is as infinite in his attributes before as He is
after creating them, and He will possess and hold these
attributes during the whole of eternity, because they ex-
ist in Him as in an independent increated Essence. No
perfection which is in itself purely and essentially such.
can be wanting to his Divinity : for the Godhead is the
only thing that is, and contains all the perfection of
created beings in an eminent and ineffable manner. All
the other beings, in so far as they exist, have their ex-
istence solely in that infinite Being, as effects in their
cause.
31, I understood, that the Most High was in the
quiescent state of his own being, when the three Persons
50 CITY OF GOD
(according to our way of understanding things), decreed
to communicate his perfections as a free gift. For
greater clearness, I must remark, that God comprehends
in Himself all things by one indivisible, most simple and
instantaneous act. He does not go on from the under-
standing ^ of one thing to the understanding of
another like we do, distinguishing and perceiving
first one thing by an act of the understanding, and
after that proceeding to the knowledge of others by their
connection with those already known. God knows them
conjointly all at once, without before or after, since all
are together and at once contained in the divine and un-
created knowledge and science, just as they are compre-
hended and enclosed in his infinite Being, as in their first
beginning.
32. In this knowledge of God, which primarily is
called the knowledge of pure intelligence (scientia sim-
plicis intelligentiae), we must, according to the natural
precedence of the intelligence before the will, not over-
look a certain succession, not indeed of time, but of
nature. Hence we perceive that the act of intelligence
preceded by its nature the act of the will For in our
way of reflecting on things, we think of the act of intelli-
gence by itself, abstractedly from the decree of wishing
to create anything. In this first stage or instant the three
Persons through an act of intelligence confirmed the op-
portuneness of the work ad extra and of all creatures,
which have been, are, and are to be.
33. Though I am unworthy to know the order which
He followed, or which we, as men, are enabled to per-
ceive in the decree of creation, his Majesty nevertheless
deigned to take notice of a request, which I made in this
regard. I petitioned Him to make known to me the
place which was held by the Mother of God and our
THE CONCEPTION 51
Queen in the divine intelligence; and, as well as I can, I
will state what He answered me and manifested to me and
I will also say something of the order which I perceived
by the help of God in these ideas. I divide them accord-
ing to moments or instants, for it is impossible to ac-
commodate the knowledge of this divine science to our
capacity in any other way. This science is called the
science of vision, constituting the divine ideas or images
of the creatures, which God decreed to call into existence
and which are a production of his mind. By them He
knows creatures with an infinitely more precise knowl-
edge, than we can ever have of them.
34. Although this divine knowledge is one, most sim-
ple and indivisible, nevertheless, since the things wliich
I see are many, and since there is a certain order, by
which some are first and some come after, it is necessary
to divide the knowledge of God's intelligence and the
knowledge of his w^ill into many instants, or into many
different acts, according as they correspond to the diverse
orders of created things. For as some of the creatures
hold their existence because of others, there is a depen-
dence of one upon the other. Accordingly we say that
God intended and decreed this before that, the one on
account of the other; and that if He had not desired or
included in the science of vision the one, He would not
have desired the other. But by this way of speaking, we
must not try to convey the meaning that God placed
many acts of intelligence, or of the will ; rather we must
intend merely to indicate, that the creatures are depen-
dent on each other and that they succeed one another.
In order to be able to comprehend the manner of cre-
ation more easily, we apply the order of things as we
see them objectively, to the acts of the divine intelligence
and will in creating them.
CHAPTER IV.
HOW THE'blVINE DECREES ARE CEASSIEIED ACCORDING TO
INSTANTS, AND WHAT GOD IN EACH DETERMINED TO
COMMUNICATE AD EXTRA.
35. I understood, that this order comprises the follow-
ing instants. The first instant is : God recognizing his
infinite attributes and perfections together with the pro-
pensity and the ineffable inclination to communicate Him-
self outwardly. This knowledge of God as being com-
municative ad extra comes first. The Majesty of God,
beholding the nature of his infinite perfections, their vir-
tue and efficacy operating with magnificence, saw that
it was just and most proper, and, as it were, a duty and
a necessity, to communicate Himself and to follow that
inclination of imparting and exercising his liberality and
mercy, by distributing outside of Himself with magnifi-
cence the plenitude of the infinite treasures, contained
in the Divinity. For, being infinite in all things, it is
much more natural that He communicate gifts and
graces, than that fire should ascend, or the stone should
gravitate toward its center, or that the sun should diffuse
its light. This unfathomable depth of perfections, this
affluence of treasures, this impetuous infinity of riches, is
set in motion by its own inclinations to communicate it-
self. At the same time God is in Himself conscious that
to distribute gifts and graces, is not to diminish his
riches, but to increase them in the only possible way, by
giving an outlet to the inexhaustible fountain of his
riches.
52
THE CONCEPTION 53
36, All this did God see in the first instant after the
communication ad intra by means of the eternal emana-
tions. Seeing this He found Himself, as it were, obliged,
in Himself, to communicate Himself ad extra, perceiving
that it was holy, just, merciful, and god-like to do so;
hence nothing could impede Him. According to our
mode of understanding, we can represent God to our
minds as not being satisfied nor at rest with Himself
until He reached the object of his desires, the creatures,
where and with whom, by making them partakers of his
divinity and perfections. He seeks his delight.
37. In this enlightenment and knowledge which I pos-
sess, two things hold my lukewarm heart in wonder and
inflame it unto annihilation. The first is the inclination
and urgent desire, which I see in God, and the strong
will, to communicate his Divinity and the treasures of
his grace. The second is the unspeakable and incompre-
hensible immensity of the good gifts, which I see He
wishes to distribute according to this decree, assigning
them for this purpose and yet remaining infinite, as if He
had yet given nothing. In this desire and inclination,
which fills his Majesty I see Him prepared to sanctify,
justify, overwhelm with gifts and perfections all crea-
tures together and each one in particular for itself. He
would be ready to give to each of the creatures more than
what is held by all the angels and seraphim together;
even if all the drops in the ocean and the grains of sand
on their shores, all the stars, the planets and the elements,
and all creatures were capable of reason and of his gifts,
they would receive them without measure, provided they
would dispose themselves and place no obstacle toward
receiving them. O fearful malice of sin, which alone is
capable of holding up the impetuous stream of such great
and eternal gifts!
54 CITY OF GOD
38. The second instant was to confirm and determine
the object and intention of this communication of the
Divinity ad extra, namely, that it should redound to his
greater glory and to the exaltation of his Majesty and
the manifestation of his greatness. This his own exal-
tation God saw as the end, for which He would com-
municate Himself, make Himself known by his liberality
in the distribution of his attributes, and set in motion his
Omnipotence in order that He might be known, praised
and glorified.
39. The third instant consisted in selecting and de-
termining the order and arrangement, or the mode of
this communication, so as to realize in an adequate man-
ner the most exalted ends The order namely, which it
is proper should be maintained in regard to the communi-
cations of the Godhead and its divine attributes; so that
this activity of the Lord may have its proper reasons and
objects, and so that it might proceed with the most beau-
tiful and admirable sequence, harmony and subordina-
tion. In this instant w^as decreed first of all, that the di-
vine Word should assume flesh and should become vis-
ible. The perfection and the composition of the most
holy humanity of Christ our Lord was decreed and
modeled in the divine intelligence. Secondarily, also
were formed the ideals of the rest of men in imitation of
the First The divine mind prearranged the harmony
and adornment of the human nature composed of an
organic body and a vivifying soul, endowed with facul-
ties to know and enjoy its Creator, to discern between
good and evil, and with a free will to love that same
Lord.
40. This hypostatic union of the second Person of the
most holy Trinity I understood necessarily to have been
the first incentive and object on account of which, before
THE CONCEPTION 55
all others, the divine intelligence and will issued ad extra;
and the reasons are most exalted, so that I cannot explain.
One of these reasons is, that God, having in Himself
known and loved Himself, should, according to right or-
der, know and love that, which approaches most inti-
mately to his Divinity, as is the case in the hypostatic
union. Another reason is, that the Divinity, having
communicated Itself ad intra, should also communicate
Itself ad extra; for thus the divine will and intention
would begin to execute its works with the highest end
in view, and his attributes would be communicated in
the most beautiful order. The fire of the Divinity ex-
pended itself in its fullest measure on that which was
most immediately connected with It, namely, the hypo-
statically united humanity; and his Divinity communicated
Itself in the highest and most excellent degree to Him,
who was to be closest to God in divine knowledge
and love, and share the works and the glory of the Deity.
For God (speaking according to our lowly comprehen-
sion) could not endanger the attainment of this end, since
He alone could be an object proportionate and worthy of
so wonderful an operation. It was also befitting and, as
it were, necessary, that if God should create many crea-
tures, He should create them in such harmony and sub-
ordination, as would be the most admirable and glorious
within the reach of possibility. In conformity with this
therefore, they must be subordinate to a supreme Chief,
who should be as far as possible united immediately with
God, so that through Him they may have communication
and connection with his Divinity. For these and for other
reasons (which I cannot explain), the dignity of the
works of God could be provided for only by the Incarna-
tion of the Word ; through Him Creation should possess
the most beautiful order, which without Him was im-
possible.
56 CITY OF GOD
41. The fourth instant was to determine the gifts and
graces, which were to be conferred upon the humanity
of Christ, our Lord, in union with the Divinity. Here
the Most High opened the hberal hands of his Omnipo-
tence and hii other attributes, in order to enrich the most
sacred humanity and the soul of Christ with the highest
possible plenitude of his gifts and graces. Then was
fulfilled what afterward David said : "The stream of the
river maketh the city of God joyful" (Ps. 45, 5). When
the stream of his gifts flowed toward the humanity of
the Word, communicating to it all the infused science,
the grace and goodness of which his blessed soul was
capable, and which fitted that Being, which was to be
God and true man, and at the same time, the Head of all
creatures capable of grace and glory, in order that from
this impetuous stream they might partake in the manner
in which it afterwards really happened.
42. To this instant also, and, as it were, in natural
sequence, pertain the decree and predestination of the
Mother of the Divine Word incarnate ; for here, I under-
stand, was ordained that pure Creature before aught else
whatever. Thus, before all other creatures, was She con-
ceived in the divine mind, in such manner and such state
as befitted and became the dignity, excellence and gifts
of the humanity of her most holy Son. To Her flowed
over, at once and immediately, the river of the Divinity
and its attributes with all its impetuosity, in as far as a
mere creature is capable and as is due to the dignity of
the Mother of God.
43. In the knowledge of these exalted mysteries and
decrees, I confess myself ravished in admiration and
transported beyond my proper self. Perceiving this most
holy and pure Creature formed and conceived in the di-
vine mind from the beginning and before all the ages, I
THE CONCEPTION 57
joyously and exultingly magnify the Omnipotent for the
admirable and mysterious decree, by which He formed
for us such a pure and grand, such a mysterious and
godhke Creature, worthy rather to be admired and
praised by all beings, than to be described by any one.
In my admiration I can say with St.Dionysius the Areop-
agite : "If faith would not instruct me, and if the un-
derstanding of what I see would not teach me, that it is
God, who has conceived Her in his mind, and who alone
could and can in his Omnipotence form such an image of
his Divinity, if this all were not present to my mind, I
might begin to doubt, whether the \'irgin ]\Iother con-
tain not in Herself Divinity."
44. O what tears flowed from my eyes, and what sor-
rowful astonishment possessed my soul, to see that divine
prodigy not acknowledged and that wonder of the Most
High not manifest to all the mortals. Much is known
of it, but much more is unknown, as this sealed book has
not been opened. I am ravished in the perception of this
tabernacle of God, and I perceive that the Author of it
is more admirable in her creation, than in that of all the
rest of the world, although the diversity of the creatures
manifests the wonderful power of their Creator. In this
Queen alone are comprehended and contained more treas-
ures than in all the rest of things joined together, and
the variety and the preciousness of her riches' honor the
Lord above all the multitudes of the other creatures.
45. Here (according to our way of understanding)
the promise and, as it were, the contract was made with
the Word as to the degree of sanctity, and perfection and
the gifts and graces, which were to be possessed by Mary
his Mother. Also as to the protection, support and de-
fense, which was to be provided for this true City of
God, in which his Majesty contemplated the graces and
58 CITY OF GOD
merits, which She earned for Herself, as well as the
fruits to be gathered for his people by the loving returns,
which She was to make to his Majesty. In the same in-
stant, and as it were in the third and last place, God de-
termined to create a locality and an abode, where the in-
carnate Word and his Mother should converse and dwell.
For Them primarily did He create the heaven and earth
with its stars and elements and all that is contained in
them. Secondarily the intention and decree included the
creation of the members, of which Jesus was to be the
Head, and of whom He would be the King; in order that
with kingly providence, all the necessary and befitting ar-
rangements might be made beforehand.
46. I pass over to the fifth instant, although in reality
I have found that, which I sought. In this fifth decree
the creation of the angelic nature which is more excellent
and more like unto the spiritual being of the Divinity,
was determined upon, and at the same time the division
or arrangement of the angelic hosts into nine choirs and
three hierarchies, was provided and decreed. As they
are created first of all for the glory of God, to assist
before his divine Majesty and to know and love Him, so
secondarily they are ordained to assist, glorify and honor,
reverence and serve the deified humanity of the eternal
Word, recognizing Him as Head, and honoring Him
also in his Mother, the most holy Mary, Queen of these
same angels. Commission was given to these angels, "to
bear them up in their hands" in all their ways (Ps. 90,
12). In this instant Christ our Lord earned for them by
his infinite merits, present and foreseen, all the grace,
which they were to receive. He was constituted as their
Head, Exemplar and supreme King, of whom they should
be subjects. Even if the number of angels had been
infinite, the merits of Christ our highest Good, would be
abundantly sufficient to supply them all with grace.
THE CONCEPTION 59
47. To this instant belongs also the predestination of
the good, and the reprobation of the bad angels. God
saw in it, by means of his infinite science, all the works
of the former and of the latter and the propriety of pre-
destinating, by his free will and by his merciful liberality,
those that would obey and give honor, and of reprobating
by his justice those who would rise up against his
Majesty in pride and disobedience on account of their
disordered selflove. In the same instant also was de-
creed the creation of the empyrean heaven, for the man-
ifestation of his glory and the reward of the good ; also
the earth and other heavenly bodies for the other crea-
tures; moreover also in the center or depth of the earth,
hell, for the punishment of the bad angels.
48. In the sixth instant was decreed the creation of a
people and congregation of men for Christ, who was al-
ready formed in the divine mind and will, and according
to whose image and likeness man was to be made, in
order, that the incarnate Word might find brethren, sim-
ilar but inferior to Himself and a people of his own na-
ture, of whom He might be the Head. In this instant
was determined the order of the creation of the whole
human race, which was to begin from one man and
woman and propagate itself, until the Virgin and her
Son should be born in the predestined order. On account
of the merits of Christ, our Savior, the graces and gifts
were prearranged, and also original justice, if they would
only preserve it. The fall of Adam was foreseen and in
him that of all others, except of the Queen, who did not
enter into this decree. As a remedy was it ordained, that
the most holy humanity should be capable of suffering.
The predestined were chosen by free grace, and the fore-
known were reprobated with exact justice. All that was
convenient and necessarv for the conservation of the
60 CITY OF GOD
human race and for obtaining the end of the Redemp-
tion and the Predestination, was preordained, without in-
terfering with the free will of men ; for such ordainment
was more confornjable to God's nature and to divine
equity. There was no injustice done to them, for if with
their free will they could sin, so also could they abstain
from sin by means of grace and the light of reason. God
violated the right of no one, since He forsook no one nor
denied to any one that which is necessary. Since his law
is written in the hearts of men, nobody is excused for not
knowing and loving Him as the highest Good of all cre-
ation.
49. In the perception of these mysteries I saw with
great clearness and force the high motives which caused
God to manifest and magnify Himself and which should
induce men to praise and adore the greatness of the Cre-
ator and Redeemer of all. I also saw how tardy they
are in the acknowledgment of these obligations and in
making return for these benefits ; and I was made aware
of the complaints and the indignation of the Most High
on account of this forget fulness. His Majesty com-
manded and exhorted me not to be guilty of such in-
gratitude, but to offer Him a sacrifice of praise, and a
new song, and that I magnify Him in the name of all
creatures.
50. O most high and incomprehensible Lord ! Would
that I had the love and the perfections of all the angels
and the just in order to confess and praise worthily thy
greatness! I acknowledge, great and mighty Lord, that
such a vile creature as I cannot merit the memorable
benefit of receiving this clear and exalted knowledge and
light concerning thy exalted Majesty. At the sight of
thy greatness I perceive my littleness, which before that
happy hour was unknown to me; and I was ignorant of
THE CONCEPTION 61
the greatness and excellence of the virtue of humility,
which is learnt in this science. 1 do not wish to say that I
now possess that virtue, but neither can I deny that I have
been shown the certain path which leads to it. Thy light,
O most high Lord, illumines me and thy lamp shows me
the paths (Ps. 118, 105), so that I see what I have been
and what I am, and fear what I may become to be. Thou
hast lighted up, most high King, my understanding and
inflamed my will with its most exalted object. Thou hast
entirely drawn me on to seek Thee, and I wish to make
this known to all mortals in order that they may leave me
in peace and I them: I am for my Beloved (Cant.
2, 16), and (although I am unworthy), my Beloved is
for me. Strengthen then, O Lord, my weakness that I
may run after Thee, and reaching Thee, I may never
leave Thee or lose Thee.
51. Very short and stammering is this chapter, for of
this matter many books could be written; but I refrain,
because I do not know how to speak and I am an ig-
norant woman. My sole object has been to explain, how
the Virgin Mother has been formed and preordained in
the divine mind before the ages (Ecclus. 24, 14). That
which I have seen over and above concerning this high-
est mystery, transforms my interior, and in silent admira-
tion makes me praise the Author of such magnificence in
company with the blessed, saying: Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord God Sabaoth (Is. 6, 3).
CHAPTER V.
INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING HOLY SCRIPTURES^ AND IN
PARTICULAR CONCERNING CHAPTER EIGHT OF THE
PROVERBS, IN CONFIRMATION OF THE PRECEDING
PAGES.
52. I will converse, O Lord, with Thy great Majesty,
since Thou art the God of mercies, though I am only
dust and ashes (Gen. 18, 17), and I will supplicate thy
incomprehensible Immensity to look from thy exalted
throne upon me, thy most vile and useless creature, and to
be propitious to me by continuing to enlighten my under-
standing. Speak, O Lord, for thy servant heareth (I
Reg. 3, 10). Then the Most High, the Corrector of the
wise, spoke to me (Sap, 7, 15). He referred me to the
eighth chapter of the Proverbs and gave me the under-
standing of its mysteries. First was given me the literal
wording of the chapter, which is as follows (Prov. 8,
22):
53. Verse 22. "The Lord possessed me in the be-
ginning of his ways before He made anything from
the beginning."
23. "I was set up from eternity and of old, before
the earth was made."
24. "The depths were not as yet and I was already
conceived : neither had the fountains of waters as yet
sprung out."
25. "The mountains with their huge bulk had not
as yet been established : before the hills I was brought
forth."
62
THE CONCEPTION 63
26. "He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers,
nor the poles of the earth."
27. "When He prepared the heavens, I was present :
when with a certain law and compass He enclosed the
depths."
28. "When He established the sky above and poised
the fountains of the waters."
29. "When He compassed the sea with its bounds,
and set a law to the waters that they should not pass
their limits : when He balanced the foundations of the
earth."
30. "I was with Him forming all things : and was
delighted every day, playing before Him all the
times."
31. "Playing in the world: and my delights were
to be with the children of men."
54. This is the portion of the Proverbs, of which the
Most High gave me an understanding. I understood at
first, that it treats of the ideas or decrees, which were
in the Divine jMind before the Creation of the world;
and that, in its literal sense, it speaks of the Person of
the Incarnate Word and of his most holy IMother, while
in its mystical sense it refers to the holy angels and
prophets. For before decreeing or forming the ideals
of the rest of the material creation. He formed and de-
creed their prototype, the most sacred humanity of Christ
and of his purest Mother, and this is indicated by the
first words.
55. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his
ways." In God there are no ways, and his Divinity does
not need them : but He made use of them, in order, that
by them we may know Him and that all of us creatures,
who are capable of knowing Him, may tend toward Him.
In this beginning, before He fonned any other ideal in
64 CITY OF GOD
his mind, because He desired to create paths and open
ways in his mind fof the communication of the Divinity,
He decreed, as a beginning, the formation of the hu-
manity of the Word, who was to be the highway, by
which the other creatures might come to the Father (Joan.
14, 6) . Joined with this decree was that of his most holy
Mother, through whom his Divinity was to enter into
the world, becoming man and being born from Her as
God and man ; therefore it is said : "God possessed me"
since both were possessed by his Majesty: for as to his
Divinity, He was the possession, the property, and the
treasure of the Father without possibility of separation,
because Father and Son are One, of the same substance
and Divinity with the Holy Ghost ; and also as to his
humanity, the Father possessed the Son ; because He
himself knew and decreed the plenitude of grace and
glory, which He was to bestow upon it at the moment
of its creation and its hypostatical union. Moreover, as
this decree and possession was to be brought about by
the mediation of the Mother, who was to conceive and
bring forth the Word (since He did not decide to create
it out of nothing, nor form his soul and body out of any
other material), it followed that He possessed Her, who
was to give Him the human form. Thus He possessed
and claimed Her as his own in the same instant, provid-
ing with solicitude, that in the order of grace neither the
human race nor any other, should have at any time a
right or a part in Her. He alone retained the full right
in Her as his portion, and so much his portion as the
dignity of Mother required. She alone was to call Him
Son, and She alone was to be called Mother, a Mother
worthy of having an incarnate God for a Son. Now as
all this far surpassed in dignity the whole creation, so
did it also take the precedence in the mind of the supreme
Creator. Hence He says :
THE CONCEPTION 65
56. "Before He made anything from the beginning, I
was set up from eternity and of old." We, in our present
state, conceive this eternity of God as an interminable
time. But what were the things "of old," since none had
been created ? It is clear that the three Persons are here
spoken of, namely, that She was foreseen from the
eternal ages of the Divinity, by the Beings, which alone
are ancient, namely, the indivisible Trinity (since all the
rest, having a beginning, are recent), that She was fore-
seen when only the ancient Uncreated was, and before
any ideals of the future creation were formed. Between
these two extremes intervened the ideal of the hypostatic
union which was to be verified ad extra through the in-
tervention of most holy Mary. Both were ordained to-
gether, immediately next to God and before any other
creature, and it was the most wonderful decree ever
passed or ever to be passed. The first and most ad-
mirable image in the mind of God, next to the eternal
generation, was that of Christ and next to it, that of his
Mother.
57. And what other order could there be in God, in
whom all that pertains to Him is present at one and
the same time, so that no part of His being must await
the perfection of another, or one perfection ever need
succeed upon others? All is well ordered in his eternal
nature, and so it was and will be forever. The new or-
dainment, however, was that the person of the Son should
become incarnate and that from his deified humanity
should begin the order of God's desires and of his de-
crees ad extra. He was to be the Head and Ideal of all
other men and creatures ; for this was the most appro-
priate order and harmony to be instituted among crea-
tures, that they have One, who is the first and the high-
est, and that from Him should descend the order of all
66 CITY OP GOD
nature, and in a special manner, of the mortals. First
among them all, however, was the Mother of the Man-
God, as the Supreme among mere creatures, following
immediately upon Christ, and, through Him, upon the
Divinity. Thus the conduits, which led the crystalline
fountains of the Divinity from the eternal throne, meet
first in the humanity of the Word and immediately there-
after in his holy Mother in the degree and in the manner,
as it was possible for a mere creature, and as it was
proper for the Mother of the Creator. It was equitable,
that all the divine attributes should exert themselves in
Her, without reserve, so far as She was capable ; and
that She be inferior only to Christ our Lord. She was to
be superior in the degree of his incomparable graces to
all the rest of the creatures, that are deserving of graces
and gifts. This then was the order, so well instituted by
the eternal wisdom : that all was to commence with Christ
and his Mother. Therefore the text adds :
58. "Before the earth was made ; and the depths were
not as yet and I was already conceived." This earth was
that of the first Adam ; for before his creation was de-
creed, and before the abysses of the ideas ad extra were
formed in the divine mind, the likenesses of Christ and
of his Mother were already conceived. The forms are
called abysses, because there is an infinite distance be-
tween the being of God and that of creatures. This dis-
tance was measured (speaking according to our own way
of understanding), when the ideals of the creatures were
formed ; for then these very abysses were formed. Not
only was the Word conceived before all these by eternal
generation from the Father, but His temporal generation
from the Virgin Mother full of grace, had already been
decreed and conceived in the divine mind. Inasmuch as
no efficacious and complete decree of this temporal gen-
THE CONCEPTION 67
eration could exist without at the same time including
his Mother, and such a Mother, the most holy Mary, was
then and there conceived within that beautiful Im-
mensity, and Her eternal record was written in the
bosom of the Divinity, in order that for all the ages it
should never be blotted out. She was stamped and de-
lineated in the mind of the eternal Artificer and possessed
the inseparable embraces of his love.
59. "Neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung
out." The images and ideals of creatures had not yet
sprung from their source and origin ; for they had not yet
broken from the fountains through the channels of God's
goodness and mercy, through which the divine will was
to be moved to create the universe and to communicate
his divine attributes and perfections. In respect to the
entire rest of the universe, these waters and fountains
were still repressed and detained within the bounds of
the immense ocean of the Divinity; in his own Being
there were as yet no founts or currents for outward man-
ifestation, not having until then met their proper object,
namely, men. But when these were encountered, the
sacred humanity of Christ and his Virgin jMother had al-
ready furnished proper objects of benevolence. And
therefore it is added :
60. "The mountains with their huge bulk had not been
established," for God had not as yet then decreed the
creation of the high mountains, the Patriarchs, Prophets,
Apostles and Martyrs or the other saints of great holiness,
and this was not yet exerting its full weight and force in
the mighty and sweet manner (Sap. 8, 1) in which God
executes his counsels and great works. And not only
before the mountains (which are the great saints) but
also "before the hills I was brought forth," which are the
orders of the holy angels. Before them the divine Mind
68 CITY OF GOD
had conceived the most holy Humanity united hypo-
statically with the divine Word, and the Mother, who
bore it. The Son and the Mother were conceived before
the hierarchies of the angelic hosts, so, that, what David
said in the eighth psalm, becomes intelligible: "What is
man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man,
that Thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little
lesser than the Angels, Thou hast crowned him with glory
and honor! Thou has set him over the works of thy
hands; Thou hast subjected all things under his feet." Let
all understand and know, that there is a Godman, who
is above all angels and men, and that all are his in-
feriors and his servants, for being the first of men. He is
God at the same time. He is the first in the divine Mind
and in the divine Will, and with Him is associated and
inseparably connected, one Woman and Virgin, his
Mother, the exalted Queen of all creation.
61. And if man, as says the same psalm, was crowned
with glory and was constituted above all the works of
the hand of the Lord, it was because the Godman, his
Chief, had merited both this crown, and also that, which
is borne by the angels. The same psalm adds, that,
after having made man a little less than the angels. He
placed him over the works of his hands: yet these very
angels were works of his hands. Thus David spoke to
the whole human race, when he said : God made man
a little less than the angels; but although man was in-
ferior in his nature, one Man is found who is of su-
perior make and is set over these same angels, who were
works of the hand of God. This superiority is in the
order of grace, not only as far as His Divinity united to
the humanity is concerned, but also in regard to the hu-
manity itself in so far as grace was conferred by the hy-
postatic union. In a proportionate degree his most holy
THE CONXEPTIOX 69
Mother likewise attained this superiority, just as some
saints in virtue of the same incarnate Lord can reach a
station and throne superior to that of the angels.
62, It is further said: "I was brought forth" or born,
which means more than being conceived; for the latter
refers to the divine intellect of the Blessed Trinity at the
instant, when the Incarnation was known and, as it were,
weighed in regard to its propriety. But to be brought
forth refers to the act of the divine Will, which de-
termined upon this work, for the most holy Trinity, in its
divine councils, resolved upon the efficacious execution
of this w'ork by determining, and preliminarily putting
into effect, the wonderful decree of the hypostatic union
and of calling into being ]Mary most holy. That is the
reason for using first the word "conceived" and then the
words "brought forth," or born; for in reality the work
was at first conceived and then immediately afterwards
determined upon and willed.
63. "He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers,
nor the poles of the (earth) world." Before the cre-
ation of the second earth, namely, the earthly paradise
(the sense in which the earth is mentioned a second time),
into which the first man, after he had been created from
the first earth of the Damascene plains, was placed, and
where he sinned, the sacred humanity of the W'ord and
the material from which it was to spring, namely the
Virgin, was determined upon. For it was necessary, that
God should provide beforehand against her participating
in sin and against her being in any way subject to it. The
rivers and poles of the earth are the militant Church and
the gifts of grace which were to flow from the sources
of the Divinity. These were to flow toward all men and
with efficacy to the saints and the foreknown. Fixed in
God as in their pole or pivot and being dependent upon
70 CITY OF GOD
Him they nevertheless fnove around Him in seeking after
the virtues of faith, hope and charity, through which they
sustain, vivify and direct themselves though yet en-
tangled in human conversation. They are drawn toward
their last end and toward the highest good, without
swerving from the center about which they turn. Also
the Sacraments and the institutions of the Church are
here signified, her safety and stability, her beauty and
sanctity without blot or wrinkle (Eph. 5, 27), for this is
what is meant by this circumference and these rivers.
Before the Most High prepared all this and ordained
this mystical sphere and system, of which Christ was to
be the center and head, He decreed the union of the Word
with human nature, and foresaw his Mother, through
whom He was to execute these wonders in the world.
64. "When he prepared the heavens, I was there."
When He prepared and preordained the heaven and the
reward, which was to be given to the just sons of the
Church after their sojourn upon the earth, then already
was decreed the union of the humanity with the Word,
thereby meriting grace as their Head ; and with Him his
Mother most holy. Having destined the greater part of
this grace for the Mother and the Son, He then disposed
and arranged similar gifts of glory for the other saints.
65. "When with a certain law and compass he en-
closed the depths,'' namely, when He decided to close
the abysses of his Divinity in the person of the Son ac-
cording to a certain law and measure, which no living
being can ever compass or understand. He delineated
this sphere and circumference, where none could nor
ever can enter, except only the Word (since none but
Himself can ever fill his place). For thus He was able
to empty (Phil. 11,7) and humiliate his Divinity in the
humanity, then, both humanity and Divinity, in the womb
THE CONCEPTION 71
of the most holy Mary, afterwards, in the small quantity
and species of the bread and wine, and finally, in the nar-
row space of sinful, mortal hearts. All this is indicated
by the words : abysses, law and circle or limits. They
are called "certain" on account of their vast bearing and
also on account of the certainty, with which they were to
be fulfilled (in spite of seeming- impossibility), and on
account of the difficulty of explaining them in words. It
certainly did not appear feasible, that the Divinity should
be subject to law, nor that It should enclose Itself within
determined limits. But the wisdom and the power of
that same Lord made it possible and has accomplished it
by enclosing Himself in a designated created being.
66. "When he established the sky above, and poised
the fountains of the waters ; when he encompassed the
sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters, that
they should not pass their limits." He calls here the
just "heavens," for that is what they are, as God re-
mains and dwells within them by grace, and through it,
according to each one's disposition, gives them courage
and firmness to rise above the earth as long as they are
pilgrims. Afterwards He gives them a place and a
dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem according to their
merits. For them He poised the fountains and has di-
vided them, distributing to each one with equity. He
weighs the gifts of glory, the virtues, the helps, and the
perfections, according to the dispositions of his Wisdom.
When He resolved to make the distributions of these
waters of grace. He also resolved to give to the humanity
united to the Divinity all the ocean of graces and gifts,
which naturally flowed from the Divinity in its union
with the Onlybegotten of the F'ather. Although this
ocean was infinite. He placed confines to it. namely, the
humanity, in which was to dwell the plenitude of the
72 CITY OF GOD
Divinity (Col. 2, 9) ; and it was enclosed thirty-three
years within these confines, in order that He might dwell
among men, and in order that, what happened to the
three Apostles on Tabor mount might not happen to all
men. In the same moment in which this entire ocean
and all the rivers of grace reached Christ our Lord as
being nearest to the Deity, they also redounded in his
most holy Mother as being nearest to her Onlybegotten
Son. For without the Mother, and precisely such a
Mother, the gifts and graces of her Son could not have
been disposed of in such order and with such high per-
fection. Nor did the admirable harmony of the celestial
and spiritual machinery, and the distribution of the gifts
of the Church militant and triumphant rest on any other
foundation.
67. "When he balanced the foundation of the earth,
I was with him forming all things." The works ad extra
are common to the three divine Persons, for They are
one God, one wisdom, one power; therefore it was un-
avoidably necessary, that the Word, in whom according
to the Divinity all things are made, should be in union
with the Father in making them. But here more is
meant, for also the incarnate Word was already present
together with his most holy Mother in the divine Will.
Thus, just as through the Word, as far as He is God, all
things were made, so also for Him, in the first place and
because He is the most noble and most worthy end, were
created the foundations of the earth and all that is con-
tained in it.
68. Therefore it is farther said : "And I was delighted
every day, playing before him at -all times, playing in the
world." The incarnate Word diverted Himself at all
times, because He knew all the ages and the lives of all
the mortals, all being as one day in comparison with
THE CONCEPTION 7Z
eternity (Ps. 89, 4). Pie was delighted, because the
whole course of Creation had found its end, for when
the ultimate day with all its perfection should arrive,
men were to enjoy the affluence of grace and the crown
of glory. He diverted Himself as it were, counting the
days, when He should descend from heaven to earth and
assume human tiesh. He knew that all the works and
thoughts of men were like a play, wherein all is mere
burlesque and deceit. He saw also the just, who, though
so weak and limited in their capacity, nevertheless would
be fit for the manifestation and communication of God's
glory and perfections. He compared his immutability
with the change fulness of men, and how He was never-
theless to act in concert with them. He delighted in his
own works, and especially in those, which He ordained in
his most holy Mother. He took a great delight in the
prospect of assuming the form of man within Her and
in making Her worthy of so great a privilege. And be-
cause the conception of these ideals and the efficacious
decree of the divine Will in their regard were to be fol-
lowed by their actual fulfillment, therefore the divine
Word adds:
69. "And my delight is to be with tJie children of
men." My recreation is to work for them and show them
favors: my contentment is to die for them and my joy
is to be their Teacher and their Redeemer. My delight is
to raise the needy one from the dust and to unite Myself
with the lowly one (Ps. 112, 7) ; my pleasure is to un-
bend my Divinity for this purpose, and to clothe it with
human nature, to constrain and debase Myself, and to sus-
pend the glory of my body in order to make Ivlyself
capable of suffering and of meriting for men the friend-
ship of the Father; to be a Mediator between his most
just indignation and the malice of men. and to be their
Model and Head, whom they might imitate.
74 CITY OF GOD
70. O eternal and incomprehensible Goodness ! how am
I ravished with admiration, when I compare the im-
mensity of thy immutable Being with the insignificance
of man ! When I see thy eternal love mediating between
two extremes of such immeasurable distance; a love in-
finite, for a creature so insignificant and at the same time
so ungrateful! Oh, on what a low and debased object,
O Lord, dost Thou cast thy eyes, and on what a noble
Object can and should man fix his thought and his af-
fection in beholding such a mystery! Filled with ad-
miration and with sadness of heart, I lament over the un-
happy state of men, their darkness and blindness, since
they do not make any effort to understand how much
thy Majesty has been beforehand in looking down upon
them and in offering them true felicity with such great
love and care as if thy own consisted in it.
71. All his works, and the disposition of them, as they
were to be called into being, the Lord had in his mind
ab initio, and He numbered and weighed them according
to his equity and rectitude. He knew the constitution
of the world before its creation, as it is written in the
book of Wisdom (7, 18 Seq.). He knew the beginning,
the middle and the end of time, the changes of the years
and the courses of the ages, the disposition of the stars,
the powers of the elements, the nature of animals, the
wrath of wild beasts, the force of winds, the difference
of plants, the virtues of roots and the thoughts of men.
All He weighed and counted (Sap. 11, 21), not only
that which is literally true of the rational and irrational
creatures, but He preordained also all that which is sig-
nified mystically by these creatures. But as this comes
not within my scope at present, I do not speak of it in this
place.
CHAPTER VI.
CONCERNING A DOUBT, WHICH I PROPOSED REGARDING
THE DOCTRINE CONTAINED IN THESE CHAPTERS, AND
THE ANSWER TO IT.
12. In regard to the significance of the doctrine con-
tained in the last two chapters a doubt occurred to me,
and I have often heard and been informed by learned per-
sons, that the same is discussed also in the schools. The
doubt was as follows : If the principal motive of the
incarnation of the Word, was to make him Head and
the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1, 15) and, through
the hypostatic union with human nature, to communi-
cate his attributes and perfections, in a manner befitting
his grace and glory, to the predestined; and, if to as-
sume flesh capable of suffering and dying for man was
his secondary motive : then, if these assumptions are true,
how comes it, that there is such a diversity of opinion in
regard to it in the holy Church ? The most common
assumption is, that the eternal Word descended from
heaven expressly for the purpose of redeeming men
through his most holy Passion and Death.
ITi. This doubt I proposed humbly to the Lord. After
giving me an understanding and a great enlightenment,
by which I perceived and understood many mysteries, He
condescended to answer me. The mysteries themselves
I cannot explain, because the words of the Lord compre-
hend and mean so much. But his answer was as follows:
"My spouse and dove, hear : for as a Father and a Teacher
I will solve thy doubt and instruct thee in thy ignorance.
75
76 CIT^ OF GOD
Know, that the principal and legitimate end of the decree,
which I had in view in resolving to communicate my
Divinity in the hypostatic union of the Word with human
nature, was the glory, which would redound to my name
through this communication, and also that which was to
redound to the creatures capable thereof. This decree
would without doubt have been executed in the Incarna-
tion, even if the first man had not sinned : for it was an
express decree, substantially independent of any con-
dition. Therefore, the intention of my will, which was
primarily to communicate Myself to the soul and hu-
manity of the Word, was to be efficaciously fulfilled.
This was conformable to the justice and rectitude of my
works, and, although it was subsequent in its execution,
it was nevertheless antecedent in my intention. If I
waited before sending my Onlybegotten, it was because
I had resolved to prepare for Him beforehand a holy
and select congregation of the just, who, presupposing
the fall of mankind, would be like roses among the thorns,
that is, the sinners. Foreseeing the fall of the human
race, I determined, by an express decree, that the Word
should come in a form capable of suffering and death for
the Redemption of his people, whose head He was to be.
Thus my infinite love for man could be so much the more
known and manifest and a just satisfaction would be ren-
dered to my equity and justice; and if he, who was to be
first in existence, was a sinner : He that was to be first in
dignity, would be the Redeemer (I Cor. 15, 21). Thus
also men might come to know the gravity of sin, and love
one and the same Creator, Vivifier, Redeemer, and Judge
of all mortals. I also wished as it were, to compel them
to make a proper return of gratitude and love. Refusing
to punish them without reprieve, as I have punished the
apostate angels, but pardoning them and looking upon
THE CONCEPTION 77
them with mercy, I offered them an opportune remedy-
by executing the rigor of my justice upon my onlybe-
gotten Son and reserving for man the kindness of my
great mercy."
74. "And in order that thou mayest better undersJiand
the answer to thy doubt, remember, that there is neither
any succession of time in my decrees, nor any need of it
for the perception and the execution of them. Those that
say that the Word became incarnate in order to redeem
the world, say well; and those that say, that He would
have become incarnate also, if man had not sinned, like-
wise speak well, only it must be understood in the right
way. For if Adam had not sinned, Christ would have
descended from heaven in that form, which would be
suitable to the state of man's innocence ; but as Adam
sinned, I resolved by the secondary decree, that He
should be made of passible nature; since foreseeing sin,
it was proper, that it should be repaired in the way in
which He has done it. And as you desire to know, how
the mystery of the Incarnation would have taken place,
if man had preserved the state of innocence, know, that
the human substance would have been essentially the
same as now, only it would be clothed with the gifts of
impassibility and immortality, such as my Onlybegotten
possessed after his Resurrection and before his Ascension.
He would live and converse with men ; the hidden sacra-
ments and mysteries would all be manifest ; and many
times would his glory shine forth as it happened once in
his mortal life (Mark 17. 1). He would, in that state
of man's innocence, have become manifest to all men
in the same manner as He once showed Himself to the
three apostles in his mortal state. All those on the way
to heaven would see the great glory of my Onlybegotten ;
they would be consoled by conversing with Him and
7S> CITY OF GOD
they would place no obstacle to his divine workings, for
they would be without sin. But all this was impeded and
spoiled by the guilt of sin and on that account it was
proper, that He should come in passible and mortal
nature."
75. "The existence of different opinions regarding
these sacraments and other mysteries in the Church,
arises from the fact that I manifest and give light con-
cerning one set of mysteries to some teachers, and
illumine others concerning other mysteries ; for mortals
are not capable of receiving all the light. It is not ex-
pedient, that the knowledge of all things be given to one
man, as long as men are viators. For also in the state of
comprehensors, they obtain them in parts and according
to the state and the merits of each. But the plenitude of
all gifts is due only to the humanity of my Onlybegotten
and to his Mother in proper proportion. The other
mortals receive it neither entirely, nor is it always given
so clearly, as to assure them altogether. Therefore they
must acquire it by means of study and the use of letters
and science There are also many truths revealed in
holy Scriptures and to some men light is given from
above. Yet, as I leave most men to work by their natural
light, it must follow, that they understand these mys-
teries in different senses, and that there exist different ex-
planations and different meanings regarding the different
passages in Scripture; for each adheres to his opinion
according to his understanding. Many have a good in-
tention and the light and truth is essentially one, but it
is made use of with diversity of judgment and inclina-
tions, so that some adhere to these teachers, others to
those and so the controversies arise among them."
76. "One of the reasons why the opinion, that the
Word came from heaven mainly for the sake of redeem-
THE CONCEPTION 79
ing the world, is more common can be partly explained
by the fact, that the mystery of the Redemption with its
object has already been consummated and has been men-
tioned so often in Scriptures, thus causing it to be better
understood and manifested. The impassibility of Christ
on the contrary was neither effected, nor was it simply
and absolutely decreed. All that pertained to this state
remains concealed and nobody could be sure of it, ex-
cept those particular ones, whom I select for the reception
of that light, and for the revelation of this decree of my
love for man. And although this would certainly be
capable of moving men, if they would ponder over it and
penetrate it ; yet the decree and the work of his Re-
demption from sin is more powerful and efficacious to
move them toward some acknowledgment and return of
my immense love ; for this is the end, which prompts my
works. Therefore I fittingly provide, that these motives
and mysteries be kept especially before the mind and be
more frequently expounded. Advert also, that in one
work two results can well be intended, when one of them
is conditional. Thus it was that the Word would not
have descended in passible flesh, if man had not sinned,
and if he would sin. He would come in a body capable of
suffering: whatever would happen the decree of the In-
carnation would not be left unfulfilled. I desire, that the
sacraments of the Redemption be recognized and held in
esteem and that they be always remembered, in order
that they may bring the proper fruit. But just as much
I desire, that the mortals recognize the Word as their
Head and as the final Object of all Creation and of all
the rest of the human race. For. conjointly with my own
kindness, his formation was the principal motive for giv-
ing existence to the creatures. Therefore He should be
honored, not onlv because He has redeemed the human
80 CITY OF GOD
race, but also because he furnished the motive for its
creation."
77 . "Take notice also, my spouse, that very often I
permit and cause differences of opinions among the doc-
tors and teachers. Thus some of them maintain what is
true and others, according to their natural disposition,
defend what is doubtful. Others still again are per-
mitted to say even what is not true, though not in open
contradiction to the veiled truths of faith, which all
must hold. Some also teach, what is possible according
to their supposition. By this varied light, truth is traced,
and the mysteries of faith become more manifest. Doubt
serves as a stimulus to the understanding for the investi-
gation of truth. Therefore controversies of the teachers
fulfill a proper and holy end. They are also permitted
in order, to make it known, that real science dwells in
my Church more than in the combined study of all the
holy and perfect teachers, and that she can make them
wise above the wisdom of the worldly wise; that there
is above them One, who is the Prompter of the wise
(Wis. 7, 15), namely, Myself; who alone knows all
and comprehends all ; who weighs and measures, without
ever being measured or comprehended (Wis. 9, 13) ;
that men, although they may search my judgments and
testimonies ever so much, cannot attain them, unless I
give the intelligence and light (Job 32, 8), who am the
beginning and the Author of all wisdom and science. I
desire that men, in acknowledging all this, give Me praise,
exaltation, confession, supremity and glory forever."
78. "I desire also that the holy doctors acquire for
themselves much grace, light and glory by their earnest,
laudable and sacred study, and that the truth be more
and more clearly detected and purified, and be traced to
its source. By humbly investigating the mysteries and
THE CONCEPTION 81
the admirable works of my right hand, they come to be
partakers of them and of the bread of the understanding,
the holy Scriptures (Excli. 15, 3). I have especially
shown my Providence in regard to doctors and teachers,
although their opinions and doubts have been so diverse
and for such different ends. Sometimes, for my greater
glory and honor, sometimes for earthly purposes, they
are permitted to dispute, and to contradict each other;
and there is a great inequality in the manner in which
they have proceeded and do proceed to show their emula-
tion and earnestness. But with all this I have directed,
governed and enlightened them, giving them my protec-
tion in such a manner, that the truth may be investigated
and clearly manifested. The light has spread out, so
that many of my perfections and wonderful works have
been made known, and the holy Scriptures have been in-
terpreted according to high standards, which has been
very pleasing to Me. For this reason the fury of hell,
with inconceivable envy (especially in these, our times),
has raised its throne of iniquity, pretending to engulf the
waters of the Jordan (Job 40, 18), and obscure the light
of holy faith by heretical doctrines and seeking to sow its
false seeds by the help of man (Matth. 13, 25). But
the rest of the Church and its truths are in most perfect
order; the Catholics, although much involved and blind in
other respects, hold nevertheless the truths of faith and its
holy light without diminution. I call all men with
fatherly love to share this happiness, yet few are the elect,
who choose to respond to my call."
79. "I also desire thee to understand, my spouse, how
well my Providence disposes things in such a way. that
the teachers, by the diversity of their opinions, and by
their own diligent exertion and study, scrutinize more
deeply my testimonies and thus lay bare the marrow of
82 CITY OF GOD
the holy Scriptures to wayfaring men. But it would be
very pleasing to Me and in harmony with my service, if
learned persons would extinguish and do away with
pride, envy and ambition after vain honors; also all the
other passions and vices, which arise from them, together
with the bad seeds, that are likely to be generated from
that sort of occupation (Matth. 13, 25). But I do not
root out this bad seed at present, in order that the good
may not be rooted out with the bad." All this the Lord
spoke to me and many other things, which I cannot make
manifest. May his Majesty eternally be blessed, who,
without disdaining the insignificance of so insipient and
useless a woman, deemed it proper to enlighten and to
satisfy my ignorance in so bountiful and merciful a man-
ner. May the blessed spirits and the just of the earth
give Him praise and thanksgiving without end !
I
CHAPTER VII.
HOW THE MOST HIGH GAVE A BEGINNING TO HIS WORKS
AND CREATED ALL MATERIAL THINGS FOR THE USE OF
MAN, WHILE ANGELS AND MEN WERE CREATED TO BE
HIS PEOPLE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE INCAR-
NATE WORD.
80. The Cause of all causes is God, who created all
things that have being. His powerful arm gave exist-
ence to all his wonderful works ad extra when and how
He chose. The beginning and succession of the work of
Creation is described by Moses in the opening chapter
of Genesis. Since the Lord has given me an understand-
ing thereof, I will mention what I think useful for eluci-
dating the mysterious origin of the Incarnation of the
Word and of our Redemption.
81. The words of the first chapter of Genesis are as
follows :
1. "In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
2. "And the earth was void and empty, and dark-
ness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of
God moved over the waters.
3. "And God said : Be light made. And light was
made.
4. "And God saw the light that it was good; and
he divided the light from the darkness.
5. "And he called the light day. and the darkness
night ;and there was evening and morning one day," etc.
Of the first day Moses says that "In the beginning God
created heaven and earth." Though He himself is im-
mutable in being, the almighty God, in calling creatures
into existence, issued, so to say, forth from his own Self
and gave to creatures a being of their own, in order that
He might, as it were, rejoice in the works of his own
8.^
84 CITY OF GOD
hands, as being the perfect and adequate resuUs of his
operations. And before creating intellectual and ra-
tional creatures, desiring also the order of executing these
works to be most perfect, He created heaven for angels
and men; and the earth as a place of pilgrimage for
mortals. These places are so adapted to their end and so
perfect, that as David says of them, the heavens publish
the glory of the Lord, the firmament and the earth an-
nounce the glory of the works of his hands (Ps. 18, 2).
The heavens in their beauty manifest his magnificence
and glory, because in them is deposited the predestined
reward of the just. And the earthly firmament an-
nounced that there would be creatures and men to in-
habit the earth and that men should journey upon it to
their Creator. Before He created them the Most High
wished to provide for them and create that which is
necessary for the attainment of their end, and for living
in the manner ordained for them. Thus all parts of the
creation would be compelled as it were to obey and love
their Maker and Benefactor and by his works to learn
of his holy name and of his perfections (Rom. 1, 20).
82. Of the earth Moses says, that it was void, which
he does not say of the heavens ; for God had created the
angels at the instant indicated by the word of Moses:
"God said : Let there be light, and light was made." He
speaks here not only of material light, but also of the
intellectual or angelic lights. He does not make express
mention of them, but merely includes them in this word,
on account of the proclivity of the Hebrews to attribute
Divinity to new things, even of much greater inferiority
than the angels. But the metaphor of light was very
appropriate to signify the angelic nature and mystically,
the light of their science and grace, with which they
were endowed at their creation. God created the earth
conjointly with the heavens, in order to call into exist-
THE CONCEPTIOX 85
ence hell in its centre; for, at the instant of its creation,
there were left in the interior of that globe spacious and
wide cavities, suitable for hell, purgatory and limbo. And
in hell was created at the same time material tire and
other requisites, which now serve for the punishment of
the damned. The Lord was presently to divide the light
from the darkness and to call the light day and the dark-
ness night. And this did happen not only in regard to
the natural night and day, but in regard to the good and
bad angels; for to the good. He gave the eternal light
of his vision and called it day, the eternal day; and to
the bad, the night of sin, casting them into the eternal
darkness of hell. Thus we were to be taught the inti-
mate relation between the merciful liberality of the Cre-
ator and Vivifier and the justice of the most just Judge
in punishment.
83. The angels were created in the empyrean heavens
and in the state of grace by which they might be first to
merit the reward of glory. For although they were in
the midst of glory, the Divinity itself was not to be
made manifest to them face to face and unveiled, until
they should have merited such a favor by obeying the
divine will. The holy angels, as well as the bad ones,
remained only a very short time in the state of proba-
tion ; for their creation and probation with its result
were three distinct instants or moments, separated by
short intermissions. In the first instant they were all
created and endowed with graces and gifts, coming into
existence as most beautiful and perfect creatures. Then
followed a short pause, during which the will of the
Creator was propounded and intimated, and the law and
command was given them, to acknowledge Him as their
Maker and supreme Lord, and to fulfill the end for
which they had been created. During this pause, in-
stant or interval. Saint Michael and his angels fought
86 CITY OF GOD
that great battle with the dragon and his followers,
which is described by the apostle Saint John in the
twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse. The good angels,
persevering in grace, merited eternal happiness and the
disobedient ones, rebelling against God, merited the pun-
ishment, which they now suffer.
84. Although all this of the second instant could have
happened in a very brief time on account of the subtle
nature of the angels and the power of God, never-
theless I understood, that the kind consideration of the
Most High permitted a certain delay. With the inter-
position of some intervals of time. He proposed to them
the good and the bad, truth and falsehood, justice
and injustice, divine grace and friendship as op-
posed to sin and enmity of God. They were enabled to
see eternal reward and eternal punishment, the perdition
of Lucifer and of those that would follow him. His
Majesty showed them hell and its pains. They saw it
all ; for, by virtue of their superior and excellent nature,
they understood the essence of other more qualified
and limited creatures ; so that, before falling from grace,
they were clearly aware of the place of their chastise-
ment. Although they did not know in the same man-
ner the reward of glory, they had of it other knowledge
and besides they had the manifest and express promise
of the Lord The Most High had therefore justified
his cause and proceeded with the greatest equity and
justice. But as all this goodness and equity did not suf-
fice to restrain Lucifer and his folloAvers, they were
chastised in their stubbornness and hurled into the depths
of the hellish caverns, while the good angels were con-
firmed in eternal grace and glory. All this was con-
summated in the third instant, and thus it became truly
manifest that no being outside of God himself is im-
peccable by nature, since the angel, who held such an
THE CONCEPTION 87
exalted position and was adorned with so many great
gifts of knowledge and grace, nevertheless sinned and was
lost. What will become of human frailty, if the divine
power does not defend it and if it forces God to forsake it ?
85. It remains to investigate the motive, which urged
Lucifer and his confederates to sin and what was the
occasion of their disobedience and fall, for this is the
point to which I wanted to come. In regard to this, it
was made known to me that they could commit many
sins as far as the guilt of sin (secundum reatum) is con-
cerned, although they did not consummate them in acts.
However, on account of those which they did actually
commit freely and of their own depraved will, they ac-
quired the disposition to all bad acts, inducing others to
commit and approving in others those sins, which they
could not commit themselves. Following the bad incli-
nations which from that time on filled Lucifer, he fell
into a most disorderly self love, which arose from the
consciousness of being endowed with greater gifts and
greater beauty of nature and grace, than the other in-
ferior angels. He tarried with inordinate pleasure in
this consciousness; and thus self-satisfied he became lax
and remiss in the gratitude, which was due to God as
the sole cause of all that he had received. Turning
Jigain and again in admiration toward himself, he took
pleasure in his own beauty and grace, attributing them
to himself and loving them' as his own. This disorderly
selflove not only caused him to exalt himself on account
of the superior virtues, which he had received, but also
induced him to harbor envy and covetousness for other
gifts and for excellences not his own. Then, because he
could not attain them, he conceived a mortal hatred and
indignation against God, who created him out of noth-
ing, and against all his creatures.
86. Hence arose his disobedience, presumption, injus-
88 CITY OF GOD
tice, infidelity, blasphemy, and perhaps also a certain
kind of idolatry, for he coveted for himself the adora-
tion and reverence due to God. He blasphemed the di-
vine magnificence and holiness, he failed in the trust
and loyalty due to Him; he plotted to destroy all the
creatures, and presumed to be able to do all this and
much more by his own power. Thus his pride ascends
continually (Ps. 7Z, 23) and perseveres, though his ar-
rogance is greater than his strength, for in this he can-
not increase (Is. 16, 6) and in sin, one abyss calls the
other (Ps. 14, 8). The first angel who sinned was Luci-
fer, as is described in the fourteenth chapter of Isaias.
He induced others to follow him and therefore he is
called the prince of the demons; not on account of his
natural gifts, for these would not secure to him that
title, but on account of his guilt. Those that sinned
were not all of one order or hierarchy, but among all
hierarchies there were many who sinned.
87. It is proper, that 1 also explain what was made
known to me concerning the kind of honor and excel-
lence, which Lucifer aspired to and envied. As in the
works of God there is measure, number and weight
(Wis. 11, 21), his Providence decided to show to the
angels, immediately after their creation and before they
could incline to diverse ends, the purpose for which He
had created them with such an exalted and perfect na-
ture. Of all this I obtained the following information :
At first they received a more explicit intelligence of the
being of God, one in substance, trine in person, and that
they were commanded to adore and reverence Him as
their Creator and highest Lord, infinite in his essence
and attributes. All subjected themselves to this com-
mand and obeyed it, but with a certain difference; the
good angels obeyed through love and on account of the
justice of it, offering their love and good will, freely
THE CONCEPTION 89
admitting and believing what was above their intelH-
gence. and obeying with joy. Lucifer, on the other
hand, submitted himself, because the opposite seemed
to him impossible. He did not do it with perfect char-
ity, for he, as it were, was divided in his will between
himself and the infallible truth of the Lord. In conse-
quence it happened that the precept appeared to him in a
measure difficult and violent, and his fultilling of it was
wanting in love and in the desire to do justice. Thus he
exposed himself beforehand to the danger of not perse-
vering. Although grace did not leave him on account
of this remissness and slowness in the accomplishment
of these first acts, nevertheless his bad disposition be-
gan with them ; for there remained with him a certain
weakness and laxity of virtue and spirit, and the perfec-
tion of his nature did not shine forth as it should. It
appears to me that the effect of this remissness in Luci-
fer, is similar to that which is caused in the soul by a
deliberate venial sin. I do not say that he sinned mor-
tally, nor even venially at that time, since he fulfilled the
precept of God ; but this fulfillment was remiss and im-
perfect, springing more from a sense of overwhelming
compulsion, than from a loving willingness to obey.
Thus he put himself in danger of falling.
88. In the second place, the angels were informed that
God was to create a human nature and reasoning crea-
tures lower than themselves, in order that they too
should love, fear and reverence God, as their Author
and eternal Good. They were informed that these were
to stand in high favor, and that the second Person of
the blessed Trinity was to become incarnate and assume
their nature, raising it to the hypostatic union and to
divine Personality; that therefore they were to acknowl-
edge Him as their Head, not only as God, but as God
and man. adoring Him and reverencing Him as God-
90 CITY OF GOD
man. Moreover, these same angels were to be his in-
feriors in dignity and grace and were to be his serv-
ants. God gave them an intelHgence of the propriety
and equity, of the justice and reasonableness of such a
position. For the acceptation of the merits foreseen
of this Mangod was exhibited to them as the source of
the grace which they now possessed and of the glory
which they were to obtain. They understood also that
they themselves had been, and all the rest of the crea-
tures should be created for his glory, and that He was
to be their Head. All those that were capable of know-
ing and enjoying God, were to be the people of the Son
of God, to know and reverence Him as their Chief.
These commands were at once given to the angels.
89. To this command all the obedient and holy angel?,
submitted themselves and they gave their full assent and
acknowledgment with an humble and loving subjection
of the will. But Lucifer, full of envy and pride, resisted
and induced his followers to resist likewise, as they in
reality did, preferring to follow him and disobey the
divine command. This wicked prince persuaded them,
that he would be their chief and that he would set up a
government independent and separate from Christ. So
great w^as the blindness which envy and pride could cause
in an angel, and so pernicious was the infection that the
contagion of sin spread among innumerable other angels.
90. Then happened that great battle in heaven, which
St. John describes (Apoc. 12). For the obedient and
holy angels, filled with an ardent desire of hastening the
glory of the Most High and the honor of the incarnate
Word, asked permission and, as it were, the consent of
God, to resist and contradict the dragon, and the per-
mission was granted. But also another mystery was con-
cealed in all this : When it was revealed to the angels
that they would have to obey the incarnate Word, an-
I
THE CONCEPTION 91
other, a third precept was given them, namely, that they
were to admit as a superior conjointly with Him, a
Woman, in whose womb the Onlybegotten of the Father
was to assume llesh and that this Woman was to be the
Queen and Mistress of all the creatures. The good an-
gels by obeying this command of the Lord, with still in-
creasing and more alert humility, freely subjected them-
selves, praising the power and the mysteries of the Most
High. Lucifer, however, and his confederates, rose to
a higher pitch of pride and boastful insolence. In dis-
orderly fury he aspired to be himself the head of all the
human race and of the angelic orders, and if there was
to be a hypostatic union, he demanded that it be con-
summated in him.
91. The decree constituting him inferior to the
Mother of the Incarnate Word, our ^Mistress, he op-
posed with horrible blasphemies. Turning against the
Author of these great wonders in unbridled indignation
and calling upon the other angels, he exhorted them,
saying: "Unjust are these commands and injury is done
to mv greatness ; this human nature which Thou, Lord,
lookest upon wnth so much love and which thou favor-
est so highly, I will persecute and destroy. To this end
I will direct all my power and all my aspirations. And
this Woman, IMother of the Word. I will hurl from the
position in which Thou hast proposed to place Her, and
at my hands, the plan, which Thou settest up, shall come
to naught."
92. This proud boast so aroused the indignation of
the Lord that in order to humble it. He spoke to Luci-
fer: "This Woman, whom thou refusest to honor, shall
crush thy head and by Her shalt thou be vanquished and
annihilated (Gen. 3, 15). And if. through thy pride,
death enters into the world (Wis. 2, 24). life and salva-
tion of mortals shall enter through the humility of this
92 CITY OF GOD
Woman. Those that are of the nature and likeness of
that Man and Woman, shall enjoy the gifts and the
crowns, which thou and thy followers have lost." To
all this the dragon, filled with indignation against what-
ever he understood of the divine will and decrees, an-
swered only with pride and by threatening destruction
to the whole human race. The good angels saw the just
indignation of the Most High against Lucifer and his
apostates and they combated them with the arms of the
understanding, reason and truth.
93. The Almighty at this conjuncture worked an-
other wonderful mystery. Having given to all the angels
a sufficiently clear intelligence of the great mystery of
the hypostatic Union, He showed them the image of
the most holy Virgin by means of an imaginary vision
(I speak here according to our way of understanding
such things). They were shown the perfection of the
human nature in the revelation of an image represent-
ing a most perfect Woman, in whom the almighty arm
of the Most High would work more wonderfully than
in all the rest of the creatures. For therein He was to
deposit the graces and gifts of his right hand in a higher
and more eminent manner. This sign or vision of the
Queen of heaven and of the Mother of the incarnate
Word was made known and manifest to all the angels,
good and bad. The good ones at the sign of it broke
forth in admiration and in canticles of praise and from
that time on began to defend the honor of the God in-
carnate and of his holy Mother, being armed with ardent
zeal and with the invincible shield of that vision. The
dragon and his allies on the contrary conceived implac-
able hatred and fury against Christ and his most holy
Mother. Then happened all that which is described in the
twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse, which I will explain,
as far as it has been given me, in the following chapter.
CHAPTER VIII.
WHICH FOLLOWS UP Tut PREVIOUS DISCOURSE BY THE
EXPLANATION OF THE TWELFTH CHAPTER OF THE
APOCALYPSE.
94. The literal version of that chapter of the Apoc-
alypse is as follows :
1. "And a great sign appeared in heaven: A
woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her
feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
2. And being with child, she cried travailing in
birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
3. And there was seen another sign in heaven ; and
behold a great red dragon having seven heads and
ten horns; and on his head seven diadems.
4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of
heaven and cast them to the earth and the dragon
stood before the woman, who was ready to be deliv-
ered; that, when she should be delivered, he might
devour her son.
5. And she brought forth a man-child, who was to
rule all nations with an iron rod; and her son was
taken up to God, and to his throne.
6. And the woman fled into the wilderness where
she had a place prepared by God, that there they
should feed her a thousand two hundred and sixty
days.
7. And there was a great battle in heaven ; Michael
and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon
fought and his angels.
93
94 CITY OF GOD
8. And they prevailed not, neither was their place
found any more in heaven.
9. And the dragon w^as cast out, that old serpent,
who is called the devil and satan, who seduceth the
whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his
ang-els were thrown down with him.
10. And I heard a loud voice saying: Now is come
salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God
and the power of his Christ; because the accuser of
our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before
our God day and night.
11. And they overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of the testimony, and they
loved not their lives unto death.
12. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that
dwell therein. Woe to the earth and the sea, because
the devil is come down unto you, having a great
wrath and knowing that he hath but a short time.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast un-
to the earth he persecuted the woman, who brought
forth the man-child:
14. And there were given to the woman two wings
of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert
unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and
times and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the
woman, water as if it were a river, that he might
cause her to be carried away by the river.
16. And the earth helped the woman and the earth
opened her mouth and swallowed the river, which the
dragon cast out of his mouth.
17. And the dragon was angry against the woman
and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who
THE CONCEPTION 95
keep the commandments of God, and have the testi-
mony of Jesus Christ.
18. And he stood upon the sands of the sea."
95. Such are the words of the Evangelist. He speaks
in the past, because at that time was shown to him a
vision of that which had already happened. He says :
"And a great sign appeared in heaven ; a woman clothed
with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her
head a crown of twelve stars." This sign appeared
really in the heavens by divine disposition and was
shown to the good and the bad angels, in order that see-
ing it, they might subject their will to the pleasure and
the commands of God. They saw it therefore before
the good ones chose the good and before the bad ones
had turned to evil. It was as it were a mirror of the
wonderful perfection of the handiwork of God in creat-
ing human nature. Although He had already revealed
this perfection to the angels in making known to them
the mystery of the hypostatic union, yet He wished to
reveal it to them also in a dififerent manner by showing
it to them in a mere Creature, the most perfect and holy
which, next to the humanity of our Lord, He was to
create. It was also a sign for the assurance of the good
angels and for confusion of the bad, since it manifested
to them that in spite of the ofTense which was commit-
ted, God would not let the decree of creating man be un-
fultilled, and that the incarnate Word and this Woman,
his Mother, would please Him infinitely more than the
disobedient angels could ever displease Him. This sign
was also like the rainbow, which appeared after the flood
in the clouds of heaven, as a guarantee that even if men
should sin like the angels and become disobedient, they
were not to be punished like the angels without remis-
sion, but would be furnished with salutars- medicine and
96 CITY OF GOD
remedy by this wonderful sign. It was as if God said to
the angels : I will not chastise in the same way the other
creatures which I call into my existence, because this
Woman, in whom my Onlybegotten is to assume flesh,
belongs to that race. My Son shall be the Restorer of
friendship and the Pacifier of my justice; He shall open
the way to the felicity, which sin would close.
96. In further testimony of this, after the punishment
of the disobedient angels, God made use of the sign in
order to show that his anger, which the pride of Lucifer
had occasioned, was appeased and placated. And ac-
cording to our way of understanding, He rejoiced in the
presence of the Queen thus represented in that image.
He gave the angels to understand that, through Christ
and his Mother, He would now divert upon men the
grace which the apostates had lost through their rebel-
lion. There was also another effect of that great sign
among the good angels ; namely, that since they had
been, as it were, made sorrowful and made unhappy
(speaking according to our way of understanding) the
Most High now wished to rejoice them with the sight of
that image and to increase their essential beatitude by
this accidental pleasure merited by their victory over
Lucifer. Seeing this Woman so full of clemency (Es-
ther 4, 11), appearing to them as a sign of peace, they
understood at once that the decree of punishment was
not issued against them, since they had obeyed the pre-
cepts of the Lord and his divine will. Much of the
mysteries and sacraments of the Incarnation, and those
of the Church militant and its members, were made
manifest to them in this sign. They understood also,
that they were to assist and help the human race, by
watching over men, by defending them against their
enemies and by leading them to eternal felicity. They
THE CONCEPTION 97
saw that they themselves would owe their felicity to the
merits of the incarnate Word and that the Creator had
preserved them also in grace through Christ preordained
in the divine Mind.
97. Just as all this was a great joy and happiness
for the good angels, so it was a great torment for the
evil spirits. It was to the latter a part and the begin-
ning of their punishment. For they saw at once, that
having failed to profit by this sign, they were to be con-
quered and crushed by it (3, 15). All these mysteries,
and many others, which I cannot explain, the Evangelist
wished to comprehend in this chapter, and include in
that great sign; although for us it will remain obscure
and enigmatic until the proper time arrives.
98. The sun, which is mentioned as clothing the
Woman, is the true Sun of Justice. The angels were
to understand by it, that the Most High was to remain
with this Woman by his grace in order to overshadow
and defend Her by the protection of his invincible right
hand. The moon was beneath her feet; for as the two
planets, the sun and the moon, divide night and day,
therefore the moon, being the symbol of the darkness of
sin, is beneath her feet, and the sun, being the symbol
of the light of grace, clothes Her for all eternity. Thus
also the deficiencies of grace in all mortals must be be-
neath her feet, and never must rise either to her soul or
to her body, which on the contrary were to be ever su-
perior to all angels and men. She alone was to be free
from the darkness and the wanings of Lucifer and of
Adam, treading them under foot without their being
able to gain any advantage over Her. And just as She
rose above all the guilt and the effects of original and of
actual sin, God now placed these in a symbolical manner
under her feet, in order that the good angels might know,
98 CITY OF GOD
and the bad ones, (though they did not attain full knowl-
edge of the mysteries), might fear this Woman even
before She came into actual existence.
99. The crown of twelve stars are evidently all the
virtues, with which that Queen of heaven and earth was
to be adorned. But the mystery of its being composed
of twelve stars has reference to the twelve tribes of Is-
rael, by which all the elect and the predestined are desig-
nated, as is mentioned in the seventh chapter of the
Apocalypse by the Evangelist (Apoc. 7, 4). And since
the gifts, graces and virtues of all the elect were to
crown their Queen in a most eminent and exalted de-
gree, a crown of twelve stars was placed around her
head.
100. "And being with child." In the presence of all
the angels, for the rejoicing of the good and for the
punishment of the evil ones, who resisted the divine will
and the fulfillment of these mysteries, it became mani-
fest that the three Persons of the blessed Trinity had
selected this wonderful Woman as the Mother of the
Onlybegotten of the Father. And since the dignity of
the mother of the Word was the principal beginning and
foundation of all the great excellences of this great Mis-
tress and of this her symbol, She was shown to the
angels as being the resting place of the holy Trinity,
represented in the divine personality of the Word incar-
nate. For on account of their inseparable union and co-
existence, all the three Persons could not fail to be
there, wherever any one of Them was present; although
only the Person of the Word assumed human flesh and
with Him alone was She pregnant.
101. "She cried travailing in birth." Although the
dignity of this Queen and of that mystery was to be hid-
den in the beginning in order that God might be born
THE CONCEPTION 99
humble, poor and unknown : yet afterwards the news of
that Birth was proclaimed so loudly, that its first echo
excited King Herod and filled him with uneasiness. It
drew the j\Iagi from their palaces and kingdoms in
order to find Him (Matth. 2, 3). Some hearts were
touched with fear, others moved to interior affection.
The Fruit of this birth, growing until it was raised on
the Cross, gave such loud voices, that It was heard from
the rising to the setting sun (John 12, 32), and from
farthest north to farthest south (Rom. 10, 18). So far
then was heard the voice of that Woman who gave birth
to the Word of the eternal Father.
102. "And was in pain to be delivered." He does not
say this because She was to give birth in bodily pain,
for that is not possible in this divine Parturition. But
because it was to be a great sorrow for that Mother to
see that divine Infant come forth from the secrecy of
her virginal womb in order to suffer and die as a victim
for the satisfaction of the sins of the world. For this
Queen could know and did know all this beforehand by
her knowledge of the holy Scriptures. On account of
the natural love of such a Mother for such a Son, She
must be deeply afflicted thereby, although in subjection
to the will of God. In this pain was also foreshadowed
the sorrow of this most gentle Mother at the thought of
being deprived of the presence of her Treasure, after
He should have issued from her virginal womb ; for al-
though her soul always enjoyed his presence as to his
Divinity, yet She was to be a long time without his bod-
ily presence, according to which He was exclusively her
Son. The Most High had determined to exempt Her
from guilt, but not from the labors and sorrows corres-
ponding to the reward, which was prepared for Her.
Thus the sorrows of this birth were not the effect of sin,
100 CITY OF GOD
as they are in the descendants of Eve, but they were the
effect of the intense and perfect love of the most holy
Mother for her divine Son. All these mysteries were
motives of praise and admiration for the good angels
and the beginning of punishment for the bad angels.
103. "And there was seen another sign in heaven;
and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and
ten horns; and on his head were seven diadems, and his
tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast
them to the earth." Thereupon followed the punish-
ment of Lucifer and his allies; for after uttering his
blasphemies against the Woman, who had been symbol-
ized in the heavenly sign, he found himself visibly and
exteriorly transformed from a most beautiful angel in-
to a fierce and most horrid dragon. He reared with
fury his seven heads, that is, he led on the seven legions
or squadrons of all those that followed and fell with
him. To each principality or congregation of these fol-
lowers he gave a head, commanding them to sin on their
own account and undertake the leadership in the seven
mortal sins, which are commonly called capital. For in
these are contained the other sins and they constitute as
it were the regiments that rise up against God. They
are the sins called pride, envy, avarice, anger, luxury,
intemperance and sloth. They are the seven diadems
with which Lucifer, after being changed into a dragon,
was crowned. This is the punishment with which he
was visited by the Most High and which he acquired as a
return for his horrible wickedness for himself and for his
confederate angels. To all of them were apportioned
the punishment and the pains, which corresponded to
their malice and to the share which they had in origi-
nating the seven capital sins.
104. The ten horns were the triumphs of the iniquity
THE CONCEPTION 101
and malice of the dragon, and the vain and arrogant
glorification and exaltation which he attributed to him-
self in the execution of his wickedness. In his depraved
desire of attaining the object of his arrogance, he of-
fered to the unhappy angels his malicious and poison-
ous friendship and his counterfeit principalities, com-
manderships and rewards. These promises, full of bes-
tial ignorance and error, were the tail with which the
dragon drew after him the third part of the stars of
heaven. These angels were the stars and if they would
have persevered, they would have shone with the rest of
the angels and the just, like the sun through the per-
petual eternities (Dan. 12, 3). But the punishment
which they merited drew them down to the earth of
their unhappiness into its very centre, which is hell,
where they will for all eternity be deprived of light and
happiness (Jude 6).
105. "And the dragon stood before the woman, who
w^as ready to be delivered ; that when She should be
delivered, he might devour her Son." The pride of
Lucifer was so boundless that he pretended to place his
throne on high, and with the utmost boasting he spoke
in presence of the Woman symbolized in the heavenly
sign : "This Son, which that Woman is to bring forth,
is of lower nature than mine : I shall devour Him and
destroy Him. I shall lead on my followers against Him.
I shall spread my doctrines against his decrees and
against the laws, which He shall set up. I shall wage
perpetual war and contradiction against Him." But the
answer of the most high Lord was that this Woman was
to bring forth a Manchild. who was to reign over tlie
nations with an iron rod. "This Man" (the Lord
added) "shall be not only the Son of that Woman, but
He shall also be my Son. true God and true man, gifted
102 CITY OF GOD
with power to overcome thy pride and crush thy head.
He will be to thee and to all those who hear and follow
thee, a powerful Judge, who shall rule thee with a rod
of iron and bring to naught all thy vain and aspiring
thoughts. This Son shall be taken up to my throne,
where He shall be seated at my right hand as Judge,
and I will place his enemies for a footstool beneath his
feet in order to triumph over them (Ps, 2, 9). He will
be rewarded as the Just man, who, being at the same
time true God, has done so much for his creatures; all
shall know Him and shall give Him reverence and hon-
or (Ps. 109, 1). But thou, as the most unhappy, shalt
know what is the day of the wrath of the Allpowerful
(Sophon 1, 14). This Woman, too, shall be placed in
solitude, where She will have a place assigned by Me"
(Apos. 12, 6). This solitude, to which the Woman
fled, is the position which our great Queen holds, as be-
ing only and alone, unsurpassed in sanctity and exempt
from all sin. For She, being of the same nature as mor-
tals, far excelled all the angels in grace, merits and
gifts attained in common with them. Thus, She who
was the only One and without a compeer among crea-
tures, fled and was placed in a solitude exalted above all
the rest. This solitude was so far removed from all sin
that the dragon could not even attain sight of it, nor
could he from the time of her Conception discern any-
thing of Her. The Most High placed Her alone and
as the only One in the world, who never had intercourse
with, and never was in subordination to the serpent. On
the contrary, with solemn promise and assurance He
affirmed and decreed : "This Woman, from the first in-
stant of her existence, shall be my only One, chosen for
Myself; I exempt Her even now from the jurisdiction
of her enemies and I will assign to Her a position of
THE CONCEPTION 103
grace most eminent and incomparable, in order that
there She may be nourished one thousand two hundred
and sixty days" (Apos. 12, 6). That number of days
the Queen was to remain in an interior and spiritual
state of most exalted and extraordinary graces, which
were to be more memorable and wonderful. This hap-
pened in the last years of her life, as, with the help of
God, I will relate in its place. In that state She was
nourished in such a divine manner, that our understand-
ing will never be able to grasp it. And because these
graces were in a certain measure the end toward which
others of the life of the Queen of heaven were ordained,
and, as it were, their culmination, the Evangelist makes
a special mention of them.
CHAPTER IX.
The rest op the twelfth chapter oe the apoca-
lypse IS EXPLAINED.
106. "And there was a great battle in heaven; Michael
and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon
fought and his angels." When the Lord had manifested
these things to the good and to the bad angels, the
holy prince Michael and his companions, with the per-
mission of God, gave battle to the dragon and his fol-
lowers. It was a wonderful battle, for it was fought
with the understanding and the will. Saint Michael,
burning with zeal for the honor of God and armed with
divine power and with his own humility, resisted the
arrogant pride of the dragon, saying: "Worthy is the
Highest of honor, praise and reverence, and of being
loved, feared and obeyed by all creation. He is mighty
to work whatever He desires. He that is increate and
without dependence on any other being, cannot seek any-
thing that is not most just. To us He gave grace such
as we have, creating us and forming us out of noth-
ing. He can create other beings, as many and in what
manner He pleases. It is reasonable that we, submissive
and prostrate in his presence, adore his Majesty and
kingly grandeur. Come then, ye angels, follow me, let
us adore Him, and extol his admirable and secret judg-
ments, his most perfect and holy works. God is most
exalted and above all creatures, and He would not be
the Most High, if we could attain or comprehend his
great works. Infinite He is in wisdom and goodness,
104
THE CONCEPTION 105
rich in the treasures of his benefits. As Lord of all and
needing none, He can distribute them to whomsoever
He wishes, and He cannot err in the selection. He can
love and confer his favor to whomsoever He chooses, and
He can love whom He likes; He can raise up, create
and enrich according as it is his good pleasure. In all
things He will be wise, holy and irresistible. Let us
adore and thank Him for the wonderful work of the In-
carnation which He has decreed, and for his favors to
his people and for its restoration to grace after its fall.
Let us adore this Person endowed with the human and
the divine nature, let us reverence It and accept It as
our Head ; let us confess, that He is worthy of all glon^',
praise and magnificence, and, as the Author of grace, let
us give Him glory and acknowledge his power and Di-
vinity."
107. With such arms St. Michael and his angels gave
battle, fighting as it were, with the powerful rays of
truth against the dragon and his followers, who on their
hand made use of blasphemies. But Lucifer at the sight
of the holy prince, not being able to resist, was torn
with interior rage and sought to tly from his torments;
it was the will of God, however, that he should not only
be punished, but also conquered, in order that by his fall
he might know the truth and power of God. Neverthe-
less he blasphemed and cried out: "L'njust is God in
raising the human nature above the angelic. I am the
most exalted and beautiful angel and the triumph be-
longs to me. It is I who am to place my throne above
the stars and who shall be like unto the Highest; I will
subject myself to no one of an inferior nature, and I will
not consent that any one take precedence of me or be
greater than I." In the same way spoke the apostate
followers of Lucifer. But St. Micliael answered: "Who
106 CITY OF GOD
is there like unto the Lord, who dwells in the heavens,
or who to compare himself to Him? Be silent, enemy,
cease thy dreadful blasphemies, and since iniquity has
taken possession of thee, depart from our midst, wretch,
and be hurled in thy blind ignorance and wickedness
into the dark night and chaos of the infernal pains. But
let us, O spirits of the Lord, honor and reverence this
blessed Woman, who is to give human flesh to the
eternal Word; and let us recognize Her as our Queen
and Lady."
108. The great sign of the Woman served the good
angels as a shield and as arms of battle against the evil
ones ; for at the sight of it, all their power of reasoning
weakened and was brought to confusion and silence,
since they could not endure the mysteries and sacra-
ments contained in this sign. And just as by divine
power this mysterious sign appeared, so also now the
other figure or sign of the dragon appeared, in order
that thus transformed he might be ignominiously hurled
from heaven amid the fright and terror of his follow-
ers and amid the astonishment of the holy angels. All
this was the effect of this new manifestation of the jus-
tice and power of God.
109. It is difficult to describe in words what passed
in that memorable battle, since there is such a wide dif-
ference between our conceptions, founded on material
objects, and those which would be appropriate to the
nature and operations of such great spirits as these
angels. "But the bad ones did not prevail" for injus-
tice, lies, ignorance and malice could not prevail against
equity, truth, light and goodness ; nor could these virtues
be overcome by vices. Therefore, it is also said : "From
that time on their place was not found in heaven."
Through the sins which these disgraced angels had com-
THE CONCEPTION 107
mitted, they made themselves unworthy of the eternal
vision and company of the Lord. Their memory was
blotted out from his mind, where they had been written
by the excellences and graces of the nature given to
them. Having lost the right to the places, which had
been reserved for them, if they had obeyed, it passed over
to mankind. To man these places were now transferred
in such a way that the very vestiges of the apostate an-
gels were blotted out and were no more found in heaven.
O unhappy wickedness and never to be described mis-
fortune, which drew^ after itself such a horrible and
dreadful chastisement ! The Evangelist adds :
110. "And the dragon was cast out, that ancient ser-
pent who is called devil and satan, who seduceth the
whole world ; and he was cast unto the earth and his
angels were thrown down with him." The holy prince
Michael hurled from heaven the dragon Lucifer with
the invincible battle-cry: "Who is like unto God?" So
powerful was this cry, that it sufficed to precipitate that
proud giant and all his host to the earth and cast him in
dreadful ignominy to the centre of the earth. From
that time he began to be called dragon, serpent, devil
and satan, imposed upon him by the holy archangel in
that battle as a testimony of his iniquity and malice.
Deprived of the happiness and honor, of which he had
become unworthy, he was despoiled also of his names
and honorable titles, acquiring in their stead such as
designate his ignominy. The wicked plans which he
proposed and enjoined upon his confederates, namely,
that they should deceive and pervert all those that live
in the world, manifest sufficiently his wickedness. He
therefore, who intended to scourge the nations, was con-
signed to hellish regions, as Isaias says in the fourteenth
chapter, to the profound abyss, and his cadaver was de-
108 CITY OF GOD
livered to the moth and the worm of his own bad con-
science ; thus was fulfilled in Lucifer all that the prophet
says in that chapter.
111. When the heavens had been cleared of the bad
angels and the Divinity had been unveiled to the good
and the obedient; when they were already admitted into
glory and the bad ones chastised, then happened what
the Evangelist farther says: "And I heard a loud voice
in heaven saying: Now is come salvation and strength
and the kingdom of our Lord, and the power of his
Christ ; because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth,
who accused them before our God day and night." This
voice, which the Evangelist heard was that of the Word,
and all the holy angels heard and listened to it. Its
echoes reverberated through the infernal regions and
filled with trembling and fear the demons. They did
not, however, understand its mystery in full, but only
so much of it, as the Most High chose to manifest to
them for their greater affliction and punishment. It was
the voice of the Son, who in the name of the humanity,
which He was to assume, was asking the eternal Father
that the salvation, power and kingdom of his Majesty,
and the reign of Christ might begin ; since the accuser
of the brethren of the same Christ our Lord, that is, of
man, had been cast out. It was like a petition before
the throne of the most holy Trinity, that the salvation
and power and the mysteries of the Redemption and In-
carnation be put into execution. He asked that it be
done so much the sooner as Lucifer, being filled with
fury, envy and wrath against the human nature, which
the Word was to assume, was now infesting the earth.
Full of love and compassion the Word calls men his
brethren. Lucifer is said to "accuse them day and
night," because, both during the day in which he still
THE CONCEPTION 109
enjoyed divine grace in the presence of the eternal
Father and of the holy Trinity, he belittled us in his
pride, and much more, in the night of his own darkness
and of our fall, he pursues us unceasingly with slander
and persecution as long as this world will endure. The
Word calls the works and mysteries of the Incarnation
and his Death "virtue," "power" and "reign." because
in them, all these really had their beginning and in them
was manifested his great virtue and power against
Lucifer.
112. This was the first time in which the Word in
the name of his humanity interceded for men before the
Divinity, and in which, according to our mode of con-
ceiving such things, the eternal Father conferred with
the other Persons of the blessed Trinity in regard to
this petition. He also partly revealed to the holy angels
the decree of this divine consistory, saying, in regard to
the sacraments resolved upon: "Lucifer has raised the
banner of pride and sin and will persecute with all his
malice the whole human race. With cunning he will
pervert many men, availing himself of their own pas-
sions for their destruction. In the blindness of sin and
vice men will prevaricate, heedless of danger. But his
lying pride, his sins and vices, are infinitely distant from
our nature and wishes. We will therefore bring out the
triumph of virtue and sanctity; for this purpose the sec-
ond Person will assume human nature; He will exalt
and teach humility, obedience and all the virtues, and
thus will secure the salvation of mortals. Being true
God He will become humble and submissive. He will
be the Just Man, the Model and Teacher of all virtues.
These alone shall be accredited before our tribunal and
shall always triumph over vices. We will raise up the
lowly and humble the proud (Matth. 11. 28); we will
no CITY OF GOD
make labors and endurance praiseworthy in our sight;
we resolve to help the afflicted and the sorrowful. Let
them be corrected by afflictions and thereby advance in
our grace and friendship and, according to their capa-
bilities, reach salvation in the practice of virtue. Blessed
will be they that weep (Matth. 5, 3), and happy the
poor and those that suffer for justice sake and for
Christ, their Chief ; and the insignificant ones shall be
magnified, the meek of heart exalted. The peaceful
shall be loved as our sons. Most dear shall those be to
us, who forgive and suffer injuries and love their ene-
mies. We will assign to them copious benedictions of
our grace and an immortal glory in heaven. Our Only-
begotten will put in practice these decrees, and those
that follow Him shall be our chosen ones, our cherished
ones; they shall be refreshed and rewarded by Us; their
good works shall be engendered in our own mind,
which is the first cause of all virtue. We give permis-
sion to the bad ones to oppress the good, thus helping
them to gain the crown, while for themselves they in-
crease the punishment. Let there be scandals (Matth.
18, 7) for the common good; unhappy be those that
cause them, and blessed they that are proved by them.
The vain and the proud will afflict and despise the hum-
ble ; the great and the powerful will oppress the lowly
and abject ones. They will give benediction instead of
curses (I Cor, 4, 12). While they are pilgrims, they
shall be rejected by men, but afterwards they shall be
ranked with the angelic spirits, our sons, and they
will enjoy the seats and crowns, which the unfortunate
and unhappy apostates have lost. The stubborn and the
proud shall be condemned to eternal death, where they
will recognize their foolish proceedings and their per-
verseness."
THE CONCEPTION 111
113. "In order that all may have a true model and
superabundant grace, if they wish to use it, the Son will
descend, capable of suffering and as a Redeemer, and
He shall save men (whom Lucifer defrauded of their
happy state) ; and He shall raise them up through his
infinite merits. We have resolved and determined upon
the salvation of men, through a Redeemer and Teacher,
who shall be able to propitiate and to teach, who shall
be born and live poor, shall die despised, condemned by
men to a most ignominious and frightful Death; who
shall be esteemed a sinner and a criminal, and yet shall
satisfy our justice for the guilt of sin. On account of
his foreseen merits We will show mercy and kindness.
All will understand, that those who are humble and
peaceful, those that practice virtue, that suffer and yet
forgive, are the followers of Christ and our sons. No-
body will be capable of entering by his own free will
into our kingdom, unless he denies himself, and, taking
up his cross, follows his Chief and Master (Matth. 10,
22). Our kingdom shall be composed of the perfect,
who have legitimately labored and fought, persevering
to the end. These will take part in the reign of our
Christ, now begun and determined upon. For the ac-
cuser of his brethren has been cast dow^n ; the triumph
of Christ is secured ; to Him belong exaltations and
glory, since He is to wash and purify men with his
blood. Therefore only He shall be worthy to open the
book of the law of grace (Apoc. 5, 9), He is the way,
the light, the truth and the life (Joan 14, 6), through
which men may come to Me. He alone shall open the
gates of heaven; He shall be the IMediator (I Tim. 2,
5) and the Advocate of mortals, in Him they will have
a Father, a Brother (I Joan 2, 1), and Protector after
having been freed from their accuser and persecutor.
112 CITY OF GOD
And the angels, who Hke true sons, have shared in the
work of our salvation and power and have defended the
reign of my Christ, shall likewise be honored and
crowned through all the eternities of eternities in my
presence."
114. This voice (which contains the mysteries hidden
since the constitution of the world and manifested by
the doctrine and the life of Jesus Christ), issued forth
from the throne and imported more than I can explain.
Through it were assigned the commissions, which the
holy angels were to fulfill. Saint Michael and Saint
Gabriel were appointed ambassadors of the incarnate
Word and of Mary his Mother most holy ; they were to
be ministers for all the mysteries of the Incarnation and
Redemption. With these two princes, many other an-
gels were assigned to the same service, as I shall explain
afterward (Nos. 201-206). Other angels the Almighty
appointed as companions and guardians of the souls, to
teach them and inspire them with the virtues and sanc-
tity opposed to the vices, into which Lucifer had pro-
posed to seduce mankind. They were to guard and de-
fend the souls and to carry them in their hands (Ps. 90,
12), in order that the just might not hurt their feet
against the stones, which are the snares and the traps
laid by their enemies.
115. Also other things were decreed on this occasion
of which the Evangelist says that the power, salvation,
virtue and kingdom of Christ began. But among the
mysterious works at this time was especially the desig-
nation and enumeration of the predestined in the secret
tablets of the divine mind through the foreseen merits
of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Oh the mysteries and the
inexplicable secrets, which then were evolved in the
bosom of God ! Oh, happy lot of the chosen ones ! What
THE CONCEPTION 113
can equal this in importance ! What sacrament is so wor-
thy of the Omnipotence of God! How great was the
triumph of the power of Christ! Happy, infinitely hap-
py, the members who then were assigned and united to
such a Head ! Oh great Church ! Oh mighty people and
holy congregation of such a Leader and Master! At
the thought of such exalted mysteries the judgment of
the creature is rendered powerless, my understanding is
suspended, and my tongue becomes mute!
116. In the consistory of the three divine Persons the
mysterious book spoken of in the Apocalypse was given
and, as it were, delivered to the Onlybegotten of the
Father; at that time it was written, closed, and sealed
with the seven seals (Apoc. 5, 7), of which the Evan-
gelist speaks. When He was made human flesh He
opened it, solving in their order the seals by enacting the
mysteries of his Birth, Life and Death unto the consum-
mation of all things. That which the book contained
were all the decrees of the holy Trinity after the fall of
the angels; namely all that belongs to the Incarnation
of the Word, and the law of grace, the ten Command-
ments, the seven Sacraments and all the articles of faith,
and what is contained in them, the constitution of the
whole militant Church. To the Word as having as-
sumed human nature and as the High Priest and holy
Pontiff (Heb. 6. 20). was given the power to communi-
cate the necessary faculties and gifts to the Apostles and
the other priests and ministers of the Church.
117. This was the mysterious beginning of the law
of the Gospel. In a most secret consistory- of the Trin-
ity it was resolved and recorded in the divine mind, that
those who would observe that law. shall be written in
the book of life. Here was the beginning of that law
and from the eternal Father the pontiffs and prelates
114 CITY OF GOD
have their power and their vicariate. From his infinite
power flows the virtues of those that are meek, poor in
spirit, humble and just. This is their most humble ori-
gin, and on that account it is true to say, that he who
obeys the superior obeys God (Luc. 10, 16), and he who
despises them, despises God. All this was decreed and
conceived in the divine mind and to Christ was given
the power to open in its proper time this book of de-
crees, which was until then to be closed and sealed. In
the meanwhile the Most High gave his testament, that
is the testimonies of his divine words in the natural laws
and in the written laws, accompanying them with won-
derful works and manifesting a part of his secrets
through the Patriarchs and Prophets.
118. Through these testimonies and through the
blood of the Lamb, it is said: "They (the just) over-
came him (the dragon)." For although the blood of
Christ was entirely sufficient and superabundant to en-
able all the faithful to overcome the dragon, their ac-
cuser, and although the testimonies and teachings of the
Prophets are of great power and help for eternal salva-
tion; yet the just attain the fruit of the Passion and Re-
demption, by cooperating of their own free will with
these divine helps, conquering their own selves and the
demons, and making use of grace. They not only suc-
ceed in fulfilling the ordinary commandments and coun-
sels of God, but they go to the extent of sacrificing
their lives for the Lord (Apoc. 6, 9) in testimony of
Him and in the hope of the crown and triumph prom-
ised by Christ, as the martyrs did in testimony of the
faith and in defending his honor.
119. On account of all these mysteries the sacred
text adds : "Therefore rejoice, O heaven, and all those
that dwell therein." Rejoice, because thou art to be the
THE CONCEPTION 115
dwelling place of the just, and of their Chief, Jesus
Christ, and of his most holy Mother, Rejoice, O
heaven, because of all the material and inanimate crea-
tures none obtained a better lot, for thou art to be the
house of God, who will endure through the eternal ages,
and thou art to receive as thy Queen the most pure and
most holy Creature, that emanated from the power of
the Most High. Therefore rejoice, heaven and all that
dwell therein, ye angels and ye just, since you are to be
the companions and ministers of the Son of the eternal
Father and of his Mother, and you are to be parts of
that mystical body, whose head is Christ himself. Re-
joice, ye holy angels, because ministering to them and
serving them by your defense and custody, you increase
your accidental joy. Let the holy Archangel Michael,
the prince of the celestial hosts, rejoice in particular be-
cause he defended in battle the glory of the Most High
and his adorable mysteries, and because he is to be the
minister of the Incarnation of the Word and a particu-
lar witness of all its efTect to the end. Let all his allies
and all the defenders of Jesus Christ and his Mother re-
joice, since during their ministry they do not lose the
joys of essential glory already their own. On account
of such divine sacraments let the heavens rejoice!
CHAPTER X.
The explanation of the twelfth chapter of thS
apocalypse is concluded.
120. "Woe to the earth, and to the sea, because the
devil is come down to you, having great wrath, know-
ing that he hath but a short time." Woe to the earth,
where so many sins and such wickedness shall be perpe-
trated! Woe to the sea, which refused to pour forth its
floods and annihilate the transgressors at the sight of so
great offenses against its Creator, and to avenge the in-
sults against its Maker and Lord! But more woe to the
profound and raging sea of those that follow the demon,
after he had descended in their midst in order to war
against them with great wrath and with such unheard
of cruelty ! It is the wrath of the most ferocious dragon,
and greater than that of the devouring lion (I Pet.
5, 8), who attempts to annihilate all creation and to
whom all the days of the world seem a short time to
execute his fury. Such is his hunger and thirst to do
damage to the mortals, that all the days of their life do
not satisfy him, for they come to an end, whereas he
desires eternal ages, if possible, in order to wage war
against the sons of God. But incomparably greater than
against all others is his rage against that most blessed
Woman, who was to crush his head (Gen. 3, 15).
Therefore the Evangelist says :
121. "And when the dragon saw that he was cast
unto the earth, he persecuted the Woman, who brought
forth the Man-child." When the ancient serpent saw
116
THE CONCEPTION 117
the most unhappy place and state to which he had fal-
len, and that he was hurled from the empyrean heaven,
he broke out in so much the greater rage and envy,
like a wild beast tearing its own entrails. Against the
Mother of the Word incarnate he conceived such a furi-
ous rage, as no human tongue or intelligence can ever
describe or understand. But to a certain extent this
anger can be surmised from that which followed im-
mediately after that dragon found himself hurled with
his hosts to the infernal regions. I will describe this
event, as far as I can, and as far as it has been made
plain to my understanding.
122. During the whole first week of the creation of
the world and its contents Lucifer and the demons were
occupied in machinations and projects of wickedness
against the Word, who was to become incarnate, and
against the Woman of whom He was to be born and
made man. On the first day, which corresponds to Sun-
day, were created the angels; laws and precepts were
given to them, for the guidance of their actions. The
bad ones disobeyed and transgressed the mandates of the
Lord. By divine providence and disposition then suc-
ceeded all the other events, which have been recorded
above, up to the morning of the second day, correspond-
ing to ^Monday, on which Lucifer and his hosts were
driven and hurled into hell. The duration of these days
corresponds to the small periods, or delays, which inter-
vened between their creation, activity, contest and fall,
or glorification. As soon as Lucifer with his followers
entered hell, they assembled in general council, which
lasted to the morning of Thursday. During this time
Lucifer exerted all his astuteness and diabolical malice
in conferring with the demons and concocting plans to
offend God so much the more deeply, and to obtain re-
118 CITY OF GOD
venge for the chastisement, to which he had been sub-
jected. They came to the conclusion and resolved that
the greatest vengeance and injury against God w^ould
be to impede the effects of the love, which they knew
God bore toward mankind. This they hoped to attain
by deceiving men, and persuading them, or even, as far
as possible, compelling them to neglect the friendship of
God, to be ungrateful toward Him, and to rebel against
his will.
123. "This we must strive to do," said Lucifer, "to-
ward this end we must apply all our forces, all our so-
licitude and knowledge. We will subject the human
creatures to our influence and will, in order to destroy
them. We will persecute this race of men and will de-
prive them of the reward promised to them. We will
exert all our vigilance, to prevent them from arriving
at the vision of God, which was denied us unjustly. I
will gain great triumphs over them ; I will destroy them
all and subject them to my designs. I will sow new
sects and errors, and set up laws contrary to those of
the Most High in all things. I will raise up from
among men false prophets and leaders, who will spread
these doctrines (Act 20, 30) and I will scatter this seed
through them and afterwards I will assign to them a
place in these profound torments. I will afflict the poor,
oppress the afflicted, and persecute the timid. I will sow
discord, excite wars, and stir up nations against each
other. I will raise up proud and haughty men to extend
the dominion of sin and after they shall have executed
my designs, I will bury them in this eternal fire, and in
so much the greater torments, the more faithfully they
followed me. This is my kingdom and this is the re-
ward which I will give to those who follow me."
124. "I will wage fierce war against the incarnate
THE CONCEPTION 119
Word, for although He is God, He is also man, and
therefore of a lower nature than mine. I will exalt my
throne and my dignity above his; I will conquer Him
and will humble Him by my power and astuteness. The
Woman who is to be his Mother shall perish at my
hands. What is one Woman against my power and
greatness? And you, ye demons, who were injured to-
gether with me, follow me and obey me in the pursuit
of this vengeance, as you have followed me in disobe-
dience ! Pretend to love men, in order to destroy them ;
serve them, in order to ruin them and deceive them ; help
them, in order to pervert them and draw them into these
my hellish regions." No human tongue can explain the
malice and fury of this first council of Lucifer and his
hosts against the human race, which although not yet in
existence, was to be created. In it were concocted all
the vices and sins of the world, thence proceeded lies,
sects and errors ; all iniquity had its origin in that chaos
and in that abominable gathering, and all those that do
evil are in the service of the prince of this assembly.
125. Having closed this meeting. Lucifer sought per-
mission to speak with God, and his Majesty, for his own
exalted ends, gave him permission. This was allowed in
the same manner in which satan spoke to God when he
asked permission to persecute Job (Job 1, 6), and it
happened on the day which corresponds to our Thurs-
day. He addressed the Most High in the following
words : "Lord, since Thou hast laid thy hand so heavily
upon me in chastising me with so great cruelty, and
since Thou hast predetermined all that Thou desirest to
do for the men whom Thou art to create; and since
Thou wishest to exalt and elevate so high the incarnate
Word and enrich the \\''oman. who is to be his Mother,
with all thy predestined gifts, be now equitable and just;
120 CITY OF GOD
as Thou hast given me permission to persecute the rest
of men, give me also permission to tempt and make war
against Christ, the Man-God and the Woman, who is to
be his Mother; give me freedom to exert all my powers
against Them." Other things Lucifer said on that occa-
sion, and, in spite of the great violence occasioned to his
pride by the humiliation, he humbled himself neverthe-
less in order to ask for this permission. His wrathful
anxiety to obtain what he desired was so great that he
was willing to subdue even his arrogance, thus forcing
one iniquity to yield to another. He knew too well that
without the permission of the omnipotent Lord he could
attempt nothing. In order to be able to tempt Christ
our Lord, and his most holy Mother in particular, he
was willing to humiliate himself a thousand times, for
he feared the threat, which had been made, that She
should crush his head.
126. The Lord answered: "Thou must not, satan,
ask such a permission as due to thee in justice, for the
incarnate Word is God and Lord most high and omnip-
otent, though He is at the same time true man, and
thou art his creature. Even if the other men sin and
subject themselves to thy will, this will not be possible
in my Onlybegotten made man. Though thou mayest
succeed in making men slaves of sin, Christ will be
holy and just, segregated from sinners. He will redeem
them, if they fall. And this Woman against whom
thou hast such wrath, although She is to be a mere
creature and a true daughter of man, is to be preserved
by my decree from sin. She is to be altogether mine
forever and on no account or title shall any one else be
allowed to have part in Her."
127. To this satan replied: "But what wonder that
this Woman should be holy, since no one on this earth
THE CONCEPTIOxM 121
will be allowed to draw Her to the contrary, or perse-
cute Her and incite Her to sin? This cannot be equity,
nor just judgment, nor can this be proper and praise-
worthy." Lucifer added yet other blasphemies in his
arrogance. But the IMost High, who disposes all things
with wisdom, answered him: 'T will give thee permis-
sion to tempt Christ, so that He will be an example and
a teacher in this to all the rest of men. I also give thee
permission to persecute the Woman, but thou must not
touch Her in regard to the life of her body. It is my
will, that Christ and his Mother be not exempt from
temptation, and that They be tempted by thee like the
rest of men." This permission was more pleasing to
the dragon than that of being free to persecute all the
rest of the human race. In this he resolved to use more
care than in the pursuit of any other project, as after-
wards really happened. To no one else than himself
was he resolved to confide its execution. Therefore the
Evangelist proceeds to say :
128. "He persecuted the Woman, who brought forth
the man-child." For with the permission of the Lord,
he waged unheard of war and persecution against Her,
whom he thought to be the Mother of God incarnate.
But since these persecutions and battles will be de-
scribed later (No. 692-697, Part II 340-71; III 451-
528), I will only say here, that they were beyond all
conception of man. Equally admirable, was her glorious
resistance and victory over them. Therefore in order
to describe the manner in which She defended Herself,
he says: "There were given to her two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place,
where she is nourished for a time and times." These
two wings were given to the most holy Virgin before
She entered upon the combat, for She was prepared by
10
122 CITY OF GOD
special gifts and favors. The one wing was an infused
science, which revealed anew to Her vast mysteries and
sacraments; the other was a new and sublime humility,
as will be explained in its place (Part II 335-339, Part
III 448-450). With these two wings She took her
flight to the Lord, her proper habitation, for in Him
alone She lived and in Him was centered all her at-
tention. She flew like the royal eagle, without ever di-
recting her flight towards the enemy, being alone in
her flight and living in seclusion from all earthly things,
solely in communion with her last End, which is the
Divinity, In this solitude She "was nourished for a
time and times," for though this nourishment lasted all
her life, yet it was more abundant in the times of her
great battles with satan. In those times She received
favors more proportioned to the greatness of the con-
flict. By "time and times" is also understood the fe-
licity, by which her victories were rewarded and
crowned.
129. "And half a time from the face of the serpent."
This half a time was that, in which the most holy Virgin
was free from the persecution of the dragon and far
from his sight during this life; for, having conquered
him in her battles, She was, by divine providence and
as Victress, freed from them. This freedom was con-
ceded to Her in order that She might enjoy the peace
and quiet, which She had merited after having con-
quered the enemy, as I will describe farther on (Part
III, 526). Concerning the time of the combat the Evan-
gelist says :
130. "And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the
woman, water, as it were, a river, that he might cause
her to be carried away ; and the earth helped the woman
and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the
THE CONCEPTION 123
river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth." All
his mahce and all his forces Lucifer exerted and directed
against the Mistress; for all those, who were ever
tempted by him, seemed to him of less importance than
most holy Mary. With the same force as the current
of a great swift river, so the malice, and the lies, and
the temptations flowed from the mouth of that dragon
against Her. But the earth helped Her; for the earth
of her body and of her inclinations was not cursed, nor
did the sentence and punishment, which God hurled
against Adam and Eve, touch Her in any way. For in
it our earth is cursed and produces thorns instead of
fruit. It is wounded in its very nature by its inclina-
tion to sin — "fomes Peccati" (Gen. 3, 17), which con-
tinues to assault us and causes opposition. The devil
avails himself of these inclinations for the ruin of men,
for he finds within us arms for his offensive warfare;
and catering to our evil inclinations by his false repre-
sentations and apparent sweetness and delight, he draws
us toward sensible and earthly things.
131. But the most blessed Mary, the holy and sancti-
fied earth without touch of bad inclinations or evil dis-
positions, was free from all danger of corruption arising
from the earth. On the contrary, since all her inclina-
tions were most orderly, composed and obedient to
grace, the earth of her body was in perfect harmony
with her soul. Thus this earth opened its mouth and
swallowed up the stream of temptations which the
dragon raised up for Her in vain ; for he found that
material indisposed and unfomented for sin, unlike the
other offspring of Adam. Their terrestrial and disor-
derly passions are more adapted to produce the floods of
temptation, than to absorb them, since our passions and
our corrupt nature are always in opposition to virtue.
124 CITY OF GOD
On account of the futility of his efforts against this
mysterious Woman, Scripture says :
132. "And the dragon was angry against the
Woman : and he went to make war with the rest of her
seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ." The dragon, having
been gloriously overcome in all things by the Queen of
all creation and dreading the furious torments of his
own confusion and the ruin of all hell power, fled from
Her, determined to make cruel war against the other
souls belonging to the generation and race of the most
blessed Mother. These are the faithful, who are marked
with the testimony and the blood of Christ in Baptism
as keepers of his commands and constant witnesses. For
all the wrath of the demon turned so much the more to-
ward the holy Church and its members, when he saw,
that he would be unable to gain any advantage over
Christ and his most holy Mother. Especially does he
war against the virgins of Christ, and with a more par-
ticular hatred does he seek to destroy the virtue of vir-
ginity or chastity, this being the seed and the inheritance
of the most chaste Virgin and Mother of the Lamb.
On account of all this the Evangelist says :
133. "And he stood upon the sands of the sea." This
is the contemptible vanity of the world, on which the
dragon feeds and which he eats like hay. All this
passed in heaven and many mysteries were made mani-
fest to the angels in the decrees of the divine Will re-
garding the privileges reserv^ed for the Mother of the
Incarnate Word." I have been short in describing what
I saw; for the multitude of the mysteries has made me
poor and halting in the words needful for their manifes-
tation.
CHAPTER XL
IN THE CREATION OE ALL THINGS THE LORD HAD BEFORE
HIS MIND CHRIST OUR LORD AND HIS MOST HOLY
MOTHER. HE CHOSE HIS PEOPLE AND HEAPED HIS
BENEFITS ON THEM.
134. In the eighth chapter of the Proverbs, Wisdom
says of Itself, that It was present in the Creation, or-
dering all things conjointly with the Almighty (Prov.
8, 30). And I said above (No. 54) that this Wisdom is
the incarnate Word, who with his most holy Mother was
present, in spirit, when God resolved upon the creation
of the whole world; for in that instant the Son was not
only coexistent in divine essence with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, but also the human nature, which He
was to assume, was foreseen and conceived as the pro-
totype of all works in the divine mind of the Father.
Conjointly with Him was also foreseen as present the
human nature of his most holy Mother, who was to
conceive Him in her most pure womb. In these two
Persons were foreseen all his works, so that on account
of Them (speaking in a human way) He overlooked all
that could offend Him in the conduct of the men and
angels that were to fall; for the conduct of the latter
was an inducement rather to desist from the creation of
the human race and of the things that were to sub-
serve for their use.
135. The Most High looked upon his Son and upon
his most holy Mother as models, produced in the cul-
mination of his wisdom and power, in order that They
125
126 CITY OF GOD
might serve as prototypes according to which He was to
copy the whole human race. Thus the rest of men de-
pended on these Two as Mediators between themselves
and God. He created also the necessary material beings
required for human life, but with such wisdom, that
some of them also serve as symbols, to represent in a
certain way these two Beings, which He primarily in-
tended and to which all others were to be subservient,
namely, Christ and most holy Mary. On this account
He made the luminaries of heaven, the sun and the
moon (Gen. 1, 16) so that in dividing the day and the
night, they might symbolize the Sun of justice, Christ,
and his most holy Mother, who is beautiful as the moon
(Cant. 6, 9), for these Two divide the day of grace and
the night of sin. The sun illuminates the moon; and
both, together with the stars of the firmament, illumine
all other creatures within the confines of the universe.
136. He created the rest of the beings and added to
their perfection, because they were to be subservient to
Christ and most holy Mary, and through them to the
rest of men. Before the universe proceeded from its
nothingness. He set it as a banquet abundant and un-
failing, and more memorable than the feast of Assuerus
(Esther 1, 3) ; for He was to create man for his delight
and to draw him to the enjoyment of his knowledge
and love. Like a most courteous and bounteous Lord
He did not wish that the invited guests should wait,
but that both the creation and the invitation to the ban-
quet of his knowledge and love be one and the same
act. Man was not to lose any time in that which con-
cerned him so much : namely, to know and to praise his
almighty Maker.
137. On the sixth day he formed and created Adam,
as it were of the age of thirty-three years. This was
THE CONCEPTION 127
the age in which Christ was to suffer death, and Adam
in regard to his body was so Hke unto Christ, that
scarcely any difference existed. Also according to the
soul Adam was similar to Christ. From Adam God
formed Eve so similar to the Blessed Virgin, that she was
like unto Her in personal appearance and in figure. God
looked upon these two images of the great Originals
with the highest pleasure and benevolence, and on ac-
count of the Originals He heaped many blessings upon
them, as if He wanted to entertain Himself with them
and their descendants until the time should arrive for
forming Christ and Mary.
138. But the happy state in which God had created
the parents of the human race lasted only a very short
while. The envy of the serpent was immediately aroused
against them, for satan was impatiently awaiting their
creation, and no sooner were they created, than his
hatred became active against them. However, he was
not permitted to witness the formation of Adam and
Eve, as he had witnessed the creation of all other things :
for the Lord did not choose to manifest to him the cre-
ation of man, nor the formation of Eve from a rib; all
these things were concealed from him for a space of time
until both of them were joined. But when the demon
saw the admirable composition of the human nature, per-
fect beyond that of any other creature, the beauty of
the souls and also of the bodies of Adam and Eve; when
he saw the paternal love with which the Lord regarded
them, and how He made them the lords of all creation,
and that He gave them hope of eternal life: the wrath of
the dragon was lashed to fur}-, and no tongue can de-
scribe the rage with which that beast was filled, nor how
great was his envy and his desire to take the life of these
two beings. Like an enraged lion he certainly would
128 CITY OF GOD
have done so, if he had not known, that a superior force
would prevent him. Nevertheless he studied and plotted
out some means, which would suffice to deprive them of
the grace of the Most High and make them God's
enemies.
139. Here Lucifer was deceived; for the Lord had
from the beginning mysteriously manifested to him, that
the Word was to assume human nature in the womb of
the most holy Mary, but not how and when; and thus
He had also concealed the creation of Adam and the
formation of Eve, in order that Lucifer might from the
beginning labor under his ignorance concerning the mys-
tery and the time of the Incarnation. As his wrath and
his watchfulness had thus been so signally forestalled in
regard to Christ and Mary, he suspected that Adam had
come forth from Eve, and that She was the Mother and
Adam the incarnate Word. His suspicions grew, when
he felt the divine power, which prevented him from
harming the life of these creatures. On the other hand
he soon became aware of the precepts of God, for these
did not remain concealed from him, since he heard their
conversation in regard to them. Being freed more and
more from his doubt as he listened to the words of the
first parents and sized up their natural gifts, he began
to follow them like a roaring lion (I Pet. 5, 8), seeking
an entrance through those inclinations, which he found
in each of them. Nevertheless, until he was undeceived
in the course of the Redemption, he continued to hesitate
between his wrath against Christ and Mary and the
dread of being overcome by Them. Most of all he
dreaded the confusion of being conquered by the Queen
of heaven, who was to be a mere creature and not God.
140. Taking courage therefore in the precept, which
was given to Adam and Eve, and having prepared the
I
THE CONCEPTION 129
snare, Lucifer entered with all his energy upon the work
of entrapping them and of opposing and hindering the
execution of the divine Will. He first approached the
woman, and not the man, because he knew her to be by
nature more frail and weak, and because in tempting her
he would be more certain that it was not Christ whom
he was encountering. Against her also he was more en-
raged ever since he had seen the sign in the heaven and
since the threat, which God had made in it against him.
On all these accounts his wrath was greater against Eve
than against Adam. Before he showed himself to her,
however, he aroused in her many disturbing thoughts
or imaginations, in order to approach her in a state of
excitement and pre-occupation. But because I have
written about this in another place, I will not enlarge
here upon the violence and inhumanity of this tempta-
tion ; it is enough for my purpose to mention what Scrip-
ture says : that he took the form of a serpent (Gen. 3, 1),
and thus speaking to Eve drew her into a conversation,
which she should not have permitted. Listening to him
and answering, she began to believe him ; then she vio-
lated the command of God, and finally persuaded her
husband likewise to transgress the precept. Thus ruin
overtook them and all the rest : for themselves and for
us they lost the happy position, in which God had placed
them.
141. When Lucifer saw the two fallen and their in-
terior beauty and grace and original justice changed
into the ugliness of sin, he celebrated his triumph with
incredible joy and vaunting in the company of his
demons. But he soon fell from his proud boasting,
when he saw, contrary to his expectations, how kindly
the merciful love of God dealt with the delinquents, and
how He offered them a chance of doing penance by giv-
130 CITY OF GOD
ing them hope of pardon and return of grace. More-
over he saw how they were disposing themselves to-
ward this forgiveness by sorrow and contrition, and how
the beauty of grace was restored to them. When the
demons perceived the effect of contrition, all hell was
again in confusion. His consternation grew, when he
heard the sentence, which God pronounced against the
guilty ones, in which he himself was imphcated. More
especially and above all was he tormented by the repeti-
tion of that threat : The Woman shall crush thy head
(Gen. 3, 15), which he had already heard in heaven.
142. The offspring of Eve multiplied after the fall
and so arose the distinction and the multiplication of the
good and the bad, the elect and the reprobate, the ones
following Christ the Redeemer, and the others follow-
ing satan. The elect cling to their Leader by faith, hu-
mility, charity, patience and all the virtues and in order
to obtain victory, they are assisted, helped and beauti-
fied by the divine grace and the gifts, which the Re-
deemer and Lord of all merited for them. But the repro-
bate, without receiving any such benefits from their false
leader, or earning any other reward than the eternal
pain and the confusion of hell, follow him in pride, pre-
sumption, obscenity and wickedness, being led into these
disorders by the father of lies and the originator of sin.
143. Notwithstanding all this the Most High, in his
ineffable kindness, gave our first parents his benediction,
in order that the human race might grow and multiply
(Gen. 4, 3). The most high Providence permitted,
that Eve, in the unjust Cain, should bring forth a type
of the evil fruits of sin, and in the innocent Abel, both
in figure and in imitation, the type of Christ our Lord.
For in the first just one the law and doctrine of Christ
began to exert its effects. All the rest of the just were
THE CONCEPTION
131
to follow it, suffering for justice sake (Matth. 10, 22),
hated and persecuted by the sinners and the reprobate
and by their own brothers. Accordingly, patience, hu-
mility and meekness began to appear in Abel, and in
Cain, envy and all wickedness, for the benefit of the just
and for his own perdition. The wicked triumph and the
good suffer, exhibiting the spectacle, which tlie world in
its progress shows to this day, namely, the Jerusalem
of the godfearing and the Babylon of the godforsaken,
each with its ow'n leader and head.
144. The Most High also wished that the first Adam
should be the type of the second in the manner of their
creation; for, just as before the creation of the first.
He created and ordered for him the republic of all the
beings, of which he was to be the lord and head; so be-
fore the appearance of his Onlybegotten, He allowed
many ages to pass by, in order that his Son might, in the
multiplied numbers of the human race, find prepared for
Himself a people, of which He was to be the Head, the
Teacher, and the King. He was not to be even for a
moment without a people and without followers : such is
the wonderful harmony and order, in which the divine
wisdom disposed all things, making that later in the
execution, which was first in the intention.
145. As the world progressed in its course, in order
that the Word might descend from the bosom of the
Father and clothe Itself in our mortality. God selected
and prepared a chosen and most noble people, the most
admirable of past and future times. Within it also He
constituted a most illustrious and holy race, from which
He was to descend according to the flesh. I will not
linger in detailing the genealogv- of Christ our Lord,
for the account of the holy Evangelists has made that
unnecessary. I will only say, in praise of the Most
132 CITY OF GOD
High, that He has shown to me many times the incom-
parable love, which He bore toward his people, the fa-
vors shown to it, and the mysteries and holy Sacraments,
which He entrusted to it, as was afterwards made mani-
fest through his holy Church. For at no time has slept
nor slumbered He, who has constituted Himself the
watcher of Israel (Ps. 120, 4).
146. He reared most holy Prophets and Patriarchs,
who in figures and prophecies announced to us from far
off, that, which we have now in possession. He wishes
us to venerate them, knowing how they esteemed the law
of grace and how earnestly they yearned and prayed for
it. To this people God manifested his immutable Es-
sence by many revelations, and they again transmitted
these revelations to us by the holy Scriptures, contain-
ing immense mysteries, which we grasp and learn to
know by faith. All of them, however, are brought to
perfection and are made certain by the incarnate Word,
who transmitted to us the secure rule of faith and the
nourishment of the sacred Scriptures in his Church. Al-
though the Prophets and the just ones of that people
were not so far favored as to see Christ in his body,
they nevertheless experienced the liberality of the Lord,
who manifested Himself to them by prophecies and who
moved their hearts to pray for his coming and for the
Redemption of the whole human race. The consonance
and harmony of all these prophecies, mysteries and as-
pirations of the ancient fathers, were a sv/eet music to
the Most High, which resounded in the secret recesses
of the Divinity and which regaled and shortened the
time (to speak in a human manner) until He should de-
scend to converse with man.
147. In order not to be detained too much in that,
which the Lord has revealed to me regarding this and in
THE CONCEPTION 133
order to arrive at the preparations, which the Lord made
for sending to the world the incarnate Word and His
most holy Mother, I will rehearse these mysteries suc-
cinctly according to the order given in the holy Scrip-
tures. Genesis contains that which concerns the begin-
ning and the creation of the world for the human race ;
the division of the earth, the chastisement and the resto-
ration, the confusion of tongues, and the origin of the
chosen race, humbled in Egypt; and the many other
great sacraments revealed to Moses by God, in order
that we may be led to know his love and the justice to-
wards men from the beginning drawing them to his
knowledge and service, and to foreshadow that, which
He has resolved to do in the future.
148. The book of Exodus contains what happened in
Egypt with the chosen people, the plagues and punish-
ments, which God sent in order to rescue them; their
departure and march through the sea; the written law
given with such great preparations and wonders; and
many other great sacraments, which the Lord provided
for his people, visiting now their enemies, now them-
selves with afflictions, chastising their enemies with the
severity of a Judge, correcting the Israelites with the
benignity of a Father and teaching them to appreciate
his benefits by sending severe hardships. He worked
great wonders with the staff of Moses, which prefigured
the cross on which the incarnate Word was to be sacri-
ficed as the Lamb, a salvation to many, a ruin to others
(Luc. 2, 34). It was like the staff of Moses, and like
the Red Sea, the waves of which shielded the people
and annihilated the Egyptians. Thus he filled the lives
of the saints with joys and sorrows, with hardships and
with comforts ; with infinite wisdom and providence He
symbolized in them the life and the death of Christ our
Lord.
134 CITY OF GOD
149. In the book of the Levites He describes and
ordains many sacrifices and ceremonies of the law for
placating the Divinity; for they were to point out the
Lamb, which was to be immolated for all men ; and they
pointed out also ourselves, immolated to the Majesty of
God in reality, as was prefigured in these sacrifices. It
also describes the vestments of Aaron, the highpriest and
type of Christ, although Christ was not to be of that
inferior order but of the order of Melchisedech (Ps.
120, 4).
150. The book of Numbers describes the wanderings
of the Israelites in the desert, prefiguring what was to
happen with the holy Church, with the Onlybegotten as
man, and with his most holy Mother; and also with the
rest of the just, who, in different aspects, were prefigured
in the column of fire, in the manna, in the rock giving
forth water. It contains also other great mysteries,
which are comprehended in the events there recorded,
likewise the mysteries pertaining to numbers, in all of
which deep secrets are hidden.
151. Deuteronomy is like a second law, a repetition
of the first, but given in a different way and prefiguring
more closely the law of the Gospels. For as according
to the hidden judgments of God and according to the
propriety known to his wisdom, the Incarnation of the
Son was to be deferred, He renewed and rearranged
these laws in order that they might be more like to those,
which He was to establish for his Onlybegotten.
152. Josue or Jesus Nave conducts the people of God
into the promised land ; he divides the Jordan to allow
the passage of the multitudes, achieves great things,
typifying plainly the Redeemer as well in name as in
deed. His history represents the destruction of the king-
dom of the devil, the separation and the division of the
good and bad, which will happen in the last day.
THE CONCEPTION 135
153. After Josue, when the people had already come
into the possession of the promised and wished-for land,
which primarily and appropriately signifies the Church
acquired by Jesus Christ through the price of his blood,
comes the book of the Judges. These were ordained by
God for the government of his people, especially during
the wars, which on account of their sins and idolatries
were waged against them by the Philistines and other
neighboring enemies. From these God freed and deliv-
ered them, whenever they returned to God by penance
and amendment of life. In it are also related the deeds of
Deborah while judging the people and liberating them
from great oppression; also those of Jahel, who helped
them to victory, mighty and courageous women both.
All these deeds of history prefigure and illustrate what
was to happen in the Church.
154. After the generation of the Judges came the
Kings, for whom the Israelites petitioned in their desire
of imitating the government of the surrounding nations.
These books contain great mysteries concerning the com-
ing of the Messias. Heli, the priest, and Saul, the king,
prefigure in their death the reprobation of the old law.
Sadoc and David, typify the new reign and priesthood
of Christ and also the Church with the small number,
which were to belong to it in comparison to the rest of
men in the world. The other kings of Israel and Juda
and their captivities presignify other great mysteries of
the holy Church.
155. During the aforesaid times lived the most patient
Job, whose words are so mysterious, that there is not
one without its profound sacramental meaning concern-
ing the life of Christ our Lord, the resurrection of the
dead, the last judgment in the same flesh, in which each
one lives, and concerning the violence and astuteness of
136 CITY OF GOD
the demons and their warfare against men. Above all
has God placed him as an example of patience for us
mortals, for in him we all may learn how we are to bear
our adversities; especially as we have before our eyes
the death of Christ, whereas this saint saw Him only at
such a distance and yet imitated Him so closely,
156. In the writings of the many and great Prophets
moreover, which God sent in the time of the kings to
provide for special necessities, not one of the great mys-
teries and sacraments pertaining to the coming of the
Messiah and his law, remained undeclared or unrevealed.
The same thing, although more at a distance, God ac-
complished in the ancient Fathers and Patriarchs. In
all this He only multiplied the likenesses, and, as it were,
the patterns of the incarnate Word, and prearranged and
prepared for Him a people, and the law, which He was
to teach.
157. In the three great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, He deposited great and precious pledges call-
ing Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He
wished to honor Himself in the name at the same time
that He honored them, manifesting his dignity and his
excellent virtues and sacraments, and confiding them to
their care, in order that they might furnish so honorable
a name to God. The patriarch Abraham, in order to
prefigure vividly, that which the eternal Father was to do
with his Onlybegotten, was tempted and tried by the
command to sacrifice his only son Isaac (Gen. 22, 1).
When, however, this obedient father was about to com-
plete the sacrifice, the same Lord, who had given the
commandment, impeded its execution; for such a heroic
sacrifice was to be reserved to the eternal Father, who
alone was to sacrifice in effect his Onlybegotten: only
in a symbolic manner can Abraharn be said to have done
THE CONCEPTION 137
the same: for thus it will appear, that the zeal of divine
love is (Cant. 8, 6) strong as death. It was not how-
ever beseeming, that such an expressive figure should
remain altogether unaccomplished and therefore the sac-
rifice of Abraham w^as fultilled by the killing of a ram,
being likewise a figure of the Lamb, which was to pay for
tlie sins of the world (Joan 1, 29).
158. To Jacob was shown that mysterious ladder, full
of sacraments and hidden import (Gen. 28, 12), princi-
pally to represent the incarnate Word as the way and
the means of ascending to the Father, and of his descend-
ing to us. On it also ascend and descend the angels,
who illuminate and guide us, bearing us up in their
hands, so that we may not stumble over the rocks of the
errors, heresies, and vices, with which the path of mortal
life is strewn (Ps. 90, 12). In the midst of them we
pass securely up this stairs in the faith and hope of his
holy Church, which is the house of the Lord, the portal
of heaven and holiness.
159. In order to make him the god of Pharao and the
leader of his people He showed to Moses the mystical
thornbush, which burned without being consumed and
which foreshadow^ed the Divinity covered with our hu-
manity, leaving the Divinity intact by the humanity and
the humanity unconsumed by the Divinity. At the same
time it also signified the perpetual virginity of the
Mother of the Word, not only of her body, but of her
soul, so that, although She was a daughter of Adam and
came vested in the sin-tainted nature derived from Adam,
She nevertheless was without stain or offense.
160. He raised also for Himself David according to
his own heart (I Reg. 13, 14). who worthily sang tlie
praise of the Most High, comprehending in his Psalms
all the sacraments and mysteries not only of the law of
11
138 CITY OF GOD
grace, but of the written and natural law. And the
testimonies, judgments and works of the Lord, which
were pronounced by his lips, David also treasured up
in his heart, meditating on them day and night. In
pardoning his enemies, he was an express image and
figure of God forgiving us. Thus all his promises con-
cerning the coming of the Redeemer were made more
certain to the world.
161. Solomon, the king of peace, was an image of
the King of kings ; for by his great wisdom he manifested
in different kinds of writings the sacraments and mys-
teries of Christ, especially in the similitudes of the
Canticles. For there he exposed the mysteries of the
incarnate Word, of his most holy Mother, of his Church
and of the faithful. He taught also right behavior in
different ways, opening up a fountain of truth and life-
giving knowledge for many other writers.
162. But who can worthily exalt the benefits He pro-
vided for his people in the praiseworthy host of holy
Ptophets, through whom the Lord has spread the light
of prophecy, lighting up as from afar the holy Church,
and commencing in advance to shed the rays of the Sun
of justice and of the efficacious law of grace? The two
great Prophets, Isaias and Jeremias, were chosen to
preach to us, in a sweet and exalted manner, the mys-
teries of the Incarnation of the Word, his Birth, Life
and Death. Isaias promised us, that a Virgin should
conceive and give birth to a Son, who would call him-
self Emmanuel ; that a little son shall be born to us, who
shall bear his kingdom on his shoulder (Is. 7, 14: 9, 6).
All the rest of the life of the Christ he proclaims with
such clearness, that his prophecies are like a gospel.
Jeremias announces the unheard of wonder, that God
will cause a Woman to bear in her womb a man, who
i
THE CONCEPTION 139
is at the same time to be a God and perfect man, who
alone can be Christ (Jer. 31, 22). He announced his
coming, his passion, ignominy and death (Thren. 3, 28).
Wonder and suspense fill me in the consideration of
these prophets. Isaias asks the Lord to send the Lamb,
which is to rule the world from the rocks of the desert
to the mountain of the daughter of Sion ; for this Lamb,
the incarnate Word, calls the heavens a desert, where as
God He dwelt without the society of men (Is. 16, 1).
He calls Him rock, on account of the stability of his
throne and of the unaltered rest of eternity which He
enjoys. The mountain, from which He is asked to come,
is in the mystical sense, the holy Church and first of all.
the most holy ^lary, the Daughter of the vision of peace,
that is Sion. The prophet interposes Her as the Media-
trix, to induce the eternal Father to send his Onlybe-
gotten, the Lamb. For in all the rest of the human race
there was nothing to influence Him so much as to have
Her as his Mother, who was to clothe Him with the
spotless fleece of the most holy humanity. All this is
contained in that most sweet prayer and prophecy of
Isaias.
163. Ezekiel also saw this Virgin Mother in the fig-
ure and likeness of the closed gate (Ezekiel 44. 2).
which was open only for the God of Israel and through
which no other man could enter. Habacuc contemplates
Christ our Lord on the cross and in most profound
words prophesies the mysteries of the Redemption and
the wonderful effects of the passion and death of our
Redeemer (Hab. 3). Joel describes the land of the twelve
tribes, prefiguring the apostles, who were to be the
heads of all the sons of the Church. He also announces
the descent of the Holy Ghost upon his servants and
handmaids, foretelling the time of the coming, and of the
140 CITY OF GOD
life of Christ. And all the other prophets announced in
part the same thing, for God wished all his great works
to be announced, prophesied and prefigured far in ad-
vance and so completely, that they might testify the
love and care, which He had for men and with which
He enriched his Church. He washed also to reprehend
us and convict us of our lukewarmness, since these
ancient Fathers and Prophets, seeing only the shadows
and figures, were inflamed with divine love and broke
forth in canticles of praise and exaltation of the Lord,
whereas we, who enjoy the truth and the bright day of
grace, remain buried in fortgetfulness of so great bene-
fits, and, forsaking the light, continue to seek the dark-
ness.
CHAPTER XII.
HOW, AFTER THE HUMAN RACE HAD BEEN PROPAGATED,
THE CLAMORS OF THE JUST FOR THE COMING OF THE
REDEEMER INCREASED, AND LIKEWISE SIN ; IN THIS
NIGHT OF THE ANCIENT LAW, GOD SENT TWO MORN-
INGSTARS AS HARBINGERS OF THE LAW OF GRACE.
164. The posterity and race of Adam spread out in
great numbers, for the just and the unjust were multi-
phed; Hkewise did increase the clamors of the just for
the Redeemer, and the transgressions of the wicked in
demerit of that benefit. The people of the Most High
and the plans for the triumph of the Lord in assuming
human nature, were already in the last stages of prep-
aration for the advent of the Messias. The kingdom
of sin in the generation of the wicked had now spread
its dominion to the utmost limits and the opportune time
for the remedy had arrived. The merits and the crowns
of the just had been multiplied, the Prophets and the
holy Fathers in the joy of heavenly enlightenment per-
ceived the approach of the salvation and the presence
of the Redeemer, and they increased their clamors, be-
seeching God to fulfill the prophecies and the promises
made to his people. Before the high throne of the di-
vine mercy they asked God to remember the prolix and
sombre night of sin which had lasted since the creation
of the first man, and the blindness of idolatry, which
had taken hold of all the rest of the human race.
165. When the ancient serpent had infected the whole
earth with its poisonous breath and apparently enjoyed
141
142 CITY OF GOD
peaceful control over mortals who had become blind
to the light of reason (Rom. 1, 20) and to the precepts
contained in the ancient written law, when, instead of
seeking the true Divinity, men set up for themselves
many false laws and each one created a god for himself
according to his liking, without considering, that the con-
fusion of so many gods was repugnant to all goodness,
order, and peace, when by these errors malice, ig-
norance and forgetfulness of the true God had become
naturalized ; when, ignorant of its mortal disease and
lethargy, the world had grown mute in its prayer for
deliverance ; when pride reigned supreme and fools had
become innumerable (Eccles. 7, 15) ; when Lucifer in
his arrogance was about to swallow the pure waters of
the Jordan (Job 40, 18) : when through these injuries
God was more and more deeply offended and less and
less beholden to man; when his justice had such an ex-
cellent cause for annihilating all creation and reducing it
to its original nothingness :
166. At this Juncture (according to our way of un-
derstanding), the Most High directed his attention to
the attribute of his mercy, counterbalanced the weight of
his incomprehensible justice with the law of clemency,
and chose to yield more to his own goodness, to the
clamors and faithful services of the just and the prophets
of his people, than to his indignation at the wickedness
and sins of all the rest of mankind. In this dark night
of the ancient law. He resolved to give most certain
pledges of the day of grace, sending into the world
two most bright luminaries to announce the approach-
ing dawn of the sun of Justice, Christ our Salvation.
These were saint Joachim and Anne, prepared and cre-
ated by especial decree according to his own heart.
Saint Joachim had his home, his family and relations in
THE CONCEPTION 143
Nazareth, a town of Galilee. He, always a just and
holy man and illumined by especial grace and light from
on high, had a knowledge of many mysteries of the holy
Scriptures and of the olden Prophets. In continual and
fervent prayer he asked of God the fulfillment of his
promises, and his faith and charity penetrated the heav-
ens. He was a man most humble and pure, leading a
most holy and sincere life, yet he was most grave and
earnest, and incomparably modest and honest.
167. The most fortunate Anne had a house in Bethle-
hem and was a most chaste, humble and beautiful
maiden. From her childhood she led a most virtuous,
holy and retired life, enjoying great and continual en-
lightenment in exalted contemplation. Withal she was
most diligent and industrious, thus attaining perfection
in both the active and the contemplative life. She had
an infused knowledge of the divine Scriptures and a
profound understanding of its hidden mysteries and
sacraments. In the infused virtues of faith, hope and love
she was unexcelled. Equipped with all these gifts, she
continued to pray for the coming of the Messias. Her
prayers w^ere so acceptable to the Lord, that to her He
could but answer with the words of the Spouse : "Thou
hast wounded my heart with one of the hairs of thy neck"
(Cant. 4, 9). Therefore, without doubt, saint Anne
holds a high position among the saints of the old Testa-
ment, who by their merits hastened the coming of the
Redeemer.
168. This woman also prayed most fervently, that
the Almighty deign to procure for her in matrimony a
husband, who should help her to observe the ancient law
and testament, and to be perfect in the fulfillment of all
its precepts. At the moment in which saint Anne thus
prayed to the Lord, his Providence ordained, that saint
144 CITY OF GOD
Joachim made the same petition : both prayers were pre-
sented at the same time before the tribunal of the holy
Trinity, where they were heard and fulfilled, it being
then and there divinely disposed, that Joachim and Anne
unite in marriage and become the parents of Her, who
was to be the Mother of the incarnate God. In further-
ance of this divine decree the archangel Gabriel was
sent to announce it to them both. To saint Anne he ap-
peared in visible form, while she was engaged in fervent
prayer for the coming of the Savior and the Redeemer
of men. When she saw the holy prince, most beautiful
and refulgent, she was disturbed and frightened and
yet at the same time interiorly rejoiced and enlightened.
The holy maiden prostrated herself in profound humility
to reverence the messenger of heaven ; but he prevented
and encouraged her, as being destined to be the ark of
the true manna, Mary most holy. Mother of the Word.
For this holy angel had been informed of this sacra-
mental mystery on being sent with this message. The
other angels did not yet know of it, as this revelation or
illumination had been given directly from God only to
Gabriel. Nevertheless the angel did not then manifest
this great sacrament to St. Anne; but he asked her to
attend and said to her: "The Most High give thee his
blessing, servant of God, and be thy salvation. His
Majesty has heard thy petitions and He wishes thee to
persevere therein and that thou continue to clamor for
the coming of the Redeemer. It is his will, that thou
accept Joachim as thy spouse, for he is a man of upright
heart and acceptable to the Lord: in his company thou
wilt be able to persevere in the observance of his law and
in his service. Continue thy prayers and thy supplica-
tions and be not solicitous for anything else, for the
Lord will see them fulfilled. Walk in the straight paths
THE CONCEPTION 145
of justice and let thy soul's converse be in heaven.
Continuing- to pray for the Messias, be thou joyful in the
Lord, who is thy salvation." With these words the
angel disappeared, leaving her enlightened in many mys-
teries of holy Scriptures, and comforted and renewed in
spirit.
169. To saint Joachim the archangel did not appear in
a corporeal manner, but he spoke to the man of God in
sleep as follows : "Joachim, be thou blessed by the right
hand of the Most High! Persevere in thy desires and
live according to rectitude and perfection. It is the will
of the Almighty, that thou receive saint Anne as thy
spouse, for her the Lord has visited with his blessing.
Take care of her and esteem her as a pledge of the most
High and give thanks to his Majesty, because he has
given her into thy charge." In consequence of this di-
vine message saint Joachim immediately asked for the
hand of the most chaste Anne and, in joint obedience to
the divine ordainment, they espoused each other. But
neither of them manifested to each other the secret of
what had happened until several years afterwards, as I
will relate in its place (Part I, 184). The two holy
spouses lived in Nazareth, continuing to walk in the
justification of the Lord. In rectitude and sincerity
they practiced all virtue in their works, making them-
selves very acceptable and pleasing to the Most High
and avoiding all blemish in all their doings. The rents
and incomes of their estate they divided each year into
three parts. The first one they offered to the temple of
Jerusalem for the worship of the Lord ; the second they
distributed to the poor, and the third they retained for
the decent sustenance of themselves and family. God
augmented their temporal goods on account of their
generosity and charity.
146 CITY OF GOD
170. They themselves lived with each other in undis-
turbed peace and union of heart, without quarrel or
shadow of a grudge. The most humble Anne subjected
herself and conformed herself in all things to the will of
Joachim : and that man of God, with equal emulation of
humility, sought to know the desires of holy Anne, con-
fiding in her with his whole heart (Prov. 31, 11), and
he was not deceived. Thus they lived together in such
perfect charity, that during their whole life they never
experienced a time, during which one ceased to seek the
same thing as the other (Matth. 18, 20). But rather as
being united in the Lord, they enjoyed his presence in
holy fear. Saint Joachim, solicitous to obey the com-
mand of the angel, honored his spouse and lavished his
attention upon her.
171. The Lord forestalled the holy Matron Anne with
the blessings of his sweetness (Psalm 20, 4), communi-
cating to her the most exalted graces and infused science,
which prepared her for the happy destiny of becoming
the mother of Her, who was to be the Mother of God
himself. As the works of God are perfect and consum-
mate, it was natural to expect, that He should make her
a worthy mother of that most pure Creature, who should
be superior in sanctity to all creatures and inferior only
to God.
172. This fortunate couple passed twenty j^'ears of
their married life without issue. In those times and
among the people of the Jews this was held to be the
greatest misfortune and disgrace. On this account they
had to bear much reproach and insult from their neigh-
bors and acquaintances, for all those that were child-
less, were considered as excluded from the benefits of
the Messias. But the Most High wished to afflict them
and dispose them for the grace which awaited them, in
THE CONCEPTION 147
order that in patience and submission they might tear-
fully sow the glorious Fruit, which they were afterwards
to bring forth. They continued in most fervent prayers
from the bottom of their hearts, mindful of the com-
mand from on high. They made an express vow to the
Lord, that if He should give them issue, they would
consecrate It to his service in the temple of Jerusalem.
173. This offer was made by an especial impulse of
the Holy Ghost, who had ordained, that She who was to
be the habitation of the Son of God, should, before com-
ing into existence, be offered and, as it were, pledged by
her parents to the same Lord. For if they had not
obliged themselves by a special promise to offer Her to
the temple before they possessed Her, they would not
have been able to make the sacrifice on account of the
vehement love, which her sweetness and grace engen-
dered. According to our mode of understanding such
things, the Lord in a measure allayed his fears, lest his
most holy Mother should remain in possession of any
one else, and his love so to say, diverted itself by a cer-
tain delay in creating Her.
174. Having, at the command of the Lord, perse-
vered a whole year in fervent petitions, it happened by
divine inspiration and ordainment. that Joachim was in
the temple of Jerusalem offering prayers and sacrifices
for the coming of the Messias, and for the fruit, which
he desired. Arriving with others of his town to offer
the common gifts and contributions in the presence of
the high priest, Isachar, an inferior priest, harshly repre-
hended the old and venerable Joachim, for presuming to
come with the other people to make his offerings in spite
of his being childless. Among other things he said to
him: "Why dost thou, Joachim, come with thy offer-
ings and sacrifices, which are not pleasing in the eyes of
148 CITY OF GOD
God, since thou art a useless man ? Leave this company
and depart; do not annoy God with thy offerings and
sacrifices, which are not acceptable to Him." The holy
man, full of shame and confusion, in humble love thus
addressed the Lord : "Most high Lord and God, at thy
command and desire I came to the temple ; he that takes
thy place, despises me ; my sins merit this disgrace ; but
since I accept it according to thy will, do not cast away
the creature of thy hands" (Ps. 137, 8). Joachim
hastened away from the temple full of sorrow, though
peaceful and contented, to a farm or storehouse, which
he possessed, and there in solitude he called upon the
Lord for some days, praying as follows :
175. "Most high and eternal God, on whom depends
the whole existence and the reparation of the human
race, prostrate in thy living presence, I supplicate thy
infinite goodness to look upon the affiiction of my soul
and to hear my prayers and those of thy servant Anne.
To thine eyes are manifest all our desires (Ps. Vl , 10)
and if I am not worthy to be heard, do not despise my
humble spouse. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
our first forefathers, do not hide thy kindness from us,
nor permit, since Thou art a Father, that I be numbered
among the reprobate and the outcasts in my offerings,
because Thou givest me no issue. Remember, O Lord,
the sacrifices (Deut. 9, 27) and oblations of thy ser-
vants and prophets, my ancestors, and look upon their
works, which were pleasing to thy divine eyes. Since
Thou commandest me, my Lord, to pray to Thee in con-
fidence, grant me, according to the greatness of thy
mercy and power, that which at thy wish I pray for. In
beseeching Thee I fulfill thy will and render the obe-
dience, in which Thou hast promised to grant my pe-
tition. If my sins hinder the exercise of thy mercies,
THE CONCEPTION 149
take away what displeases and hinders Thee. Thou art
mighty, Lord God of Israel, and all that Thou wishest,
Thou canst accomplish without hindrance. Let my
prayer reach thy ears, and if I am poor and insignificant,
Thou art infinite and always ready to exercise mercy
with the downcast. Whither shall I flee from Thee,
who art the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Thou
hast filled thy sons and servants with benedictions in
their generations and Thou hast instructed me to expect
and desire from thy bounty what Thou hast wrought in
my brethren. If it is Thy pleasure to yield to my pe-
tition, and grant me issue I will offer it and consecrate
it to thy holy temple in perpetual service. I have riveted
my eyes and my will on thy holy Will and have always
desired to keep them free from the vanishing things
of this world. Fulfill in regard to me, what is according
to thy pleasure, and rejoice our spirit with the accom-
plishment of our hopes. Look down from thy throne
upon this vile dust, and raise it up, in order that it may
magnify Thee and adore Thee, and let in all things be
fulfilled thy will, and not mine."
176. While Joachim was making these petitions in his
retirement, the holy angel manifested to holy Anne, that
her prayer for an issue, accompanied by such holy de-
sires and intentions, was pleasing to the Almighty. Hav-
ing thus recognized the will of God and of her husband
Joachim, she prayed with humble subjection and confi-
dence, that it be fulfilled. "Most high God, my Lord,
Creator and Preserver of the universe, whom my soul
reveres as the true God. infinite, holy and eternal ! Pros-
trate in thy real presence I will speak, though I am but
dust and ashes (Esther 13. 9) proclaiming my need and
my affliction. Lord God uncreated, make us worthy of
thy benediction, and give us holy fruit of the womb, in
150 CITY OF GOD
order that we may offer it to thy service in the temple
(Gen, 18, 27). Remember, O Lord, that Anne, thy ser-
vant, the mother of Samuel, was sterile and that by thy
generous mercy she received the fulfillment of her de-
sires. I feel within me a courage which incites and ani-
mates me to ask Thee to show me the same mercy.
Hear then, O sweetest Lord and Master, my humble
petition : remember the sacrifices, offerings and services
of my ancestors and the favors, which thy almighty arm
wrought in them. I wish to offer to Thee, O Lord, an
oblation pleasing and acceptable in thy eyes : but the
greatest in my power, is my soul, my faculties and in-
clinations given to Thee, and my whole being. If Thou
look upon me from thy throne giving me issue, I will
from this moment sanctify and offer it for thy service
in the temple. Lord God of Israel, if it should be thy
pleasure and good will to look upon this lowly and im-
poverished creature, and to console thy servant Joachim,
grant me my prayer and may in all things be fulfilled thy
holy and eternal will."
177. These were the prayers, which saint Joachim
and Anne offered. On account of my great shortcom-
ing and insufficiency I cannot fully describe what I was
made to understand concerning the holiness of these
prayers and of these saintly parents. It is impossible to
tell all ; nor is it necessary, since what I have said is
sufficient for my purpose. In order to obtain a befitting
idea of these saints, it is necessary to estimate and judge
them in connection with the most high end and ministry,
for which they were chosen by God ; for they were the
immediate grandparents of Christ our Lord, and par-
ents of his most holv Mother.
CHAPTER XIIL
HOW THE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST HOLY MARY WAS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL, AND HOW
GOD PREPARED HOLY ANNE FOR IT BY A SPECIAL
FAVOR.
178. The petitions of the holy Joachim and Anne
reached the throne of the holy Trinity, where they were
accepted and the will of God was made known to the
holy angels. The three divine Persons, according to
our way of expressing such things, spoke to them as fol-
lows : "We have in our condescension resolved, that the
Person of the Word shall assume human flesh and that
through Him all the race of mortals shall find a remedy.
We have already manifested and promised this to our
servants, the Prophets, in order that they might an-
nounce it to the world. The sins of the living, and their
malice are so great, that We are much constrained by
the rigor of justice. But our goodness and mercy is
greater than all their evil-doing, nor can it exting^iish
our love toward men. \\'e will look with mercy upon
the works of our hands, which We have created accord-
ing to our image and likeness, so as to enable them to
become inheritors and participators of our eternal glory
(I Pet. 3, 22). We will consider the services and the
pleasure derived from our servants and friends and re-
gard the multitude of those, who shall distinguish them-
selves in our praise and friendship. And above all have
We before our eyes Her. who is to be the chosen One.
who is to be acceptable above all creatures and singled
151
152 CITY OF GOD
out for our delight ana pleasure; because She is to con-
ceive the person of the Word in her womb and clothe
Him with human flesh. Since there must be a beginning
of this work, by which We shall manifest to the world
the treasures of the Divinity, this shall be the acceptable
and opportune time for its execution. Joachim and
Anne have found grace in our eyes ; We look upon them
with pleasure and shall enrich them with choicest gifts
and graces. They have been faithful and constant in
their trials and in simplicity and uprightness their souls
have become acceptable and pleasing before Us. Let
Gabriel as our ambassador bring tidings of joy for them
and for the whole human race; let him announce to
them, that in our condescension We have looked upon
them and chosen them."
179. Thus the celestial spirits were instructed in re-
gard to the will and the decree of the Almighty. The
holy archangel Gabriel humbled himself before the
throne of the most blessed Trinity, adoring and revering
the divine Majesty in the manner which befits these most
pure and spiritual substances. From the throne an in-
tellectual voice proceeded, saying: "Gabriel, enlighten,
vivify and console Joachim and Anne, our servants, and
tell them, that their prayers have come to our presence
and their petitions are heard in clemency. Promise them,
that by the favor of our right hand they will receive
the Fruit of benediction, and that Anne shall conceive a
Daughter, to whom We give the name of MARY."
180. Together with this mandate of the Most High
many mysteries and sacraments pertaining to this mes-
sage were revealed to saint Gabriel. With it he de-
scended from the vault of the empyrean heaven and ap-
peared to holy Joachim, while he was in prayer, saying
to him: "Just and upright man, the Almighty from his
THE CO.\XEPTION 153
sovereign throne has taken notice of thy desires and has
heard thy sighs and prayers, and has made thee for-
tunate on earth. Thy spouse Anne shall conceive and
bear a Daughter, who shall be blessed among women
(Luc. 1, 42, 48). The nations shall know Her as the
Blessed. He who is the eternal God, increate, and
the Creator of all, most upright in his judgments, power-
ful and strong, sends me to thee, because thy works and
alms have been acceptable. Love has softened the heart
of the Almighty, and has hastened his mercies, and in
his liberality He wishes to enrich thy house and thy fam-
ily with a Daughter, whom Anne shall conceive; the
Lord himself has chosen for Her the name of MARY.
From her childhood let Her be consecrated to the temple,
and in it to God, as thou hast promised. She shall be
elect, exalted, powerful and full of the Holy Ghost; on
account of the sterility of Anne her conception shall be
miraculous; She shall be a Daughter wonderful in all
her doings and in all her life. Praise the Lord, Joachim,
for this benefit and magnify Him, for in no other na-
tion has He wrought the like. Thou shalt go to give
thanks in the temple of Jerusalem and in testimony of
the truth of this joyful message, thou shalt meet, in the
Golden Gate, thy sister Anne, who is coming to the
temple for the same purpose. Remember that marvelous
is this message, for the Conception of this Child shall re-
joice heaven and earth."
181. All this happened to saint Joachim during his
prolonged prayer and in a miraculous sleep, into which
he fell for the purpose of receiving this message. He
experienced something similar to that which happened
to saint Joseph, the spouse of the most holy Mary, when it
was made known to him, that her pregnancy was the work
of the Holy Ghost (Matth. 1, 20). The most fortunate
12
154 CITY OF GOD
saint Joachim awoke in great joy of soul and with solici-
tous and ingenuous prudence he concealed within his heart
the sacrament of the King (Tob. 12, 7). With a hvely
faith and hope he poured forth his soul in the presence
of the Most High, and full of tenderness and gratitude,
he thanked and praised Him for his inscrutable judg-
ments. In order to do this more appropriately he has-
tened to the temple as he had been ordered.
182. In the meanwhile the thrice blessed Anne was
exalted in prayer and divine contemplation and totally
wrapped up in the mystery of the Incarnation, which,
after having been previously filled with a most high un-
derstanding and a specially infused light, she solicited
from the eternal Word. With the profoundest humility
and lively faith she was praying for the hastening of the
coming of the Redeemer of the human race in the fol-
lowing words: "Most high King and Lord of all crea-
tion, I, a most vile and despicable creature, and yet the
work of thy hands, desire at the price of the life which
Thou hast given me, to urge Thee to hasten in thy mercy
the time of our salvation. O may thy infinite kindness
incline toward our need ! O that our eyes might look
upon the Restorer and the Redeemer of men! Remem-
ber, O Lord, the mercies of old shown to thy people,
wherein Thou hast promised thy Onlybegotten, and may
this promise of infinite kindness unbend Thee! May it
come now, that day so much longed for! Is it possible,
that the Most High should descend from his holy
heaven? Is it possible, that He is to have a terrestrial
Mother? What woman shall She be, that is so fortunate
and blessed ? O who shall be so favored as to look upon
Her? Who shall be worthy to be the servant of her
servants? Blessed the race, that shall be able to see
Her and prostrate themselves at her feet to reverence
THE CONCEPTION 155
Her ! How sweet shall be the sight of Her and her com-
pany ! Blessed tlie eyes, that shall see Her and the ears,
that shall listen to her words, and the family, from whom
the Most High shall select his Mother! Execute, O
Lord, this decree: fulfill thy divine benevolence!"
183. In this prayer and colloquy saint Anne occupied
herself after having received enlightenment regarding
this ineffable mystery. She weighed all the conferences,
which she had had with her guardian angel, who on
many occasions, and now more openly than ever before,
had manifested himself to her. The Almighty ordained,
that the message of the Conception of his holy Mother
should in some way be similar to the one, by which the
Incarnation was announced. For saint Anne was medi-
tating in humble fervor upon her, who was to bear the
Mother of the incarnate Word. And the most holy
Virgin was making the same reflections upon Her, who
was to be the Mother of God, as I will relate in its place
(Part II, 117). It was also the same angel, that brought
both messages, and in human form, though he showed
himself in a more beautiful and mysterious shape to the
Virgin Mary.
184. The holy archangel Gabriel appeared to saint
Anne in human form more resplendent than the sun, and
said to her: "Anne, servant of God, I am an angel
sent from the council of the ]\Iost High, who in divine
condescension looks upon the humble of the earth
(Psalm 137, 6). Good is incessant prayer and humble
confidence. The Lord has heard thy petitions, for He is
nigh to those who call upon Him with living faith and
hope, and who expect his salvation (Ps. 144, 18). If
He delays hearing their clamors and defers the ful-
fillment of their prayers, it is in order to dispose them to
receive and to oblige Himself to give much more than
156 CITY OF GOD
they ask and desire. Prayer and almsgiving open the
treasures of the Lord, the omnipotent King, and incline
Him to be lavish in mercy toward those, who ask (Tob.
11, 8). Thou and Joachim have prayed for the Fruit of
benediction and the Most High has resolved to give you
holy and wonderful Fruit; and by it He will enrich you
with heavenly gifts, granting to you much more than
you have asked. For having humiliated yourselves in
prayer, the Lord wishes to magnify Himself in conced-
ing your petitions : because those, who in humble confi-
dence pray to Him without belittling his infinite power,
are most agreeable to the Lord. Persevere in prayer
and ask without ceasing for the Redemption of the hu-
man race in order to constrain the Most High. Moses
by unceasing prayer brought victory to the people
(Exod. 17, 11); Esther by prayer obtained liberation
from the death sentence (Esther 4, 11) ; Judith by the
same means was filled with fortitude to execute a most
arduous task for the salvation of Israel : She fulfilled
it, though a weak and frail woman (Judith 9, 1). Da-
vid came forth victorious in his combat with the giant,
because he prayed, invoking the name of the Lord (I
Kings 17, 45; III Kings 18, 36). Elias drew fire from
heaven by his sacrifice and by his prayer opened and
closed the heavens. The humility, faith and the alms of
Joachim and of thyself have come before the throne of
the Most High and now He sends me, his angel, in or-
der to give thee news full of joy for thy heart : His Ma-
jesty wishes, that thou be most fortunate and blessed.
He chooses thee to be the mother of Her who is to con-
ceive and bring forth the Onlybegotten of the Father.
Thou shalt bring forth a Daughter, who by divine dis-
position shall be called MARY. She shall be blessed
among women and full of the Holy Ghost. She shall
THE CONCEPTION 157
be the cloud that shall drop the dew of heaven for the
refreshment of mortals (III Kings 18, 44) : and in Her
shall be fulfilled the prophecies of thy ancestors. She
shall be the portal of life and salvation for the sons of
Adam. Know also that I have announced to Joachim,
that he shall have a Daughter who shall be blessed and
fortunate : but the full knowledge of the mystery is not
given him by the Lord, for he does not know% that She
is to be the Mother of the Messias. Therefore thou
must guard this secret; and go now to the temple to
give thanks to the Most High for having been so highly
favored by his powerful right hand. In the Golden Gate
thou shalt meet Joachim, where thou wilt confer with
him about this tiding. Thou art the one, who art especial-
ly blessed of the Lord and whom He wishes to visit and
enrich with more singular blessings. In solitude He will
speak to thy heart and there give a beginning to the law
of grace, since in thy womb He will give being to Her,
who is to vest the Immortal with mortal flesh and hu-
man form. In this humanity, united with the Word, will
be written, as with his own blood, the true law of Mercy."
185. In order that the humble heart of the holy Anne
might not faint away with admiration and joy at these
tidings of the holy angel, she was strengthened by the
holy Spirit and thus she heard it and received it with
magnanimity and incomparable joy. Immediately arising
she hastened to the temple of Jerusalem, and there found
saint Joachim, as the angel had foretold to them both.
Together they gave thanks to the Almighty for this won-
derful blessing and offered special gifts and sacrifices.
They were enlightened anew by the grace of the holy
Spirit, and, full of divine consolation, they returned to
their home. Joyfully they conversed about the favors,
which they had received from the Almighty, especially
158 CITY OF GOD
concerning each one's message of the archangel Gabriel,
whereby, on behalf of the Lord, they had been promised
a Daughter who should be most blessed and fortunate.
On this occasion they also told each other, how the same
angel, before their espousal, had commanded each to ac-
cept the other, in order that together they might serve
God according to his divine will. This secret they had
kept from each other for twenty years, without com-
municating it, until the same angel had promised them
the issue of such a Daughter. Anew they made the vow
to offer Her to the temple and that each year on this day
they would come to the temple to offer special gifts,
spend the day in praise and thanksgiving, and give many
alms. This vow they fulfilled to the end of their lives,
spending this day in great praise and exaltation of the
Most High.
186. The prudent matron Anne never disclosed the
secret, that her Daughter was to be the Mother of the
Messias, either to Joachim or to any other creature.
Nor did that holy parent in the course of his life know
any more than that She was to be a grand and mys-
terious woman. However, in the last moments of his
life the Almighty made the secret known to him, as I
will relate in its place (Infr. No. 666). Although great
revelations have been made to me concerning the vir-
tues and the holiness of the two parents of the Queen
of heaven, I shall not dilate upon that which all the
faithful must presuppose. I shall rather hasten to the
main point.
187. After the first conception of the body which was
to be that of the Mother of grace, and before creating
her most holy soul, God granted a singular favor to saint
Anne. She had an intellectual and most exalted vision
or appearance of his Majesty, in which, having com-
THE CONCEPTION 159
municated to her great enlightenment and gifts of grace.
He disposed her and forestalled her with the blessings of
his sweetness (Ps. 20, 4). Entirely purifying her, He
spiritualized the inferior part of her body and elevated
her soul and spirit to such a degree, that thenceforward
she never attended to any human affair, which could im-
pede her union with God in all the affections of her mind
and will, and she never lost sight of Him. At the same
time He said to her: "Anne, my servant, I am the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob : my blessing and my
eternal light is with thee. I have created man in order
to raise him from the dust and to make him the in-
heritor of my glory and participator of my Divinity. I
also showered my gifts upon him and placed him in a
position and state of high perfection; but he listened
to the serpent and lost all. Out of my goodness and in
fulfillment of the promises made through my holy
Prophets, I wish to forget his ingratitude and to repair
the damage, by sending my Onlybegotten as their Re-
deemer. The heavens are closed, the ancient Patriarchs
are detained, deprived of the sight of my face and of
eternal life promised to them. The inclination of my
bounteousness is as it were strained in not communicat-
ing itself to the human race. Now, at this time do I
wish to show mercy, giving them the person of the eter-
nal Word, to become man, to be born of a Woman, who
shall be Mother and Virgin, immaculate, pure, blessed
and holy above all creatures. Of Her, my chosen and
only One, I make thee mother." (Cant. 6, 8).
188. I cannot easily explain the effect of these words
in the upright heart of holy Anne, she being the first of
those born of men, to whom was revealed the mystery of
her most holy Daughter, who was to be the Mother of
God and chosen for the greatest sacrament of the divine
160 CITY OF GOD
Omnipotence. It was befitting that she should know of
this mystery and properly estimate the Treasure which
she was to possess and to which she was to give birth
and existence. She heard with profound humility the
voice of the Most High and with a submissive heart she
answered : "Lord, God eternal, it is the essence of thy
immense bounty and the work of thy powerful arm, to
raise from the dust those that are poor and despised
(Ps. 112, 7). I acknowledge myself, O Lord, a crea-
ture unworthy of such mercies and benefits. What shall
this lowly worm do in thy presence? Thy own Being
and thy own magnificence alone can I offer in thanks-
giving, and my soul and all its faculties in sacrifice. Use
me, O Lord, according to thy will, since to it I resign
myself entirely. I wish to be as completely thy own as
such a favor requires; but what shall I do, who am not
worthy to be the slave of Her who is to be the Mother
of the Onlybegotten and my Daughter? This I know,
and shall confess always : that I am a poor creature ;
but at the feet of thy greatness I await the course of thy
mercy, who art a kind Father and the all-powerful God.
Make me, O Lord, worthy in thy eyes of the dignity
Thou bestowest upon me."
189. During this vision saint Anne was wrapped in
a marvelous ecstasy, in which she was favored with the
highest understanding of the laws of nature, and of the
written and the evangelical precepts. She was instruct-
ed as to how the divine nature in the eternal Word was
to unite itself to our own; how his most holy humanity
was to be elevated to the being of God, and she under-
stood many other mysteries, which were to be fulfilled
in the Incarnation of the divine Word. By these en-
lightenments and by other gifts of grace, the Almighty
disposed her for the Conception and the creation of her
most holy Daughter, the Mother of God.
CHAPTER XIV.
HOW THE ALMIGHTY MADE KNOWN TO THE HOLY AN-
GELS THE OPPORTUNE DECREE FOR THE CONCEPTION
OF THE MOST HOLY MARY; AND WHICH OF THEM HE
SELECTED FOR HER CUSTODY.
190. In the tribunal of the divine will, as the inevit-
able source and universal cause of the whole creation,
all things with their conditions and circumstances, are
decreed and determined, so that nothing is forgotten
and no created power can in the least impede the fulfill-
ment of the decree. All the spheres and the inhabitants
contained in them are dependent on this ineffable gov-
ernment that rules them and cooperates with the nat-
ural causes unfailingly and unerringly in all that must
be done. God works in all and sustains all by his sole
will; in Him lies the preservation of all things or their
annihilation, for without Him they would return to the
non-existence, from which they were drawn. But since
He has created the universe for his glory and for the
glory of the incarnate Word, therefore He has from the
beginning opened the paths and prearranged the ways
by which the same Word should lower Himself to as-
sume human flesh and to live among men. and by which
they might ascend toward God, know Him, fear Him,
seek Him, serve Him, love Him, praise Him and enjoy
Him eternally.
191. Admirable was his name in all the lands of the
earth, and magnified in the plenitude and congregation
of the saints, whom He ordained and constituted as a
161
162 CITY OF GOD
people pleasing to Him and over whom He placed the
incarnate Word as their Chief. When the world had
arrived at the last and befitting stage according to the
wishes of his divine Providence; and when the prede-
termined time had come for the creation of that mar-
velous woman, whose sign had appeared in the heavens
clothed with the sun (Apoc. 12, 1), and who was to re-
joice and enrich the earth, the most holy Trinity exe-
cuted the decree of forming Her. I will now manifest
what within the narrow limits of my reason and concept
I have been able to comprehend.
192. I have already said above (No. 34) that for
God there is no past or future, since He holds all things
present to his divine and infinite mind and knows all by
one simple act. But reducing this to our way of speak-
ing and to our limited mode of understanding, we con-
ceive that his Majesty remembered the decrees of the
creation of a Mother befitting and worthy of the Incar-
nation of the Word, for the fulfillment of his decree is
inevitable. As the opportune and pre-ordained time had
arrived, the three divine Persons conferred with each
other saying : "Now is the time to begin the work of our
pleasure and to call into existence that pure Creature
and that soul, which is to find grace in our eyes above
all the rest. Let Us furnish Her with the richest gifts
and let Us deposit in Her the great treasures of our
grace. Since all others, whom We called into existence,
have turned out ungrateful and rebellious to our wishes,
frustrating our intention and impeding by their own
fault our purpose, namely, that they conserve themselves
in the happy state of their first parents, and since it is
not proper, that our will should be entirely frustrated,
let Us therefore create this being in entire sanctity and
perfection, so that the disorder of the first sin shall have
THE CONCEPTION 163
no part in Her. Let Us create a soul according to our
pleasure, a fruit of our attributes, a marvel of our in-
finite power, without touch or blemish of the sin of
Adam. Let Us perfect a w-ork which is the object of
our Omnipotence and a pattern of the perfection in-
tended for our children, and the finishing crown of cre-
ation. All have sinned in the free will and resolve of
the first man (Rom. 5, 12) ; let Her be the sole creature
in whom We restore and execute that which they in
their aberration have lost. Let Her be a most special
image and likeness of our Divinity and let Her be in our
presence for all eternity the culmination of our good
will and pleasure. In Her We deposit all the preroga-
tives and graces which in our first and conditional re-
solve We had destined for the angels and men, if they
had remained in their first estate. What they have lost
We renew in that Creature and We will add to these
gifts many others. Thus our first decree shall not
be frustrated, but it shall be fulfilled in a higher manner
through this our chosen and only One (Cant. 6, 8).
And since We assigned and prepared the most perfect
and estimable of our gifts for the creatures who have
lost them. We will divert the stream of our bounty to
our Well-beloved. We will set Her apart from the
ordinary law, by which the rest of the mortals are
brought into existence, for in Her the seed of the ser-
pent shall have no part. I will descend from heaven into
her womb and in it vest Myself from her substance with
human nature."
193. "It is befitting and due to the infinite goodness
of our Divinity, that It be founded and enclosed in the
most pure matter, untouched and unstained by fault.
Nor is it proper that our equity and providence over-
look what is most apt, perfect and holy, and choose that
164 CITY OF GOD
which is inferior, since nothing can resist our will (Es-
ther 13, 9). The Word, which is to become man, being
the Redeemer and Teacher of men, must lay the foun-
dation of the most perfect law of grace, and must teach
through it, that the father and mother are to be obeyed
and honored as the secondary causes of the natural ex-
istence of man. The law is first to be fulfilled by the
divine Word by honoring Her as his chosen Mother,
by exalting Her with a powerful arm, and lavishing
upon Her the most admirable, most holy and most ex-
cellent of all graces and gifts. Among these shall be
that most singular honor and blessing of not subjecting
Her to our enemy, nor to his malice; and therefore She
shall be free from the death of sin."
194. "On earth the Word shall have a Mother with-
out a father, as in heaven He has a Father without a
mother. And in order that there may be the proper cor-
respondence, proportion and consonance in calling God
his Father and this Woman his Mother, We desire that
the highest correspondence and approach possible between
a creature and its God be established. Therefore at no
time shall the dragon boast of being superior to the
Woman, whom God will obey as his true Mother. This
dignity of being free from sin is due and corresponds to
that of being Mother of the Word, and it is in itself
even more estimable and useful. It is a greater good to
be holy than to be only mother ; but all sanctity and per-
fection is nevertheless due to the motherhood of God.
The human flesh, from which He is to assume form,
must be free from sin. Since He is to redeem in it the
sinners, He must not be under the necessity of redeem-
ing his own flesh, like that of sinners. Being united to
the Divinity his humanity is to be the price of Redemp-
tion, wherefore it must before all be preserved from sin,
THE CONCEPTION 165
and We have already foreseen and accepted the merits
of the Word in this very flesh and human nature. We
wish that for all eternities the Word should be glorified
through this tabernacle and habitation of the human
nature."
195. "She is to be a daughter of the first man; but
in the order of grace She is to be singularly free and
exempt from fault ; and in the order of nature She is to
be most perfect, and to be formed according to a special
providence. And since the incarnate Word is to be the
Teacher of humility and holiness and for this end is to
endure labors, confounding the vanity and deceitful fal-
lacies of mortals by choosing for Himself sufferings as
the treasure most estimable in our eyes, We wish that
She, who is to be his Mother, experience the same labors
and difficulties, that She be singularly distinguished in
patience, admirable in sufferings, and that She, in union
with the Onlybegotten, offer the acceptable sacrifices of
sorrow to Us for her greater glory."
196. This was the decree which the three divine Per-
sons made known to the holy angels, exalting the glory
and honor of their high and inscrutable judgments. And
since his Divinity is a mirror in which He at the same
time manifests new mysteries to the blessed who yield
obedience, this explanation revealed in a new light the
admirable order and marvelous harmony of his works.
All this follows from that which We have said in the
preceding chapters (VU, VIH) concerning the works
of the Almighty in the creation of the angels, telling
them to reverence as their superiors the incarnate Word
and his most holy Mother. Moreover, as the time for
the formation of that great Queen had arrived, it was
befitting that the Lord should not conceal the fact of his
having disposed all this in weight and measure (Sap.
166 CITY OF GOD
11, 21). Self-evidently, with human words and terms
so hmited as those at my disposal, the understanding
given to me about these hidden mysteries will be obscured
rather than explained; but within these limits I will tell
what I can concerning their manifestation by the Al-
mighty to the angels on this occasion.
197. *'Now the time has arrived" added his Majesty,
"which was resolved upon by our Providence for bring-
ing to light the Creature most pleasing and acceptable to
our eyes. That Creature, in whom the human nature is
freed from its first sin, who is to crush the head of the
dragon, who was typified by that singular sign, the
Woman that appeared in the heavens in our presence,
and who is to clothe the eternal Word with human flesh.
The hour is at hand, so blessed for mortals, in which the
treasures of our Divinity are to be opened and the gates
of heaven to be unlocked. Let the rigor of our justice
be softened by the chastisements, which We have until
now executed upon the mortals; let the attribute of our
mercy become manifest; let the creatures be enriched,
and let the divine Word merit for them the treasures of
grace and of eternal glory."
198. "Now let the human race receive the Repairer,
the Teacher, the Brother and Friend, to be life for mor-
tals, a medicine for the sick, a consoler for the sorrow-
ful, a balsam for the wounded, a guide and companion
for those in difficulties. Let now the prophecies of our
servants and the promises made to them, that We would
send a Savior to redeem them, be fulfilled. And in order
that all may be executed according to our good pleas-
ure, and that We may give a beginning to the mystery
hidden since the constitution of the world. We select for
the formation of our beloved Mary the womb of our
servant Anne; in her be She conceived and in her let
THE CONCEPTION 167
that most blessed Soul be created. Although her gener-
ation and formation shall proceed according to the usual
order of natural propagation, it shall be different in the
order of grace, according to the ordainment of our Al-
mighty power."
199. "You do already know how the ancient serpent,
since he saw the sign of this marvelous Woman, at-
tempts to circumvent all women, and how, from the first
one created, he persecutes all those, whom he sees ex-
celling in the perfection of their works and life, expect-
ing to find among them the One, who is to crush his
head (Gen. 3, 15). When he shall encounter this most
pure and spotless Creature, he shall find Her so holy
that he will exert all his powers to persecute Her in pur-
suance of the concept which he forms of Her. But the
arrogance of this dragon shall be greater than his
powers (Is. 16, 6) ; and it is our will that you have par-
ticular charge of this our holy City and tabernacle of
the incarnate Word, protecting, guarding, assisting and
defending Her against our enemies, and that you en-
lighten, strengthen and console Her with all due solici-
tude and reverence, as long as She shall be a wayfarer
among the mortals."
200. At this proposal of the Most High all the holy
angels, prostrate before the royal throne of the most
holy Trinity, avowed their promptitude and eagerness
to obey the divine mandate. Each one desired in holy
emulation to be appointed, and offered himself for such
a happy service; all of them gave to the Almighty praise
and thanksgiving in new songs, because the hour had ar-
rived for the fulfillment of that for which they had,
with the most ardent desires, prayed through many
ages. I perceived on this occasion that from the time of
that great battle of saint Michael with the dragon and
168 CITY OF GOD
his allies, in which they were hurled into everlasting
darkness while the hosts of Michael remained victorious
and confirmed in grace and glory, these holy spirits com-
menced immediately to pray for the fulfillment of the
mysteries of the Incarnation of the Word, of which
they became cognizant at that time. And they perse-
vered in these oft repeated prayers up to the hour in
which God manifested to them the fulfillment of their
desires and petitions.
201. On this account the celestial spirits at this new
revelation conceived an additional joy and obtained new
accidental glory, and they spoke to the Lord : "Most
High and incomprehensible God and Lord, Thou art
worthy of all reverence, praise and eternal glory; and
we are thy creatures and made according to thy divine
will. Send us, most powerful Lord, to execute thy most
wonderful works and mysteries, in order that in all
things thy most just pleasure may be fulfilled." In such
terms of affection the heavenly princes acknowledged
themselves as subjects; and if it had been possible, they
desired to increase in purity and perfection in order to
be more worthy guardians and servants of Mary.
202. Then the Most High chose and appointed those
who were to be occupied in this exalted service (the
guardianship of Mary) from each of the nine choirs of
angels. He selected one hundred, being nine hundred
in all. Moreover He assigned twelve others who should
in a special manner assist Mary in corporeal and visible
forms; and they were to bear the emblems or escutch-
eons of the Redemption. These are the twelve which
are mentioned in the twenty-first chapter of the Apoca-
lypse as guarding the portals of the city; of them I will
speak in the explanation of that chapter later on. Be-
sides these the Lord assigned eighteen other angels, se-
THE CONCEPTION 169
lected from the highest ranks, who were to ascend and
descend by that mystical stairs of Jacob with the mes-
sage of the Queen to his Majesty and those of the Lord
to Her. For, many times did She send them to the
eternal Father in order to be governed in all her actions
by the Holy Spirit. She did nothing except what
pleased the Almighty, and his pleasures She sought even
in most insignificant things. Whenever She was not
instructed by a special enlightenment, She sent these
holy angels to the Lord in order to represent her doubt
and signify her desire to do what was most pleasing to
the divine will, and in order to be informed of his pleas-
ure, as we shall relate in the course of this history.
203. In addition to all these holy angels the Almighty
assigned and appointed seventy seraphim, choosing them
from the highest ranks and from those nearest to the
Divinity, in order that they might communicate and
converse with this Princess of heaven in the same way
as they themselves have intercourse with each other, and
as the higher communicate with the lower ones. This
was a privilege conferred upon the ]\Iother of God be-
cause She was to be a wayfarer on earth and in nature
inferior, though in dignity and grace, superior to all the
seraphim. When at one time the Lord withdrew and
hid Himself from Her, as we sliall see later on. these
seventy seraphim enlightened Her and consoled Her; to
them She poured out the longings of her most ardent
love and her anxieties in regard to her hidden Treasure.
That there were seventy of these spirits, had reference
to the number of years of her life, which was seventy
and not sixty, as I will explain in its place. Among this
number are included the sixty strong ones, which in the
Canticles are mentioned as guarding the chamber or
couch of Solomon, their loins girded with swords against
the terror of the night.
13
170 CITY OF GOD
204. These mighty princes and captains were as-
signed as a guard of the Queen of heaven from among
the highest orders of the angehc hierarchy; for these,
in that ancient battle of the obedient spirits with the
proud dragon, were as the armed champions of the Lord
of all creation, encountering and overcoming Lucifer
and all his apostates with the sword of their virtue and
of the divine Word. Hence, because they distinguished
themselves in that great battle and victory by their zeal
for the honor of the Almighty, and had been valiant
and skillful captains in the divine love, and as they so
zealously defended the honor of their Captain and Lord
and of his most holy Mother by the arms of divine
grace given to them in view of the merits of the incar-
nate Word, therefore it is said, that they guard the
couch of Solomon, that they form his guard, girded
with the sword about the loins. For thus is indicated
the human generation or humanity of Christ conceived
in the virginal chamber of Mary of her most pure blood
and substance.
205. The other ten seraphim, which complete the
number of seventy, were likewise chosen from the more
distinguished leaders of those who in their opposition to
the dragon had manifested a greater reverence for the
Divinity and humanity of the Word and for his most
holy Mother; for all this was determined during that
brief conflict of the holy angels. It was one of the prin-
cipal distinctions merited by them at the time that they
were to be selected as guardians of their Queen and
Lady. Altogether a thousand angels were chosen from
the Seraphim and the lower orders of angels, and thus
that City of God was superabundantly fortified against
the infernal hosts.
206. In order that this invincible warrior-troop might
THE COXCEPTIOX 171
be well appointed, saint ^Michael, the prince of the heav-
enly militia was placed at their head, and although not
always in the company of the Queen, he was neverthe-
less often near Her and often showed himself to Her.
The Almighty destined him as a special ambassador of
Christ our Lord and to act in some of the mysteries as
the defender of his most holy Mother. In a like man-
ner the holy prince Gabriel was appointed to act as le-
gate and minister of the eternal Father in the affairs of
the Princess of heaven. Thus did the most holy Trinity
provide for the custody and the defense of the Mother
of God.
207. All the appointments of the angels were a grace
of the Almighty ; but I understood that He observed, ac-
cording to a certain measure, the laws of distributive
justice. In his equity and providence He took account of
the manner in which the holy angels acted and felt in
regard to the mysteries revealed to them in the begin-
ning concerning his most holy Mother. For in accept-
ing the divine decree each was moved by different affec-
tions and inclinations toward the sacraments which be-
came known to them. Not in all was the same grace or
willingness and affection. Some of them yielded with
an especial devotion, when they recognized the union of
the divine and the human natures in the person of the
Word, which was to be enclosed in the limits of a human
body and yet raised to the sovereignty of all creation.
Others in their affection were moved to admire the love
of the Onlybegotten of the Father, that caused Him to
become mortal and offer Himself as a sacrifice for men.
Others again signalized themselves in praising God for
creating a body and soul of such excellence, that it
would be superior to all the celestial spirits and that
from it the Creator should take human flesh. Accord-
172 CITY OF GOD
ing to these sentiments and in proportion to them, and
as it were for accidental reward, these holy angels were
selected to serve in the mysteries of Christ and his most
holy Mother. In the same way those, who during this
life have signalized themselves in the practice of certain
virtues are rewarded with the special crowns of doctors,
virgins and so forth.
208. In pursuance of this, when these holy princes
appeared in visible shape to the Mother of God, they
bore devices or badges representing the different mys-
teries, as I will relate farther on. Some of them showed
the emblems of the Incarnation, others those of the Pas-
sion, others those of the Queen herself, and of her great
dignity. But She did not immediately recognize these
badges when they began to be shown to Her, for the
Almighty had told all these holy angels not to make
known to Her that She was to be the Mother of his
Onlybegotten until the hour appointed by his divine wis-
dom ; yet at the same time always to converse with Her
about the sacraments and mysteries of the Incarnation
and the Redemption, in order to excite her fervor and
her prayers. Too tardy is human speech, and inade-
quate my brief terms and v/ords, for the manifestation
of these exalted lights and intelligences.
CHAPTER XV.
OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOTHER OF
GOD THROUGH DIVINE POWER.
209. The divine wisdom had now prepared all things
for drawing forth the spotless image of the Mother of
grace from the corruption of nature. The number and
congregation of ancient Patriarchs and Prophets had
been completed and gathered, and the mountains had
been raised, on which this mystical City of God was to
be built (Ps. 86, 2). By the power of his right hand
He had already selected incomparable treasures of the
Divinity to enrich and endow Her. A thousand an-
gels were equipped for her guard and custody, that they
might serve as most faithful vassals of their Queen and
Lady. He had provided a noble and kingly ancestry
from whom She should descend and had selected for
Her most holy and perfect parents, than whom none
holier or more perfect could be found in the world. For
there is no doubt that if better and more apt parents
existed, the Almighty would have selected them for Her,
who was to be chosen by God as his Mother.
210. He endowed these parents with abundant
graces and blessings of his right hand, and enriched
them with all virtues, with enlightenments of divine
science and with the gifts of the Holy Ghost. After
having announced to the two saints, Joachim and Anne,
that He would grant them a Daughter, admirable and
blessed among women. He permitted the work of the
first Conception to take place, namely, that of the most
173
174 CITY OF GOD
pure body of Mary. The age of Anne, when She mar-
ried Joachim, was twenty-four, and that of Joachim,
forty-six. Twenty years they Hved in married Hfe with-
out having an issue, and thus Anne, at the same time of
the Conception of her Daughter, was forty-four years
old, and saint Joachim sixty-six. Although the concep-
tion happened according to the ordinary course of na-
ture, yet the Most High freed it from imperfections and
disorders, permitting only what was strictly required ac-
cording to nature, in order that the proper material
might be furnished for the formation of the most per-
fect substance within the limits of a mere creature.
211. God limited the natural activity in the two par-
ents and by his grace prevented any fault or imperfec-
tion, substituting for them virtue and merit, and entire
propriety in the manner of conception, which though
natural and according to the common order, was never-
theless directed, supplemented and perfected by the ac-
tion of divine grace, without disturbing the proper effect
due to the law of nature. As regards the holy matron
Anne, the divine power was more manifest on account
of her natural sterility ; in her the Conception was mirac-
ulous, not only in regard to the manner, but in regard
to its very substance. In regard to the conceptions
which happen entirely according to the natural order and
in virtue of the natural powers, there is no necessity of
recurring to or of depending on any supernatural cause.
The parents in concurring are sufficient causes of the
propagation, even in case they furnish the material and
the concurrent acts of generation with imperfection and
without proper measure.
212. But in this Conception, although the father was
not naturally sterile, yet on account of his age and mod-
eration, his natural powers were in a measure suppressed
THE CONCEPTION 175
and weakened ; and therefore he was enhvened, restored
and enabled to act on his part with entire perfection and
with the plenitude of his faculties, proportionately to the
sterility of the mother. In both of them nature and
grace concurred; the former briefly, with measure, and
in that which was necessary; the latter overflowingly,
powerfully and generously; absorbing, yet not con-
founding nature, exalting it and perfecting it in a mirac-
ulous manner. Thus grace was the origin of this Con-
ception, while it called into its service the activity of
nature in so far as was necessary for the birth of that
ineffable Daughter from her natural parents.
213. The mode of repairing the sterility of the most
holy mother Anne did not consist in the restitution of
that condition, which was wanting in her natural facul-
ties of conception ; for thus restored, she would have con-
ceived in no way different from the rest of women; the
Lord concurred with her sterile faculties in a more mir-
aculous manner for the formation of the body from
natural material. Thus the faculties and the material
were of the natural order, but the manner of moving
them happened by the miraculous power of the Divinity.
As soon as the miracle of this Conception had ceased,
the mother was left in her former sterility never to con-
ceive again, since no new quality was taken from or
added to the natural temperament. This wonder, it
seems to me, can be made intelligible by that which our
Savior wrought, when saint Peter walked over the
water (Matth. 14, 29). In order to sustain him, the
water was not necessarily changed into crj'stal or ice, over
which he and others could have walked without requir-
ing any miraculous intervention except that of thus sud-
denly changing it into ice ; but without thus changing the
water, the Lord gave it the power to sustain the body of
176 CITY OF GOD
the Apostle. It remained in a liquid state both during
and after the miracle; for when saint Peter ran over
it, he began to sink and was about to drown. The
miracle therefore was performed without changing the
water by the addition of a new quality.
214. Much like to this, though much more wonder-
ful, was the miracle of the Conception of Mary most
holy in her mother Anne. The parents were so entirely
governed by grace and withdrawn from concupiscence
and delectation, that the accidental imperfections, which
ordinarily are the material or the instruments of con-
ception, and which induce original sin, were altogether
wanting. Thus was furnished a material exempt from
imperfection and furnished in such a manner that the
act itself was meritorious. Hence in so far as this act
was concerned it could easily be free from sin or imper-
fection, even if divine Providence had not previously
arranged every particular of this event. This miracle
the Almighty reserved solely for Her, who was to be a
Mother worthy of Himself. For if it was proper that
the material part of his being should have its origin
according to the order maintained in the conception of
the other children of Adam, it was likewise eminently
proper that, without destroying nature, grace should
concur in it with all its efhcacy and power, and that it
should excel in Her and act in Her more efficaciously
than in all the children of Adam; yea, be greater than
even in Adam and Eve, who gave origin to the corrup-
tion of nature and to its disorderly concupiscence.
215. In the formation of the body of the most holy
Mary the wisdom and power of the Almighty proceeded
so cautiously that the quantities and qualities of the four
natural elements of the human body, the sanguine, mel-
ancholic, phlegmatic and choleric, were compounded in
THE CONCEPTION 177
exact proportion and measure ; in order that by this most
perfect proportion in its mixture and composition it
might assist the operations of that holy Soul with which
it was to be endowed and animated. This wonderfully
composed temperament was afterwards the source and
the cause, which in its own way made possible the seren-
ity and peace that reigiied in the powers and faculties
of the Queen of heaven during all her life. Never did
any of these elements oppose or contradict nor seek to
predominate over the others, but each one of them sup-
plemented and served the others, continuing in this well-
ordered fabric without corruption or decay. Never did
the body of the most Holy Mary suffer from the taint
of corruption, nor was there anything wanting or any-
thing excessive found in it ; but all the conditions and
proportions of the different elements were continuously
adjusted, without any want or excess in W'hat was neces-
sary' for her perfect existence and without excess or de-
fault in dryness or moisture. Neither was there more
warmth than was necessary for maintenance of life or
digestion ; nor more cold than was necessary for the
right temperature and for the maintenance of the bodily
humors.
216. Nor was this body on account of its admirable
composition, less sensible to the influence of heat and
cold and the other inclemencies of the weather, but
rather, as it was more delicately and perfectly constitut-
ed, so it was more acutely affected by any extremes, not
being able to furnish a defense against the excess of
temperature in those parts, which were more subject to
them. Certainly, on the one hand, these extremes would
find in such a harmoniously constituted frame much less
material in which they could work their changes; never-
theless, on the other hand, the delicacy of its composi-
178 CITY OF GOD
tion made even ordinary influences much more penetrat-
ing than greater ones in other bodies. This admirable
body, thus formed in the womb of holy Anne, was not
capable of spiritual gifts before it was animated by the
soul ; but it was capable of receiving the natural ones.
These were given to this body in supernatural degree
and by supernatural power, so as to accord with the high
purpose and the singular gifts for which it was formed;
and in this it surpassed all others in the order of nature
and grace Thus were given to it a complexion and
faculties so excellent that all nature would never of it-
self be able to produce one similar to it.
217. Just as the hand of our Lord formed the first
parents Adam and Eve in such a way as to befit original
justice and the state of innocence and therefore also
more excellently than their descendants (for the works
coming directly from the Lord must be more perfect
than those of secondary causes), so his Omnipotence, in
a more excellent and superior manner, operated in the
formation of the virginal body of the most holy Mary.
And this He did with so much the greater solicitude and
abundance of grace, as this Creature was to exceed in
perfection not only the first parents, who were to sin so
soon, but all the other creatures, corporal and spiritual.
According to our way of speaking, God exerted more
care in composing this little body of his most holy
Mother, than in creating all the celestial orbs and the
whole universe. In accordance with this rule are to be
measured the gifts and privileges of this City of God
from its first beginnings and foundations to its highest
pinnacle next to the infinity of the Most High.
218. Such was also the measure of the distance be-
tween her miraculous Conception and sin and its cause,
concupiscence; for not only was She, as the dawn of
THE CONCEPTION 179
grace, entirely free from sin, and always so exhibited
and treated by the Lord; but also in her parents, sin
and concupiscence was restrained and withheld in view
of her Conception, in order that nature might not be
disturbed or made imperfect in this work. For nature
was to be subject to grace and served merely as an in-
strument to the supreme Artificer, who is superior to the
laws of nature and of grace It was here that He com-
menced to destroy sin, and to lay the foundations, build-
ing up the castle of the strong armed One (Luc. 11, 22)
who was to undermine evil and deprive it of the posses-
sions which it tyrannically held.
219. The day on w^hich the first Conception of the
body of the most holy Mary happened, was a Sunday,
corresponding to the day of the week on which the an-
gels were created, whose exalted Queen and Lady She
was to be. For the formation and growth of other
human bodies, according to the natural order, many
days are necessary in order to organize and fit them for
the reception of the rational soul. Thus for a man-
child are required forty and for females eighty days,
more or less, according to the natural heat and disposi-
tion of the mothers. In the formation of the virginal
body of Mary the Almighty accelerated the natural time
and that, which according to the natural rule required
eighty days, was accomplished in Her within seven days.
Within these seven days, by accelerated growth, was
organized and prepared in the womb of holy Anne that
wonderful body which was to receive the most holy soul
of her Daughter and of our Lady and Queen.
220. On the Saturday next following this first Con-
ception, the Almighty wrought the second Conception
by creating the soul of his Mother and infusing it into
180 CITY OF GOD
the body ; and thus entered into the world that pure
Creature, more holy, perfect and agreeable to His eyes
than all those He had created, or will create to the end
of the world, or through the eternities. God maintained
a mysterious correspondence in the execution of this
work with that of creating all the rest of the world in
seven days, as is related in the book of Genesis. Then
no doubt He rested in truth, according to the figurative
language of Scripture, since He has now created the
most perfect Creature of all, giving through it a be-
ginning to the work of the divine Word and to the Re-
demption of the human race. Thus was this day a
paschal feast for God and also for all creatures,
221. On account of this Immaculate Conception of
most holy Mary the holy Spirit has provided that Satur-
day be consecrated to the Virgin in the holy Church,
since that was the day on which She received the great-
est benefit through the creation of her soul and its
union with its body without entailing sin or its effects.
The day of the Immaculate Conception, which the Church
now celebrates, is not the day of her first conception,
when the body alone was conceived, but it is the day of
he? second Conception or the infusion of her soul. Body
and soul, therefore, remained for nine months in the
womb of holy Anne, which are the days that intervene
between the Conception to the Nativity of that Queen.
During the other seven days preceding the vivification
of the inanimate body, it was disposed and organized by
the divine power, in order that this work might corre-
spond with the account that Moses gives of the Creation
of all things, comprising the formation of the whole
world at its beginning. At the instant of the creation
and infusion of the soul in the most holy Mother, the
THE COXXEPTIOX 181
most blessed Trinity, repeated with greater affection of
love the words, recorded by Moses at that time concern-
ing man : "Let us make Mary to our image and like-
ness to be our true Daughter and Spouse and a Mother
to the Onlybegotten of the Father."
222. By the force of this divine pronouncement and
through the love with which it issued from the mouth of
Almighty, was created and infused into the body of most
holy Mary her most blessed Soul At the same time
She was filled with grace and gifts above those of the
highest seraphim of heaven, and there was not a single
instant in which She was found wanting or deprived
of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or
in which She was touched by the stain or darkness of
original sin. On the contrary She was possessed of the
most perfect justice, superior to that of Adam and Eve
in their first formation. To Her was also conceded the
most perfect use of the light of reason, corresponding
to the gifts of grace, which She had received Not for
one instant was She to remain idle, but to engage in
works most admirable and pleasing to her Maker. In
the perception of this great mystery I confess myself
overcome, so that my heart, unable to express itself in
words, is dumbfounded in sentiments of admiration and
of praise. I see the Ark of the Testament joined to-
gether, enriched and placed in the temple of a sterile
mother with greater glon,- than the figurative one in the
house of Obededon, and of David, or in the temple of
Solomon (II Reg. 6. 11— III Reg. 8, 6). I see the altar
of the Holy of holies (Is. 65, 17), whence is to be of-
fered the first sacrifice that is to overcome and prove
acceptable to God ; I see the order of nature break from
its laws to be rearranged ; I see new laws established
182 CITY OF GOD
against sin, disregarding those of the common order,
overpowering those of guilt, conquering those of na-
ture and supervening even those of grace itself; I see
the formation of a new earth, and of a new heaven (Is.
65, 17) being the womb of a most humble woman,
whither the eyes of the most holy Trinity are directed,
where the Divinity presides, where the courtiers of the
ancient heavens gather, and whither a thousand angels
are delegated to form a guard over a tiny, animated
body not larger than that of a little bee.
223. In this new creation is heard with a greater
force the voice of its Maker, who, pleased with the work
of his Omnipotence, says that it is very good (Gen. 1,
31). Let human frailty with humble piety approach this
wonder, confessing the grandeur of the Creator, and let
it rejoice at this new benefit conceded to all the human
race in this its Reparatrix. Let the heat of disputation
cease, overcome by thy divine light; for if the divine
Bounty, as was shown to me, in the Conception of the
most holy Mother, looked upon Her with such pleasure
and upon original sin with such hostility that He gloried
in the occasion and just cause of restraining and with-
holding its baneful currents, how can that appear proper
to human wisdom, which was so abhorrent to God?
224. At the time of the infusion of the soul into the
body of this heavenly Lady, the Almighty desired that
her mother, the holy Anne, should feel and recognize
the presence of the Divinity in a most exalted manner.
She was filled with the Holy Ghost and was moved in-
teriorly with a joy and devotion altogether above the
ordinary. She was wrapped in exalted ecstasy, in which
she was enlightened with deep intelligences of the most
hidden mysteries and praised the Lord with new canti-
THE CONCEPTION 183
cles of Joy. These effects lasted during- all the rest of
her life; but they were greater during the nine months
in which she bore in her womb the Treasure of heaven.
For during- that time these benefits were more constantly
renewed and repeated with continual intelligences of the
holy Scriptures and of their most profound sacraments.
O most fortunate woman ! let all the nations and g-en-
erations of the world extol thee and call thee blessed!
CHAPTER XVI.
OF The habits of virtue, with which god gifted
The SOUE of the most holy MARY, AND OF HER
FIRST EXERCISES OF THESE VIRTUES IN THE WOMB OF
HER MOTHER ANNE; SHE HERSELF GIVES ME INSTRUC-
TIONS FOR IMITATING HER.
225. The impetuous floods of the Divinity met in this
holy City of the sanctified soul of Mary. It took its
origin from the foundation of his Wisdom and Good-
ness, by which and whence He had resolved to deposit
within this heavenly Lady the greatest graces and vir-
tues ever to be given to any other creature for all eter-
nity. And when the hour had arrived for giving them
into her possession, namely the very moment of her
coming into natural life, the Almighty fulfilled accord-
ing to his pleasure and full satisfaction the desire, which
He had held suspended from all eternity until the time
for gratifying this wish should arrive. The most faith-
ful Lord executed his design, showering down all his
graces and gifts in the most holy soul of Mary at the
time of her Conception in such an overpowering meas-
ure as no other saint, nor all of them combined, can ever
reach, nor ever human tongue can manifest.
226. Although She was adorned as the Bride, de-
scending from heaven, endowed with all perfections and
with the whole range of infused virtues, it was not
necessary that She should exercise all of them at once,
it being sufficient that She exercise those, which were
befitting her state in the womb of her mother. Among
184
THE CONCEPTION 185
the first thus exercised were the three theological vir-
tues, faith, hope and charity, which relate immediately
to God. These She at once practiced in the most ex-
alted manner recognizing by a most sublime faith the
Divinity with all its perfections and its infinite attributes,
and the Trinity with its distinction of Persons. This
knowledge by faith was not impeded by the higher
knowledge which God gave her, as I will soon demon-
strate. She exercised also the virtue of hope, seeing in
God the object of her happiness and her ultimate end.
Toward this her sanctified Soul at once hastened and
aspired with the most intense desires of uniting Herself
with God and without having for one moment turned
to any other object or tarried one moment in her up-
ward flight. At the same instant also She put into
action the virtue of charity, seeing in God the infinite
and highest Good, and conceiving such an intense ap-
preciation of the Divinity, that not all the seraphim
could ever reach such an eminent degree of fervor and
virtue.
227. The other virtues which adorn and perfect the
rational part of the creature, She possessed in a pro-
portion corresponding to the theological virtues. The
moral and natural virtues were hers in a miraculous and
supernatural measure, and in a still more exalted man-
ner was She possessed of the gifts and fruits of the
Holy Ghost in the order of grace. She had an infused
knowledge and habit of all these virtues and of all the
natural arts, so that She knew and was conversant with
the whole natural and supernatural order of things, in
accordance with the grandeur of God. Hence from her
first instant in the womb of her mother. She was wiser,
more prudent, more enlightened, and more capable of
comprehending God and all his works, than all the crea-
14
186 CITY OF GOD
tures have been or ever will be in eternity, excepting of
course her most holy Son. And all this perfection con-
sisted not only in the habits, which were infused in Her
in such a high degree; but in the acts which She exer-
cised in correspondence with the excellence of her state
and in proportion to the activity of the divine power.
Therefore her perfection was not circumscribed by any
other bounds, nor was subject to any other limits than
God's divine and most just pleasure.
228. Since much will be said in the course of this his-
tory, of all these virtues and graces and of their exer-
cise, I mention here only a little of that which She
achieved at the instant of her Conception by the help
of the infused habits and the actual light bestowed upon
Her. In the exercise of the theological virtues, as I
have said, and of the virtue of religion, and of the car-
dinal virtues consequent upon it, She perceived God as
He is and as the Creator and Glorifier; in heroic acts
She reverenced Him, praised Him, gave Him thanks
for having created Her, loved Him, feared Him and
adored Him, offering sacrifices of worship, praise and
glory because of his immutable Being. She recognized
the gifts, which She had received, although some of
them were yet hidden to Her, and She gave thanks with
profound humility and prostrated Herself immediately
in the womb of her mother, though yet in a body so
small; and by these acts She merited more than all the
saints in the highest state of perfection and sanctit3^
229. In addition to the facts of faith She possessed
other knowledge of the mystery of the Divinity and of
the most holy Trinity. Although in this instant of her
Conception She did not see Him intuitively as the saints,
yet She saw Him in abstraction by a light and vision
which though inferior to the beatific vision, were never-
THE CONCEPTION 187
theless superior to all the other ways, in which God can
manifest Himself or does manifest Himself to the cre-
ated intelligence; for there were shown to Her images
of the Divinity so clear and manifest that She under-
stood the immutable being of God, and in Him, all cre-
ation, with a greater light and clearness than any crea-
ture ever is understood by another. And these images
were like a shining mirror from which was resplendent
the whole Divinity and in It all creatures ; so that in God
She saw and recognized, by means of this light and by
means of these images of the divine nature, all things
with a greater distinctness and clearness than was pos-
sible by the images of the infused science already vouch-
safed Her.
230. In all these different ways was laid open to Her
from the very instant of her Conception the vision of
all men and angels in their hierarchies, dignities and
operations, and of all the irrational creatures with their
natures and conditions. She saw the fall of the angels
and their ruin; the justification and glory of the good
ones, and the rejection and punishment of the bad ones;
the first state of Adam and Eve in their innocence ; their
deception, their guilt, and the misery in which the first
parents were thrown on account of it ; and in what mis-
fortune the whole human race was cast through them ;
the divine resolve to repair it ; the pre-ordaining and the
disposing of the world, the nature of the heavens, the
stars and planets ; the condition and the arrangement of
the elements ; She saw purgatory, limbo and hell ; She
saw how all these things and whatever is contained in
them were created by the divine power and were main-
tained and preser\'ed by the infinite goodness, without
having need of any of them (II Mach. 14, 35). Above
all She was informed of the most high sacraments con-
188 CITY OF GOD
nected with the Incarnation, by which God was to be-
come man in order to redeem the whole human race,
while the fallen angels were left without a remedy.
231. In correspondence with this wonderful knowl-
edge of her most holy soul at the instant of its union
with the body, Mary exerted Herself by eliciting heroic
acts of virtue, of incomparable admiration, praise, glori-
fication, adoration, humility, love of God and sorrow for
the sins committed against Him, whom She recognized
as the Author and end of these admirable works. She
hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to
the Most High, beginning from that instant with fer-
vent desire to bless Him, love Him and honor Him, be-
cause She perceived that the bad angels and men failed
to know and love Him. She requested the holy angels
whose Queen She already was, to help Her to glorify
the Creator and Lord of all, and to pray also for Her.
232. The Lord in this instant showed Her also her
guardian angels, whom she recognized and accepted with
joyful submission, inviting them to sing canticles of
praise to the Most High alternatively with Her. She
announced to them beforehand that this was to be the
service which they were to render Her during the whole
time of her mortal life, in which they were to act as her
assistants and guards. She was informed moreover of
her whole genealogy, and the genealogy of all of the
rest of the holy people chosen by God, the Patriarchs
and Prophets, and how admirable his Majesty was in
the gifts, graces and favors wrought in them. It is
worthy of admiration, that, although the exterior facul-
ties of her body at the creation of her most holy Soul
were hardly large enough to be distinguished, neverthe-
less, in order that none of the miraculous excellence
with which God could endow his Mother might be want-
THE CONCEPTION 189
ing, He ordained by the power of his right hand that in
perceiving the fall of man She shed tears of sorrow in
the womb of her mother at the gravity of the offense
against the highest Good.
233. In this wonderful sorrow at the instant of her
coming into existence, She began to seek a remedy for
mankind and commenced the work of mediation, inter-
cession and reparation. She offered to God the clamors
of her ancestors and of the just of the earth, that his
mercy might not delay the salvation of mortals, whom
she even then looked upon as her brethren. Before She
ever conversed with them She loved them with the most
ardent charity and with the very beginning of her exist-
ence She assumed the office of Benefactress of men and
exercised the divine and fraternal love enkindled in her
heart. These petitions the Most High accepted with
greater pleasure than the prayers of all the saints and
angels and this pleasure of God was also made known
to Her, who was created to be the Mother of God. She
perceived the love of God and his desire to descend from
heaven in order to redeem men, though She knew not
how it should be consummated. It was befitting that
God should feel Himself impelled to hasten his coming
on account of the prayers and petitions of this Crea-
ture ; since it was principally for the love of Her that He
came, and since in Her body He was to assume human
flesh, accomplish the most admirable of all his works,
and fulfill the end of all other creatures.
234. She also prayed at the moment of her Concep-
tion for her natural parents, Joachim and Anne, whom
She knew in God before She had seen them in the body.
Immediately She exercised the virtues of love, reverence
and gratitude of a daughter, acknowledging them as the
secondan,' causes of her natural being. She made many
190 CITY OF GOD
other petitions in general and for particular objects. By
aid of the infused science given to Her, She began to
compose songs of gratitude in her mind and heart for
having, at the portal of life, found the precious drachm,
which v^e all have lost in our first beginning (Luke 15,
9). She found the grace, which issued forth to meet
her (Eccli. 15, 2), She found the Divinity, which met
Her at the threshold of her existence (Sap. 6, 15). Her
faculties of body and soul found, at the instant of her
creation, the most noble Object, which attracted and en-
tranced them ; for they were created solely for It, and,
as they were to be hers entirely, it was proper also that
the first fruits of their activity, which were the knowl-
edge and love of God, should be devoted to that Object.
In this Queen there was no existence without knowledge
of God, no knowledge without love, and no love with-
out its merit. Nor was there in Her anything small, or
measured merely by the common laws or by the general
rules. Great was She altogether and great did She come
forth from the hands of the Most High in order to pro-
ceed and arrive at such an excellence of being, that God
alone would be greater. Oh how beautiful were those
steps of thine. Daughter of the King, since with thy first
one Thou didst reach the Godhead! (Cant. 7, 1). Twice
beautiful wert Thou, for thy grace and beauty! (Cant.
4, 1). Heavenly are thine eyes (Cant. 7, 5), and thy
thoughts are like the kingly carmine, since Thou hast en-
raptured his heart and hast made Him Prisoner by a
thread of thy hair (Cant. 4, 9) and drawn Him captured
by the love of thy virginal womb and heart.
235. There in truth the spouse of the King did sleep,
while her heart was awake (Cant. 5, 2). There those
bodily faculties, which scarcely had yet attained their
natural form and had not yet seen the material light.
THE CONCEPTION 191
were asleep, and that heavenly heart, more marvelous on
account of the greatness of its gifts than by the small-
ness of its size, was watching in the chamber of her
mother's womb with the light of the Divinity, which
bathed it and enkindled it in the fire of its immense love.
It was not befitting that in this heavenly Creature the
inferior faculties of the soul should act before the su-
perior ones, nor that they should operate in an inferior,
or merely in a manner equal to those of any other crea-
ture. For if the operations correspond to the essence of
each creature, She, who always was superior to all of
them in dignity and excellence, w^as also to be superior
in her operations to all creatures, angelic and human.
Not only was She to be nothing short of the angelic
spirits in so far as they immediately made use of their
faculties at the instant of their creation, but this pre-
rogative was due to Her in superior excellence as She
was created as their Queen and Lady. And this by so
much more, as the name and ofiice of Mother of God ex-
cels that of servants, and that of Queen, the estate of vas-
sals ; for to none of the angels had the Word said : thou
shalt be my Mother (Heb. 1,5); nor could any one of
them say to Him : Thou art my Son. Mary alone could
claim this commerce and relationship, which is there-
fore the real measure and foundation of the greatness of
Mary, in the same way as the Apostle measured the
greatness of Christ by his being the Son of the eternal
Father.
236. In writing of these sacraments of the King,
howsoever honorable it is to reveal his works, I confess
my inaptitude and incapacity, being only a woman, and
I am afflicted, because I am speaking in such common
and vague terms, which fall entirely short of that, which
I perceive in the light given to my soul for the under-
192 CITY OF GOD
standing of these mysteries. In order to do justice to
such subHmity, there were need of other words, more
particular and especially adapted terms and expressions,
which are beyond my ignorance. And even if they were
at my service, they would be weighed down and made
insipid by human weakness. Let therefore this human
imbecility acknowledge itself unequal and incapable of
fixing its eyes on this heavenly sun, with which the rays
of the Divinity break upon the world, although yet be-
clouded in the maternal womb of holy Anne. If we
seek permission to approach this wonderful sight, let us
come near free and unshackled. Let us not allow our-
selves to be detained, neither by our natural cowardice nor
by a base fear and hesitation, even though it be under the
cloak of humility. Let us all approach with the great-
est devotion and piety, free from the spirit of conten-
tion (Rom. 13, 12) ; then we will be permitted to exam-
ine with our own eyes the fire of the Divinity burning in
the bush without consuming it (Exodus 2, 2).
237. I have said that the most holy soul of Mary, at
the moment of her purest Conception, saw the divine
Essence abstractively, for it was not revealed to me, that
She saw the essential Glory; rather I understood that
this latter privilege was peculiar to the most holy soul of
Christ, such being due and consequent upon the substan-
tial union of the Divinity in the Person of the Word.
For it was befitting that for not one moment should the
soul of Christ be deprived in all its faculties of the high-
est grace and glory. Just as the man, Christ, our high-
est Good, commenced to be conjointly God and man,
so He began at the same instant also to know" and love
God as one already possessing Him, that is as a com-
prehensor. But the soul of his most holy Mother was
not united substantially with the Divinity and therefore
THE CONCEPTION 193
She did not begin her activity as a possessor of God,
but entered into Hfe as a wayfarer. However, She en-
tered this state of wayfarer as one in closest proximity
to the hypostatic union, and therefore She was endowed
with a vision of God proportionate and most immediate
to the beatific vision. Her vision was inferior to the
beatific, but superior to all the visions and revelations
which have been vouchsafed to other creatures, always
excepting" the clear vision and fruition of the Blessed.
Nevertheless in some respects and in regard to some
qualities, the perception of God by the Mother of Christ
in her first instant, excelled even the intuitive vision of
other creatures, in so far as She penetrated abstractive-
ly into greater mysteries than they. Moreover, though,
She did not see God face to face at that moment of her
Conception, She was favored with that kind of vision
many times afterwards during- the course of her life, as
I will say later on.
INSTRUCTION WHICH THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN GAVE ME
REGARDING THIS CHAPTER.
238. In the preceding chapters of this history I said
a few times that the Queen and Mother of mercy had
promised that when I should begin to describe the first
operations of her faculties and virtues She would in-
struct me how to model my life after her own ; for this
would be the principal purpose of showing it to me as
in a mirror. And this great Lady, most faithful to her
promises, besides continuing to assist me by her heaven-
ly presence and the explanation of these mysteries, be-
g^n to acquit Herself of this promise in this chapter and
told me to expect the same as long as I should continue
to write this history. Accordingly at the end of each
chapter I will write down what her Majesty shall teach
me, as She has done even now, speaking to me in the
following manner :
194 CITY OF GOD
239. My daughter, I wish that thou reap for thyself
the fruits which thou desirest from the description of
the mysteries and sacraments of my holy life; and let
the reward of thy labors be the greater purity and per-
fection of thy life, disposing thyself by the grace of the
Most High to practice what thou hearest. It is the will
of my divine Son, that thou exert all thy powers toward
that which I shall teach thee, and that thou apply thy-
self with all thy heart to my virtues and works. Hear
me with attentive faith, for I will speak to thee words of
eternal life and teach thee the most holy things of a per-
fect Christian life and what is most acceptable to God.
Begin even now to dispose thyself for the reception of
the light, in which thou shalt see the hidden mysteries
of my most holy life and the doctrine, which thou de-
sirest. Continue in this exercise and write down that
which I will teach thee in this regard. And now listen.
240. It is an act of justice due to the eternal God
that the creature coming to the use of reason, direct
its very first movement toward God. By knowing,
it should begin to love Him, reverence Him and adore
Him as its Creator and only true Lord. The parents
are naturally bound to instruct their children from their
infancy in this knowledge of God and to direct them
with solicitous care, so that they may at once see their
ultimate end and seek it in their first acts of the intellect
and will. They should with great watchfulness with-
draw them from the childishness and puerile trickish-
ness to which depraved nature will incline them if left
without direction. If the fathers and mothers would be
solicitous to prevent these vanities and perverted habits
of their children and would instruct them from their in-
fancy in the knowledge of their God and Creator, then
they would afterwards easily accustom them to know
THE CONCEPTION 195
and adore Him. My holy mother, who knew not of my
wisdom and real condition, was most solicitously before-
hand in this matter, for when She bore me in her womb,
she adored in my name the Creator and offered worship
and thanks for his having created me, beseeching Him
to defend me and bring me forth to the light of day
from the condition in which I then was. So also parents
should pray with fervor to God, that the souls of their
children, through his Providence, may obtain Baptism
and be freed from the servitude of original sin.
241. And if the rational creature has not known and
adored the Creator from the first dawn of reason, it
should do this as soon as it obtains knowledge of the
essential God by the light of faith. From that very mo-
ment the soul must exert itself never to lose Him from
her sight, always fearing Him, loving Him, and rever-
encing Him. Thou, my daughter, owest this adoration
to God from the beginning of thy life; but now I desire
thee to practice it in a more perfect manner, as I shall
show thee. Direct the eyes of thy soul toward the es-
sence of God, which is without beginning and without
limit, contemplate his infinite attributes and perfections.
Consider that He alone is the true holiness, the highest
good, the most noble object of creatures, that He alone
gave being to all things and without having need of
them, sustains and governs them. He is consummate
beauty without defect. He is eternal in his love, true in
his words and most faithful in his promises. He it was
who gave his own life and subjected Himself to suffer-
ings for the good of his creatures without waiting for
any merits on their part. Over this wide field of good-
ness and of benefits extend thy vision and occupy thy
faculties without forgetting or wandering away there-
from. For, having obtained such a great knowledge of
196 CITY OF GOD
the highest Good, thine would be a loathsome meanness
and disloyalty to forget Him, and horrible would be thy
ingratitude, if, after having received an enlightenment so
much above the common and ordinary, and divinely in-
fused by faith, thou wouldst allow thy understanding
and will to swerve from the course of divine love. If at
any time in thy weakness it should nevertheless happen,
then quickly seek it again with all dispatch and diligence
and return more humbly to the Most High to give Him
honor, glory and eternal praise. Remember that thou
must consider it thy special duty to do this incessantly
for thyself and for all the other creatures and in this I
desire thee to exert all thy diligence.
242. In order to excite thyself to greater efforts, con-
fer in thy heart what thou knowest of my own conduct ;
how at the first sight of the highest Good, my heart was
wounded with love, giving myself entirely to Him in
order never to separate myself thereafter. My whole
life was consumed in this and I ceased not to press for-
ward in order to arrive at the centre of my desires and
affections; for since the Object is infinite, so love can
have no rest or cessation until It is attained. With the
knowledge of God and the love of Him should also go
the knowledge of thyself, remembering and consider-
ing thy insignificance and vileness. Advert that when
these truths are well understood, repeated, and meditat-
ed upon, they will cause divine effects in the soul.
Having heard these teachings and others of the
Queen, I said to her Majesty:
243. "My Mistress, whose slave I am and to whom
I dedicate and consecrate myself anew ; not without
cause has my heart desired and asked for this day, on
which, according to thy maternal condescension, I might
come to know thy heavenly doings and hear thy sweet
I
THE CONCEPTION 197
and salutary words. I confess, O Queen, from all my
heart, that I can claim no goodness on my part, which
deserves such a benefit as a reward and, if I were not
obeying thy will and that of thy divine Son, I would
look upon the attempt to write thy life as an unpardon-
able presumption. Accept, O my Lady, this sacrifice of
praise from me and speak, that my servant may hear (I
Reg. 3, 10). Let thy most delightful voice, O sweet-
est Lady, resound in my ears (Cant. 2, 14), for Thou
hast the words of life (John 6, 69). Continue to teach
me and enlighten me, O Lady, that my heart may dilate
in the sea of thy perfections, furnishing me with worthy
material for the praise of the Almighty. In my bosom
burns the fire, enkindled by thy kindness and longing for
that, which is most holy and most acceptable to thy eyes.
In my inferior members, however, I feel the law of re-
pugnance to the law of the spirit, retarding me and em-
barrassing me. I justly fear that it will hinder me from
attaining the good which Thou, most loving Mother,
dost offer to me. Look upon me, therefore, my Lady, as
a daughter, teach me as thy disciple, correct me as thy
ser\-ant, and compel me as thy slave, whenever I am
tardy or disinclined ; for, though unwillingly. I fall short
through weakness. I will raise my aspirations to know
the being of God, and, may his divine grace govern
my affections, so that they may become enamored with
his infinite perfections and if I attain Him, I will not
dismiss Him (Eccli. 24, 24). But Thou, O Lady,
Mother of knowledge and of beautiful love, beseech thy
Son and my Lord, that He forsake me not in considera-
tion of His liberality toward Thee, Thou Queen and
Mistress of all creation."
CHAPTER XVII.
STILL TREATING OF THE MYSTERY OF THE CONCEPTION
OF HOLY MARY AND EXPLAINING THE TWENTY-FlRST
CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE.
244. The Immaculate Conception of the most holy
Mary contains such great and such exalted sacraments
that in order to make me more capable of understand-
ing this admirable mystery, his Majesty opened up to
me many of the hidden meanings of the twenty-first
chapter of the Apocalypse of St. John and referred me
to it for my guidance. In recording some of the things
which were manifested to me I will divide this explana-
tion into three parts, thus relieving the monotony which
too long a chapter might entail. And first I will give
the very words of that chapter which begins in the fol-
lowing manner :
245. 1. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
For the first heaven and the first earth were gone, and
the sea was now no more.
2. And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven, from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband.
3. And I heard a great voice from the throne say-
ing: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He
shall dwell with them. And they shall be his people
and God himself with them shall be their God.
4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and death shall be no more, nor crying, nor
mourning, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former
things are passed away.
5. And He that sat upon the throne said : Behold I
make all things new. And He said to me : Write, for
these things are most faithful and true.
198
THE COXCEPTION 199
6. And He said to me: It is done; I am the Alpha
and the Omega ; the beginning and the end. To him
that thirsteth I will give of the fountain of the water
of life, freely.
7. He that shall overcome shall possess these things
and I will be his God ; and he shall be my Son.
8. But the fearful and the unbeliever and the abom-
inable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcer-
ers and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their
portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death."
246. This is the first of the three parts of the literal
rendering of this chapter and I will begin to explain it
verse for verse. "I saw," says the Evangelist, "a new
heaven and a new earth." He speaks of the creation of
Mary by the hand of the Almighty and the formation of
that material, from which the most holv human nature
of the Word originated. With great propriety can that
divinely human nature and the virginal womb, where
and from which the Word was formed, be called a new
heaven ; for in that heaven, God began to dwell in a new
way (Jerem. 31, 21), different from that in which He had
dwelt before in the old heaven and in any of his crea-
tures. But also the old heaven after the mystery of the
Incarnation could be called new, for through it the nov-
elty was made possible, that henceforth also mortal men
could dwell therein. Moreover the renovation, which
was wrought by the glory of the humanity of Christ
and that of his most pure Mother, was so splendid, that
in addition to its former essential glory, it renewed the
heaven and added to it unheard of beauty and splendor.
Although the good angels already dwelt there, that was
a thing as of old and of vore; therefore it was as it were
a new event, that the Onlvbegotten of the Father should
200 CITY OF GOD
by his death restore to men the glory lost through sin,
and merit for them admittance into heaven, whence they
had been expelled and incapacitated as inhabitants
through their own fault. And because all this renewal
of heaven had its beginning in most holy Mary, the
Evangelist, in speaking of Mary born without sin, said
that he saw a new heaven.
247. He saw also a new earth ; for the old earth was
stained and laden with the guilt of sin and the reproba-
tion; but the holy and blessed earth of most holy Mary
was a new earth without the fault or the malediction of
Adam; and it was so new, that since the creation of the
first earth none other was seen until the creation of most
holy Mary. It was so new and free from the maledic-
tion of the old earth that in this blessed earth were re-
newed all the rest of the children of Adam. For on ac-
count of the blessed earth of Mary and through it, and
in it, the earthly material of Adam was beginning to be
blessed, renewed and vivified, having until then re-
mained cursed and grown old in malediction. All was
renewed in most holy Mary and in her innocence; and
therefore the Evangelist, seeing that in Her this renova-
tion of the human and earthly elements took its rise,
says that in Mary conceived without sin he saw a new
heaven and a new earth. He continues :
248. "For the first heaven and the first earth were
gone." It naturally followed that as soon as the new
earth and new heaven of Mary and her Son the God-
man appeared in the world, the old heaven and the earth,
grown old by the sin-tarnished human and earthly mat-
ter, should disappear. There was now a new heaven
for the Divinity in that human being, which, being pre-
served from sin, could furnish a new habitation to God
through the hypostatic union of the person of the Word.
THE CONCEPTION 201
Already the first heaven ceased to exist, that one which
God had created in Adam and which had become de-
ficient and unfit for the indwelhng of a God. This dis-
appeared and for it was substituted the other heaven in
the coming of Mary. Then also arose the new heaven
of glory for the human beings, not inasmuch as the
empyrean heaven was removed, but in so far as from
now on there would not be wanting the presence of men
therein, who had been excluded for so many ages. In
this respect it ceased to be the old heaven and it became
a new one through the merits of Christ, now beginning
to shine forth in the aurora of grace, most holy Mary,
his IMother. Thus vanished the first heaven and the
first earth, which until then was without hope of remedy.
''And the sea was no more." For the sea of abomina-
tions and sin, which had flooded the world and destroyed
the earth of our being, ceased to exist with the coming
of most holy Mary and of Christ; for the sea of his
blood superabounded, overwhelming the sea of sin in
such an abundance, that no amount of guilt could pre-
vail against it. If the mortals would only approach this
infinite sea of the divine mercy and merits of Jesus
Christ our Lord, all the sins of the world would cease
to exist, since the Lamb of God came to undo them
and take them away.
249. "And I, John, saw the holy city and the new
Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. pre-
pared as a bride adorned for her husband.*' As all these
mysteries had their beginning in most holy Mary, and
were founded in Her, the Evangelist says, that he saw
the holy city Jerusalem, for under this figure he speaks
of Her. To Him w^as given to see Her, in order that
he might value so much more highly and watch with
befitting solicitude over the Treasure, which was con-
is
202 CITY OF GOD
fided to his care at the foot of the Cross. And although
nothing could ever fill up the void caused by the absence
of her Son, yet it was befitting that saint John should
be enlightened as to the dignity of the office, which he
was to assume, namely, that of a substitute for her
natural Son.
250. On account of the wonderful works, which God
had accomplished in the city of Jerusalem, it was a most
excellent symbol of Her, who was his Mother, the center
and the focus of all wonders of the Almighty. For a
similar reason it is also a figure of the works of the
Church militant and triumphant ; both were revealed to
the eagle vision of saint John and he was shown the
correspondence and similarity which those two mystical
Jerusalems presented. But in an especial manner he
viewed as from a watchtower the exalted Jerusalem of
the most holy Mary, in which are portrayed and repro-
duced all the graces, wonders, gifts and excellences of
the Church militant and triumphant. Whatever was
transacted in Jerusalem, the city of Palestine, and all
that it signified together with its inhabitants, is repro-
duced in the most pure Mary, the holy City of God, and
with a greater and more marvelous excellence than in all
the rest of heaven and earth and their inhabitants.
Hence She is called the new Jerusalem, since all her gifts,
her greatness and virtues are new and are the cause of
new wonder to the saints. New also, because She came
after all the ancient Fathers, Patriarchs and Prophets,
and in Her were renewed and accomplished all their
clamors, their prophecies and promises; new, because
She came without the contagion of guilt and under a
new dispensation far from the law of sin; new, because
She entered into the world triumphant over sin, the
devil and the first deceit, thus being the greatest new
event since its beginning.
THE CONCEPTION 203
251. As all this was now on the earth and could not
have proceeded from earthly causes, She is said to "come
down from heaven." Although She was derived from
Adam according to the ordinary course of nature, She
did not tread the well-worn paths of sin in her coming,
as had been done by all the preceding children of that
first delinquent. For that Lady alone there was a special
decree of divine predestination and a new path was
opened, by which She should descend into this world
with Her divine Son, neither being Herself the com-
panion of any other of the mortals, nor any of them
being found worthy of treading the same path as She
and Christ our Lord. Thus She, as a new creature from
the heaven of the divine mind, descended from the ex-
alted spheres of divine forethought and pre-ordination.
Just as the other children of Adam, derived from the
earth, are earthly and tainted, so this Queen of all cre-
ation comes from heaven derived from God himself by
innocence and grace; for ordinarily we say, that such
a one is descended from this or that house or family,
since he descends therefrom as from a source of his
being. Now the natural substance of Mary, which She
derived from Adam, scarcely comes into consideration,
when we take into account her dignity as Mother of God
with all that it imports as bringing Her so near to the
eternal Father by grace and participation of the Divinity.
This dignity causes her natural being to appear as mere-
ly accessory and of minor importance. Hence the Evan-
gelist directed his gaze upon that which was in Her
most exalted and heavenly, and not upon the insignificant
part of her being that came from the earth.
252. He continues saying that She came "prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband." For the day of
the espousal it is customary among mortals to procure
204 CITY OF GOD
the most precious adornments and presents obtainable
for adorning the terrestrial bride, and the most precious
jewels will even be borrowed, in order that nothing
may be wanting to the array befitting her state and
condition. Therefore, if we admit, as we are indeed
forced to admit, that the most pure Mary was the Spouse
of the blessed Trinity, and Mother of the second Per-
son, and that She was adorned and prepared for these
dignities by the omnipotent God, who is infinite and rich
without measure or limit : what adornments, what prep-
aration, what jewels must those be with which He fitted
Her out in order that She might be a worthy Spouse and
Mother? Would He reserve any of his jewels in his
treasury? Would He withhold any grace that could
beautify and make Her precious? Would He permit
Her to be deformed, ill-favored, blemished in any way
or for the least instant? Would He be sparing and nig-
gardly with his Mother and Spouse, when He so pro-
digiously lavishes the treasures of the Divinity upon other
souls, who, in comparison, with Her, are less than ser-
vants and slaves of his house? Let all confess with the
Lord Himself, that She alone is the chosen One (Cant.
6, 8) and the perfect One, whom the rest must recog-
nize, proclaim and magnify as the immaculate and most
happy among women, of whom in wonder and with joy-
ful praise they ask: Who is She that comes forth like
the morning, beautiful as the moon (Cant. 6, 9), and
Terrible as the serried armies? This is the most holy
Mary, the only Spouse and Mother of the Almighty,
who descends to the world adorned and prepared as
the Bride of the blessed Trinity for her Spouse and her
Son. This coming and entrance was made memorable
by such great gifts of the Divinity, that the splendor
of them made Her more agreeable than the sunrise, more
THE CONCEPTION 205
beautiful than the moon, more exquisite and admirable
than the sun, and without equal among things created;
She came more valiant and powerful than the heavenly-
hosts of saints and angels. She descended adorned and
prepared by God, who gave Her all that He desired, and
who desired to give Her all that He could, and who
could give all that is not the essentially Divine, namely,
all that is most approximate to the Divinity and farthest
removed from any blemish of a creature. Entire and
most perfect was this adornment, so that all defect was
excluded, which would not have been the case, if in any
regard She failed in grace and innocence. Without this
the treasures of grace would not suffice to make Her so
beautiful, since they would adorn but a distorted visage,
a nature infected with sin, or a garment soiled and be-
smirched by guilt. Forever there would have been a
stain, a shadow and blot of guilt, which no diligence on
her part could obliterate. All this was unbefitting the
Mother and Spouse of God, and if it was unbefitting
Her, it was also unbefitting Himself; for He would have
failed to adorn and prepare Her, with the love of a
Spouse, or the solicitude of a Son, if, having in his pos-
session most rich and precious vestments. He would have
clothed his Mother and Spouse, and Himself, in soiled
and worn-out garments.
253. It is verily time, that the honor due to our great
Queen should be unveiled and made clear to human in-
sight, and that whoever was misled by opposite opinions,
should hesitate and cease to belittle and deny Her the
adornments of her immaculate purity at the instant of
her heavenly Conception. Compelled by the force of
truth and by the light, in which I see these ineffable
mysteries. I proclaim over and over again, that (as far
as revealed to me), the privileges, graces, prerogatives,
206 CITY OF GOD
favors and gifts of most holy Mary, not excluding even
that of her being the Mother of God, all depend upon,
have their origin, and are founded upon the fact, that
She was immaculate and full of grace in the moment
of her most pure Conception, hence all of them would
appear ill-proportioned and deficient without this favor,
like a sumptuous edifice without a solid and well-built
foundation. All depend and are founded in a certain
way upon the purity and innocence of her Conception
and on this account it was necessary to refer so often in
the course of this history to this mystery, especially when
treating of the divine decree, the formation of most holy
Mary, and the incarnation of her most holy Son. I will
not enlarge on this ; but I will give notice to all, that the
Queen of heaven so esteems the beauty and adornment
given to Her by her Son and Spouse in her purest Con-
ception, that She will be correspondingly incensed against
those, who, with evil intention and obstinacy, try to de-
spoil Her and debase Her in this point, while her most
holy Son had deigned to show Her to the world thus
adorned and beautified for his glory and for the en-
couragement of the mortals. The Evangelist proceeds :
254. "And I heard a great voice from the throne say-
ing: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he
shall dwell with them. And they shall be his people
and God himself with them shall be their God." The
voice of the Most High is great and strong, sweet and
efficacious to move and draw toward Him all creation.
Such was the voice which saint John heard proceeding
from the throne of the most blessed Trinity and which
caused him to pay perfect attention, in order to under-
stand thoroughly the mystery which was then shown to
him. He was privileged to see the dwelling of God
among men and that He lived among them, that He was
THE CONCEPTION 207
their God and they his people. All this was contained
in the mysterious figure of most holy Mary descending
from heaven in the form I have described. Since this
divine tabernacle of God had now come to the earth, it
followed, that God also dwelt among- men for He lived
and remained in this tabernacle. It is as if the Evangel-
ist had said : the King has taken possession and is hold-
ing his court in the world and for no other reason than,
that He might remain and dwell on earth. And in such
manner, that from this tabernacle He was to assume
the human form, in which He was to be a Dweller
among men. In it He was to be their God and they
his people, as the inheritance of the Father and also for
his Mother. We were the inheritance of the Father to
his Son, not only because in Him were all things created
and because all was given to Him through the eternal
generation : but also because He redeemed us as man
clothed in our human nature, buying us as his people
and as the inheritance of the Father and making us
his brethren. For the same reason, namely, on account
of his human nature, we are the legitimate inheritance
of Mary most holy, since She gave Him the form of
human flesh by which He purchased us for Himself.
She. being the Mother and the Spouse of the Blessed
Trinity, was also the Mistress of all creation, which She
left as an inheritance of her Onlybegotten ; for the hu-
man laws, are founded on right reason and therefore
need not be invalid in the divine order of things.
255. This voice proceeded from the royal throne
through an angel, who with a sort of holy envy seemed to
me to say to the Evangelist : Behold and see the tabernacle
of God among men, and He shall live with them and they
shall be his people ; He will be their Brother and He will
assume human form in this tabernacle Mary, whom thou
208 CITY OF GOD
seest descending from heaven, by her conception and for-
mation. But we can answer with equal joy to these
heavenly courtiers : indeed the tabernacle of God is with
us, for it is our tabernacle, and in it God becomes our
own; He will receive from it life and blood, which He
offers in purchase for us in order to make us his people.
He shall live in us as in his dwelling and habitation, since
receiving Him in the holy Sacrament we are made his
tabernacle (Joan 6, 57). Let those heavenly spirits be
content to be our elder brothers, less in need than we.
We are the frail little ones, who must be strengthened
and regaled by our Father and Brother. Let Him come
to the tabernacle of his Mother and to us; let Him as-
sume human form in her virginal womb ; let the Divinity
be encompassed and live among us and in us. Let us
hold Him in our midst, in order that He may be our God
and we his people and his resting-place. Let the angelic
spirits break forth in wonder and praise at such great
marvels : but let us mortals enjoy Him, uniting with
them in praise and love toward Him. The text con-
tinues :
256. "And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes and death shall be no more, nor crying, nor
mourning, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former
things are passed away." In consequence of the Re-
demption, of which the Conception of most holy Mary
has assured us, the tears, which sin has caused to flow
from the eyes of the mortals, shall be dried. Those
that avail themselves of the mercy of the Most High,
of the blood and merits of his Son, of his mysteries and
sacraments, of the treasures of his Church, of the inter-
cession of his Mother, there is no more death, no sor-
row, no tears : since the death of sin and all that re-
sulted from sin is abolished and has ceased. The true
THE CONCEPTION 209
mourning is now left to the sons of perdition that dwell
in the abyss whence there is no deliverance. The sor-
rows of labor are not a mourning, not a true sorrow,
but only an apparent one, entirely compatible with the
true and the highest kind of joy. For when accepted
with submission, it is of inestimable value and the Son
of God chose it as a loving pledge for Himself, his
Mother, and his brethren.
257. Nor will there be heard any clamor, nor the
voice of quarrel; for the just and the wise, following
the example of their Master and of his most humble
Mother, must learn to bear themselves with silence, like
the artless lamb, when it is slaughtered as victim of the
sacrifice (Is. 53, 7). They must renounce the right of our
weak nature to vent itself in cries and to complain, see-
ing that his Majesty, their supreme Lord and model,
was slaughtered on the frightful Cross in order to re-
pair the damages wrought by our impatience and want
of confidence (Phil. 2, 8). Why should our human na-
ture be permitted to complain of labor and trouble, in
view of such an example? Or how can hateful distinc-
tion and uncharitable sentiments be allowed among men,
when Christ has come to establish the law^ of eternal
charity? The Evangelist repeats: "and sorrow shall be
no more," for if any sorrows remained among men. they
are those of a bad conscience ; but as a remedy of this
kind of sorrow, there is the sweet medicine of the in-
carnation of the Word in the w^omb of the most holy
Mary, so that now this sorrow is become acceptable and
the cause of rejoicing, not any more meriting the
name of sorrow and containing within itself the high-
est and the sincerest joy. With its introduction the
first things have passed away, namely, the sorrows and
the useless hardships of the ancient laws, which are now
210 CITY OF GOD
sweetened and assuaged by the abundance of grace in
the new law. Therefore he adds : "And behold, I
make all things new." This voice proceeded from the
One, who is seated on the throne, because He declares
Himself as the Artificer of all the mysteries of the new
law of the Gospel. Since all this newness was to begin
with such an unheard of and such an inconceivable event,
as the Incarnation of the Onlybegotten of the Father and
the preservation of the virginity of his Mother, it was
necessary, that, just as in all things, so in this Mother,
there should be nothing old and worn-out. But original
sin clearly is as old as visible nature, and if the Mother
of the incarnate Word was to be infected with it, He
would not have made all things new.
258. And He said to me: "Write, for these things
are most faithful and true." And He said to me: "I
am the Alpha and the Omega: the beginning and the
end." According to our way of speaking, God was
deeply grieved, because the great works of love per-
formed for us in the Incarnation and Redemption should
be so much forgotten; and as a remembrance of these
great benefits and as a satisfaction for our ingratitude
He commands them to be written. Therefore men
should write them in their hearts and should begin to
dread the offense, which they commit against God by
their gross and execrable forgetfulness. Although it is
true, that the Catholics believe and trust in these mys-
teries, yet by the contempt, which they show in their
want of esteem for them and in their forgetfulness, they
seem tacitly to repudiate them, living as if they did not
believe them. Protesting against their foul ingratitude,
the Lord says : "For these things are most faithful and
true." Let the torpid and listless mortals in their sloth
and listlessness understand, that these words are most
THE CONXEPTION 211
faithful as well as most powerful to stir the human heart
from its torpidity, as soon as they become fixed in the
memory, pondered and revolved in the mind as the most
certain truth. For God has made them true for each one
of us.
259. But as God does not repent of his gifts (Rom.
11, 29) and does not retract the good which He confers,
even if man makes himself unworthy, He says: *'It is
done;" as if He wanted to say to us, that although by
our ingratitude we have offended Him, He will not turn
back from his course of love, but having already sent
into the world the most holy Mar)' free from original
sin, all that pertains to the Incarnation is already an
accomplished fact. Since the most pure Mary was now
on earth it appeared impossible, that the divine Word
should remain in heaven and not come to earth in order
to assume human flesh in the womb of the Virgin. And
He assured us again saying: I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last letter, the beginning and
the end, including- the perfection of all things ; for if
I give them a beginning, it is for the purpose of raising
them to the perfection of their ultimate end. This I will
do through Christ and Marv% commencing and perfect-
ing in Them all the works of grace. In man I will raise
and draw all creatures toward Me, as to their last end
and their center, where they shall find repose.
260. "To him that thirsteth I will sfive of the foun-
tain of the water of life, freely. He that shall overcome
shall possess these things." Who among creatures shall
presume to give counsel to God (Rom. 11, 34) or who
shall give so much to Him as to oblige Him to make a
return? So says the Apostle, wishing to make it under-
stood, that all that God does or has done for men, was
of his free grace, and not through obligation toward
212 CITY OF GOD
any one. The source of a fountain owes nothing to him
that drinks from its stream; freely and gratuitously it
flows for all that approach; and that all do not partake
of its blessings is not the fault of the fountain, but of
those that do not approach, for it invites all to partake
of its joyful abundance. And if they do not seek it, it
issues itself to seek such as will partake, flowing on
without ceasing, in order that freely and without reward
it might offer itself to all. O most reprehensible dull-
ness of mortals ! O most abominable ingratitude ! If the
true Lord is in no way obliged to us, and if He has given
and gives all out of liberality, and if He has even ex-
ceeded all his graces and benefits by becoming man and
dying for us, thus giving Himself to us entirely and
letting flow the stream of his Divinity until it meets our
human nature and unites Itself with us, how is it pos-
sible, that we, being so desirous of honor, glory and de-
light, do not hasten to drink from this freely flowing
fountain (Is. 55, 1)? But well I see the cause. We
do not thirst for the true glory, honor and happiness,
but we seek only for the apparent and deceitful ones,
despising the fountains of grace, which Jesus Christ has
opened for us by the merits of his Death (Is. 12, 3).
But to those that have thirst after the Divinity and its
graces, the Lord promises, that He will give freely of
the fountain of life (Jer. 2, 13). O what a great sor-
row and pity it is, that having discovered the fountain
of life, so few are thirsting for it, and that there are so
many, who run after the waters of death ! Those that
conquer the demon, the world, and their own flesh within
themselves, will certainly possess these things. And it is
moreover said, that He offers them, for it might be
doubtful, lest the waters of grace might at some time
be denied or withdrawn : therefore in order to assure
THE CONCEPTION 213
us, they are offered freely for our possession without
Hmit or restriction.
261. Over and above, the Lord hastens to certify all
this by another assurance, saying: "I shall be his God
and he shall be my son" (Apoc, 21, 7), and if He is to
us a God, and we are to Him as sons, it is clear, that we
are made to be sons of God, and being sons, also heirs of
all his goods (Rom. 8, 17) and being heirs (although all
our heirship is that of grace) we are made secure of our
inheritance, just as children are secure in the inheritance
of the possession of their parents. As He is Father and
God at the same time, infinite in his attributes and per-
fections, who can estimate the goods, which He offers to
us in making us sons? Therein is included the paternal
love, our preservation, our vocation, our enlivenment
and justification, all the means thereto, and finally our
glorification and the state of happiness, which neither
eyes have seen, nor ears have heard, nor ever has en-
tered into the heart of man. All this is destined for
those that conquer and have shown themselves true and
courageous children.
262. "But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sor-
cerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their
portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death." On this formidable roster
innumerable sons of perdition have written their names
of their own accord, since infinite is the number of the
foolish, who blindly have chosen death, blocking up for
themselves the path of life. For this path is not hidden
to those who use their eyes, but only to those who wil-
fully close their eyes and who have allowed and are al-
lowing themselves to be fascinated and deceived by the
fraudulent tricks of satan. According to the different
214 CITY OF GOD
inclinations and tastes he proffers them the poisonous
cup of vice, after which they seek. "The fearful"
are those, who continually hesitate, and thus fail to
taste of the manna of virtue and never enter into the
pathway of eternal life; to whom virtue appears insipid
and burdensome, though the yoke of the Lord is sweet
and his burden is light (Matth. 11, 30); deceived by
this fear they are overcome by their cowardice rather
than by the difficulties. Those other ones, "the unbe-
lievers," neither admit that truths are revealed, nor
give belief to them, like the heretics, pagans and infi-
dels; or if they do believe them, like the Catholics, it
seems as if they heard them from afar and only through
the faith of others, not giving full assent to the evident
truth contained therein. Thus they hold but a lifeless
belief and they live hke unbelievers.
263. "The abominable," are those who follow vice
without distinction, without repentance or limit, and
rather boast of their wickedness and contempt, making
themselves hateful to God and drawing down his wrath
and curse. Thus they arrive at a state of rebellion and
become incapable of good works. They draw away from
the path of eternal life, as if they were not created for it,
they separate and become estranged from God and his
benefits and blessings, objects of disgust to God and his
saints. Likewise are mentioned "the murderers," who,
without fear or reverence for the divine justice, usurp
the right of the supreme Lord, the sole Governor of the
universe, and presume to chastise and avenge injury;
these deserve to be treated and judged according to the
same measure, which they use in treating and judging
others (Luke 6, 38). "The adulterers" are excluded
from that kingdom, since, for a short and impure pleas-
ure, which is abhorred as soon as it is attained, and yet
THE CONCEPTION 215
in its disorder is never satiated, they despise the friend-
ship of God and the eternal joys, which on being tasted
are the more sought and are an unfaiHng fountain of
undiminished dehght. The "sorcerers" hkewise, who
beheve and testify to the false promises of the dragon,
hidden under the cloak of friendship ; they are deceived
themselves and so perverted that they deceive and per-
vert others. "The idolaters" cannot enter heaven for
they seek after and feel the presence of the Divinity
and do not find it, though He is in all our surround-
ings (Act 17, 27). They ascribe Divinity to the works
of their own hands, which are only inanimate shadows
of the truth and empty cisterns, totally inapt to suggest
an idea of the grandeur of the true God (Jer. 2, 13).
"The liars" also, who standing in opposition to the high-
est truth, which is God, are deprived of his rectitude
and virtue, occupying the opposite extreme, confiding
more in fraudulent deceits than in the Author of truth
and of all good.
264. Of all these the Evangelist says he heard the
sentence, "Their portion shall be in the pool of the fire
burning with sulphur, which is the second death." No-
body can complain of divine justice and equity since He
has justified his cause by the greatness of his benefits
and numberless mercies. He descended from heaven to
live and die among men and rescue them by his own
life-blood. He opened up vast foundations of grace,
which are freely offered to us in the holy Church. In
addition to all this He gave us his Mother and the foun-
tain of her most holy life, through which we may attain
it. Therefore, mortals cannot excuse themselves, if in
spite of all these gifts, they have not made use of his
grace, and if they have abandoned the inheritance of
eternal life in the pursuit of momentary delights of their
216 CITY OF GOD
mortal life. No wonder that they harvest that which
they have sown, and that their portion shall be in the
terrible abyss of burning brimstone from whence there
is no redemption nor hope of life, when once the second
death of punishment has overtaken them. Although
this second death is infinite in its duration, yet more
wicked and abominable was the first death of their sin,
into which they voluntarily precipitated themselves. For
the death of grace caused by sin is opposed to the in-
finite sanctity and goodness of God ; it offends Him, who
is to be reverenced and adored. The death of infernal
pains is the just punishment of these damnable souls and
is the equitable retribution of his most unerring justice.
Thereby this justice is exalted and proclaimed in the
same measure in which it was outraged and despised by
sin. Let it through all the ages be feared and adored.
Amen.
CHAPTER XVIII.
SEQUEL OF THE MYSTERY OF THE CONCEPTION OF THE
MOST HOLY MARY AS DESCRIBED IN THE SECOND PART
OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CHAPTER OF THE APOCALYPSE.
265. The further wording of the twenty-first chapter
of the Apocalypse is as follows:
9. "And there came one of the seven angels, who
had the vials full of the seven last plagues, and spoke
with me, saying: Come, and I will show thee the
bride, the wife of the Lamb.
10. And he took me up in spirit to a great and
high mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusa-
lem coming down out of heaven from God,
11. Having the glory of God; and the light thereof
was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper-stone,
even as crystal.
12. And it had a great wall and high, having twelve
gates ; and in the gates twelve angels, and names writ-
ten thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes
of the children of Israel.
13. On the east, three gates; and on the north,
three gates ; and on the south, three gates ; and on the
west, three gates.
14. And the wall of the city had twelve founda-
tions, and in them, the twelve names of the tweh-e
apostles of the Lamb.
15. And he that spoke with me had a measure of
reed, of gold, to measure the city and the gates there-
of, and the wall;
16 217
218 CITY OF GOD
16. And the city lieth in a four-square, and the
length thereof is as great as the breadth ; and he meas-
ured the city with the golden reed for twelve thou-
sand furlongs; and the length and the height and the
breadth thereof are equal.
17. And he measured the wall thereof a hundred
and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is
of an angel.
18. And the buildings of the wall thereof was of
jasper-stone ; but the city itself pure gold,, like to pure
glass."
266. The angels of which the Evangelist speaks in
this place, are seven of those who attend in a special
manner at the throne of God and who have received
commission and power to punish some of the sins of
men. This vengeance of the wrath of the Omnipotent
(Apoc. 15, 1) will happen in the last ages of the world;
but it shall be a new punishment, greater than which
neither before nor after is possible during mortal exist-
ence. But since these mysteries are deeply hidden and
since not all have been revealed to me, nor concern this
history, I do not consider it proper to expatiate upon
them, but I will pass on to what more closely concerns
my task. This angel, of which St. John speaks, is the
one through whom God will avenge with an especial
and dreadful chastisement the injuries committed against
his most holy Mother ; for the insane daring, with which
they have despised Her, has roused the indignation of
his Omnipotence. As the most holy Trinity has pledged
Itself to honor and exalt this Queen of heaven above all
human creatures and above the angels, placing Her in
this world as a Mirror of the Divinity and as the special
Mediatrix of mortals, God has taken it in a particular
manner upon Himself to avenge the heresies, errors,
THE CONCEPTION 219
outrages, and all injuries committed against Her, since
thereby men have not glorified, acknowledged and
adored Him in this tabernacle and have not made use of
this incomparable mercy. These punishments are proph-
esied to the holy Church. Although the mysterious
words of the Apocalypse enshroud in obscurity the rigor
of this punishment, yet woe to the unhappy ones, that
shall be overtaken by it ! Woe to me, who have offended
a God so strong and powerful to chastise! I am over-
whelmed in the expectation of the great calamity here
threatened.
267. The angel spoke to the Evangelist saying:
"Come, and I will show thee the bride, the wife of the
Lamb," etc. The angel declares in this passage, that
the holy city of Jerusalem, which he showed to him, is
the espoused wife of the Lamb, referring by this meta-
phor (as I have already said No. 248) to the most holy
Mary, whom St. John saw both as a Mother, or Woman,
and as a Spouse of the Lamb, that is Christ. The Queen
held and fulfilled in divine manner both offices. She was
the Spouse of the Divinity, the only One (Cant. 6, 8)
and incomparable on account of the unequalled faith and
love, with which the espousals were entered into and
accomplished : and She was the Mother of the same Lord
incarnate, giving Him his mortal substance and flesh,
nourishing and sustaining Him in his existence as man,
which He derived from Her. In order to see and under-
stand such high mysteries the Evangelist was exalted in
spirit to a great height of sanctity and light : for with-
out going out of himself and being raised above human
weakness, he could not understand them; just as we,
imperfect, earthly and abject creatures, cannot encom-
pass them for the same reason. Then elevated thus high,
he says: "He showed me the holy city of Jerusalem,
220 CITY OF GOD
coming down out of heaven," for Mary was built up
and formed, not on earth, where She was like a pil-
grim and a stranger, but in heaven, where the common,
earthly material was excluded. For though the material
of her being was taken from the earth, it was at the
same time so elevated in heavenly perfectiun as to be fit
for the building up of that mystical City in a celestial
and angelic, yea divine manner, effulgent with the Di-
vinity.
268. Therefore he adds : "Having the glory of God,"
for the most holy soul of Mary was favored with such a
participation of the Divinity and of its attributes and per-
fections, that if it were possible to see Her in her own
essence. She would appear as if illumined with the
eternal splendor of God himself. Great and (Ps. 86, 3)
glorious things are said in the Catholic church of this
City of God, and of the splendor, which She has received
from that same Lord; but all of it is insignificant, and
all human words fall short of the truth. The created
intellect, entirely overcome, can but assert, that the most
holy Mary partakes of the Divinity more than can be
comprehended ; confessing thereby the substance of the
reality as well as the incapability of the mind to express
in a proper manner, that which it wishes to confess.
She is formed in the heavens, and only the Artificer who
formed Her, is able to comprehend her greatness, He
alone can estimate her origin and the affinity, which He
contracted with most holy Mary, by perfecting her gifts
to a semblance of the attributes of his infinite greatness
and Divinity.
269. "And the light thereof was like to a precious
stone, the jasper-stone, even as crystal," etc. It is not so
difficult to understand how She can be similar at the
same time to two such dissimilar stones as crystal and
THE CONCEPTION 221
jasper, as it is to understand how She can be similar to
God. But from this comparison we derive a certain un-
derstanding of similarity to God. The jasper sparkles
and glitters in colors of many different shades, while the
crystal is characterized by limpid and uniform transpar-
ency; both combined form a rare and beautiful variety.
The most pure Mary, in her formation, was endowed
with the variety of virtues and perfections, which the
hand of God itself selected and interwove in her soul.
These graces and perfections made her soul like unto a
most pure crystal, without blemish or stain of guilt; in
her purity and transparency it scattered the enrapturing
rays of the Divinity, just as the crystal meeting the sun,
seems to absorb and again send forth its rays as if it
were itself the sun. Nevertheless this crystal-jasper
sparkles also in many-colored hues because She is a
Daughter of Adam and a mere creature, and all the
splendors of the Divinity contained within Her are only
a participation. Although it appears to be a divine light,
it is not a part of her nature, but communicated and con-
ferred by grace. She is truly a creature formed and
shaped by the hand of God himself, but in a manner
befitting one who was to be his Motlier.
270. "And it had a great wall and high, having twelve
gates." The mysteries enclosed in the walls and por-
tals of this mystical City, most holy Mary, are so hidden
and great that I, an ignorant and obscure woman, can
with difficulty reduce to words that which was shown
to me. However, in order to proceed : At the first mo-
ment of the Conception of the most holy Mary, when
the Divinity manifested Itself to Her in the vision above
referred to (No. 228-236), the whole blessed Trinity,
as if renewing the ancient decrees of her creation and
exaltation, made a kind of agreement or contract with
222 CITY OF GOD
this Lady, without however making it fully known to
Her. It was as if the three Divine Persons conferred
among Themselves and spoke to each other in the fol-
lowing manner :
271. *Tt is befitting to the dignity of our Bride and
the Mother of the Word, that She be constituted the
Queen and Mistress of all creation. Besides the gifts and
riches of the Divinity, which We give and confer upon
Her for her own sake, it is meet that She exercise the
right of distributing the treasures of our mercy, so that
She may communicate according to her pleasure the
graces and favors necessary to mortals, especially to
those who invoke Her as her children and clients, thus
enriching the needy, freeing the sinners, elevating the
just and affording a universal refuge to all men. And
in order that all creatures may recognize Her as their
Queen and Mistress, and as the Treasurer of our infinite
bounties, from whence they are to be distributed. We
entrust Her with the keys of our will and heart ; She
shall be in all things the Executrix of our pleasure to-
ward the creatures. Above all We shall give to Her do-
minion and power over the dragon, our enemy, and over
all his allied demons. Let them fear her presence and
her name and in it, let their deceits be crushed and anni-
hilated. Let all the mortals that fly to this City of
refuge, find in it a sure and certain protection, free from
all the dread of the demons and their snares."
272. Without revealing to the soul of the most holy
Mary all that is contained in this decree or proposal, the
Lord directed Her in that first instant to pray with great
love, to intercede for all the souls, and to solicit and
procure for them eternal life, especially for those, who
in the course of their lives should commend themselves
to her care. The blessed Trinity made known to Her that
THE CONCEPTION 223
before his most just tribunal nothing would ever be de-
nied to Her; that She should command the devil and
that She should have power, by virtue of her commands,
to keep him away from souls, since She would have at
her disposal the arm of the Almighty. But the reason of
this favor was not made known to Her, nor the reason
for all her other gifts, and this reason was no other
than that She was to be the Mother of the Word. In
saying that this City was surrounded by a great and
high wall St. John refers to this godgiven prerogative
of his Mother, that She was to be the secret refuge, pro-
tection and defense of all men, wherein thev would find
all the security of a city of refuge and of a strong for-
tress against their enemies. To this powerful Queen
and Lady of all creation and to this dispensatrix of all the
treasures of heavenly grace, all the sons of Adam were
to fly. He says that the walls are very high, for the
power of the most pure Mary to overcome the demon
and to raise the souls to grace is so great that it is in-
ferior only to that of God himself. So well armed for
all this and so well defended and secure for Herself and
for all those, who seek her protection, is this City, that
not all the forces created by God outside of Her can
overthrow or surmount i»^s walls.
273. "Having twelve gates," for the entrance into this
holy City is free to all nations and generations excluding
none, but inviting all ; so that no one shall be deprived
of the mediation of this Queen of mercy for obtaining
the gifts and graces, nor the eternal glory of the Most
High. In the gates were twelve angels. These twelve
princes are those mentioned above as being among the
ones selected as the guardians of the Mother of the incar-
nate Word. The service of these twelve angels, besides
attending to their Queen, was to assist especially and to
224 CITY OF GOD
defend those souls who devoutly call on Mary, our
Queen, for help, and who distinguish themselves in their
devotion, veneration and love for Her. Therefore the
Evangelist says that he saw them in the gates of that
City; they are the ministers and as it were, the servants,
who are to help, encourage and accompany the mortals
in entering into the portals of piety, opened by the most
holy Mary to eternal happiness. Many times does She
send them with inspirations and favors in order to snatch
those from the dangers of body and soul, who invoke
Her and are her devout servants.
274. He continues : "And names written thereon,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel;" for the angels receive their names according
to the ministry and service, for which they are sent to
the earth. And because these twelve princes are espe-
cially attached to the service of the Queen of heaven in
order that they may assist in the salvation of men, and
because all the elect are included with the twelve tribes
of Israel, forming the holy people of God : therefore the
Evangelist says that the angels bear the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel. To each one of the twelve tribes
one of these angels is assigned. Under their charge and
protection are all those that from every nation and gen-
eration enter through the portals of the intercession of
most holy Mary into the celestial Jerusalem.
275. Wondering at this exaltation of the most pure
Mary and that She should be the Mediatrix and the por-
tal of all the predestined, I was given to understand
that this prerogative befits Her, who as Mother of Christ
was to do such great things for men conjointly with her
most holy Son. For She furnished Him from her own
purest blood and substance with a body, in which He
suffered and redeemed men. On account of her close
THE CONCEPTION 225
connection with his flesh and blood, She in a manner
died and suffered in Christ, freely of her own will ac-
companying Him in his Passion and Death, suffering
with Him according to Her power with heavenly humil-
ity and fortitude. Thus, as She cooperated in his Pas-
sion and offered Herself as a victim for the human race,
so the same Lord made Her a participant in his dignity
of Redeemer and placed Her in charge of the merits
and fruits of the Redemption, to be distributed by her
own hand and communicated to the redeemed. O, ad-
mirable Treasurer of God! How secure are in thy heav-
enly and bountiful hands the riches of the Omnipotent !
Hence this City "had three gates on the east, three gates
on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates
on the west," etc. The three gates, corresponding to each
of the four quarters of the world, invite all the mortals
to draw near to Him, who is the Creator of all,
namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Each of
the three Persons, desires and ordains, that most holy
Mary should be in possession of the gates for soliciting
the divine treasures for mortals. Although there is but
one God in three Persons, each one for Himself con-
cedes free entrance and admission to this most pure
Queen, in order that before the tribunal of the immu-
table and triune Being She may intercede, solicit and re-
ceive gifts and graces for those that seek Her and honor
Her in the world. Therefore as there are not one, but
three portals in every direction, none of the mortals any-
where in the universe and of any nation and tribe shall
have an excuse. The entrance into free and open city
gates is so easy, that if any one fails to enter, it is not
because the gates prevent him, but because he himself
tarries and does not wish to seek safety. What then
shall the infidels, heretics and pagans say? and what ex-
226 CITY OF GOD
cuse have the bad Christians and the obstinate sinners?
If the treasures of heaven are in the hands of our
Mother and Lady, if She continues to call us and solicit
us through her angels, if She opens not one but many-
gates to heaven, how is it that there are so many who
remain outside and so few who enter through them?
276. "And the walls of the city had twelve founda-
tions, and in them the twelve names of the apostles of
the Lamb." The strong and unshakable foundations,
upon which God built up the holy City of Mary his
Mother, are her virtues, as governed and proportioned
in Her by the Holy Ghost. He enumerated twelve, cor-
responding with the names of the Apostles, in order to
show that it is founded upon the surpassing sanctity of
the Apostles, who are the leaders among the saints. For
according to the saying of David, the foundations of the
city of God are placed upon the holy mountains, and also
inversely, the sanctity and wisdom of Mary grounded
and confirmed the Apostles after the Death and Ascen-
sion of Christ. Although She was always their In-
structress and model, yet in those times She alone was
the chief support of the primitive Church. Now, be-
cause She was destined and endowed for this office by
the corresponding virtues and gifts from the moment
of her Immaculate Conception, therefore they are called
the twelve foundations of this City of God.
277. "And he that spoke with me had a measure of
reed, of gold, and he measured the city with the golden
reed for twelve thousand furlongs," etc. By these meas-
urements the Evangelist alludes to the great mysteries of
the dignity, graces and gifts and merits contained in the
Mother of God. Although the measurements of the dig-
nity and benefits, which the Almighty conferred upon
Her, were exceedingly great, yet they were within pos-
THE CONCEPTION 227
sibility and they were also well proportioned, "And the
length thereof is as great as the breadth." From all
sides She is equally well formed, without a sign of de-
ficiency, inequality or disproportion. I do not expatiate
thereon, but refer to what I will say about this in the
course of this history of her life. But I desire to men-
tion that the measure of the dignity, the merits and
graces of most holy Mary, was none other than the hu-
manity of her most blessed Son, united to the divine
Word.
278. The Evangelist calls the humanity of Christ a
"reed" because He assumed the frailty of our weak
and carnal nature, and "of gold," on account of his Di-
vinity. In accordance with the dignity of the true God-
man, Christ, and correspondingly with the gifts and
merits of the incarnate God, also his most holy Mother
was measured. He it was who measured Her with
Himself, and She, being thus proportioned, seemed in
her office as Mother, exalted to a dignity corresponding
to his. In the length of her gifts and graces, and in
the breadth of her merits, in all things did She seem
well proportioned without defect. She could not be
equal absolutely to her most holy Son with an equality
which the learned call mathematical ; for Christ our
Lord was true God and man, whereas She was a mere
creature and thus the measure exceeded infinitely that
which was measured by it ; yet the most pure Mary was
adjusted according to a certain equality of proportion
to her divine Son. Just as there was wanting in Him
nothing that corresponds and belongs to his dignity as
the true Son of God, so nothing was wanting, nor was
there any defect in that, which was due to Her as true
Mother of that same God, in such a manner that to Her
as Mother of God, and to Christ as Son of God, were
228 CITY OF GOD
conceded equal proportions of dignity, graces, gifts and
merits. There was no created grace in Christ, which
was not held in its proportion also by his most pure
Mother.
279. The Evangelist says : "And he measured the city
with the golden reed for twelve thousand furlongs."
This measure of "stadia" and the number "twelve thou-
sand" v/ith which the heavenly Queen at her Conception
was measured, indicate most exalted mysteries. The
Evangelist calls the perfect measure, by which are meas-
ured the high sanctity of the predestined, "stadia," there-
by referring to the graces and gifts, which God in his
eternal foreknowledge decreed to communicate through
the incarnate Son, adjusting and pre-ordaining these
gifts with infinite equity and mercy. By these stadia
then are measured all the saints and the heights of their
virtues and merits. Most unhappy he who does not
come up to this measure and who cannot be measured
by it when the Lord shall measure him. The number
twelve thousand is used in order to include all the rest
of the elect and the predestined, headed in their thousands
by the twelve Apostles, the princes of the Catholic
Church. In the same way they are mentioned in the
seventh chapter of the Apocalypse under the leadership
of the twelve tribes of Israel. For all the elect must sub-
mit to the teaching of the Apostles of the Eamb, as I
have already said above (No. 273).
280. From all this can be estimated the greatness of
that City of God, the most holy Mary. For if we as-
sume that the stadium which the Evangelist mentions
measures at least 125 steps, then a city that extends
12,000 furlongs or stadia on each of its four sides ativl
in its height, must appear of huge dimensions. The
measurement and number of stadia of all the predes-
THE CONCEPTION 229
lined taken together was found to be equal to that of
our blessed Lady, the most holy Mary, and their length,
breadth and height was not greater than hers. For She
that was to be the Mother of God himself and the Queen
and the Mistress of all creatures, was equal to them
joined in one mighty host. In Her alone was contained
more than in all the rest of creation.
281. "And he measured the wall thereof a hundred
and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is of
an angel." This measure of the walls of the City of
God, was not of their length, but of their height. For
if the length and the width of the city were twelve thou-
sand stadia, making a perfect square, it was certainly
necessary that the walls should extend still farther on
the outside in order to encompass the city. The meas-
ure of one hundred and forty- four cubits (of whatever
length these might be), was certainly too short for a city
of that extent ; but that measurement w^ould very well
fit the height of the walls and would be well adapted for
the security and defense of those dwelling therein. This
measurement of their height indicates the security of all
the gifts and graces which the Almighty conferred on
most holy Mary as befitting her dignity and sanctity. In
order to make this more plain, it is said that the height
was one hundred, forty, and four cubits, an unequal
number, referring to three walls : a high one. a medium
sized and a small one, and corresponding to the activity
of the Queen of heaven in great, in more ordinary and
insignificant things. Not that in Her there was anything
insigiiificant, but because the object matter of her actions
was of different kinds, and so were also her actions
themselves. Some were miraculous and supernatural,
others belonged to the sphere of the moral virtues, and
these latter again were either interior or exterior. All
230 CITY OF GOD
of them She performed with such a plenitude of perfec-
tion that She omitted not the unimportant obHgations on
account of the important ones, nor did the latter suffer
on account of her exactitude in the former. She fulfilled
them all with such an exalted holiness, and with such
full approbation of the Lord that She was measured
with the standard of her most holy Son, as well in the
natural as in the supernatural sphere of her life. It was
the measure of the Godman himself, the Angel of the
great council, excelling all men and angels. With Him
She, as his Mother, was exalted above them in propor-
tion to her dignity. The Evangelist continues and says:
282. "And the building of the wall thereof was of
jasper-stone." The walls of a city most conspicuously
strike and engage the eyes of the beholder. The variety
of colors and hues that distinguish the jasper-stone here
mentioned as composing the walls of Mary, the City of
God, bespeak the ineffable humility with which all the
excellencies and graces of the great Queen were clothed
and permeated. For although She was the worthy
Mother of her Creator, exempt from all stain of sin and
imperfection, She exhibits Herself to the view of mor-
tals as dependent upon and as it were tinted with the
shades of the ordinary laws, to which the daughters of
Adam are subject; for She subjected Herself to the pen-
alties and necessities of our common life, as I shall de-
scribe later on. Nevertheless this wall of jasper, though
apparently displaying these color-tints of the rest of
womankind, was to serve as an invincible defense of the
city. Inside, as the Evangelist says, the city was of
"pure gold, like to most pure and flawless glass," for
neither in the formation of the most holy Mary, nor
afterwards, during her most innocent life, did She ever
admit any stain, which could obscure her crystalline
THE CONCEPTION 231
clearness. For just as any stain or blemish, even if only
the size of an atom, finding its way into glass during its
formation will never disappear so as to leave no visible
trace and will always interfere with its transparency and
purity; so, if the most pure Mary had contracted in her
Conception the blemish or stain of original sin, it would
always be discernible and forever degrade and prevent
her crystalline purity and transparency. Neither would
She be pure Gold, since her sanctity and gifts would con-
tain the slack of original sin, lessening its fineness by
many carats; hence, this City was "gold, like the purest
glass," because She was most pure and like unto the
Divinity.
CHAPTER XIX.
CONTAINS THE LAST PORTION OF APOCALYPSE XXI IN AS
FAR AS IT DESCRIBES THE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST
HOLY MARY.
283. The text of the third and last part of chapter
twenty-first of the Apocalypse which I saw explained is
as follows :
19. "And the foundations and the wall were
adorned by all manner of precious stones. The first
foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third,
chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald ;
20. The fifth, sardony, the sixth, sardius; the
seventh, chrysolite ; the eighth, beryl ; the ninth, topaz ;
the tenth, chrysoprasus ; the eleventh, hyacinth ; the
twelfth, amethyst.
21. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, one to
each; and every special gate was of one several pearl;
and the street of the city was of pure gold, as it were
transparent glass.
22. And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord
God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb.
23. And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of
the moon, to shine in it ; for the glory of God hath
enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.
24. And the nations shall walk in the light of it;
and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and
honor into it.
25. And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day;
for there shall be no night there.
232
THE CONCEPTION 233
26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of
the nations into it.
27. There shall not enter into it anything defiled, or
that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they
that are written in the book of life of the lamb."
So far the text and letter of the twenty-first chapter of
the Apocalypse, which I saw explained.
284. The Almighty having chosen the holy city of
Mary for his habitation, and She being of all things out-
side of God the most fit and appropriate, it was not im-
proper that, from the treasures of his Divinity and from
the merits of his most holy Son, He should adorn the
foundations of this city's wall with all manner of pre-
cious stones. The fortitude and strength of Mary, typi-
fied by the walls, the beauty and excellence of her sanc-
tity and graces, symbolized by the precious stones, her
wonderful Conception, suggested by the foundations,
were all well proportioned by God in regard to each
other and in regard to the exalted end, for which this
City was founded, namely, that God should live within
it by his love and that from the virginal womb of Mary
He might accept his human nature. All this the Evan-
gelist describes just as he sees it in the most holy Mary.
For on account of the dignity, sanctity and stability which
were required in Her as a dwelling-place and as a
stronghold of God, it was befitting that the foundation
walls of this City, which prefigure the beginnings of her
Immaculate Conception, should be built of such emi-
nently precious stones or virtues that none more rich or
precious could ever be found.
285. "The first foundation," or stone, he says, "was
jasper," whose variegated tints and durability indicate
the constancy and fortitude, which from the moment
of her Conception was infused into this great Lady in
17
234 CITY OF GOD
order that during the course of her hfe She might con-
tinue to exercise all the virtues with invincible magnan-
imity and constancy. The virtues and habits, conceded
and infused into the most holy Mary at her Conception
and typified by these precious stones, at the same time
are connected with special privileges, and I will as far
as possible, explain them, in order that the full mystery
of these twelve foundations may become known. This
gift of strength included a special superiority and sov-
ereignty for repressing, subduing and vanquishing the
ancient serpent, and for inspiring all the demons with
an inexpressible terror. On that account they fly from
Her and fear Her from afar, being filled with trembling
at her mere presence. They cannot come near the most
holy Mary without excruciating pain. So liberal was
divine Providence with her Majesty that She was not
only exempt from the common laws of the children of
Adam, but also freed from original guilt as well as from
subjection to the demon contracted thereby. Setting Her
apart from these evils. He at the same time endowed
Her with sovereign power over the devil, which all men
have lost together with their innocence. More than
that: as Mother of the Son of the eternal Father (whom
She bore in her womb for the very purpose of putting an
end to the evil power of the enemies) She was invested
with actual authority which emanated from God him-
self and in virtue of which this most exalted Mistress
subdued the demons and sent them repeatedly to the in-
fernal dungeons, as I will relate farther on.
286. 'The second, sapphire." This stone imitates the
color of the clear and serene firmament and shows a scat-
tering of gold spots or atoms. Its color typifies the
serenity and tranquillity of the gifts and graces of the
most holy Mary, enabling Her to enjoy an unchanging.
THE CONCEPTION 235
heavenly and serene peace, free from any cloud of dis-
order and illumined from the moment of her Concep-
tion with visions of the Divinity. By the likeness of her
virtues to the divine attributes and by her participation
in them, especially in their unchangeableness, She made
Herself worthy to see God. Many times during her pil-
grimage through life was She favored with unveiled and
clear vision of God, as will be described. In virtue of
this singular privilege the Almighty endowed Her with
the power of communicating tranquillity and peace of
spirit to those, who will ask for her intercession. There-
fore let all the faithful, who are agitated and stirred up
by the tormenting anxiety of their vices, pray to Her,
that so they may obtain from Her this gift of peace.
287. "The third, a chalcedony." This stone takes its
name from the country where it is found. It is of the
color of the ruby and in the night resplendent as a bea-
conlight The hidden signification of this stone points
to the holiness and power of the name of jMary. For
She took her name from that part of the world, where
She first came into being, calling herself a daughter of
Adam, and her name, by the mere change of the accent
signifies in Latin the collective oceans, for She was the
ocean of the graces and gifts of the Divinity. She came
into the world in her Immaculate Conception, submerg-
ing and inundating it with these gifts, sweeping off the
malice of sin and its effects, illuminating the darkness of
the abyss with the light of her spirit and the brightness
of her heavenly wisdom. This foundation-stone signifies
that the Most High conceded to her most holy name the
power to disperse the clouds of infidelity spread over the
earth, and to destroy the errors of heresy, of paganism,
idolatry and all uncertainty in matters of the Catholic
faith. If the infidels would turn toward this light by
236 CITY OF GOD
invoking Mary's name, it is certain that their under-
standing would quickly expel the darkness, their errors
would be drowned as in a sea in virtue of the power con-
ceded to Her from on high.
288. "The fourth, an emerald," the color of which is
a pleasant green, delighting the sight without fatigue. It
mysteriously typifies the graces of the most holy Mary
in her Conception for, being most amiable and gracious
in the eyes of God and his creatures. She preserved in
Herself, without the least offense against his name and
memory, all the verdure and strength of the holiness,
virtues and gifts then conferred upon Her. According-
ly the Most High granted Her the privilege of insuring
a like stability to her devout followers, obtaining for
them perseverance and fidelity in the friendship of God
and in the practice of virtue.
289. "The fifth, sardonyx." This stone is transpar-
ent, though favoring the flesh-color and usually contain-
ing three different tints : dark below, whitish in the cen-
tre, and nacreous or like mother-of-pearl above, a most
graceful variety of color. The mysterious signification
of this stone pointed to the close relation between the
Mother and the Son, whom She was to bring forth. The
dark color points to the inferior and terrestrial portion
of the body of Mary, obscured by mortification and la-
bors during her stay on earth, and also to the humanity
of her Son, obscured by taking upon Himself our guilt.
The white typifies the purity of the soul of Mary, the
Virgin, and of Christ, our highest good. The carnation
bespeaks in Him the hypostatical union of his humanity
and Divinity, and in Mary her participation in the love
of her most holy Son, and her communication in all the
splendors of the Divinity. In virtue of this foundation-
stone the great Queen of heaven enjoys the power of
THE CONCEPTION 237
interceding and obtaining for her clients the efficacious
apphcation of the superabundant merits of the Incarna-
tion and Redemption, including also a special devotion
toward the mysteries and the life of Christ our Lord
through his merits.
290. "The sixth, sardius." This stone is transparent,
and because it at the same time flashes like the clear
flame of a fire, it is the symbol of the flame of divine
love, w^hich incessantly burns in the Queen of heaven,
for there is no cessation nor diminution of that conflagra-
tion of love in her bosom. From the very moment of
her Conception, which was the time and place of its be-
ginning, it continued to grow, and now, havmg reached
that highest state of exaltation, which ever can fall to
the lot of a creature, it burns and shall burn still bright-
er through all the eternities. This includes her privilege
of distributing the influence, the love and the gifts of the
Holy Ghost to those who ask in her name.
291. "The seventh, chrysolite." This stone resembles
in its color gold refulgent with flaming fire ; and this
latter is more apt to show itself by night than by day.
It symbolized the ardent love which Mary entertains for
the Church militant, its ministers, and for the law of
grace in particular. This love shone forth more especial-
ly during the night of the Death of her most holy Son,
also during the time, when in the beginnings of the evan-
gelical law, She held the office of teacher and when She
prayed so ardently for the establishment of the Church
and its Sacraments. In those times, as will be said in its
place, She cooperated by her most burning love toward
the salvation of the whole human race. She alone
knew and appreciated the value of the most holy law of
her Son. With this love She was prepared and endowed
from the moment of her Conception in order to be the
238 CITY OF GOD
Coadjutrix of Christ our Lord. This includes the pre-
rogative of being able to obtain for those that invoke
Her, the grace of a good disposition toward the fruit-
ful reception of the Sacraments of the holy Church and
of clearing away obstacles that prevent their full effects.
292. "The eighth, beryl." This stone is of a green
and yellow color; but the green predominates, having a
great resemblance to olive and being of resplendent bril-
liancy. It represents the singular faith and hope given
to Mary in her Conception, enabling Her to understand
and execute arduous and sublime works, such as She in
reality accomplished for the glory of Her Creator. In
virtue of this gift of unfailing assistance of the Lord,
was conferred upon Her the power to endow her ser-
vants with fortitude and patience in the tribulations and
difficulties of their undertakings.
293. "The ninth, topaz." This stone is transparent
and of a mulberry color, much prized and esteemed. It
represents the most honorable virginity of Mary, our
Mistress, and her mothership in regard to the incarnate
Word; moreover during her whole life these two pre-
rogatives were held by Her as of inestimable value and
worthy of the most humble thanks. At the instant of
her Conception She asked the Most High for the virtue
of chastity and She promised the observance of it during
the rest of her earthly life. She was aware that it was
conceded to Her in a degree far above her vows and
desires. Not only that, but She knew that the Lord
had made Her the Teacher and the Guide of all the
virgins and lovers of chastity, and that through her in-
tercession. She could obtain these virtues and perse-
verance in them for all her devotees.
294. "The tenth, chrysoprase," the color of which is
green with touches of gold. It signified the most firm
THE CONCEPTION 239
hope planted in the heart of the most holy Mary at her
Conception, and the love with which it was impreg-
nated and embellished. Hope lived inextinguishably in
the bosom of our Queen, as was befitting for Her who
was to communicate similar quality to the rest of man-
kind. The firmness of her confidence was founded in the
stability of her high and generous nature during all the
labors and exercises of her most holy life, and especially
in the Passion and Death of her most holy Son. At the
same time with this virtue the power of efficacious medi-
ation was given Her, so that She might obtain the same
firmness of hope for her clients.
295. "The eleventh, hyacinth," which is of an exquis-
ite violet color. In this foundation-stone is disclosed the
love of Mary for the Redemption of the human race.
This love was infused into Her at her Conception and
was applied to Her in view of the merits of the death of
the Redeemer, her Son. As the whole remedy of guilt
and the justification of all the souls was to take its rise
from the Redemption, this love of the great Queen for
the Redemption from that first instant, earned Her the
power of demanding that no sinner, how great and
abominable soever he might be, should be excluded from
the fruit of the Redemption and justification, nor fail
to attain eternal life if he invoked the intercession of this
powerful Lady and Advocate.
296. "The twelfth, amethyst," of a refulgent violet
color. The mystery of this stone or foundation cor-
responds in part with that of the first. It imports a
kind of inherent power conceded to the most holy Mary
from the moment of her Conception against all the devil-
ish host, so that the demons, without any command or
action on her part, feel a distressing and torturing force
proceeding from Her, as soon as they wish to approach
240 CITY OF GOD
her presence. It was given to Her as a reward of her
incomparable zeal in exalting and defending the glory
and honor of God. Hence the mere sound of her sweet-
est name is sufficient to expel from the bodies of men the
malignant spirits. For her holy name is so powerful that
at the mere intimation of it, they are overcome and de-
prived of strength. These are in short the mysteries of
the foundations upon which God built the holy City of
Mary. But they point to many other mysteries and
favors received by Her, and in so far as the Lord will
give me light and strength, I will manifest them in the
farther course of this history.
297. The Evangelist proceeds and says: "And the
twelve gates are twelve pearls, one to each; and every
several gate was of one several pearl." The great num-
ber of gates of this mystical City signify that through
most holy Mary and through her ineffable dignity and
merits, the entrance to life everlasting was to be just as
easy as it is free. It was in a manner due and befitting
to the excellence of this exalted Queen, that in Her and
through Her the infinite mercy of the Most High should
magnify itself by opening all the many ways of com-
munication with the Divinity, and that all mortals, if
they wished to make use of her merits and powerful in-
tercession, should enter into participation of the Divin-
ity. The priceless value, magnificence, beauty and fair-
ness of these twelve gates, constructed of pearls, imply
the greatness of the dignity and grace of this Empress
of heaven, and the sweetness of her delightful name,
which draws mortals toward God. The most holy Mary
knew that the Lord had bestowed upon Her the preroga-
tive of being the special Mediatrix of the human race
and the Dispensatrix of the treasures of the Divinity for
her Son; and therefore the prudent and most diligent
THE CONCEPTION 241
Mistress exerted Herself to make the merits and dignity
of her works so precious and excellent that they are the
astonishment of the blessed in heaven. Thus the gates
of that city were indeed precious pearls in the sight of
the Lord and of men.
298. Accordingly it is said: "And the square of the
city was of pure gold, as it were transparent glass." The
piazza or square of that City of God, most holy Mary,
is its interior or her soul. Here, as in a square or mar-
ketplace, all the life converges and here the commerce
and trade of the republic of the soul is transacted; for
it is the centre of the activity of the senses and other
faculties. This square in the most holy IMary was of
purest and transparent gold, because composed of the
wisdom and love of God himself. Never was it affected
by dullness, ignorance or inattention ; all her thoughts
were most exalted and her affections were inflamed with
immeasurable love. On this square the highest myster-
ies of the Divinity were deliberated, from this square
were heard the words "Fiat mihi secundum verbum
tuum," which gave a beginning to the most exalted work
that God ever accomplished or will ever accomplish ;
there the innumerable petitions in favor of the human
race were devised and sent up to the tribunal of God ;
there those riches were amassed, which will expel pov-
erty from all the world, if men will enter into commerce
with it ; there also is the armory against the demons and
all vice. For in most holy Mary are the graces and vir-
tues, which make Her terrible to hell and which afford
us courage to overcome the devilish host.
299. He says farther : "And I saw no temple therein.
For the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and
the Lamb." The temples of the cities serve as places of
prayer and worship to be rendered to God ; and it would
242 CITY OF GOD
be a great defect, if in the City of God there were no
temple befitting- its greatness and excellence. Hence in
this City of holy Mary is so sacred a temple that the
omnipotent God himself and the Lamb itself, that is :
the humanity and the Divinity of his Onlybegotten Son,
are reverenced and adored in spirit, and more w^orthily
than in all tRe temples of the world ; for He dwelt in
Her as in his proper habitation. He was also Himself
the temple of Mary, since She was encompassed, sur-
rounded and enclosed by the Divinity and the humanity,
both of which served Her as a habitation and a taber-
nacle. For being in God, she never ceased to adore, wor-
ship and petition this same God and incarnate Word
within her womb thus in spirit living in God and in the
Lamb as in a temple since her continual sanctity was be-
fitting to such a temple. In order to think worthily of
this heavenly Mistress, we must always consider Her as
enclosed in the Divinity and in her most holy Son
as in a temple. Thus shall we understand what acts and
processes of love, adoration and reverence, were accom-
plished by Her; what delights She experienced in the
same Lord, what petitions arose in Her for the human
race, and how earnestly, from her inmost heart and
with burning charity, She cried and begged for the sal-
vation of mortals, when in spirit She saw the great
necessity of their salvation.
300. Further says the Evangelist: "And the city
hath no need of the sun and the moon, to shine in it;
for the glory of God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb
is the lamp thereof." The sun and the moon, are not
necessary in the presence of greater light than their own ;
and thus, in the empyrean heaven, where the infinite Suns
give their light, the absence of our sun is no defect,
though it is so resplendent and beautiful In the most
THE CONXEPTIOX 243
holy jMary, our Queen, there was no need of created
sun or moon to enhghten and direct Her; for without
comparison She pleased and delighted God. Nor could
the wisdom, sanctity and perfection of her works have
any other teacher and director, than the Sun of justice
itself, her most holy Son. All other creatures were far
too deficient to assist Her in being a worthy Mother of
her Creator. Nevertheless in this same school of the
Lord She learned to be the most humble and obedient
among the humble and obedient. Though She was
taught by God himself, yet She hesitated not to suppli-
cate and obey the most abject among men in those
things in which it was not unbecoming. Being the dis-
ciple of Him, who corrects the wise. She drew the di-
vine philosophy of humility from Him, her great Mas-
ter. And She rose to such wisdom, that the Evangelist
could say :
301. "And the nations shall walk in the light of it:"
for if Christ our Lord, calls the doctors and saints burn-
ing lights, placed upon the candlestick to enlighten the
Church : lights such as were scattered through the ages
in the Patriarchs and Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and
Doctors, filling the Catholic Church with such effulgence,
that it appears to be a heaven with many suns and
moons : what shall we say of the most holy Mary,
whose light and splendor incomparably exceeds all the
doctors and teachers of the Church, yea that of the
angels of heaven? If only the mortals were possessed
of clear sight to see the splendor of the light of the
most holy Mary, it alone would suffice to enlighten every
man in the world and to illumine for them the paths of
heaven. Therefore, because all those who have attained
to the knowledge of God. walked in the light of this
244 CITY OF GOD
holy City, St. John says : "that the nations have walked
in the light of it." Moreover he adds most truly:
302. "And the kings of the earth shall bring
their glory and their honor into it." Very blessed are
those kings and princes, w^ho with happy zeal use their
power and influence to fulfill this prophecy. All of them
should do so; but fortunate are they, that turn with
sincere affection to most holy Mary, employing their
life, their honor, their riches, and their high position in
the defense of that City of God, extending her glory in
the world and magnifying her name in the Catholic
Church in opposition to the crackbrained madness of
heretics and infidels. With the deepest sorrow I be-
hold Catholic princes, who are remiss in seeking the
favor of this Queen, fail to ask her assistance in the
great dangers of their states, and do not look upon Her
as a refuge and protection, as an Intercessor and Ad-
vocate. If the dangers of kings and potentates are
great, let them remember, that their obligation to be
thankful is not any less; for this heavenly Queen her-
self says, that through Her kings do reign, princes com-
mand, and the powerful administer justice (Prov. 8,
16) ; She loves those that love Her (Eccli. 14, 31) and
those, that magnify Her, attain eternal life, since those,
that work with Her do not sin.
303. I do not wish to conceal the light, which many
times and especially on this occasion, has been vouch-
safed to me in order to be made known to others. In
the Lord it was shown me, that all the afflictions of the
Catholic Church and all the labors of the Christian peo-
ple, have been invariably mitigated by the intercession
of the most holy Mary; that in the turbulence of the
present times, when heretical pride surges up so high
against God and his lamentably afflicted Church, only
THE CONCEPTION 245
one remedy is left for these miseries, namely: That
the Catholic kings and governments turn to the Mother
of grace and mercy, most holy Mary. Let them seek her
favor by rendering Her especial homage, so that the de-
votion and honor of Mary may grow and spread over
the whole earth and thus draw Her toward us with a
look of pity. Then it may be, that She will obtain for
us the grace of her most holy Son, that all the un-
bridled vices now infecting the Christian people through
malice of the enemy, will be reformed, and through
her intercession the wrath of the Lord, which so justly
chastises us and threatens us with yet greater calamities
and misfortunes, will be appeased. From this reforma-
tion and amendment of our sins would also spring vic-
tory against the infidels and the extirpation of the false
sects, that oppress the holy Church. For the most holy
Mary is the sword, which is to destroy and cut them
down all over the world.
304. Even now the world suffers the losses conse-
quent upon this forgetfulness. If the Catholic kings are
not successful in the government of their countries, in
the preservation and the spread of the Catholic faith, in
overcoming their enemies, or in the warfares and battles
against the infidels, all this happens, because they do not
follow this guiding Star, which shows them the way ; be-
cause they have not placed Mary as the beginning and
immediate end of their works and projects and because
they forget that this Queen treads in the paths of justice
in order to teach it, exalts and enriches those that love it
(Prov. 8. 20).
305. O thou prince and head of the holy Catholic
Church! O ye prelates, who are also called princes of
the Church ! And thou, Catholic prince and monarch of
Spain, to whom, according to my natural obligation and
246 CITY OF GOD
through the great love and special providence of the
Most High, I direct this humble and earnest appeal!
Cast thy crown, thy monarchy at the feet of this Queen
and Mistress of heaven and earth ; seek out this Restora-
trix of all the human race ; listen to Her, who by power
divine is placed over all the hosts of men and of all
the infernal regions ; turn thy affection toward Her, who
holds in her hands the keys of the good will and treas-
ures of the Most High ; transport thy honor and renown
of that City of God, who has no need thereof in order
to increase hers, but who can improve and exalt thy
own! Offer to Her with Catholic enthusiasm and with
a whole heart some great and pleasing service, and the
recompense will be immeasurably great : the conversion
of the heathens, the victory over heresies and paganism,
the peace of the Church, new light and help to improve
the lives of men and a great and glorious reign for thee
in this life and the next.
306. O my fatherland, kingdom of Spain, which on
account of thy Catholic faith, art most fortunate! Even
more fortunate shalt thou be if to the steadfastness and
sincerity of thy faith, given to thee by the Almighty,
thou wilt add the holy fear of God corresponding to thy
distinguished faith! Would that in order to arrive at
this summit of thy happiness, all thy inhabitants unite
in a burning devotion to the most holy Mary! How
greatly would thy glory then shine forth! How much
wouldst thou be enlightened ! How valiantly wouldst
thou then be protected and defended by this Queen, and
how would thy Catholic kings be enriched by treasures
from on high, and through their agency, how widely
would the sweet law of the Gospel spread among the
nations! Remember that this great Princess honors
those that honor Her, enriches those that seek Her,
THE CONCEPTION 247
makes illustrious those that praise Her, and defends
those that hope in Her. Be assured, that in order thus
to show Herself a Mother and shower her mercies upon
thee, She hopes and desires to be approached and solicited.
At the same time remember, that God is under no
necessity to any one (Ps. 15, 2) and that He can make
out of stones, children of Abraham (Luc. 3, 8) ; if thou
make thyself unworthy of such great good, He can re-
serve this glory for those that serve Him better and
make themselves less unworthy of the reward.
307. And in order that thou mayest not remain ig-
norant of tlie service, which in our days (among many
others taught thee by the devotion and piety), should be
rendered to this great Queen and ^Mistress of men, con-
sider the present position, which the mystery of her
Immaculate Conception holds in the Catholic Church
and direct thy attention to supply what is still missing
to establish firmly this fundamental doctrine of that City
of God. Let no one despise this suggestion as coming
from a weak and ignorant woman, or as a notion
founded in a prejudiced love of a state and profession
consecrated to the name and honor of Mary immaculate ;
for the conviction and light, which I have received in the
knowledge of her life, is sufficient for me. Not for my
own honor, nor relying upon my own judgment and
authority, do I make this exhortation : I obey the com-
mand of the Lord, who gives speech to the mute, and
makes eloquent the tongues of infants. Let those that
admire this merciful liberality, also take notice of what
the Evangelist adds, saying:
308. "And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day :
for there shall be no night there." The portals of mercy
of most holy Mary never were and never are closed,
nor was there in Her from the first instant of her Con-
248 CITY OF GOD
ception, any darkness of guilt, which might close the
gates of this City, as it happened in the rest of the saints.
Just as in those places, where gates are always open,
all those that wish, can issue forth or enter at all times,
so no prohibition hinders mortals from entering freely to
the Divinity through the gates of the mercy of the most
pure Mary. For in that City is the storehouse of the
treasures of heaven, open to all without limitation of
time, place, age or sex. All were free to enter ever
since its foundation; for that very purpose the Most
High has opened so many portals in this foundation,
leaving them unlocked, free and open to the light, so
that from the first moment of Mary's purest Conception
mercies and benefits began to descend upon the whole
human race. But though this City has so many gates,
from which issue the riches of the Divinity, yet it is on
that account not the less secure from its enemies. There-
fore the text proceeds:
309. "There shall not enter into it anything defiled,
or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they
that are written in the book of life of the Lamb," etc.
Rehearsing again the glories of the City of God, the
Evangelist closes this twenty-first chapter, assuring us
once more, that there was no blemish in Her, because
She received an immaculate body and soul. This, how-
ever, never could be said of Her, if She was tainted by
original guilt ; and much less have stains or blemishes of
actual sins ever found entrance in Her. That which
entered into this City of God is entirely similar to that
which is written of the Lamb: her most holy Son was
taken as the pattern and model for her formation and
from no other being could any excellence of the most
holy Mary be copied, even when there is question of
the smallest, if indeed anything can be called small in
THE CONCEPTION 249
Her. Since this portal, Mary, was to be the portal of a
city of refuge for the mortals, it could only be with the
understanding-, that he, who is the perpetrator of abom-
ination and lies, should never find part or entrance
through it. But let not on this account the sinful and
guilty sons of Adam hesitate to approach the gates of
this holy City of God; for if they approach with con-
trition and humility to seek the cleansing of grace, they
will find it in these gates of the great Queen, and in no
others. She is clean, pure, abounding in grace, and
above all She is the Mother of mercy ; She is sweet, lov-
ing and powerful to enrich our poverty and to cleanse us
from the stains of all our sins.
INSTRUCTION WHICH THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN GAVE ME
CONCERNING THESE CHAPTERS.
310. My daughter, these chapters contain excellent
direction and light, though thou hast left in them many
things unsaid. Seek therefore to draw profit from all
that thou hast understood and written, bewaring lest
thou receive the light of grace in vain. This in brief I
wish thee to remember ; be not dismayed, that thou wert
conceived in sin, and, as an earthly creature, feelest
within thyself the earthly inclinations; but strive against
thy passions to a finish. In doing this thou wilt at the
same time battle against thy enemies. With the help
of the Almighty's grace, thou canst rise above thyself
and make thyself a daughter of heaven, whence all grace
comes. In order that thou mayest attain thereto, let thy
habitation continue to be in the higher regions, keeping
thy mind fixed in the knowledge of the immutable Be-
ing and perfections of God and never allowing thy at-
tention to be drawn away to another even otherwise
necessar}^ object. With this continual presence and
18
250 CITY OF GOD
memory of God's greatness thou wilt dispose thyself
for the influx of the holy Spirit and his gifts in closest
friendship and communication with the Lord. In order
to evade all hindrance to this his holy Will, which I
have already many times pointed out and made manifest
to thee, seek to mortify the inferior part of thy being,
the seat of the evil inclinations and passions. Die to all
that is earthly, sacrifice, in the consciousness of God's
presence, all thy sensitive appetities, fulfill none of their
impulses, nor ever satisfy thy own will outside of the
narrow limits of obedience. Do not leave the secret
refuge of interior recollection, where the Lamb en-
lightens thee. Adorn thyself for entrance into the bridal
chamber of thy Spouse, and permit the hand of the Al-
mighty to array thee in such a manner as He wishes, al-
ways seeking to concur with Him and place no obstacle
in his way. Purify thy soul by many acts of sorrow
for having offended Him, magnify and praise Him with
a most ardent love. Seek Him, and rest not until thou
hast found Him, whom thy soul desires, hold Him and
do not let Him go (Cant. 3, 4). I wish thee to proceed
on thy pilgrimage like one, who has already arrived at
the journey's end, keeping thy gaze continually on the
source of all glory. Let the rule of thy life be to walk
in the light of faith and in the brightness, with which
the Omnipotent shall fill and illumine thy soul, and to
continue to love, adore and reverence Him, without any
cessation or diminution. This being the will of the
Almighty in thy regard : consider what shall be thy gain,
but remember also, what may be thy loss. See thou do
not run this risk; subject thyself with thy whole will
and being to the guidance of thy Spouse, of myself, and
of holy obedience, which must always be thy standard.
— Thus the Mother of the Lord instructed me, and I
answered Her, filled with great confusion :
THE CONCEPTION 251
311. "Queen and Mistress of all creation, whose ser-
vant I am and wish to be for all the eternities ! Forever
will I praise the Omnipotence of the Most High, be-
cause He chose thus to exalt Thee. But since Thou art
so fortunate and so powerful with the Almighty, I con-
jure Thee, O my Lady, to look with an eye of mercy
upon me, thy poor and miserable servant. Make me
partaker in the gifts which the Lord has placed in thy
hands for distribution among the needy, raise me up
from my abject state, enrich my nakedness and poverty,
and as a Mistress compel me to desire and do what is
most perfect, helping me to find grace in the eyes of thy
most holy Son and my Lord. In thy hands do I place
my salvation, O Mistress and Queen! do Thou take
charge of it to the end ; for thy desires are holy and pow-
erful on account of the merits of thy most holy Son and
on account of the promises of the most holy Trinity,
which are pledges for the fulfillment of all thy petitions
and desires without fail. I myself have nothing to
oblige Thee, as I am unworthy, but as a substitute I
offer Thee, my Lady, thy own sanctity and clemency."
CHAPTER XX.
treating of what happened during the nine
months op the pregnancy of st. anne; the do-
ings of the most holy mary in the womb of
her mother, and those of saint anne during
That time.
312. The most holy Mary, being conceived without
sin as described above, was entirely absorbed in spirit
and entranced by her first vision of the Divinity. At
the first instant, and in the narrow dwelling of the ma-
ternal womb, began the love of God in her most blessed
soul, never to be interrupted, but to continue through all
the eternities of that high glory, which She now enjoys
at the right hand of her divine Son. In order that She
might grow in the contemplation and love of God not
only by the infused knowledge of created things, but also
by the direct vision of the Trinity itself, and in order
that She might exercise Herself in many acts of virtue
befitting her present state, the Lord repeated the won-
derful vision and manifestation of his Divinity on two
other occasions ; so that, the blessed Trinity manifested
Itself to Her in abstract vision three times before her
birth: first at the instant of her Conception, then in the
fourth or fifth month, and the third time, on the day be-
fore her birth This vision was not continual, but it
must not be inferred, that She did not enjoy another
kind of vision, very exalted and superior to the one by
which She perceived the essence of God in the light of
faith. For in most holy Mary these kinds of visions
252
THE CONCEPTION 253
were incessant and continual, and superior to all visions
of the saints during- their earthly pilgrimage.
313. This abstract vision of the Divinity, though not
incompatible with her present condition on earth, was
nevertheless so high and immediate, that it could not
well be continuous in her mortal state, where She was
to merit the glory of intuitive vision by other acts. It
was a special favor to assist Her in attaining thereto;
for it left in her soul the impress of the Lord's image,
and raised and consumed her whole being with a burning
love of God. These affections were renewed continually
during these visions in the most holy soul of Mary while
She remained in the womb of holy Anne. Thus it hap-
pened, that, being in full possession of her intellectual
faculties and occupying Herself without intermission in
prayer for the human race, in heroic acts of adoration,
in reverence and love of God in company with the
angels, She did not feel the narrowness and confinement
of her natural prison, nor the restriction of her senses,
nor the other restraints, inseparable from such a state.
To all this She gave no heed, living more in her Be-
loved than in the womb of her mother or in Herself.
314. The last of the three visions was accompanied by
new and more wonderful favors of the Lord ; it was to
prepare Her for the entrance into the world and for
intercourse with mortals. In accordance with the di-
vine will the Princess of heaven said to the Lord :
"Most high God. Lord of my being, Soul of my life and
Life of my soul, infinite in thy attributes and perfections,
incomprehensible, mighty and rich in mercies, my King
and Sovereign : out of nothing hast Thou given me ex-
istence: without any merits of mine Thou hast enriched
me with the treasures of thy divine light and grace, in
order that by them I may instantly perceive thy im-
254 CITY OF GOD
mutable Being and divine perfections, and that thus Thou
mightst be the first Object of my vision and love, not
permitting me to seek any other than Thee, the highest
Good and all my joy. Thou commandest me, my Lord,
to issue forth and enter into the material light and con-
verse with creatures. In thy own Being, whence all
things are reflected as in a most perfect mirror, I have
discerned the dangerous state and the miseries of mortal
life. If, on account of my natural weakness and debility,
there is danger lest even in the least point I fail in thy
love and service, and if it is possible that I die here, let
me die now, before I pass into a state where I may lose
Thee. But if thy holy Will, my Lord and Master, is
to be fulfilled, and I am to embark on the tempestuous
sea of this world, I beseech Thee, most high and mighty
God of my soul, to govern my life, direct my steps and
all my actions toward pleasing Thee. Order in me holy
love (Cant. 2, 4) that in the new use, which I am to
make of creatures, and by thy aid, it may continue to
grow. I have perceived in Thee the ingratitude of many
souls, and as I am of their nature, I fear with good
reason, that perhaps I may become gviilty of the same
fault. In this narrow cavity of my mother's womb I
have enjoyed the infinite vastness of thy Divinity: here
I possessed all Good, Thee thyself, my Beloved ; and
since here Thou alone art my portion and possession
(Ps. 72), I know not, whether outside of this enclosure
I may not lose it at the sight of the created light and in the
use of my senses. If it were possible and appropriate
to renounce the intercourse of approaching life, I would
gladly renounce and lose the experience of it; but let
not my will, but Thine be done. Therefore since Thou
wishest it, confer upon me thy blessing and good will at
my entrance into the world, and do not deprive me of
THE CONCEPTION 255
thy divine protection during the earthly course in which
Thou placest me." Having thus poured forth her prayer,
the most sweet child Mary received the benediction of
the Most High and the command to issue forth into the
light of the visible sun, at the same time being enlight-
ened for the fulfillment of all his desires.
315. The most happy mother, holy Anne, passed the
days of her pregnancy altogether spiritualized by the
divine operations and by the sweet workings of the Holy
Ghost in all her faculties. Divine Providence, however,
in order to direct her course to greater merit and reward,
ordained, that the ballast of trouble be not wanting, for
without it the cargo of grace and love is scarcely ever
secure. In order to understand better, what happened to
this holy woman, it must be remembered, that satan,
after he was hurled with the other bad angels from
heaven into the infernal torments, never ceased, during
the reign of the old Law, to search through the earth
hovering with lurking vigilance above the women of dis-
tinguished holiness, in order to find Her, whose sign he
had seen (Gen. 3, 15) and whose heel was to bruise and
crush his head. Lucifer's wrath against men was so
fierce, that he would not trust this investigation to his
inferiors alone; but leaving them to operate against the
virtuous women in general, he himself attended to this
matter and assiduously hovered around those, who sig-
nalized themselves more particularly in the exercise of
virtue and in the grace of the Most High.
316. Filled with malice and astuteness, he observed
closely the exceeding great holiness of the excellent ma-
tron Anne and all the events of her life: and although
he could not estimate the richness of the Treasure, which
was enclosed in her blessed womb (since the Lord con-
cealed this as well as many other mysteries from him),
256 CITY OF GOD
yet he felt a powerful influence proceeding from saint
Anne. The fact that he could not penetrate into the
source of this activity, threw him at times into great
fury and rage. At other times he quieted himself with
the thought, that this pregnancy arose from the same
causes as others in the course of nature and that there
was no special cause for alarm ; for the Lord left him to
his own hallucinations and to the vagaries of his own
fury. Nevertheless the whole event was a source of
great misgiving to this perverse spirit, when he saw how
quietly her pregnancy took its course and especially,
when he saw, that many angels stood in attendance.
Above all he was enraged at his weakness in resisting
the force, which proceeded from the blessed Anne and
he suspected that it was not she alone, who was the
cause of it.
317. Filled with this mistrust, the dragon determined,
if possible, to take the life of the most felicitous Anne;
or, if that was impossible, to see that she should obtain
little satisfaction from her pregnancy. For the pride of
Lucifer was so boundless as to persuade him of his abil-
ity to overcome or take away the life of Her, who was
to be the Mother of the incarnate Word, or even the life
of the Messias and Redeemer of the world, if only he
could obtain knowledge of their whereabouts. His ar-
rogance was founded upon the superiority of his angelic
nature to the condition and power of mere human na-
ture: as if both were not subject to grace and entirely
dependent upon the will of their Creator. Audaciously
therefore he set himself to tempt holy Anne, with many
suggestions, misgivings, doubts and diffidences about the
truth of her pregnancy, alleging her protracted years.
All this the demon attempted in order to test the virtue
of the saint, and to see, whether these temptations would
THE CONCEPTION 257
not afford some opening for the perversion of her will.
318. But the invincible matron resisted these on-
slaughts with humble fortitude, patience, continued
prayer and vivid faith in the Lord. She brought to
naught the perplexing lies of the dragon and on account
of them gained only additional grace and protection
from on high. For besides the protection abundantly
merited by her past life She was defended and freed
from the demons by the great princes, who were guard-
ing her most holy Daughter. Nevertheless in his in-
satiable malice the enemy did not desist on that account ;
and since his arrogance and pride far exceeds his pow-
ers, he sought human aid ; for with such help he always
promises himself greater ease of victory. Having at
first tried to overthrow the dwelling of saint Joachim
and Anne, in order that she might be frightened and
excited by the shock of its fall, but not being able to
succeed on account of the resistance of the holy angels,
he incited against saint Anne one of the foolish women
of her acquaintance to quarrel with her. This the woman
did with great fury, insolently attacking saint Anne with
reproach and scorn ; she did not hesitate to make mock-
ery of her pregnancy, saying, that she was the sport of
the demon in being thus found pregnant at the end of
so many years and at so great an age.
319. The blessed Anne did not permit herself to be
disturbed by this attack, but in all meekness and hu-
mility bore the injuries and treated her assailants with
kindness. From that time on she looked with greater
love upon these women and lavished upon them so much
the greater benefits. But their wrath was not imme-
diately pacified, for the demon had taken possession of
them, filling them with hate against the saint ; and, as
any concession to this cruel tyrant always increases his
258 CITY OF GOD
power over his victims, he incited these miserable dupes
to plot even against the person and life of saint Anne.
But they could not put their plots into execution, be-
cause divine power interfered to foil their natural
womanly weakness. They v*^ere not only powerless
against the saint, but they were overcome by her ad-
monitions and brought to the knowledge and amendment
of their evil course by her prayers.
320. The dragon was repulsed, but not vanquished;
for he immediately availed himself of a servant, who
lived in the house with Joachim and Anne, and exasper-
ated her against the holy matron. Through her he cre-
ated even a greater annoyance than through the other
women, for she was a domestic enemy and more stub-
born and dangerous than the others. I will not stay to
describe, what the enemy attempted through this ser-
vant, since it was similar to that of the other woman,
only more annoying and malicious. But with the help
of God saint Anne won a more glorious victory than
before; for the watcher of Israel slumbered not, but
guarded his holy City (Ps. 120, 4) and furnished it so
well with sentinels, chosen from the strongest of his
hosts, that they put to ignominious flight Lucifer and
his followers. No more were they allowed to molest the
fortunate mother, who was already expecting the birth
of the most blessed Princess of heaven, and who, en-
riched by heroic acts of virtue and many merits in these
conflicts, had now arrived at the fulfillment of all her
highest wishes. I too desire to come to an end with this
chapter in order to hear the salutary instructions of my
Mistress and Preceptress, who, besides assisting me in
all that I write, also favors me with her maternal ad-
monitions, which I receive with highest joy and exulta-
tion of my spirit.
THE CONCEPTION 259
321. Speak then, O Lady, and thy servant will listen
(Gen. 18, 17). If Thou wilt permit, although I am dust
and ashes, I will state a doubt, which has occurred to
me, in this chapter. Yet in all things I will remit myself
to thy sweet benevolence as of my Mother, Teacher and
Mistress. The doubt in which I find myself is this :
How was it possible, that Thou, the Queen of all cre-
ation, conceived without sin and endowed with a soul
exalted so high in the knowledge of all things by the
visions of the Divinity, shouldst be filled in spite of all
these graces, with so great a fear and anxiety of losing
the friendship of God and of offending Him? If in the
first instant of thy existence Thou wast prevented by
grace, how couldst Thou at that very instant fear to lose
it? If the Most High exempted Thee from original
sin, how couldst Thou fall into others, or fear to offend
Him, who had preserved Thee from the first offense?
INSTRUCTION AND ANSWER OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN,
322. My daughter, hear the solution of thy dif^culty.
In the vision of the Divinity I instantaneously recog-
nized my innocence and the stainlessness of my Concep-
tion. These favors and benefits of the Almighty are
of such a nature, that the more they are understood and
made secure, so much the more will they excite care and
solicitude for their preservation and for the avoidance
of any offense of their Author. They are given to his
creatures out of pure goodness and are accompanied with
such clear intuition regarding their dependence on the
merits of my most holy Son, that the soul immediately
centers its attention only on its own unworthiness and
insulTiciency, convinced that it cannot merit them and
that it cannot appropriate them to itself as being foreign
260 CITY OF GOD
to its nature. As they are seen to belong- to such a high
Master, to whom they can revert to be distributed accord-
ing to his pleasure, a most deep-felt solicitude fills the
soul lest it lose again, what is thus freely given. The
soul therefore begins to work with great diligence in or-
der to preserve them and to multiply the talent (Matth.
25, 15), since it understands that to be the only means
of keeping the deposit and of fulfilling the object for
which they were g^iven, namely, to make them bear fruit
and to contribute to the glory of the Creator. This
care is precisely the condition necessary for the preser-
vation of the benefits and graces received.
323. Besides this the soul is made to understand the
human frailty and the freedom of the will for good or
evil. Of this knowledge the Almighty did not deprive
me, nor does He deprive any one of it, as long as he
wanders through this life ; but He gives it to all accord-
ing to measure, in order that by its guidance they may
be filled with holy fear of falling into any fault, even the
smallest. In me this light was greater and I clearly saw
that a small fault prepares the way for another, and
that the second is only a punishment of the first. It is
true that on account of the blessings and graces of the
Lord sin was impossible in me. But his Providence so
disposed of this knowledge, that my absolute security
from sin was hidden to me ; I saw that as far as depended
on me alone I could fall, and that it was the divine will
that preserved me. Thus He reserved to Himself his
knowledge of my security, and left me in solicitude and
holy fear of sinning during my pilgrimage. From the
instant of my Conception until my death I never lost
this fear, but on the contrary grew in it as life flowed on.
324. The Most High also gave me humility and dis-
cretion, not to ask or to examine too closely this mys-
THE CONCEPTION 261
tery, but solely to direct my attention toward increasing
my confidence in his goodness with a view to obtain his
assistance against sin. Thence resulted those two neces-
sary dispositions of a Christian life; the one a quiet pres-
ervation of tranquillity in the soul, the other the con-
stant presence of a holy fear and watchfulness, lest the
treasure be lost. As this latter was a filial fear, it did
not diminish love, but inflamed and increased it more and
more. These two dispositions of love and fear produced
in my soul a perfect harmony with the divine will, gov-
erning all my actions, so as to draw me away from evil
and unite me with the highest Good.
325. This, my dear friend, is the great test of spiritual
things : that they come with true enlightenment and sound
doctrine ; that they teach greater perfection of virtues and
excite a strong impulse toward seeking it. This is the ex-
cellence of the benefits which descend from the Father of
lights, that they give assurance and confidence while mak-
ing the soul humble, and that they encourage while excit-
ing solicitude and watchfulness, though still preserving
tranquillity and peace in this solicitude; for all these ef-
fects are not incompatible in fulfilling the will of God.
Do thou, O soul, offer humble and fervent thanks to the
Lord, because with so little deserving of thine He has
been so liberal with thee and has so greatly enlightened
thee with divine light, breaking for thee the seal of his
secret archives and yet filling thee with holy fear of his
displeasure. Nevertheless make use of this fear with
measure and strive instead to excel in love. Thus with
these two wings raising thyself above the earth and
above thyself, try to rid thyself of the inordinate dis-
turbance of excessive fear, and leave thy cause with the
Lord and make his cause thv own. Let fear be with thee
262 CITY OF GOD
until thou art purified and cleansed of thy sins and of thy
ignorance, but also love the Lord in order that thou
mayest be transformed in Him, and set Him as the Mas-
ter and the Arbiter of thy actions without desiring to be
above any person. Do not trust thy own judgment, and
be not wise in thy own conceit (Prov. 3, 7), for the judg-
ments of men are only too easily blinded by their pas-
sions, throwing them out of their course and drawing
after them the will as their captive. Thus it comes, that
men fear what is not to be feared, and rejoice in that
which is not profitable. Take heed lest thou be dissipated
by every slight interior consolation, but hesitate and re-
strain thyself until thou findest with tranquil solicitude
the proper measure in all things. This happy medium
thou wilt always find, if thou remain subject to thy su-
periors and willingly accept that, which the Most High
works in thee and teaches thee. Although thy undertak-
ings may be good as regards the intentions, they must
nevertheless also conform to the requirements of obe-
dience and of prudence, for without this guidance they
are usually deformed and without any profitable result.
Be thou therefore in all things solicitous about that,
which is most holy and perfect.
li
CHAPTER XXL
OF THE FELICITOUS BIRTH OF THE MOST HOLY MARY OUR
mistress: of THE FAVORS, WHICH SHE THEN RE-
CEIVED FROM THE HAND OF THE MOST HIGH, AND
HOW A NAME WAS GIVEN HER IN HEAVEN AND ON
EARTH. ^
326. The day destined for the parturition of saint
Anne and for the birth of Her, who was consecrated and
sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived : a day
most fortunate for the world. This birth happened on
the eighth day of September, fully nine months having
elapsed since the Conception of the soul of our most holy
Queen and Lady. Saint Anne was prepared by an in-
terior voice of the Lord, informing Her, that the hour
of her parturition had come. Full of the joy of the holy
Spirit at this information, she prostrated herself before
the Lord and besought the assistance of his grace and
his protection for a happy deliverance. Presently she
felt a movement in her womb similar to that which is
proper to creatures being born to the light. The most
blessed child Mary was at the same time by divine provi-
dence and power ravished into a most high ecstasy. Hence
Mary was born into the world without perceiving it by
her senses, for their operations and faculties were held
in suspense. As She had the use of her reason. She
would have perceived it by her senses, if they would have
been left to operate in their natural manner at that time.
However, the Almighty disposed otherwise, in order that
263
264 CITY OF GOD
the Princess of heaven might be spared the sensible ex-
perience otherwise connected with birth,
327. She was born pure and stainless, beautiful and
full of grace, thereby demonstrating, that She was free
from the law and the tribute of sin. Although She was
born substantially like other daughters of Adam, yet her
birth was accompanied by such circumstances and condi-
tions of grace, that it was the most wonderful and mi-
raculous birth in all creation and will eternally redound
to the praise of her Maker, At twelve o'clock in the
night this divine Luminary issued forth, dividing the
night of the ancient Law and its pristine darknesses from
the new day of grace, which now was about to break into
dawn. She was clothed, handled and dressed like other
infants, though her soul dwelt in the Divinity ; and She
was treated as an infant, though She excelled all mortals
and even all the angels in wisdom. Her mother did not
allow Her to be touched by other hands than her own,
but she herself wrapped Her in swaddling clothes : and
in this Saint Anne was not hindered by her present state
of childbirth ; for she was free from the toils and labors,
which other mothers usually endure in such circum-
stances.
328. So then saint Anne received in her arms Her,
who was her Daughter, but at the same time the most
exquisite Treasure of all the universe, inferior only to
God and superior to all other creatures. With fervent
tears of joy she offered this Treasure to his Majesty,
saying interiorly : "Lord of infinite wisdom and power.
Creator of all that exists, this Fruit of my womb, which
I have received of thy bounty, I offer to Thee with
eternal thanks, for without any merit of mine Thou hast
vouchsafed it to me. Dispose Thou of the mother and
Child according to thy most holy will and look pro-
THE CONCEPTION 265
pitiously down upon our lowliness from thy exalted
throne. Be Thou eternally blessed, because Thou hast
enriched the world with a Creature so pleasing to thy
bounty and because in Her Thou hast prepared a dwell-
ing-place and a tabernacle for the eternal Word (Sap. 9,
8). I tender my congratulations to my holy forefathers
and to the holy Prophets, and in them to the whole human
race, for this sure pledge of Redemption, which Thou
hast given them. But how shall I be able worthily to treat
Her, whom Thou hast given me as a Daughter? I that
am not worthy to be her servant? How shall I handle
the true ark of the Testament? Give me, O my Lord
and King, the necessary enlightenment to know thy will
and to execute it according to thy pleasure in the service
of my Daughter."
329. The Lord answered the holy matron interiorly,
that she was to treat her heavenly Child outwardly as
mothers treat their daughters, without any demonstration
of reverence; but to retain this reverence inwardly, ful-
filling the laws of a true mother toward Her, and rearing
Her up with all motherly love and solicitude. All this
the happy mother complied with ; making use of this per-
mission and her mother's rights without losing her rever-
ence, she regaled herself with her most holy Daughter,
embracing and caressing Her in the same way as other
mothers do with their daughters. But it was always done
with a proper reverence and consciousness of the hidden
and divine sacrament known only to the mother and
Daughter. The guardian angels of the sweet Child with
others in great multitudes showed their veneration and
worship to Mary as She rested in the arms of her
mother; they joined in heavenly music, some of which
was audible also to blessed Anne. The thousand angels
appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered them-
19
266 CITY OF GOD
selves and dedicated themselves to her service. This was
also the first time, in which the heavenly Mistress saw
them in a corporeal form with their devises and habili-
ments, as I shall describe in another chapter (Ch. XXIII)
and the Child asked them to join with Her in the praise
of the Most High and to exalt Him in her name.
330. At the moment of the birth of our Princess Mary
the Most High sent the archangel Gabriel as an envoy to
bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Im-
mediately the heavenly ambassador descended, illumining
that deep cavern and rejoicing the just who were de-
tained therein. He told them that already the dawn of
eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of
man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by
the holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had
been begun, since She, who was to be the Mother of the
Messias, had now been born; soon would they now see
the salvation and the glory of the Most High. The holy
prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of
the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had
begun to work in Her, in order that they might better
comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery, which
was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the
holy Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in
limbo rejoiced in spirit and in new canticles praised the
Lord for this benefit.
331. All these happenings at the birth of our Queen
succeeded each other in a short space of time. The first
exercise of her senses in the light of the material sun,
was to recognize her parents and other creatures. The
arms of the Most High began to work new wonders in
Her far above all conceptions of men, and the first and
most stupendous one was to send innumerable angels to
bring the Mother of the eternal Word body and soul into
THE CONCEPTION 267
the empyrean heaven for the fulfilling of his further in-
tentions regarding Her. The holy princes obeyed the di-
vine mandate and receiving the child Mary from the arms
of her holy Mother Anne, they arranged a new and sol-
emn procession bearing heavenward with incomparable
songs of joy the true Ark of the covenant, in order that
for a short time it might rest, not in the house of Obede-
don, but in the temple of the King of kings and of the
Lord of lords, where later on it was to be placed for all
eternity. This was the second step, which most holy
Mary made in her life, namely, from this earth to the
highest heaven.
332. Who can worthily extol this wonderful prodigy
of the right hand of the Almighty ? Who can describe the
joy and the admiration of the celestial spirits, when they
beheld this new and wonderful work of the Most High,
and when they gathered to celebrate it in their songs?
In these songs they acknowledged and reverenced as
their Queen and Mistress, Her, who was to be the
Mother of their Lord, and the source of the grace and
glory, which they possessed ; for it was through his fore-
seen merits, that they had been made the recipients of
the divine bounty. But above all, what human tongue,
or what mortal could ever describe or comprehend the
heart-secrets of that tender Child during these events? I
leave the imagination of all this to Catholic piety, and still
more to those who in the Lord are favored with an un-
derstanding of it, but most of all to those who. by di-
vine bounty shall have arrived at the beatific vision face
to face.
233. Borne by the hands of tlie angels the child
^Iar\' entered the empyrean heaven where She prostrated
Herself full of love before the royal throne in the pres-
ence of the Most High. Then (according to our way of
268 CITY OF GOD
understanding), was verified what long before had hap-
pened in figure, when Bethsabee entered into the presence
of her son Solomon, who, while presiding over his people
of Israel, arose from his throne, received her with honor
and reverence, and seated her at his side as queen. Sim-
ilarly, but in a more glorious and admirable manner, the
person of the divine Word now received the child Mary,
whom He had chosen as Mother, as Queen of the uni-
verse. Although her real dignity and the purpose of
these ineffable mysteries were unknown to Mary, yet her
infant faculties were strengthened by divine power for
the proper reception of these favors. New graces and
gifts were bestowed upon Her, by which her faculties
were correspondingly elevated. Her powers of mind,
besides being illumined and prepared by new grace and
light, were raised and proportioned to the divine manifes-
tation, and the Divinity displayed Itself in the new light
vouchsafed, revealing Itself to Her intuitively and clearly
in a most exalted manner. This was the first time in
which the most holy soul of Mary saw the blessed Trinity
in unveiled beatific vision.
334. The sole witnesses of the glory of Mary in this
beatific vision, of the sacraments then again revealed to
Her, of the divine effect that overflowed into her most
pure soul, was God the Author of this unheard of won-
der, and the astounded angels, who in some measure per-
ceived these mysteries in God Himself. The Queen seat-
ed at the side of the Lord, who was to be her Son, and
seeing Him face to face, was more successful in her
prayer than Bethsabee (III Kings, 2, 21). For She prayed,
that He bestow the untouched Sunamite Abisag, his in-
accessible Divinity, upon his sister, human nature ; She
prayed that his promised coming from heaven to the
earth and his marriage with human nature by the hypo-
I
THE CONCEPTION 269
static union be fulfilled in the person of the Word. Many
times had He pledged Himself to it among men through
the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets and now Mary be-
sought Him to accelerate the reparation of the human
race, expected for so many ages amid the multiplied
iniquity and the ruin of souls. The Most High heard
this most pleasing petition of his Mother, and acting
more graciously than Solomon of old toward his mother,
He assured Her that soon his promises should be ful-
filled, and that He should descend to the world in order
to assume and redeem human nature.
335. In this divine consistory and tribunal of the most
noly Trinity it was determined to give a name to the
Child Queen. As there is no proper and legitimate name,
except it be found in the immutable being of God himself
(for from it are participated and determined according to
their right weight and measure all things in infinite wis-
dom) his Majesty wished himself to give and impose that
name in heaven. He thereby made known to the angelic
spirits, that the three divine Persons, had decreed and
formed the sweet names of Jesus and Mary for the Son
and Mother from the beginning before the ages, and that
they had been delighted with them and had engraved
them on their eternal memories to be as it were the Ob-
jects for whose service They should create all things.
Being informed of these and many other mysteries, the
holy angels heard a voice from the throne speaking in the
person of the Father : "Our chosen One shall be called
MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent.
Those that shall invoke it with devout aflfection shall re-
ceive most abundant graces ; those that shall honor it
and pronounce it with reverence shall be consoled and
vivified, and will find in it the remedy of their evils, the
treasures for their enrichment, the light which shall guide
270 CITY OF GOD
them to heaven. It shall be terrible against the power of
hell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall win
glorious victories over the princes of hell." The Lord
commanded the angelic spirits to announce this glorious
name to saint Anne, so that what was decreed in heaven
might be executed on earth. The heavenly Child, lov-
ingly prostrate before the throne, rendered most accepta-
ble and human thanks to the eternal Being; and She re-
ceived the name with most admirable and sweet jublia-
tion. If the prerogatives and graces, which She then was
favored with, were to be described, it would necessitate
an extra book of many volumes. The holy angels hon-
ored and acknowledged most holy Mary as the future
Mother of the Word and as their Queen and Mistress en-
throned at the right hand of her Son ; they showed their
veneration of her holy name, prostrating themselves as
it proceeded from the throne in the voice of the eternal
Father, especially those, who had it written on the devises
over their breast. All of them gave forth canticles of
praise for these great and hidden mysteries. In the mean-
while the infant Queen remained ignorant of the real
cause of all that She thus experienced, for her dignity of
Mother of the incarnate Word was not revealed to Her till
the time of the Incarnation. With the same reverential
jubilee did the angels return in order to replace Her into
the arms of holy Anne, to w'hom this event remained a
secret, as was also the absence of her Daughter; for a
guardian angel, assuming an aerial body, supplied her
place for this very purpose. More than that, during a
great part of the time in which the heavenly Child re-
mained in the empyrean heaven, her mother was wrapped
in an ecstasy of highest contemplation, and in it, although
she did not know what was happening to the Child, ex-
alted mysteries concerning the dignity of Mother of God,
THE CONCEPTION 271
to which She was to be chosen, were revealed to her. The
prudent matron kept them enshrined within her breast,
conferring them in her thoughts with the duties she owed
to her Child.
336. On the eighth day after the birth of the great
Queen multitudes of most beautiful angels in splendid
array descended from on high bearing an escutcheon on
which the name of MARY was engraved and shone forth
in great brilliancy. Appearing to the blessed mother
Anne, they told her, that the name of her daughter was
to be MARY, w^hich name they had brought from heav-
en, and which divine Providence had selected and now
ordained to be given to their child by Joachim and her-
self. The saint called for her husband and they con-
ferred with each other about this disposition of God in
regard to the name of their Daughter. The more than
happy father accepted the name with joy and devout
affection. They decided to call their relatives and a
priest and then, with much solemnity and festivity, they
imposed the name of MARY on their Child. The angels
also celebrated this event with most sweet and ravishing
music, which, however, was heard only by the mother and
her most holy Daughter. Thus was the divine Princess
named by the holy Trinity : in heaven, on the day of
her nativity, and on earth, after eight days. This name
was written in the list of other names, when her mother
presented herself at the temple according to the law, as
I will relate further on. This was the birth, like to which
none had been before, and the like of which cannot again
happen in mere creatures. This was the most blessed
birth of which nature was capable, for by it an In-
fant came into existence, whose entrance into the
world was not only free from all impurities of sin,
but who was more pure and holy than the highest sera-
272 CITY OF GOD
phim. The birth of Moses was celebrated on account
of the beauty and handsomeness of the infant (Exod. 2,
2) ; all his beauty was only corruptible and apparent.
But O how beautiful is our great Child! O how beauti-
ful (Cant. 7, 6) ! She is entirely beautiful and most
sweet in her delights, since She is possessed of all grace
and beauty, without being wanting in any. The laughter
and the joy of the house of Abraham was the birth of
the promised Isaac (Genes. 21, 6), conceived in a sterile
womb, but this joy was great only because it foreshad-
owed and was derived from the birth of our infant
Queen, toward which all this joy of Abraham was only
a step. If that birth was so admirable and full of joy
for the family of the Patriarch because it was a fore-
shadowing of the birth of sweetest Mary, heaven and
earth should rejoice at the birth of Her, who gave a be-
ginning to the restoration of heaven and the sanctifica-
tion of the world. When Noah was born, his father
Lamech was consoled (Genes. 5, 29), because in that son
God had provided a progenitor of the human race in the
ark and assured a restoration of the blessings, which the
sins of men had forfeited. But all this happened merely
as a type to foreshadow the birth of this Child, who was
to be the true Reparatrix, being the mystical ark which
contained the new and true Noah and which drew Him
down from heaven, who was to fill with benediction all
the inhabitants of the earth. O blessed birth! O joyful
nativity! The most pleasing to the blessed Trinity in all
the ages of the past, the joy of the angels, the relief of
sinners, the delight of the just, and the singular consola-
tion of all the holy souls in limbo !
337. O precious and rich Pearl, that didst come forth
to the light of the sun, still enclosed within the rough
shell of this world ! O sublime Infant, who, though
1
THE CONCEPTION 273
scarcely noticed by terrestrial eyes in the material light,
yet in the eyes of the highest King and his courtiers, ex-
cellest all that is not God in dignity and grandeur! All
generations bless Thee, all the nations recognize and
praise thy grace and beauty ! Let the earth be made illus-
trious by thy birth, let mortals be rejoiced because their
Mediatrix is born, who will fill up the vast emptiness of
original sin. Let thy gracious condescension toward me
be blessed and extolled, who am the most abject dust and
ashes. If Thou givest me permission, O my Lady, to
speak in thy presence, I will propose a doubt which oc-
curred to me in describing the mystery of thy most ad-
mirable and holy birth, namely : regarding an act of the
Almighty at the hour of thy coming forth into the ma-
terial light of the sun.
338. And this is the doubt : How are we to understand
thy being raised in thy body by the hands of the holy
angels into the empyrean heavens and to the vision of
God ? For according to the teaching of the holy Church
and her doctors, heaven was closed and as it were inter-
dicted to man, until thy most holy Son should open it
through his life and death, and until He himself, as Re-
deemer and Chief, should enter it on the day of his ad-
mirable Ascension, He being the first one for whom these
eternal portals were to be opened after their being closed
up by sin ?
ANSWER AND INSTRUCTION OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
339. My dearest daughter, it is true, that divine jus-
tice closed heaven against mortals on account of the first
sin, until my most holy Son should open it by satisfying
most abundantly for men through his earthly life and
death. It was befitting and just, that this same Re-
deemer, who had united to Himself the redeemed mem-
274 CITY OF GOD
bers and opened heaven, should as their Chief enter be-
fore any of the children of Adam. If Adam had not
sinned, it would not have been necessary to follow this
course; for men would have ascended of themselves in
order to enjoy the Divinity in the empyrean heavens;
having however foreseen the fall of man, the most blessed
Trinity provided for the course followed at present. This
great mystery was referred to by David in the twenty-
third psalm, when speaking of the spirits of heaven he
repeats twice "Lift up, ye princes, your gates; and be ye
lifted up, ye eternal gates, and the King of Glory shall
enter in." They are here called the gates of the angels,
because only for them were they open, but for mortal
men they were closed. Although these heavenly courtiers
were aware of the fact that the incarnate Word had al-
ready thrown back the bars and bolts of guilt, and that
He was now ascending rich and glorious with the spoils
of death and sin, bringing with Him the fruits of his
Passion in the accompanying hosts of the glorious saints
released from limbo; nevertheless the holy angels give
vent to their admiration and breathless suspense at this
wonderful novelty, asking : "Who is this King of glory ?"
For He was a man and of the same nature as the one
who had lost for himself and for all his race the right to
enter into heaven.
340. They themselves give answer to the question say-
ing: "The Lord who is strong and mighty; the Lord
mighty in battle," the Lord of virtues, the King of glory.
This was as if they confessed their conviction, that this
Man, who was now coming up from the world in order
to open the eternal gates, was not a mere man and is not
included under the law of sin; but that He was true God
and true man, who, strong and powerful in battle, had
overcome the strong-armed one (Luc. 11, 22), that
i
THE CONCEPTION 275
reigned in the world, had taken away his reign and de-
spoiled him of his weapons. And He was the Lord of
virtues, as one that had exercised them as a Master, with
sovereignty over them, and without any contradiction of
sin and defect. As the Lord of virtues and as the Lord
of glory. He now came in triumph, distributing virtues
and glory to his redeemed, for whom as man He had
suffered and died, and whom as God He was now raising
up to the eternal and beatific vision, having broken the
bars and shackles imposed by sin.
34 L Since this, O soul, was the work of my dear Son,
the true God and man, He, as the Lord of virtues and
graces, exalted and adorned me with them from the first
moment of my Immaculate Conception. And as, more-
over, the hindrance of sin touched me not, I was free
from the impediments which prevented other mortals
from entering into the eternal gates of heaven; on the
contrary the powerful arm of my Son acted with me as
being the Mistress of all virtues and as the Queen of
heaven. Because He was to vest Himself and assume
unto Himself human nature from my flesh and blood, He
was beforehand in preparing me and making me like
Himself in purity and exemption from fault and in other
divine gifts and privileges. As I was not a slave of sin, I
exercised the virtues not as a subject, but as a Mistress,
without contradiction, but with sovereignty, not like the
children of Adam, but like the Son of God, who was also
my Son.
342. For these reasons the celestial spirits, who had
possession of the eternal gates as their own, opened them
up for me, perceiving that the Lord had created me more
pure than all the most exalted spirits in heaven, and
made me their Queen, and the Mistress of all creation.
Remember also, my dearest, that he who makes the law
276 CITY OF GOD
can also dispense with it freely, and this the supreme
Lord and Legislator did with me, extending the sceptre
of his clemency toward me more readily than Assuerus
did to Esther. For the common laws regarding others
and consequent on their guilt, applied not to me, who
was to be the Mother of the Author of Grace. Although
I could not, as a mere creature, merit such blessed privi-
leges, yet the divine clemency and goodness of God
turned toward me with full liberality and He was pleased
with the humility of his servant, in order that for all
eternity the Author of such prodigies might be praised.
Do thou also, my Daughter, according to my directions,
bless and magnify Him for these benefits bestowed upon
me.
343. My admonition to thee, whom in spite of thy
weakness and poverty I have chosen with such generous
kindness as my disciple and companion, is this : that
thou strive with all thy powers to imitate me in an exer-
cise, in which I persevered during my whole life from the
very first moment of my birth, omitting it on not a single
day, however full of cares and labors it might have been.
This exercise was the following: every day at beginning
of dawn, I prostrated myself in the presence, of the Most
High and gave Him thanks and praise for his immutable
Being, his infinite perfections, and for having created me
out of nothing; acknowledging myself as his creature
and the work of his hands, I blessed Him and adored
Him, giving Him honor, magnificence and Divinity, as
the supreme Lord and Creator of myself and of all that
exists. I raised up my spirit to place it into his hands,
offering myself with profound humility and resignation
to Him and asking Him to dispose of me according to
his will during that day and during all the days of my
life, and to teach me to fulfill whatever would be to his
THE CONCEPTION 277
greater pleasure. This I repeated many times during the
external works of the day, and in the internal ones I first
consulted his Majesty, asking his advice, permission and
benediction for all my actions.
344. Be very devout toward my most sweet name. I
wish that thou be convinced of the great prerogatives
and privileges, which the Almighty concedes to it, so
that I myself, when I saw them in the Divinity, felt most
deeply obliged and solicitous to make a proper return ;
and whenever the name MARY occurred to my mind
(which happened often) and whenever I heard myself
called by that name, I was aroused to thankfulness and
urged to new fervor in the service of the Lord, who gave
it to me. Thou hast the same name and I wish, that in
proportion it should cause the same effects in thee and
that thou imitate me faithfully by following the lesson
given thee in this chapter, without failing in the least
point from this day onward. And if in thy weakness
thou shouldst fail, rouse thyself immediately, and in the
presence of thy Lord and mine, acknowledge thy fault,
confessing it in sorrow. Repeating these holy exercises
over and again with solicitous care, thou shalt find for-
giveness for imperfections and grow accustomed to strive
after what is highest in all virtues and most pleasing to
the Lord. Then, following the light which He gives and
in pursuance of that which is most pleasing and agreeable
to thy own tastes and mine, thou shalt not be denied the
grace of employing thyself entirely in listening, attending
to and obeying in all things thy Spouse and Lord, who
seeks in thee only what is most pure, most holy and per-
fect, and a will prompt and eager to put the same into
practice.
CHAPTER XXII.
HOW SAINT ANNE COMPLIED WITH THE LAW OE MOSES
IN REGARD TO childbirth; AND HOW MOST HOLY
MARY ACTED IN HER INFANCY.
345. It was a precept of the law, given in the twelfth
chapter of Leviticus, that a woman who had given birth
to a daughter should be deemed impure for two weeks
and should remain in the state of purification for sixty-
six days after the birth, just double the time required for
purification in case of a man-child Having completed
the days of her purification she was to present herself in
order to offer a lamb one year old as a holocaust for
the daughter or the son, and also a young pigeon or tur-
tle-dove as atonement for the sin. This she was to do
at the door of the tabernacle, beseeching the priest to
offer them to the Lord and to pray for her; thereupon
she was accounted pure. The parturition of the most
happy Anne was pure and undefiled, as befitting her
heavenly Daughter, in whose purity the mother was a
sharer. Although on this account there was no need
of a special purification, she nevertheless complied with
the obligation of the law to the very last point. Though
not subject to its penalties, she considered herself bound
in the eyes of men.
346. Sixty days of the purification having passed, saint
Anne departed for the temple, her mind inflamed with
divine ardor and bearing in her arms her blessed Daugh-
ter and Child. With the offerings prescribed by law and
accompanied by innumerable angels, she betook herself
278
THE CONCEPTION 279
to the gate of the temple and spoke with the high priest,
who was none other than Simeon. He was accustomed
to spend much time in the temple and enjoyed the privi-
lege and favor of seeing the child IMary, not only when
She was offered and presented to the Lord in the temple,
but on other occasions. Although this holy priest was
not on each of these occasions fully aware of the dig-
nity of our heavenly Mistress, as I will say farther on
(No. 423, 710, 742), yet he always experienced great
promptings and impulses of the spirit regarding the
greatness of this Child in the sight of God.
347. Saint Anne offered to him the lamb and the tur-
tle-dove with the rest of the gifts, and with tears of
humility she asked him to pray for herself and the Child,
her Daughter, that the Lord forgive them any fault of
which perhaps they might be guilty. His Majesty cer-
tainly had nothing to forgive in a Daughter and mother,
who were so full of grace; but He found Himself bound
to reward the humility, with which notwithstanding their
holiness they presented themselves as sinners. The holy
priest received the oblation and in his spirit he was in-
flamed and moved to extraordinary joy. Careful not to
manifest anything exteriorly and communing with him-
self, he said: "What strange feeling is this within me?
Are these women perhaps the parents of the Messias,
who is to come?" Moved by this joyful suspense he
showed them great benevolence. The blessed mother
Anne entered the temple, bearing her most holy Daugh-
ter on her arms, and She offered Her to the Lord with
most devout and tender tears. For she alone in all the
world knew what Treasure was given into her charge.
348. Saint Anne renewed the vow, which she had al-
ready made, to offer her Firstborn to the temple on
arriving at the proper age. In renewing this offer she
280 CITY OF GOD
was enlightened by new graces and promptings of the
Most High, and in her heart she heard a secret voice
urging her to fulfill this vow and offer her Child to the
temple within three years. It was as it were the echo
of the voice of the most holy Queen, who in her prayer
touched the heart of God, in order that it might resound
in the bosom of the mother. For when both entered the
temple, the sweet Child seeing with her bodily eyes its
grandeur and magnificence, dedicated to the worship and
adoration of the Divinity, experienced wonderful effects
of the Spirit and wished to prostrate Herself in the tem-
ple, to kiss its floor, and adore the Lord. But as She
could not execute these desires in external actions. She
supplied the defect with interior fervor, and She adored
and blessed the Lord with a love more ardent, and a
humility more profound than ever before or ever after
was possible to be rendered by any creature. Addressing
the Lord in her heart. She offered the following prayer :
349. "Most high and incomprehensible God, my King
and my Lord, worthy of all glory and reverence, I, ab-
ject dust, but also a creature of thine, adore Thee in this
thy holy place and temple, I magnify and exalt Thee on
account of thy infinite Being and perfections, and I give
thanks in as far as my insignificance is worthy of thy
regard. For Thou hast vouchsafed to permit my eyes to
see this holy temple and house of prayer, where thy holy
Prophets and my forefathers have worshipped and
blessed Thee, and where thy generous mercy has wrought
so many wonders and mysteries in their behalf. Accept
me, O Lord, in order that I may serve Thee, in this holy
house according to thy blessed will."
350. Thus She who was the Oueen of heaven and of
the universe, offered Herself as if She were the lowest
slave of the Lord. As a testimony of its acceptation by
THE CONXEPTIOX 281
the Most High, a most resplendent light shone down
from heaven, enveloping the mother and Child, and fill-
ing them with new splendors of grace. Again saint
Anne was made aware that she would be expected to de-
vote her Daughter to the temple within three years; she
was given to understand that the delight with which God
looked forward to such an offer, and the love with which
the heavenly Child desired its consummation would not
permit a longer delay. The holy angels of her guard
and innumerable others who were present on this occa-
sion sang sweetest songs of praise to the Author of these
wonders ; but they did not therefore have a more perfect
knowledge of these happenings than saint Anne or her
most holy Daughter, who perceived interiorly what was
spiritual, and felt exteriorly what was subject to the
senses in these things. Saint Simeon saw dimly the sen-
sible light. Thereupon saint Anne, rich in her Treasure
and endowed with new gifts of the most high God, re-
turned to her home.
351. The ancient serpent eagerly observed all these
events. Yet the Lord concealed from him what he was
not to know, and permitted him to obtain knowledge only
of what was necessan,' for his own undoing in his desire
of destroying others and only so much as might serve to
make him an instrument in the execution of the secret
judgments of the ]Most High. This enemy was full of
conjectures in regard to the unheard of things, which had
come to pass in connection with this IMother and Child.
But when he saw that they brought offerings to the
temple and that they, like sinners, observed the prescrip-
tions of the law, even begging of the priest to intercede
for their forgiveness; he was deceived and assuaged in
his fury, believing that this mother and her Daughter
were of ordinary condition although they might be more
perfect and holy than other women.
282 CITY OF GOD
352. The sovereign Child was treated like other chil-
dren of her age. Her nourishment was of the usual kind,
though less in quantity; and so was her sleep, although
her parents were solicitous that She take more sleep. She
was not troublesome, nor did She ever cry for mere an-
noyance, as is done by other children, but She was most
amiable and caused no trouble to anybody. That She
did not act in this regard as other children caused no
wonder; for She often wept and sighed (as far as her
age and her dignity of Queen and Mistress would per-
mit) for the sins of the world and for its Redemption
through the coming of the Savior. Ordinarily She main-
tained, even in her infancy, a pleasant countenance, yet
mixed with gravity and a peculiar Majesty, never show-
ing any childishness. She sometimes permitted Herself
to be caressed, though, by a secret influence and a cer-
tain outward austerity, She knew how to repress the im-
perfections connected with such endearments. Her pru-
dent mother Anne treated her Child with incomparable
solicitude and caressing tenderness; also her father
Joachim loved Her as a father and as a saint, although
he was ignorant of the mystery at that time. The Child
on its part showed a special love toward him, as one
whom She knew for her father and one much beloved of
God. Although She permitted more tender caresses from
her father than from others, yet God inspired the father
as well as all others, with such an extraordinary rever-
ence and modesty towards Her whom He had chosen for
his Mother, that even his pure and fatherly affection was
outwardly manifested only with the greatest moderation
and reserv^e.
353. In all things the infant Queen was most gracious,
perfect and admirable. Though She passed her infancy
subject to the common laws of nature, yet this did not
THE CONCEPTION 283
hinder the influx of grace. During her sleep her interior
acts of love, and all other exercises of her faculties which
were not dependent on the exterior senses, were never in-
terrupted. This special privilege is possible also in other
creatures, if the divine power confers it on them; but it
is certain that in regard to Her whom He had chosen as
his Mother and the Queen of all creation. He extended
this special favor beyond all previous or subsequent meas-
ure in other creatures and beyond the conception of any
created mind. God spoke to Samuel and to other saints
and Prophets in their sleep, (I Reg. 3, 4) and to many
He sent mysterious dreams or visions (Genes. Z7 \ 5, 9)
for to his Omnipotence it is easy to enlighten the mind
during the inactivity of the senses in natural sleep or
during their ravishment in ecstasy ; they cease to act in
the one as well as in the other, and without their activity
the soul hears, accepts and transacts the things of the
Spirit. This was the rule which the Queen followed
from the moment of her Conception till now and for all
eternity; for the activity of grace in Her during Her pil-
grimage through life was not intermittent, like in other
creatures. When She was alone, or when She was laid to
sleep, which was in Her most moderate, She was en-
gaged in the contemplation of the mysteries and the ex-
cellencies of the Most High, and in the enjoyment of the
divine visions and the conversation of his Majesty. Her
intercourse with the angels was likewise very frequent
and in the following chapter something will be said of the
manner of their manifestation and of some of their emi-
nent perfections.
354. My Queen and heavenly Lady, it without being
offended, Thou wilt, as a kind jMother, listen to my ig-
norant talk, I will ask of thy kindness the solution of
some doubts which have occurred to me in this chapter.
284 CITY OF GOD
If my ignorance and boldness should transgress the lim-
its, instead of answering me, my Mistress, correct me
with maternal mercy. My doubt is : Whether in this thy
infancy Thou didst feel the necessities and hunger which
according to the natural order, children do feel? And
if Thou didst feel them, how didst Thou suffer these an-
noying inconveniences? And how didst Thou ask for
the nourishment and the other help necessary, since Thou
wast so wonderfully patient that Thou wouldst not make
use of tears, which serve other infants as speech and
words? I am also ignorant, whether the hardships of
that age were not most irksome to thy Majesty, such as
to have thy virginal body clothed and unclothed as in-
fants are, to be fed with the food of other children, and
to undergo the other experiences of that age? For other
children undergo them bereft of reason, while nothing
was concealed from Thee, O Lady. When I look upon
Thee as a child in age and yet as grown up in thy ca-
pacity of judging of things, it seems to me almost im-
possible that there should have been no inconveniences
in this matter, in the time or the measure, or in other cir-
cumstances regarding the treatment allotted to Thee dur-
ing thy infant life. Thy celestial prudence taught Thee
to preserve dignity and composure, yet Thou didst not
intimate the wants and needs of thy age and condition
either by crying, as an infant, or by word of mouth, as
one grown up. Thus they could not know thy needs and
could not treat Thee as one endowed with reason; for
even thy mother could not know all these things, nor
could she provide for all that was necessary, since she
knew not the time nor the manner of serving thy Ma-
jesty in all things. All these considerations excite my
admiration and arouse in me the desire of knowing the
mysteries thus concealed.
THE CONCEPTION 285
ANSWER AND INSTRUCTION OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
355. My daughter, since thou art full of wonder, I will
inform thee in all kindness. It is true that I was in pos-
session of grace and of the use of reason from the first
instant of my Conception, as I have so often shown thee ;
I underwent the hardships of infancy as other children
and I was reared and treated as others of the same con-
dition. I felt hunger, thirst, sleepiness and other infirm-
ities of the body, and as a daughter of Adam I was sub-
ject to these accidental necessities; for it was just that I
should imitate my most holy Son, who subjected Him-
self to these hardships and defects, in order that He
might merit so much the more and in order that He
might be an example to the rest of mortals for their imi-
tation. As I was governed by divine grace, I made use
of eating and sleep in moderation, allowing myself less
than others, and only so much as was proper for the aug-
mentation and the preservation of my life and health.
Disorder in these things is not only against virtue, but
against the well-being of nature itself, which is invaded
and ravaged by it. On account of my exquisite compo-
sition I was affected by hunger and thirst more painfully
than otli^r children ; and the want of nourishment was
more dangerous to me; but if it was given to me at un-
seasonable times, or in excess, I bore it with patience,
until by some befitting sign I could manifest my needs.
I felt less the want of sleep on account of the oppor-
tunity which it furnished me for the presence and the
heavenly conversation of the angels.
356. That I was bound and wrapped in clothes was
not painful to me, but it was a cause of much joy, for I
understood by divine light, that the incarnate Lord was
to suffer a most cruel death and was to be bound most
shamefully. Whenever T was alone during my childhood
286 CITY OF GOD
I placed myself in the form of a cross, praying in imita-
tion of Him ; for I knew that my Beloved was to die in
that position, although I did not know then that the Cru-
cified was to be my Son. In all the difficulties, which I
underwent after I was born into the world, I was re-
signed and contented, for I never lost sight of one con-
sideration, which I desire thee always to keep in mind.
It is this : that thou ponder in thy heart and in thy soul
the truths, which I saw, so that thou mayest form a cor-
rect judgment of all things, giving to each that esteem
and value which is its due. In regard to this the children
of Adam are ordinarily full of error and blindness, but I
desire that thou, my daughter, share it not with them.
357. As soon as I was born into the world and made
aware of the light, which shone upon me, I felt the effects
of the elements, the influence of the planets and of the
stars, of the earth which sustained me, of the nourish-
ments which preserved me, and of all the other things of
this life. I gave thanks to the Author of all things, ac-
knowledging his works as benefits freely bestowed upon
me, and not as dues, which He owed to me. Therefore,
when anything was wanting of the necessaries of life I re-
mained in peace and contentedness and deemed it all per-
fectly reasonable and proper in my regard, since I had
merited none of the gifts and could justly be deprived of
all of them. Hence, if I acknowledged this, thereby
merely asserting a truth which the human reason cannot
ignore nor deny, where have mortals their intellect, or
what use do they make of their understanding when, at
the refusal of things which they desire and of which per-
haps they do not even profit, they begin to get sad and
lash themselves into fury one against the other, and even
against their God, as if they were suffering some injury
at his hands? Let them inquire what treasures and
THE CONCEPTION 287
riches they did possess before they came into life? What
services had they rendered unto God in order to merit
them? And if out of nothing there cannot arise any-
thing, and if they could not merit the being which they
have received, what obligation is there on the part of
God to preserve out of justice, what was given to them
entirely gratuitously? That God created man was of no
benefit to Himself; but to man it was a benefit, and one
as great as the being given to him, and as high as the
object for which it was given. And if in his creation
man becomes indebted so much that he never can pay his
debt, tell me what right can he invoke at present for his
preservation? Has he not received his being without
merit and many times forfeited it? How can he claim
the guarantee and pledge of unfailing plenty?
358. If the first transaction and operation was a mort-
gage and a debt by which man binds himself, how can he
with such impatience demand favors? And if in spite
of all this, the supreme goodness of the Creator furnishes
him graciously with what is necessary, why should he be
agitated by the want of superfluities? O my daughter,
what an execrable disorder and what a despicable blind-
ness of mortals is this ? For that, which the Lord gives
them gratuitously, they do not thank Him. or even give
Him acknowledgment, and for that which He denies
them justly and sometimes most mercifully, they are rest-
less and proudly desirous, and they try to procure it by
unjust and forbidden means, throwing themselves into
the very destruction which flies from them. The first sin
alone, committed by man, was sufficient to cancel man's
right to the friendly service of all the other creatures:
and if the Lord himself would not restrain them, they
would turn in vengeance upon man and refuse to render
any service or help for sustaining his life. The heavens
288 CITY OP GOD
would deny them their light and benigii influences, the
fire would refuse its heat, the air would cease to serve for
respiration, and all the other things would in their par-
ticular way refuse their services, since they would in jus-
tice be bound to refuse them. Then when the earth
would deny its fruits, and the elements their moderation
and their assistance, and all the other creatures would
arm themselves to avenge the wrongs of their Creator
(Sap. 5, 18), perhaps disgraced man would humiliate
himself in his vileness and would not heap up the wrath
of the Lord for the unerring day of accountance, when
all his dreadful guilt will be exposed.
359. But thou, my dear friend, fly from such base in-
gratitude, and humbly acknowledge that thou hast re-
ceived thy being and life gratuitously, and that, gratui-
tously, its Author preserves it for thee. Freely dost thou
receive all the other benefits, without any merit of thine;
and thus, receiving much and repaying little, thou mak-
est thyself daily less worthy of favors, while the liberality
of the Most High grows continually with thy indebted-
ness. Let this thought be uppermost in thee always, in
order that it awaken and move thee to many acts of vir-
tue. If any of the irrational creatures fail thee, I desire
thee to rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to his Ma-
jesty, and bless them for their obedience to the Creator.
If the rational creatures persecute thee, love them with all
thy heart and regard them as the instruments of divine
justice, which afford thee some opportunity of rendering
satisfaction for thy deficiency. Rather strengthen and con-
sole thyself in labors, adversities and tribulations, not
only considering them as fully deserved by the faults
committed, but deeming them ornaments of the soul and
most rich jewels given thee by thy Spouse.
360. Let this be the answer to thy doubt : over and
THE CONCEPTION 289
above this I wish to give thee an instruction, which may
be found in all the chapters. Consider, my soul the
punctuality of my mother Anne in fulfilling the precept
of the law of the Lord, to whose Majesty this solicitude
was very pleasing. In this thou shouldst imitate her by
observing inviolate each and every one of the precepts of
thy rules and constitutions ; for God will reward most lib-
erally this fidelity and severely punish any negligence in
this matter. Without sin I was conceived and it was not
necessary to present me to the priest in order that the
Lord might purify me; nor was this necessary for my
mother, since she was very holy. Nevertheless we hum-
bly obeyed the law and thereby we merited great in-
crease of virtue and grace. Despising just and wise laws
and frequently dispensing with them, destroys the wor-
ship and fear of God, and fatally confuses government
among men. Beware of easily dispensing in the obliga-
tions of the religious state, either for thyself or for
others. If infirmity or some other just cause make it
advisable, let it be done with moderation and with the
approbation of the confessor, thus justifying dispensation
before God and before men by the approbation of holy
obedience. If thou findest thyself weary or weakened,
do not at once become remiss in the strict observance, for
God will give thee strength according to thy faith in
Him. Do not give any dispensation on pretext of being
overworked. Make that which is less serve and advance
that which is the greater, let the creatures serve the Cre-
ator. On account of thy position as superioress thou hast
less excuse; for in the observation of the laws thou must
give a good example, leading on the others. Therefore,
for thyself, no merely human motive can serve as an ex-
cuse, though thou mayest sometimes excuse thy sisters
and subjects on such account. Note moreover, my dear-
290 CITY OF GOD
est, that I desire thee to lead in perfection ; therefore this
rigor is necessary, not even taking into consideration,
that the observance of the precepts is a duty to God and
men. Let no one think that it is enough to fulfill all
obligations toward the Lord, and at the same time tread
under foot the duty towards his neighbor, to whom is
due good example and avoidance of all real scandal. — O
Queen and Mistress of all creation, would that I could
attain the purity and the virtue of the supernal spirits,
in order that this inferior part of my being, which weighs
down the soul (Sap. 9, 15), may prompt me to fulfill
thy celestial teachings. I have become burdensome unto
myself (Job 7, 20) ; but with thy intercession and the
gracious favor of the Most High I will be able to obey
thy will and his with a loving promptitude of heart. Let
not thy intercession and support, and the guidance of thy
holy and wise counsels ever fail me!
CHAPTER XXIII.
OF THE EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS IN
THEIR INTERCOURSE WITH THE BLESSED MARY, AND
OF THEIR PERFECTIONS.
361. It has already been said that a thousand angels
were appointed as guardians of Mary, just as there is
one for each soul. On account of the great dignity of the
most holy Mary we must assume, that each of the thou-
sand guardian angels watched over Mary more solici-
tously than other guardian angels watch over other souls.
Besides these thousand angels, who formed her ordinary
and constant guard, many others were at her service on
different occasions, especially after She had conceived in
her womb the divine Word incarnate. I have mentioned
above (No. 204) that the selection of these thousand
angels was made after the creation of the angelic hosts,
and after the justification of the good and fall of the
bad. The Divinity of the Word, to be clothed in its hu-
man nature, and also his most pure Mother was proposed
and manifested to them, while they were yet in the state
of probation ; they were then made to understand, that
they were to revere Them as their superiors.
362. When the apostate angels were chastised and the
faithful ones rewarded, the Lord proceeded according to
a most just measure and equity. As I said: in the acci-
dental reward there was a certain diversity among the
angels according to the difference in their dispositions
regarding the mysteries of the incarnate Word and his
most pure Mother, which were made known to them be-
291
292 . CITY OF GOD
fore and during the probation. This accidental reward
consisted especially in being selected to assist and serve
the most holy Mary and the incarnate Word, and also in
the manner and form of their visible appearance to the
Queen and of serving Her. This is what I wish to explain
in this chapter ; but at the same time I must acknowledge
my inability to do so, since it is difficult to reduce to ma-
terial images and words the perfections and the opera-
tions of such exalted spiritual beings. Nevertheless if I
should pass over this matter in silence, I would fail to
give a proper idea of a great portion of the most exalted
operations of the Queen of heaven during her mortal
life. For next to her intercourse with the Lord, that
with his ministers, the angelic spirits, was the most con-
tinual. Therefore without the mention of this intercourse
the history of her life would be defective.
363. I presuppose all that I have until now said about
the orders, hierarchies and distinctions of the thousand
angels of her guard. But I wish here to describe in
what corporeal forms they appeared to their Queen and
Mistress. The intellectual and imaginary apparitions I
reserve for another chapter, where I intend to describe
especially the different kinds of visions, with which her
Highness was favored. The nine hundred angels, which
were chosen from the nine choirs, one hundred from
each, were selected from the number of those, who had
distinguished themselves by their esteem, love and rev-
erence for the most holy Mary. They were made visible
to the blessed Virgin under the form of young men in
their early years, but of the most exquisite beauty and
courteousness. Their bodily forms showed but little
resemblance to earthly matter, for they were transpar-
ently pure and like animated crystals bathed in glory,
similar to a glorified and transfigured body. With their
THE CONCEPTION 293
beauty they combined a grave and amiable composure.
Their garments covered them in flowing folds, but were
resplendent, like the most clear burnished gold, enameled
or stained with exquisite shades of color, presenting a
most wonderful and varied beauty to the sight. At the
same time all this ornament and visible presence seemed
of such a kind, that it could not be subject to the sense
of feeling nor be touched by the hand, although it could
be seen and perceived like the rays of the sun entering
into the open windov;^ and revealing the atoms of dust
in the air. But the splendor of the angels was incom-
parably more beautiful and pleasing than any light of
the sun.
364. In addition, all these angels were crowned with
wreaths w^oven of the most tender and exquisite flowers,
that sent forth the sweetest fragrance, not of this earth
but altogether spiritual and heavenly. In their hands
they held palms of wonderful beauty and variety, which
were to signify the virtues, which most holy Mary was
to exercise, and the victories, which She was to gain by
her sanctity and glory. All this they as it were offered
Her beforehand, with great joy and jubilation. On their
breasts they bore certain devices or emblems, such as
we are accustomed to see exhibited in the uniforms or
habits of the militar)^ orders. They contained letters,
which stood for: "Mary, Mother of God," and which
contributed much toward the splendor of their adorn-
ment and beauty. Their significance, however, was not
made known to IMary until the moment of the incarnation
of the Word.
365. This emblem or device was most wonderful to be-
hold, on account of the great splendor, wMth which it
showed forth her name above all the other beauty of the
angelic ornaments. Its aspects and brilliancies were
294 CITY OF GOD
changeable, in order to indicate the variety of tlie mys-
teries and excellences enclosed within that City of God.
It contained the most exalted name and title, and inti-
mated the highest dignity, which ever can fall to the
lot of a mere creature : that of Mother of God. In this
title the angels honored in the highest degree their and
our Queen. They themselves were honored in that title,
since it was the outward sign of their allegiance to Her
and of their preferment consequent upon their devotion
and veneration for Her who deserved the veneration of
all creatures. A thousand times blessed were they, to
merit the especial love of Mary and of her most holy Son.
366. The effects of this intercourse with the holy
princes, and of their outward beauty in Mary, our Mis-
tress, no one besides Herself could ever properly de-
scribe. They manifested to Her in a mysterious man-
ner the greatness of the attributes of God, the blessings,
which He showered upon Her in creating Her and choos-
ing Her, in enriching Her and endowing Her with such
great gifts of grace and treasures of the divine right
hand, moving Her and inciting Her to such ecstasies of
love and praise. All these gifts increased with her age
and with the events of her life and, as the great work of
the Incarnation drew near, they expanded more and
more ; for then was gradually revealed to Her the mean-
ing of the emblem, which these angels bore across their
breasts, which until then had been concealed from Her.
It would be impossible to describe, what ardors of love,
what profound humility, what tender afifections filled the
pure heart of Mary, when this was revealed to Her and
when it dawned upon Her, what dignity and what obli-
gation toward God this most peerless title involved. For
She held Herself entirely incapable and unworthy of such
an ineffable and mysterious dignity as that of Mother of
God.
THE CONCEPTION 295
367. The seventy seraphim, who assisted the Queen
were of the number of those nearest to the throne of
God, who had most signaHy distinguished themselves in
their devotion and admiration toward the hypostatic
union of the divine and human nature in the person of
the divine Word. For as they were most closely bound
to God by their greater knowledge and love, they also
desired more earnestly, that this mystery should be con-
summated in the womb of a woman. Their reward of
essential and accidental glory corresponded to their par-
ticular and signal love. This latter, the accidental glory,
which I have mentioned, consisted in their being privi-
leged specially to attend upon most holy Mary and take a
part in the mysteries consummated in Her.
368. Whenever these seventy seraphim showed them-
selves to Her in a visible manner, the Queen saw them
in the same form in which Isaias saw them in imagina-
tion, that is with six wings. With two they covered the
head, wishing to signify by this humble gesture the in-
sufficiency of their intellect for the comprehension of the
sacramental mystery at which they were assisting, and
also their belief and acknowledgment of these mysteries,
which they confessed, prostrate before the majesty and
grandeur of the Creator. Thereby they also wished
to extol with eternal praise the incomprehensible and
sacred judgments of the Most High. With the other
wings they covered the feet, which are the in-
ferior extremities in closest contact with tho earth, re-
ferring thereby to the Queen and Mistress of heaven and
earth as being human and earthly in nature and acknowl-
edging Her as the Creature excelling all others in dig-
nity and grandeur above all understanding and calcula-
tion of the created mind ; moreover they thereby wished
to show, that though exalted as seraphim, they could
not keep pace with the dignity and excellence of Mar}'.
296 CITY OF GOD
369. With the wings of their breast they beat the
air or seemed to fly, thereby intimating two things : on
the one hand, by their incessant motion and flight, the
love, the praise and reverence, which they gave to God;
on the other, in disclosing their breasts, they wished to
serve as it were to the most holy Mary as a most pure
mirror of the Divinity, reflecting its essence and opera-
tions to Her during the time of her earthly pilgrimage;
for it was not possible nor proper, that the Divinity
should be manifest to her in open vision during all that
time. The blessed Trinity wished, that their Daughter
and Spouse should, in these seraphim, the creatures clos-
est to the Divinity and encircling the throne, see most
faithfully presented in living images, what She could not
continually see in its own essence and in the original,
370. By this means the heavenly Spouse enjoyed the
portrait of her Beloved even in the banishment of her
pilgrimage, being thus inflamed body and soul with his
love by his vision and intercourse through these exalted
and love-consumed princes. The manner of this inter-
course, over and above that which was sensible in it,
was the same as that which they maintained among
themselves, namely, that those of a higher order enlight-
en those of a lower, as I have said elsewhere (No. 202).
For although the Queen of heaven was higher and
greater in dignity and merit, yet, as David intimated (Ps.
8, 6), on account of her human nature. She was lower
than the angels. The ordinary manner of divine in-
fluence and enlightenment adapts itself to the conditions
of nature and not of grace.
371. The other twelve angels are the guardian angels
of the twelve gates, of which St. John speaks in the twen-
ty-first chapter of the Apocalypse (Apoc. 21, 12) as ex-
plained above. They distinguished themselves by the lov-
THE CONCEPTION 297
ing praise, with which they celebrated the goodness of
God in becoming man to teach and converse with men,
and next to their joy at the Redemption of men and
their readmission into the gates of heaven by his mer-
its, was their loving wonder at the important part, which
most holy Mary performed in this mystery of the Re-
demption. They were especially attentive to these great
and wonderful works, by which God W'as to open up
heaven, in order that men might enter into eternal life,
and this latter is signified by these twelve gates of the
tribes of Israel. The reward of their signal devotion
was, that God appointed them as witnesses and, as it
were, secretaries of the mysteries of the Redemption and
that they were privileged to cooperate with the Queen
of heaven as Mother of mercy and Mediatrix of those,
who turn to Her for their salvation. Therefore I said
above (No. 273) that her Majesty, the Queen, makes
use especially of these twelve angels to assist, enlighten
and defend her clients in their necessities and particu-
larly in order to draw them from sin, whenever they in-
voke them and the most holy IMary.
372. These twelve angels appeared in the same corpo-
real shape as those which I have first mentioned except
that they bore palms and crowns, reserved for the devout
servants of the ^Mistress. Their service consisted especial-
ly in bringing to her mind the ineffable kindness of the
Lord toward the human race, and in inciting Her to praise
Him and petition Him for the fulfillment of his mercy.
She sent them as messengers of her prayers to the throne
of the eternal Father. They were sent also to those of
her clients, who invoked Her or whom She wished to
help and benefit, in order to enlighten them and assist
them, as happened many times to the holy Apostles ; for
often did She aid tliem by the ministry of angels in their
298 CITY OF GOD
labors for the primitive Church. Even now in our days
these twelve angels are engaged in the same ministry,
helping the devout servants of their and our Queen,
2>7Z. The eighteen angels, which completed the num-
ber of a thousand were those who signalized themselves
in their compassion for the sufferings of the incarnate
Word. Their reward for this compassion was great.
They appeared to most holy Mary in wonderful beauty,
bearing many emblems of the Passion and of other
mysteries of the Redemption, especially two crosses of
the most refulgent splendor and beauty, one on their
breast and one on their arms. The sight of this won-
derful display excited great admiration in the Queen, a
most tender and compassionate love toward the suffer-
ings of the Redeemer of the world, and most fervent
thanks and acknowledgment of the benefits, which men
were to receive in their Redemption and rescue from cap-
tivity. The great Princess very often sent these angels
to her divine Son with diverse messages and petitions on
behalf of souls.
374. In describing the forms and the ornaments of
these angels I have at the same time mentioned some
of their perfections and operations, although necessarily
in a limited way, if compared to the reality. For they are
invisible rays of the Divinity, most alert in their move-
ments and operations, most powerful in strength, most
penetrating in their understanding, incapable of mistake,
unchangeable in their condition and in their purpose,
never forgetting or losing sight of that which once they
have undertaken. They are full of grace and glory with-
out any fear of ever losing them. As they are without a
body and invisible, therefore whenever God wishes to
grant to man the favor of being able to see them, they
assume an aerial and apparent body, one that is adapted
THE CONCEPTION 299
to the senses and to the object intended. All these angels
of the Queen Mary were selected from the most dis-
tinguished of their respective orders and choirs, their
superiority consisting principally in that of grace and
glory. They guarded their Lady without neglecting the
least point of their service during her holy life, and even
now in heaven they derive an especial accidental enjoy-
ment from her presence and company. Although or-
dinarily only some of them are sent to execute the spe-
cial mandates of her will, yet all of them together are at
times engaged in her service, fulfilling the decrees of the
Divinity in her regard,
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO ME BY THE QUEEN OF HEAV^EN.
375. My daughter, on three different points, I wish to
instruct thee in this chapter. The first is that thou, by in-
cessant praise and acknowledgment, show thyself thank-
ful for the favor which God vouchsafed thee in appoint-
ing angels to assist thee, teach thee, and guide thee
through the tribulations and sorrows. Mortals, in their
abominable ingratitude and grossness, ordinarily forget
this blessing. They do not consider, what great mercy
and condescension of the Most High it is to have or-
dained these holy princes as helpers, guardians and de-
fenders of men, their earthly fellow creatures so full of
miseries and sins. In forgetting how exalted in glory,
dignity and beauty these spirits are, many men deprive
themselves of numerous blessings, which they would oth-
erwise obtain at the hands of these angels. Greatly do
they rouse the indignation of the Lord on this account.
Thou, however, my dearest, acknowledge these blessings
and give Him thanks with all thy heart.
376. The second point is. that thou, in every place
and at all times, preserve love and reverence toward these
300
CITY OF GOD
holy spirits, as if thou didst see them with thy corporal
eyes, and that thou dare not do before them what thou
wouldst not do in public. Cease not to exert thyself in
the service of God, even as they do and as they require of
thee. Remember that they continually see the face of
God (Matth. 18, 10) being of the blessed. Since they
at the same time see thee, let there be nothing- indecent
in thee. Show thyself grateful to them for their vig-
ilance, defense and protection.
Z77. Let the third point be, that thou live attentive to
the calls, urgings and aspirations, by which these angels
seek to rouse thee, move and excite thee to the recollec-
tion of the Most High and to the exercise of all the
virtues. Be mindful how often they have responded to
thy calls, how often they have placed themselves in the
way of thy seeking, how often they have solicited for
thee signs of the love of the Spouse, kindly reprehending
thee for thy carelessness and remissness. When thou
didst lose in thy troubles and weariness the guiding star
of his light, they renewed hope in thy breast, and patient-
ly corrected thee, directing thy footsteps again into the
narrow path of the justifications and testimonies of the
Lord. Do not forget, my soul, the greatness of the bene-
fits bestowed upon thee in these angels, for they are above
those of many nations and generations : strive to be
grateful to thy Lord and to the angels, his ministers.
CHAPTER XXIV.
OF THE HOLY EXERCISES AND OCCUPATIONS OF THE
QUEEN IN THE FIRST YEAR AND A HALF OF HER
INFANCY.
378. The enforced silence of other children in their
first years, and the slow evolution of their intellect and
of their power of speech arising from natural weakness,
was heroic virtue in the infant Queen. For if speech is
the product of the intellect and as it were the result of
its activity, and if She was in perfect possession of all
her faculties since her Conception, then the fact of her
not speaking- as soon as She was born, did not arise from
the want of ability, but because She did not wish to make
use of her power. Other children are not furnished
with the natural forces, which are required to open their
mouth and move their tender tongue as required for
speech, but in the child Mary there was no such defect;
for as far as her natural powers were concerned She
was stronger than other children, and as She exercised
sovereignty and dominion over all creation, She certainly
could exercise it in regard to her own powers and facul-
ties, if She had chosen to do so. Her not speaking there-
fore was virtue and great perfection, which opportunely
concealed her science and grace, and evaded the aston-
ishment naturally caused by one speaking in infancy.
Besides, if it is wonderful that one should speak, who
according to the natural course ought to be incapable of
speech, I do not know, whether it is not more wonderful,
301
302 CITY OF GOD
that one, who is able to speak from her birth should be
silent for one year and a half.
379. It was ordained therefore by the Most High,
that the sovereign Child should voluntarily keep this si-
lence during the time in which ordinarily other children
are unable to speak. The only exception made was in
regard to the conversation held with the angels of her
guard, or when She addressed Herself in vocal prayer to
the Lord. For in regard to intercourse with God, the
Author of speech, and with the holy angels, his messen-
gers, when they treated in a visible manner with Her, this
reason for maintaining silence did not hold good : on the
contrary it was befitting, that, since there was no im-
pediment. She should pray with her lips and her tongue ;
for it would not be proper to keep them unemployed for
so long a time. But her mother never heard Her, nor
did she know of her being able to speak during that
period ; and from this it can be better seen, what perfec-
tion it required in Her to pass that year and a half of
her infancy in total silence. But during that time, when-
ever her mother freed her arms and hands, the child
Mary immediately grasped the hands of her parents and
kissed them with great submission and reverent humility,
and in this practice She continued as long as her parents
lived. She also sought to make them understand during
that period of her age, that She desired their blessing,
speaking more by the affection of her heart than by word
of mouth. So great was her reverence for them, that
never did She fail in the least point concerning the honor
and obedience due to them. Nor did She cause them
any trouble or annoyance, since She knew beforehand all
their thoughts and was anxious to fulfill them before they
were made manifest.
380. In all her actions and movements She was gov-
THE CONCEPTION 303
erned by the Holy Ghost, being perfect in all her actions ;
yet her most ardent love was never satisfied, but She
unceasingly renevv^ed her fervent aspirations to emulate
still greater gifts (I Cor. 12, 31). The presence of the
Most High continually preserved in this sovereign Child
the divine revelations and the intellectual visions. And
if sometimes his Providence suspended one kind of vision
or enlightenment, She was enraptured by others; for
from the clear vision of the Divinity, which I have men-
tioned above and which took place as soon as She was
born and raised to heaven by the angels (No. 332)
She retained the images of what She had seen. Thus
coming from the wine cellar, where charity is set in or-
der (Cant. 2, 4) her heart was wounded with love, and
returning ever toward it in contemplation, She was again
and again set afire body and soul in all her being. As
her body was yet weak and tender and this love strong
as death (Cant 8, 6), She soon felt the death pangs of
love, of which She in her tenderness would have died,
had not the Almighty strengthened Her and preserved by
a miracle the inferior part of her being and her natural
life. Many times however, the Lord permitted, that
this tender and virginal little body should be overcome
by the violence of love, so that the holy angels might
sustain Her and comfort Her in the fulfillment of the
saying of the Spouse : "Fulcite me floribus, quia amore
langueo." "Stay me up with flowers, because I languish
with love" (Cant. 11, 5). And this the most noble kind
of martyrdom was a thousand times repeated in this
heavenly Lady surpassing in it all the martyrs in merit,
and also in sufferings.
381. The pain of love is so sweet and attractive, that
the more it prevails the more it is sought, and he who suf-
fers it, longs to hear him spoken of, whom he loves, thus
304 CITY OF GOD
seeking- to be cured by renewal of the wound. This
most sweet deception serves to keep the soul in suspense
between a painful life and a sweet death. This was the
state of the child Mary, when speaking to her angels
and hearing- them discourse about her Beloved. She
asked them many times, saying: "Ministers of my
Lord, his messengers and most beautiful works of his
hands, sparks of that divine fire, which consumes my
heart, since you enjoy his eternal beauty unveiled and
unrestrained, reveal to me the tokens of my Beloved;
-what are his conditions? Tell me whether perhaps I
have displeased Him ; tell me what He desires and seeks
of me, and do not delay in lightening my pain, for I am
dying of love."
382, And the supernal spirits replied : "Spouse of
the Most High, thy Beloved is the only One, He that is
for Himself, who has no need of anything but of whom
all stand in need. He is infinite in his perfections, im-
mense in his greatness, without limit in his power, in-
effable in his wisdom, without measure in his goodness;
He gives a beginning to all things without having a be-
ginning Himself ; He governs the world without asking
consent, preserves it without having need of it, sees the
beauty of all creation without ever being comprehended
in his beauty by any one, and raises to blessedness by
his beauty those who succeed in seeing Him face to
face. Infinite are, O Lady, the perfections of thy
Spouse : they exceed thy comprehension and his high
judgments are inscrutable to the creature."
383. In such colloquies and many others, too high
for our capacity, most holy Mary passed her infancy,
conversing with the angels and the Most High, becom-
ing more and more like to Him. As her fervor and
longing to see our highest Good increased, being en-
THE CONCEPTION 305
tirely enraptured in Him, She was by the disposal of
the Lord many times borne bodily by the hands of the
angels to the empyrean heaven, where She enjoyed the
presence of the Divinity. On those occasions She would
at times see God face to face, at other times by infused
images of the highest and most godlike kind. She saw
also the angels by clear and intuitive vision, their de-
grees, orders and hierarchies, and many sacraments were
made manifest to Her on each occasion. As these vis-
ions were often repeated She gradually, by becoming
accustomed to them and by acts of virtue which She ex-
ercised in connection with them, began to appear more
a divine than a human creature. No one else would
ever be capable of such favors and of others connected
therewith ; and even the mortal nature of that Queen her-
self would have been deprived of life, if She had not been
preserved by a miracle.
384. When in her childhood it was necessary to ac-
cept any service or benefit at the hands of her parents
or of any other creature, She always received it with
interior humility and thankfulness, beseeching the Lord
to reward the good which they did in love toward Her.
Though She had attained such a high degree of sanctity
and though She was filled with the light of God and his
mysteries. She nevertheless judged Herself to be the
least of all creatures, and whenever She made compari-
sons. She ascribed to herself the last place of all. Even
of the nourishment necessary' to sustain life, She con-
sidered Herself unworthy, though She was the Queen
and Mistress of all creation.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
385. My daughter, he that received more ought to
consider himself more needv. since his debt becomes so
306 CITY OF GOD
much the greater. All should humiliate themselves since
of themselves they are nothing, nor can they do any-
thing or possess ought. On this account they that are
raised up by the hand of the Almighty, should humiliate
themselves as mere dust. For, left to themselves and to
their nothingness and unvvorthiness, they should esteem
themselves so much the more indebted and bound to
thankfulness for that which by themselves they can
never repay. Let man acknowledge its condition : for no
one can say: I have made myself, I preserve myself in
existence, I can prolong my life or postpone death. All
his being and preservation is in the hands of the Lord;
let each one therefore humble himself in his presence,
and thou, my dearest, do not forget these truths.
386. I wish also that thou esteem as a great treasure
the virtue of silence, which I have practiced from my
birth. By the light which the Most High gave me, I
was conversant with all the virtues; but I attached my-
self to this one with great predilection, resolving to ad-
here to it as a companion and as a friend during all my
life. Therefore I kept it inviolate, although I could
speak from the moment of my entrance into the world.
To speak without moderation and forethought is a two-
edged sword, which wounds both him that speaks and
him that hears, and thus in two ways destroys charity
or hinders it in all the virtues. From this thou canst
understand, how much God is offended by the vice of
inconsiderate and loose talk, and how justly loquacity,
and the tumult of disputation estranges his spirit and
veils his presence. For, those that talk much, cannot
keep free from grievous sins (Prov 10, 19). Only with
God and with his saints one can speak with security,
and even then it must be with forethought and discre-
tion. With creatures it is very difficult to preserve the
THE CONCEPTION 307
golden middle, without danger of passing from the cor-
rect and necessary to the imperfect and superfluous.
387. The way to avoid this danger is to tend contin-
ually toward the other extreme, striving rather to re-
flect and be silent. For the prudent medium of speak-
ing only what is necessary, is found more in reflection
than in immoderate speech. Remember, my soul, that
thou canst not disport thyself in self-sought conversation
with creatures without relinquishing God in the secret
interior of thy soul ; and that which thou canst not do
without impudence and insult in thy intercourse with
other creatures, thou shouldst not do in thy dealings
with thy Lord and the Lord of all. Close thy ears to
the deceitful conversations, which might induce thee to
speak what thou shouldst not; for it is not just, that
thou speak more than what is enjoined thee by thy Lord
and Master. Listen to his holy law, which He has, with
so liberal a hand, written in thy heart ; hear the voice of
thy Pastor, and answer Him there, and Him only. I
wish to impress thee with the fact, that if thou art to be
my disciple and companion, it must be by signalizing
thyself especially in this virtue of silence. Reflect much,
and write this doctrine in thy heart today, and attach
thyself more and more to this virtue; for first I wish to
see thee established in this, and then I will teach thee
how to speak.
388. I do not dissuade thee from speaking words of
admonition and consolation to thy daughters and thy
subjects. Speak also with those, who can give thee
tokens of thy Beloved, and who can instruct and in-
flame thee with his love. In such kind of conversation
thou wilt acquire a profitable silence of the soul ; since
in them is excited a horror and disgust for conversa-
tion of men and thou wilt learn to relish conversation
308 CITY OF GOD
about the wished-for eternal Good only. Then with the
force of love transforming thy being into that of thy
Beloved, the impetus of thy passions will weaken and
thou shalt arrive at that kind of sweet martyrdom, which
I suffered, when I complained of my body and of mortal
life; for they seemed to me a dreary imprisonment which
hindered my flight, although not my love. O my
daughter, forget all the earthly things in the hiding
place of thy silence, and imitate me with all thy fervor
and all thy strength; for thus shalt thou arrive at that
state, to which thy Spouse invites thee. There thou
shalt hear the consoling words, which sustained me in
the pangs of my love : "My dove, dilate thy heart, and
give admission, my cherished one, to that sweet pain,
for my heart is wounded by thy love." Thus the Lord
spoke to me, and this thou thyself hast heard repeated-
ly, for to those that are alone and in silence does his
Majesty speak.
CHAPTER XXV.
HOW THE MOST HOLY CHILD MARY BEGAN TO SPEAK AT
THE AGE OE ONE YEAR AND A HALF; AND HOW SHE
WAS OCCUPIED UNTIL THE TIME OF HER DEPARTURE
TO THE TEMPLE.
389. The time had arrived, in which the most holy
Mary could profitably and with perfect propriety break
her blessed silence, in which the voice of that heavenly
Turtledove was to be heard on our earth in order that
She might be the faithful harbinger of the springtime of
grace (Cant 2, 12). But before She was commissioned
by the Lord to speak with men (which was at the age
of eighteen months). She was favored with a vision of
the Divinity, not intuitive but intellectual, which was
a summary of those already received and augmented
the previous gifts and graces. In that vision a colloquy
took place between the Child and the highest Lord,
which I tremblingly presume to reproduce in words.
390. The Queen spoke to his Majesty: "Most High
Lord and incomprehensible God, how canst Thou pursue
with so great favors thy most useless and poor creature?
How canst Thou unbend thy greatness in such loving
condescension toward thy slave, who is incapable of
making the least return? The Most High looks down
upon the servant. The Most Powerful stoops to enrich
the indigent! The Holy of holiest lowers Himself to
the dust! I, O Lord, am the little one among the crea-
tures, and least of all desen-e thy favors. What shall
I do in thy divine presence? How shall I requite what
309
310 CITY OF GOD
I owe to Thee? What have I, O Lord, that is not
thine, since Thou givest me being, life and activity?
But I rejoice, O my Beloved, that Thou possessest all
the good, and without Thee, the creature possesses noth-
ing. I rejoice, that Thou alone canst claim the glory
of raising up the little one, of favoring the most useless,
giving existence to nothingness; for thus thy magnifi-
cence shall become more known and exalted."
391. The Lord answered Her and said: "My Dove
and Beloved One, in my eyes thou hast found favor;
thine are the sweetnesses of my delights, my friend and
chosen one. I will manifest what in thee shall please Me
most." These promises of the Lord wounded Her anew
and made the most tender heart of the infant Queen
pine in throes of love, though it had already grown
strong; and the Most High in his pleasure continued
and said : "I am the God of mercies and with immense
love I am drawn toward mortals; among so many, who
have by their faults offended Me, I see some just, who
are my friends and who have served Me and do serve Me
from their heart. I have resolved to save them by send-
ing my Onlybegotten, in order that they may not be de-
prived of my glory, nor I of their eternal praise."
392. To this proposition the most holy child Mary
responded: "Most high Lord and powerful King,
thine are all creatures and thine the power; Thou alone
are the holy One and the supreme Ruler of all creation :
let thy own bounty move Thee, O Lord, to hasten the
coming of thy Onlybegotten for the Redemption of the
sons of Adam. Let now the desired d^y of my ancient
Forefathers begin to dawn and let mortals see thy eter-
nal salvation. Why, O most beloved Master, since Thou
art a most kind Father of all mercies, dost Thou delay
so much the day, which thy captive and afflicted chil-
THE CONCEPTION 311
dren expect with such longing? If my Hfe can be of any
service, I offer it gladly as a sacrifice for them."
393. The Most High urged Her with great benevo-
lence, that from now on She should many times each
day pray for the hastening of the Incarnation of the
eternal Word and for the Redemption of all the human
race, and that She should bewail the sins of men, which
impede their salvation and restoration. Likewise He
told Her, that it was now time to exercise all her out-
ward faculties, and that for his own greater glory it was
befitting that She should converse with human creatures.
Therefore, in order to comply with his wishes, the Child
said to his Majesty:
394. "Most high Lord and incomprehensible Ma-
jesty, how can mere dust venture to treat of such hidden
and exalted mysteries? How can she, who is the least
of all the womanborn, dare to converse of secrets so
precious in thy sight? How can I win for men thy
favor, and what can a creature do, that has served Thee
in nothing? But Thou, O my Beloved, wilt be obliged
by poverty itself: in Thee the ailing will find health, the
thirsty will find the fountains of thy mercy, and the
strength to fulfill thy will. If Thou ordainest, O my
Lord, that I open my lips in order to converse and
speak with others besides Thyself who art all my good
and my desire, I beseech Thee, consider my frailty and
ward off the danger. Ver>' hard it is for rational crea-
tures not to fall into excess in conversation. If it is thy
pleasure, I would rather keep silence during all my life
in order to avoid all danger of losing Thee; for if this
should happen, I shall not be able to outlive it one mo-
ment."
395. This was the answer of the most holy child
Mary, for She was full of apprehension on account of
312 CITY OF GOD
the new and dangerous duty of conversing with men
which was now enjoined on Her. As far as her inchna-
tions were concerned, if God had allowed it, She de-
sired to observe inviolate silence and be mute during all
her life. O great confusion and shining example for
the insipidity of mortals, that She, who could not sin in
speech, should tremble at its dangers! And we, who
cannot open our mouths without sinning in our words,
are consumed with mortal longings after the dissipation
of speech! But, O my most sweet Child and Queen of
all creation, how canst Thou desire to remain silent?
Dost Thou forget, my Mistress, that thy silence would
be the ruin of the world, the sorrow of heaven, and
also, according to our ignorant way of understand-
ing it, a dreary void for the most blessed Trinity ? Dost
Thou not know, that even in a single one of thy words
namely in thy answer to the holy archangel : "Fiat nihi
secundum verbum tuum" "Let it be done to me accord-
ing to thy word" (Luc. 1, 38) Thou wilt give the pleni-
tude of perfection to all that exists? To the eternal
Father Thou givest a Daughter, to the eternal Son, a
Mother; to the Holy Ghost, a Spouse; to the angels, rep-
aration ; to men, redemption ; to the heavens, glory ;
peace to the earth ; an advocate to the world ; health to
the sick, life to the dead. In this answer Thou givest
existence and reality to that, which must be considered
greater than anything else outside of his own essence,
and greater than all the other works that God could de-
cree and ordain. Since thus the greatest work of divine
Omnipotence and the welfare of all creation depends en-
tirely on thy word how canst Thou desire to be speech-
less, O my Lady and Mistress? Speak then, O Child,
who canst speak so well, and let thy voice be heard
through all the vast circles of the heavens!
THE CO.\XEPTION 313
396. With the most prudent answer of this Spouse
the Most High was much pleased and his heart was
again wounded by the loving fear of our great Child.
Therefore, as if fully requited by their beloved, and as
if conferring among Themselves in regard to her peti-
tion, the three divine Persons spoke those words of the
Canticles: "Our sister is little and hath no breasts.
What shall we do to our sister in the day when she is
to be spoken to? H she be a wall, let us build up on it
bulwarks of silver" (Cant 8, 8). Little thou art, be-
loved sister, in thy eyes, but great art thou and great
wilt thou be in our eyes. In this humility thou hast
wounded our heart with one of thy hairs (Cant. 4, 9).
Thou art little in thy own judgment and estimation, and
this is what moves Us with love for thee. Thou hast
not as yet the breasts of nourishing words; but thou also
art not a woman according to the law of sin, for in re-
gard to thee, this law does not hold, nor do We wish
that it should extend over thee. Thou humblest thy-
self, though thou art great beyond all creatures: thou
fearest, though thou art secure : thou guardest against
a danger, which cannot approach thee. What shall We
do for this our sister on the day, in which she shall open
her lips according to our wish in order to bless Us while
the mortals do it in order to blaspheme against our holy
name? What shall We do in order to celebrate so fes-
tive a day as that, in which she begins to speak? How
shall We reward such humble modesty of her, who was
always the delight of our eyes? Sweet was her silence,
and most sweet will be her voice in our ears. If she
is a fortress founded on the abundance of our graces and
made invincible by the power of our right hand. We will
build upon such strong walls turrets of silver, We will
heap new gifts upon the former ones, and let these our
314 CITY OF GOD
turrets be of silver so as to make them more rich and
precious. Let her words, when she begins to speak, be
most pure, candid, strong and full of meaning to our
ears; let our grace overflow from her lips, and let our
powerful arm of protection rest upon her."
397. While, according to our way of thinking, this
conference took place between the three Persons of the
Divinity, our infant Queen was strengthened and con-
soled in her humble solicitude concerning the first ex-
ercise of her speech. The Lord promised Her, that He
would govern her words and assist Her to direct them
all toward his service and pleasure. Then She peti-
tioned his Majesty anew for his permission and blessing
to open her lips so full of grace, and, being prudent and
considerate in all things. She spoke her first words to her
parents, saint Joachim and Anne, asking of them their
blessing and thus acknowledging that from them after
God She had her life and being. The happy parents
heard Her and at the same time they saw that She was
able to walk by herself. The happy Anne in great joy
of her spirit took Her into her arms and said : "My
Daughter and Beloved of my heart, blessed and glorious
to the Lord be the hour, in which we hear thy words and
in which Thou beginnest to walk in his holy service. Let
thy words and sayings be few, well measured and con-
sidered, and let thy footsteps be directed aright toward
the service and honor of our Creator."
398. The most holy Child heard these and other ex-
hortations of her holy mother Anne, and She engraved
them in her tender heart to preserve them in profound
humility and obedience. During the year and a half,
which remained of the three before her departure into
the temple, She spoke but few words beside those ad-
dressed to her mother ; for holy Anne, in order to hear
THE CONCEPTION 315
Her speak, was wont to call Her and request Her to
speak of God and his mysteries. The heavenly Child
fulfilled her wish listening to and asking questions of
her mother ; She that excelled in wisdom all the woman-
born, desired to learn and be instructed. Thus the
Daughter and the mother passed their time in sweetest
colloquies concerning the Lord.
399. It would not be easy, nor even possible, to de-
scribe the doings of the heavenly child Mary during these
eighteen months of companionship with her mother. The
latter shed copious and sweet tears of love and grati-
tude when at times she looked upon her Child, more
venerable than the symbolic ark of the covenant. Yet
never did Anne reveal the secret of her heart that her
Daughter was chosen to be the Mother of the Messias,
although they often spoke of this ineffable mystery. At
such times the Child was inflamed with the most ardent
love and She spoke of it in the most exalted terms, in-
nocently extolling her own dignity without being aware
thereof, while her most blessed mother, holy Anne, was
filled more and more with joy, love and solicitude for
her Daughter and her heart's Treasure.
400. The strength of the tender Child was by far in-
adequate for the fulfillment of the exercises and prac-
tices of humility to which her humble love urged Her
on; for this Mistress of all creatures esteemed Herself
the lowest of them all and was anxious to exhibit these
humble sentiments in her actions, by taking upon Herself
the most abject and servile occupations of the household.
She feared that if She did not serve all that were with
Her, She could not satisfy her obligations and would
fall short of her duty in the sight of the Lord. While
the real cause of her not performing all that She wished
was none other than the insufficiency of her bodily forces.
316 CITY OF GOD
and while the highest seraphim would have kissed the
place, where her sacred feet had touched; yet She was
often full of holy fear lest She be deprived of doing the
most humble services, such as cleaning and scrubbing the
house. As She was not always permitted to engage in
such things when others were present, She tried to do
it when alone, being on such occasions assisted by the
holy angels and thus in a measure reaping the fruit of
her humility through their help.
401. The family of Joachim was not rich, though at
the same time he could not have been called poor. Com-
formable to the honored standing of her family, saint
Anne desired to dress her most holy Daughter as best
she could afford within the bounds of decency and mod-
esty. The most humble Child yielded to this maternal
solicitude during the time of her voluntary silence with-
out protest; but when She began to speak. She humbly
asked her mother not to clothe Her in costly and showy
garments, but to procure for Her garments of coarse
and poor material, if possible, such as had already been
worn by others and of an ash-grey color, similar to that
which in our day is worn by the nuns of saint Clare.
The holy Mother, who looked upon and respected her
Daughter as her Mistress, answered : "My Daughter, I
will conform to thy desire in regard to the form and col-
or of thy dress; but thy strength will not permit the
coarseness which thou desirest, and in this regard I wish
that thou obey me."
402. The Child obedient to the will of her mother and
never objecting in anything, acquiesced and allowed Her-
self to be clothed in the garments which were provided.
They were of the color and form desired by Her, and
similar to the dress worn by children dedicated to a de-
vout life. Although She desired them to be coarser and
THE CONCEPTION 317
poorer, She supplied this want by obedience, deeming
obedience more precious than sacrifice (I Kings 15, 22).
Thus the most holy child Mary had the merit of obe-
dience to her mother and of humility in her aspirations,
deeming Herself unworthy of the use of even that which
is necessary to preserve natural life. In the virtue of
obedience toward her parents She was most distin-
guished and exact during the three years of her stay with
them ; bv her divinelv infused science She knew their
interior wishes and thus She was beforehand in fulfill-
ing them to the minutest point. She asked the permis-
sion and blessing of her mother for whatever She under-
took to do Herself, kissing her hand with great humility
and reverence. The mother outwardly permitted this,
while inwardly She venerated the grace and exalted dig-
nity of her Daughter.
403. At times She would retire to enjoy, by Herself
and with greater liberty, the company and intercourse of
her holy angels and to give outward tokens of the burn-
ing love of her Spouse. In some of her exercises She
prostrated Herself, tearfully afiflicting that most perfect
and tender little body of hers for the sins of mortals,
supplicating the mercy and blessings of God for them,
and striving to gain these favors by the exercise of
heroic virtues. The grief of her heart on account of the
sins made known to Her, and the pangs of love with
which it was accompanied, caused in the heavenly Child
intensest sorrow and pain, nevertheless, in order to be
in all things the Mother of mercy and the Mediatrix of
grace. She taxed also her bodily strength during that
tender age in works of penance and mortification, spar-
ing no exertion that time and opportunity permitted in
order to gain grace for Herself and for us men.
404. When She reached the age of two years She be-
318 CITY OF GOD
gan to exercise her special pity and charity toward the
poor. She soHcited ahns for them of saint Anne, and
the kind-hearted mother readily granted her petitions,
both for the sake of the poor and to satisfy the tender
charity of her most holy Daughter, at the same time en-
couraging Her who was the Mistress of mercy and
charity, to love and esteem the poor. Besides giving
what She obtained expressly for distribution among the
poor. She reserved part of her meals for the same pur-
pose, in order that from her infancy it might be said of
Her more truly than of Job : from my infancy compas-
sion grew with me (Job 31, 18). She gave to the poor
not as if conferring a benefit upon them, but as paying a
debt due in justice, saying in her heart: this my brother
and master deserves what he needs and what I possess
without desert. In giving alms She kissed the hands of
the poor, and whenever She was alone, She kissed their
feet, or, if this was impossible. She would kiss the
ground over which they had passed. Never did She give
an alms to the poor without conferring still greater
favors on their souls by interceding for them and thus
dismissing them relieved in body and soul.
405. Not less admirable were the humility and obe-
dience of the most holy Child in permitting Herself to be
taught to read and to do other things as other children
in that time of life. She was instructed in reading
and other arts by her parents and She submitted, though
She had infused knowledge of all things created. The
angels were filled with admiration at the unparalleled
wisdom of this Child, who willingly listened to the teach-
ing of all. Her holy mother Anne, as far as her intui-
tion and love permitted, observed with rapture the heav-
enly Princess and blessed the Most High in Her. But
with her love, as the time for presenting Her in the
THE CONCEPTION 319
temple approached, grew also the dread of the approach-
ing end of the three years set by the Almighty and the
consciousness, that the terms of her vow must punctually
be fulfilled. Therefore the child Mary began to prepare
and dispose her mother, manifesting to her, six months
before, her ardent desire of living in the temple. She
recounted the benefits, which they had received at the
hands of the Lord, how much they were obliged to seek
his greater pleasure, and how, when She should be dedi-
cated to God in the temple, She would be more her
Daughter than in their own house.
406. The holy Anne heard the discreet arguments of
her child Man,- ; but, though She was resigned to the
divine will and wished to fulfill her promise of offering
up her beloved Daughter, yet the natural force of her
love toward such an unequalled and beloved Treasure,
joined with the full understanding of its inestimable
value, caused a mortal strife in her most faithful heart
at the mere thought of her departure, which was closely
at hand. There is no doubt, that she would have lost
her life in this fierce and vivid sorrow, if the hand of
the Almighty had not comforted her: for the grace and
dignity of her heavenly Daughter was fully known to
her and had entirely ravished her heart, making the
presence of Mary more dear to her than life. Full of
this grief she said to the Child : "My beloved Daughter,
for many years I have longed for Thee and only for a
few years do I merit to have thy company: but thus let
the will of God be fulfilled; I do not wish to be unfaith-
ful to my promise of sending Thee to the temple, but
there is yet time left for fulfilling it : have patience until
the day arrives for the accomplishment of thy wishes."
407. A few days before most holy Mary reached the
age of three years, She was favored with an abstract vis-
320 CITY OF GOD
ion of the Divinity, in which it was made known to Her
that the time of her departure for the temple ordained by
God, had arrived, and that there She was to live dedi-
cated and consecrated to his service. Her most pure
soul was filled with new joy and gratitude at this pros-
pect and speaking with the Lord, She gave Him thanks
saying: "Most high God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
my eternal and highest Good, since I cannot praise Thee
worthily, let it be done in the name of this humble slave
by the angelic spirits; since Thou, immense Lord, who
hast need of none, dost look upon this lowly wormlet of
the earth in thy unbounded mercy. Whence this great
benefit to me, that Thou shouldst receive me into thy
house and service, since I do not even merit the most ab-
ject spot of the earth for my place of habitation? But as
Thou art urged thereto by thy own greatness, I beseech
Thee to inspire the hearts of my parents to fulfill thy
holy will."
408. At the same time saint Anne had a vision, in
which the Lord enjoined her to fulfill her promise by
presenting her Daughter in the temple on the very day,
on which the third year of her age should be complete.
There is no doubt that this command caused more grief
in saint Anne, than that given to Abraham to sacrifice
his son Isaac. But the Lord consoled and comforted
Her, promising his grace and assistance in her loneliness
during the absence of her beloved Daughter. The holy
matron showed Herself prepared and ready to execute
the command of the Almighty, and she answered full of
submission by the following prayer : "Lord God, Master
of all my being, I have pledged to thy service and to the
temple my Daughter, whom Thou, in thy ineffable
mercy, hast given me: She is thine, and I return Her to
Thee with thanks for the time in which I have enjoyed
THE CONCEPTION 321
Her, for having been chosen to conceive Her and assist
in her formation. But remember, God and Lord, that in
the keeping of thy inestimable Treasure 1 was rich ; I
enjoyed her company in this desert valley of tears, She
was the joy of my sorrow, the alleviation of my labors,
the mirror for the regulation of my life, the example of a
supernal perfection, which stimulated my remissness and
enkindled my affections. Through that Creature alone
have I hoped for mercy and grace, and I fear, that in
being deprived of Her, I will fall away from all thy
grace. Heal, O Lord, the wound of my heart, and deal
with me not as I have deserved, but look upon me as a
kind Father of mercies, while I bring my Daughter to
the temple according to thy command."
409. Saint Joachim also had a visitation or vision of
the Lord at this time, receiving the same command as
Anne. Having conferred with each other and taking
account of the will of the Lord, they resolved to fulfill it
with humble submission and appointed the day on which
the Child was to be brought to the temple. Great was
also the grief of this holy old man, though not quite so
great as that of saint Anne, for the high mystery of her
being the future Mother of God was yet concealed from
him.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN ME BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
410. My dearest daughter, keep in mind, that all the
living are born destined for death, but ignorant of the
time allowed them ; this they know for certain however,
that the term of life is short, that eternity is without
end. and that in this life only they can harvest what will
yield life or death eternal. In this dangerous pilgrimage
of life God has ordained, that no one shall know for cer-
tain, whether he is worthy (Eccles. 9, 1) of liis love or
322 CITY OF GOD
hate; for if he uses his reason rightly, this uncertainty
will urge him to seek with all his powers the friendship
of that same Lord. God justifies his cause as soon as
the soul acquires the use of reason; for from that time
onward He enlightens and urges and guides man toward
virtue and draws him away from sin, teaching him to
distinguish between water and fire, to approve of the
good and reject evil, to choose virtue and repel vice.
Moreover, God calls and rouses the soul by his holy
inspirations and continual promptings, provides the help
of the Sacraments, doctrines and commandments, urges
man onward through his angels, preachers, confessors,
ministers and teachers, by special tribulations and favors,
by the example of strangers, by trials, deaths and other
happenings and dispositions of his Providence; He dis-
poses the things of life so as to draw toward Him all
men, for He wishes all to be saved. Thus He places at
the disposal of the creature a vast field of benevolent
help and assistance, which it can and should use for its
own advancement. Opposing all this are the tendencies
of the inferior and sensitive nature, infected with the
fomes peccati, the foment of sin, tending toward sensible
objects and by the lower appetites and repugnances, dis-
turbing the reason and enthralling the will in the false
liberty of ungoverned desires. The demon also, by his
fascinations and his deceitful and iniquitous suggestions
obscures the interior light, and hides the deathly poison
beneath the pleasant exterior. But the Most High does
not immediately forsake his creatures; He renews his
mercy and his assistance, recalling them again and again,
and if they respond to his first call. He adds others ac-
cording to his equity, increasing and multiplying them
in proportion as the soul corresponds. As a reward of
the victory, which the soul wins over itself, the force
THE CONCEPTION 323
of his passions and concupiscences is diminished, the
spirit is made free to soar higher and rise above its own
inchnations and above the demons.
412. But if man neglects to rise above his low desires
and his forgetfulness, he yields to the enemy of God
and man. The more he alienates himself from the good-
ness of God, so much the more unworthy does he be-
come of the secret callings of the Most High, and so
much the less does he appreciate his assistance, though
it be great. For the demon and the passions have ob-
tained a greater dominion and power over his intellect
and have made him more unfit and more incapable of the
grace of the Almighty. Thereon, my dear daughter,
rests the whole salvation or condemnation of souls, that
is, in commencing to admit or resist the advances of the
Lord. I desire thee not to forget this doctrine, so that thou
mayest respond to the many calls which thou receivest of
the Most High. See thou be strong in resisting his ene-
mies and punctually solicitous in fulfilling the pleasure
of thy Lord, for thereby thou wilt gratify Him and at-
tend to the commands made known to thee by divine
light. I loved my parents dearly, and the tender words
of my mother wounded my heart ; but as I knew it to be
the will of the Lord to leave them, I forgot her house
and my people in order to follow my Spouse. The
proper education and instruction of children will do
much toward making them more free and habituated to
the practice of virtue, since thus they will be accustomed
to follow the sure and safe guiding star of reason from
its first dawn.
BOOK TWO
Treats of the Presentation of the Princess of Heaven In the Temple,
the Favors She Received at the Hand of God, the Sublime
Perfection with which She Observed the Rules of the
Temple, the Heavenly Excellence of Her Heroic Vir-
tues and Visions, Her Most Holy Espousal
and other Events up to the Incarna-
tion of the Son of God.
CHAPTER I.
OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE MOST HOLY MARY IN THE
TEMPLE AT THE AGE OF THREE YEARS.
413. Among the types which foreshadowed the most
holy Mary in the written Law, none was more expressive
than the ark of the covenant, not only on account of the
material of which it was constructed, and its contents,
but also on account of the purposes for which it served
and the effects which the Lord wrought through it and
in connection with it in the ancient synagogue. It was
all a prototype of this Lady and of what She was to do
in the new Church of the Gospel. The incorruptible
cedar, of which it was made, not by chance, but by divine
disposition (Exod. 25, 10), typified clearly our mystical
Ark Mary, free from the corruption of actual sin and
from the secret worminess of original guilt with its in-
separable ferment of disorderly passions. The finest and
purest gold (Exod. 25, 11), which covered it on the out-
side and inside, certainly indicated the most perfect and
exalted graces and gifts, which shone forth in her heav-
enly thoughts, in her works and activities, in her habits
325
326 CITY OF GOD
and the operations of her faculties ; so that in no exterior
or interior part of this mystical Ark could be discerned
ought, which at any moment of time was not entirely
covered by the gold of the most exquisite and finest carat
414. The stone tablets of the law, the vase of th('
manna and the miraculous staff (Heb. 9, 4), which that
ancient ark contained and preserved, cannot be surpassed
in expressive significance of the eternal and incarnate
Word, enclosed within that living Ark the most holy
Mary, for He was her onlybegotten Son, the living foun-
dation-rock of the evangelical Church (I Cor. 3, 11). In
this virginal ark of Mary was placed the key-stone which
was to join the Gentiles and the Jews, and was torn from
the mountain of its eternal generation (Ephes. 2, 20) in
order that on it might be written by the finger of God
the new Law of grace. Thus in the old ark Mary was
foreshadowed as the great Queen, who was to be the de-
positary of all that God provided and operated for his
creatures. She also enclosed within Herself the manna
of the Divinity and of grace, and the wonder-working
staff of miracles and prodigies, so that this heavenly and
mystical Ark alone contained the fountain of grace,
namely God himself, overflowing into the rest of man-
kind and forming the nucleus of all the miracles and
prodigies of God. In Mary therefore all that the Lord
desired to operate and manifest is contained and de-
posited.
415. Accordingly the ark of the testament (not in it-
self, but on account of the truth which it foreshadowed)
served as the seat and foot-stool of propitiation, where
the Lord was seated in the tribunal of his mercies, to lis-
ten to his people, to answer them and distribute his gifts
and favors ; for the ancient ark typified most holy Mary,
the throne of grace and the true mystical propitiatory
THE CONCEPTION 327
which He had expressly made for his indwelling. Thus
it seems that the tribunal of the divine justice remains
set up in God himself, while the propitiatory and the tri-
bunal of his mercy was set up in Mary, in order that to
Her, as a throne of grace, we might approach in assured
confidence to present our petitions for those benefits,
graces and mercies, which outside of the Queen Mary,
are unheard of and unattainable by the human race.
416. Such a sacred and mysterious Ark, constructed
by the hands of the Lord himself for his habitation and
as the propitiatory of his people, could not remain with
propriety outside of his temple, where was preserved that
other material ark, which was only a figure of this spir-
itual and true Ark of the new covenant. Therefore its
Author ordained that She be placed in his house and
temple as soon as the first three years of her infancy
should be completed. But I am astonished to find a won-
derful difference in regard to that which happened with
the primitive and figurative ark and that which came to
pass with the second and true ark of the covenant. For,
though the ancient ark had no other importance than
that of presignifying Mary and the mysteries connected
with Her, when the king David transferred it to different
places, and when afterwards Solomon his son placed it in
the temple, as in its proper place of rest, all was done
with great festivities and rejoicings of that ancient peo-
ple, as is shown by the solemn processions arranged by
David from the house of Abinadab to the house of Obe-
dedom (H King 6, 10), and thence to the tabernacle of
Sion, his own city (Ibid. 12) ; likewise, when Solomon
transferred it from Sion to the new temple, which he had
built as the house of God and of prayer by command of
the Lord.
417. On all these occasions the ancient ark of the Tes-
328 CITY OF GOD
tament was borne along in public veneration and most
solemn celebrations, amid the strains of music, dancing,
sacrifices, the rejoicings of the kings and of the whole
people of Israel, as is related in the sacred history of the
second and third book of the Kings and the first and sec-
ond of Paralipomenon. But our true and mystical Ark,
the most holy Mary, although She was the most precious,
the most estimable and worshipful of all the creatures,
was not brought to the temple with such solemn show
and public ostentation ; during the transferring of this
mysterious Ark, the sacrifice of animals, the royal pomp,
and the royal majesty were wanting. She was carried
from the house of her father Joachim in the arms of her
humble mother Anne, who, though she was not very
poor, wished to bear her beloved Daughter on her arms
in order to present Her in the temple without ostentation
of riches, alone and unnoticed by the people. The glory
and majesty of this procession, according to the wishes
of the Most High, was to be divine and invisible. All
the sacraments and mysteries of the most holy Mary are
so exalted and hidden that according to the inscrutable
decrees of the Lord many of them are concealed to this
day. He it is that holds in his hands the time and the
hour for the revelation of all things, and of each one in
particular.
418. Lost in admiration of this wonder, prostrate in
the presence of the Most High and in the praise of his
high judgments, I was favored by his Majesty with the
following explanation: "Understand, my soul, that if I
provided that the ark of the old Testament be venerated
with so much festivity and outward show, it was because
it was an express figure of Her. who was to be the
Mother of the incarnate Word. The first ark was ma-
terial and irrational, and this ostentation and celebrity
THE CONCEPTION 329
could be arranged for it without difficulty; but during
her life on earth in mortal flesh, I would not permit such
celebration in connection with the true and living ark,
Mary ; for thou and the rest of the souls are to look upon
Her as an example during your pilgrimage. I do not de-
sire those who are written in my memory for eternal
election to expect honors and the inconsiderate praise
and applause of men as a part of their reward for work-
ing in my honor and service during mortal life. Nor
must they be put in danger of dividing the love of their
God, who justifies them and makes them saints, with
those who merely proclaim them as such. The one and
only Creator has made them and sustains them, illu-
mines and defends them ; therefore their love and attention
must be single and undivided, and it must not be diverted
even by a thankful regard for those who honor them as
just. The love of God is most sensitive, the human will
is most frail and limited ; if it is divided, it can only be
small and very imperfect in its activity, easily coming
to nought. Therefore I did not wish Her, who was to
be the example of all holiness and who was free from all
danger of a fall through my protection, to be renowned,
or specially honored during her life, nor was She to be
brought to the temple amid the outward show of honor."
419. "jMoreover. I have sent my Onlybegotten from
heaven and have created Her, who was to be his Mother,
for the very purpose of drawing the world from its error
and of undeceiving mortals, who have established the un-
just and sinful law, that the poor are to be despised and
the rich esteemed, that the humble are to be humiliated
and the proud to be exalted, the virtuous to be maligned
and the sinful applauded, that the timorous and modest
are to be considered as fools and the arrogant to be held
as valiant, that poverty should be considered as shameful
23
330 CITY OF GOD
and unfortunate, while riches, pomp, ostentation, splen-
dor, honors, perishable pleasures should be sought and
prized by foolish and carnal men. All this the incarnate
Word and his Mother, in coming among them, were to
reprove and condemn as deceitful and false, so that mor-
tals might perceive the terrible danger of loving and en-
tertaining so blindly the deceitful sensible pleasures, in
which they live. Through this insensate love it happens
that they so persistently fly from humility, meekness and
poverty and evade all that pertains to the true virtue of
penance and abnegation of self. And yet these virtues
are truly acceptable in my eyes and according to my jus-
tice; for the holy, the honorable, the just actions, are to
be rewarded with eternal glory, whereas the contrary
ones are to be visited by everlasting punishment."
420. "This truth earthly and carnal eyes do not see,
nor do they care to attend to the light which teaches
them. But thou, soul, observe it and write it in thy heart,
taking an example from the incarnate Word and from
his Mother, and imitating Them closely therein. She
was holy and, in my estimation, most acceptable to
Christ; to Her was due all the veneration and worship
of men, and even more than they could give; yet I pro-
vided and ordained in her regard that She receive no
honor or recognition at that time, so that She, as the
Mistress of truth, might be the most shining example of
all that is holy, perfect, estimable and safest for the in-
struction and guidance of my elect. She was to be the
shining example of humility, of retirement, of contempt
and horror for the dreadful vanity of the world, of love
for sufferings, tribulations, insults, afflictions and dishon-
ors inflicted by creatures. All holiness is adverse and
contrary to the applause, honors and estimation of the
world, and I decreed that the most pure Mary should not
THE CONCEPTION 331
be burdened by them, nor do I desire that my friends
should enjoy or be pleased with them. If for my glory
it sometimes happens that they become known to the
world, it is not because they have desired it or looked for
it; but because they, always remaining in the humility
and in the sentiment proper to their state, resign them-
selves to my Providence. For themselves and as far as
they are concerned, they seek and love that which the
world despises and which the incarnate Word and his
most holy Mother strove after and have taught." This
was the answer which the Lord gave to my wondering
inquiry and thus did He instruct me in regard to what I
should seek and strive after.
421. The three years' time decreed by the Lord hav-
ing been completed, Joachim and Anne set out from
Nazareth, accompanied by a few of their kindred and
bringing with them the true living Ark of the covenant,
the most holy Mary, borne on the arms of her mother in
order to be deposited in the holy temple of Jerusalem.
The beautiful Child, by her fervent and loving aspira-
tions, hastened after the ointments of her Beloved, seek-
ing in the temple Him, whom She bore in her heart. This
humble procession was scarcely noticed by earthly crea-
tures, but it was invisibly accompanied by the angelic
spirits, who, in order to celebrate this event, had hastened
from heaven in greater numbers than ordinary as her
bodyguard, and were singing in heavenly strains the
glory and praise of the Most High. The Princess of
heaven heard and saw them as She hastened her beauti-
ful steps along in the sight of the highest and the true
Solomon. Thus they pursued their journey from Naz-
areth to the holy city of Jerusalem, and also the parents
of the holy child Mary felt in their hearts great joy and
consolation of spirit.
332 CITY OF GOD
422. They arrived at the holy temple, and the blessed
Anne on entering took her Daughter and Mistress by the
hand, accompanied and assisted by saint Joachim. All
three offered a devout and fervent prayer to the Lord ;
the parents offering to God their Daughter, and the most
holy Child, in profound humility, adoration and worship,
off'ering up Herself. She alone perceived that the Most
High received and accepted Her, and, amid divine splen-
dor which filled the temple. She heard a voice saying to
Her : "Come, my Beloved, my Spouse, come to my temple,
where I wish to hear thy voice of praise and worship."
Having offered their prayers, they rose and betook them-
selves to the priest. The parents consigned their Child
into his hands and he gave them his blessing. Together
they conducted Her to the portion of the temple build-
ings, where many young girls lived to be brought up in
retirement and in virtuous habits, until old enough to as-
sume the state of matrimony. It was a place of retire-
ment especially selected for the first-born daughters of
the royal tribe of Juda and the sacerdotal tribe of Levi.
423. Fifteen stairs led up to the entrance of these
apartments. Other priests came down these stairs in
order to welcome the blessed child Mary. The one that
had received them, being according to the law one of a
minor order, placed Her on the first step. Mary, with
his permission, turned and kneeling down before Joachim
and Anne, asked their blessing and kissed their hands,
recommending herself to their prayers before God. The
holy parents in tenderest tears gave Her their blessing;
whereupon She ascended the fifteen stairs without any
assistance. She hastened upward with incomparable fer-
vor and joy, neither turning back, nor shedding tears,
nor showing any childish regret at parting from her
parents. To see Her, in so tender an age, so full of
i
THE CONCEPTION 333
strange majesty and firmness of mind, excited the admir-
ation of all those present. The priests received Her
among the rest of the maidens, and saint Simeon con-
signed Her to the teachers, one of whom was the
prophetess Anne. This holy matron had been prepared by
the Lord by especial grace and enlightenment, so that
She joyfully took charge of this Child of Joachim and
Anne. She considered the charge a special favor of di-
vine Providence and merited by her holiness and virtue
to have Her as a disciple, who was to be the Mother of
God and Mistress of all the creatures.
424. Sorrowfully her parents Joachim and Anne re-
traced their journey to Nazareth, now poor as deprived
of the rich Treasure of their house. But the Most High
consoled and comforted them in their affliction. The
holy priest Simeon, although he did not at this time know
of the mystery enshrined in the child Mar}% obtained
great light as to her sanctity and her special selection by
the Lord ; also the other priests looked upon Her with
great reverence and esteem. In ascending the fifteen
stairs the Child brough to fulfillment, that, which Jacob
saw happening in sleep ; for here too were angels ascend-
ing and descending: the ones accompanying, the others
meeting their Queen as She hastened up ; whereas at the
top God was waiting in order to welcome Her as his
Daughter and Spouse. She also felt by the eft'ects of the
overflowing love, that this truly was the house of God
and the portal of heaven.
425. The child ^Mary, when brought to her teacher,
knelt in profound humility before her and asked her
blessing. She begged to be admitted among those under
her direction, obedience and counsel, and asked her kind
forbearance in the labor and trouble, which She would
occasion. The prophetess Anne, her teacher, received
334 CITY OF GOD
Her with pleasure, and said to Her: "My Daughter,
Thou shalt find in me a helpful mother and I will take
care of Thee and of thy education with all possible solic-
itude." Then the holy Child proceeded to address Her-
self with the same humility to all the maidens which
were then present; each one She greeted and embraced,
offering Herself as their serv-ant and requesting them,
as older and more advanced than She in the duties of
their position, to instruct and command Her. She also
gave them thanks, that without her merit they admitted
Her to their company.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN ME BY THE MOST HOEY VIRGIN"
MARY.
426. My daughter, the greatest happiness, which can
befall any soul in this mortal life, is that the Almighty
call her to his house consecrated to his service. For by
this benefit He rescues the soul from a dangerous slavery
and relieves her of the vile servitude of the world,
where, deprived of true liberty, she eats her bread in the
sweat of her brow. Who is so dull and insipid as not
to know the dangers of the worldly life, which is ham-
pered by all the abominable and most wicked laws and
customs introduced by the astuteness of the devil and
the perversity of men? The better part is religious life
and retirement; in it is found security, outside is a tor-
ment and a stormy sea, full of sorrow and unhappiness.
Through the hardness of their heart and the total forget-
fulness of themselves men do not know this truth and
are not attracted by its blessings. But thou, O soul, be
not deaf to the voice of the Most High, attend and cor-
respond to it in thy actions : I wish to remind thee, that
one of the greatest snares of the demon is to counteract
THE CONCEPTION 335
the call of the Lord, whenever he seeks to attract and
incline the soul to a life of perfection in his service.
427. Even by itself, the public and sacred act of re-
ceiving the habit and entering religion, although it is
not always performed with proper fervor and purity of
intention, is enough to rouse the wrath and fury of the
infernal dragon and his demons; for they know that this
act tends not only to the glory of the Lord and the joy
of the holy angels, but that religious life will bring the
soul to holiness and perfection. It very often happens,
that they who have received the habit with earthly and
human motives, are aftenvards visited by divine grace,
which perfects them and sets all things aright. If this
is possible even when the beginning was without a good
intention, how much more powerful and efficacious will
be the light and influence of grace and the discipline of
religious life, when the soul enters under the influence of
divine love and with a sincere and earnest desire of find-
ing God, and of serving and loving Him?
428. Before the Most High reforms or advances
those, who for any reason enter the religious state, it is no
more than right, that in turning away from the world
they avert also their eyes from it and blot out from their
memory all its images, forgetting all that they have in so
praiseworthy a manner left behind. Those that neglect
this requirement and are ungrateful and disloyal to-
ward God, will doubtlessly fall under the punishment of
the wife of Lot (Gen. 19, 26), and if on account of the
goodness of God they do not suffer this punishment in
an equally open and visible manner, they nevertheless
undergo it interiorly, remaining congealed and full of
dryness, without fervor or advance in virtue. Forsaken
by grace they thus do not attain the end of their voca-
tion, make no progress in religion, nor find any spiritual
336 CITY OF GOD
consolation in it, and do not merit to be visited by the
Lord as children, but to be left to their own resources
like unfaithful and fugitive slaves. Remember, Mary,
that for thee all the v^orld must be crucified and dead;
that thou must have for it no memory, retain none of
its images, pay it no attention, nor have any inclination
toward any of its creatures. If sometimes it is necessary
to exercise charity with thy neighbors, see that thou or-
dain it well and that thou safeguard beforehand the good
of thy soul, its security and quiet, its interior tranquillity
and peace. In these points, as far as is possible without
sin, I admonish and command thee to go to the greatest
extremes, if thou wishest to remain in my school.
I
CHAPTER II.
CONCERNING A SINGULAR FAVOR, WHICH THE ALMIGHTY
CONFERRED ON MOST HOLY MARY AS SOON AS SHE
WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE TEMPLE.
429. When the heavenly child Mary had dismissed
her parents and entered upon her hfe in the temple, her
teacher assigned to Her a place among the rest of the
maidens, each of whom occupied a large alcove or little
room. The Princess of heaven prostrated Herself on
the pavement, and, remembering that it was holy ground
and part of the temple. She kissed it. In humble adora-
tion She gave thanks to the Lord for this new benefit,
and She thanked even the earth for supporting Her and
allowing Her to stand in this holy place; for She held
Herself unworthy of treading and remaining upon it.
Then She turned toward her holy angels and said to
them: "Celestial princes, messengers of the Almighty,
most faithful friends and companions, I beseech you with
all the powers of my soul to remain with me in this holy
temple of my Lord and as my vigilant sentinels, remind-
ing me of all that I should do; instructing me and direct-
ing me as the teachers and guides of my actions, so that
I may fulfill in all things the perfect will of the Most
High, give pleasure to the holy priests and obey my
teacher and my companions." And addressing in par-
ticular those whom I mentioned above as the twelve
angels of the Apocalypse, She said: "And I beseech
you, my ambassadors, if the Almighty permit you. go
and console my holy parents in their affliction and soli-
tude."
337
338 CITY OF GOD
430. While the twelve angels executed her command,
Mary remained with the others in heavenly conversa-
tion. She began to feel a supernal influence of great
power and sweetness, spiritualizing Her and elevating
Her in burning ecstasy, and immediately the Most High
commanded the seraphim to assist in illumining and pre-
paring her most holy soul. Instantly She was filled with
a divine light and force, which perfected and propor-
tioned her faculties in accordance with the mysteries
now to be manifested to Her. Thus prepared and ac-
companied by her holy angels and many others, in the
midst of a refulgent host, the celestial Child was raised
body and soul to the empyrean heaven, where She was
received by the holy Trinity with befitting benevolence
and pleasure. She prostrated Herself in the presence of
the most mighty and high Lord, as She was wont to do
in all her visions, and adored Him in profound reverence
and humility. Then She was further transformed by
new workings of divine light, so that She saw, intuitively
and face to face, the Divinity itself. This was the second
time that It manifested Itself to Her in this intuitive
manner during the first three years of her life.
431. By no human tongue or any sensible faculty could
the effects of this vision and participation of the divine
Essence ever be described. The Person of the Father
spoke to the future Mother of his Son, and said : "My
Dove, my beloved One, I desire thee to see the treasures
of my immutable being and of my infinite perfections,
and also to perceive the hidden gifts destined for the
souls, whom I have chosen as heirs of my glory and who
are rescued by the life-blood of the Lamb. Behold, my
Daughter, how liberal I am toward my creatures, that
know and love Me ; how true in my words, how faithful
in my promises, how powerful and admirable in my
THE CONCEPTION 339
works. Take notice, my Spouse, how ineffably true it is,
that he who follows Me does not walk in darkness. I de-
sire that thou, as my chosen One, be an eye-witness of
the treasures which I hold in reserve for raising up the
humble, enriching the poor, exalting the downtrodden,
and for rewarding all that the mortals shall do and suf-
fer for my name."
432. Other great mysteries were shown to the holy
Child in this vision of the Divinity, for, as the object
presented to the soul in such repeated intuitive visions
is infinite, that which remains to be seen will always re-
main infinite and will excite greater and greater wonder
and love in the one thus favored. The most holy Mary
answered the Lord and said : "Most high, supreme and
eternal God, incomprehensible Thou art in thy magnifi-
cence, overflowing in thy riches, unspeakable in thy mys-
teries, most faithful in thy promises, true in thy words,
most perfect in thy works, for Thou art the Lord, in-
finite and eternal in thy essence and perfections. But,
most high Lord, what shall my littleness begin to do at
the sight of thy magiiificence ? I acknowledge myself
unworthy to look upon thy greatness, yet I am in great
need of being regarded by it. In thy presence. Lord, all
creation is as nothing. What shall I thy servant do, who
am but dust ? Fulfill in me all thy desire and thy pleasure ;
and if trouble and persecutions suffered by mortals in
patience, if humility and meekness are so precious in thy
eyes, do not consent, O my Beloved, that I be de-
prived of such a rich treasure and pledge of thy love.
But as for the rewards of these tribulations, give them to
thy servants and friends, who deserve them better tlian
I, for I have not yet labored in thy service and pleasure."
433. The Most High was much pleased with the peti-
tion of the heavenly Child and He gave Her to under-
340 CITY OF GOD
stand that Ke would admit Her to suffering and labor
for his love in the course of her life, without at the time
revealing to Her the order and the manner in which He
was to dispense them. The Princess of heaven gave
thanks for this blessing and favor of being chosen to labor
and suffer for the glory of God's name. Burning with
desire of securing such favor, She asked of his Majesty
to be allowed to make four vows in his presence:
of chastity, of poverty, of obedience, and of perpetual
enclosure in the temple whither He had called Her, To
this petition the Lord answered and said to Her: "My
Spouse, my thoughts rise above all that is created, and
thou, my chosen one, dost not yet know what is to hap-
pen to thee in the course of thy life, and thou dost not yet
understand why it is impossible to fulfill thy fervent de-
sires altogether in the manner in which thou now dost
imagine. The vow of chastity I permit and I desire that
thou make it ; I wish that from this moment thou re-
nounce earthly riches. It is also my will that as far as
possible, thou observe whatever pertains to the other
vows, just as if thou hadst made them all. Thy desire
shall be fulfilled through many other virgins in the com-
ing law of grace; for, in order to imitate thee and to
serve Me, they will make these same vows and live to-
gether in community and thou shalt be the Mother of
many daughters."
434. The most holy Child then, in the presence of the
Lord, made the vow of chastity and as for the rest with-
out binding Herself, She renounced all affection for ter-
restrial and created things. She moreover resolved to
obey all creatures for the sake of God. In the fulfillment
of these promises She was more punctual, fervent and
faithful than any who have ever made these vows or ever
will make them. Forthwith the clear and intuitive vision
THE CONCEPTION 341
of the Divinity ceased, but She was not immediately re-
stored to the earth. For, remaining in the empyrean
heaven, She enjoyed another, an imaginary vision of the
Lord in a lower state of ecstasy, so that in connection
with it. She saw other mysteries.
435. In this secondary and imaginary vision some of
the seraphim closest to the Lord approached Her and by
his command adorned and clothed Her in the following
manner. First all her senses were illumined with an ef-
fulgent light, which filled them with grace and beauty.
Then they robed Her in a mantle or tunic of most ex-
quisite splendor, and girded Her with a cincture of vary-
colored and transparent stones, of flashing brilliancy,
which adorned Her beyond human comprehension. They
signified the immaculate purity and the various heroic
virtues of her soul. They placed on Her also a necklace
or collar of inestimable and entrancing beauty, which
contained three large stones, symbolic of the three great
virtues of faith, hope and charity ; this they hung around
her neck letting it fall to her breast as if indicating the
seat of these precious virtues. They also adorned her
hands with seven rings of rare beauty whereby the Holy
Ghost wished to proclaim that He had enriched Her with
his holy gifts in a most eminent degree. In addition to
all this the most holy Trinity crowned her head with an
imperial diadem, made of inestimable material and set
with most precious stones, constituting Her thereby as
his Spouse and as the Empress of heaven. In testimony
whereof the white and refulgent vestments were emblaz-
oned with letters or figures of the finest and the most
shining gold, proclaiming: Mary, Daughter of the eter-
nal Father, Spouse of the Holy Ghost and Mother of the
true Light. This last name or title the heavenly Mis-
tress did not understand; but the angels understood it,
342 CITY OF GOD
who, lost in wonder and praise of the Author, were as-
sisting at this new and strange ceremony. Finally the
attention of all the angelic spirits was drawn toward the
Most High and a voice proceeded from the throne of the
blessed Trinity, which, addressing the most holy Mary,
spoke to Her: "Thou shalt be our Spouse, our beloved
and chosen One among all creatures for all eternity; the
angels shall serve thee and all the nations and generations
shall call thee blessed" (Luc. 1, 48).
436. The sovereign Child being thus attired in the
court dress of the Divinity, then celebrated a more glo-
rious and marvelous espousal than ever could enter the
mind of the highest cherubim and seraphim. For the
Most High accepted Her as his sole and only Spouse and
conferred upon Her the highest dignity which can befall
a creature; He deposited within Her his own Divinity
in the person of the Word and with it all the treasures of
grace befitting such eminence. Meanwhile the most
Humble among the humble was lost in the abyss of love
and wonder which these benefits and favors caused in
Her, and in the presence of the Lord She spoke : "Most
high King and incomprehensible God, who art Thou and
who am 1, that thy condescension should look upon me
who am dust, unworthy of such mercy? In Thee, my
Lord, as in a clear mirror seeing thy immutable being, I
behold and understand without error my lowliness and
vileness, I admire thy immensity and deprecate my noth-
ingness. At the sight of Thee I am annihilated and lost
in astonishment, that the infinite Majesty should stoop to
so lowly a worm, who can merit only oblivion and con-
tempt of all the creatures. O Lord, my only Good, how
art Thou magnified and exalted in this deed! What
marvel dost Thou cause through me in thy angelic spirits,
who understand thy infinite bounty, magnificence and
THE CONCEPTION 343
mercy in raising up from the dust her who in it is poor,
and placing her among the princes (Ps. 112, 7) ! I ac-
cept Thee, O my King and my Lord, as my Spouse and
I offer myself as thy slave. Let not my understanding
attend to any other object, nor my memory hold any
other image, nor my will seek other object or pleasure
than Thee, my highest Good, my true and only Love.
Let not my eyes look upon human creature, nor my fac-
ulties and senses attend upon anything beside Thee and
whatever thy Majesty shall direct. Thou alone for thy
spouse, my Beloved, and she for Thee only, who art the
immutable and eternal Good."
437. The Most High received with ineffable pleasure
this consent of the sovereign Princess to enter into the
new espousal with her most holy soul. As upon his True
Spouse and as Mistress of all creation. He now lavished
upon Her all the treasures of his grace and power, in-
structing Her to ask for whatever She desired and assur-
ing Her that nothing would ever be denied Her. The
most humble Dove at once proceeded to beseech the Lord
with the most burning charity, to send his Onlybegotten
to the world as a remedy for mortals ; that all men be
called to the true knowledge of his Divinity; that her nat-
ural parents, Joachim and Anne, receive an increase of
the loving gifts of his right hand; that the poor and af-
flicted be consoled and comforted in their troubles ; and
that in Herself be fulfilled the pleasure of the divine will.
These w^ere some of the more express petitions addressed
by the new Spouse on this occasion to the blessed Trinity.
And all the angelic host sang new songs of admiration in
praise of the Most High, while those appointed by his
Majesty, midst heavenly music, bore back the holy Child
from the empyrean heaven to the place in the temple,
from which they had brought Her.
344 CITY OF GOD
438. In order to commence at once to put in practice
what She had promised in the presence of the Lord, She
betook Herself to her instructress and offered her all that
her mother, saint Anne, had left for her comfort and sus-
tenance, with the exception of a few books and clothes.
She requested Her to give it to the poor or use it for any
other purpose according to her pleasure, and that She
command and direct Her what She was to do. The dis-
creet matron, (who was, as I have already said, the
prophetess Anne) by divine impulse accepted and ap-
proved of the offering of the beautiful Child and dis-
missed Her entirely poor and stripped of everything ex-
cept the garments which She wore. She resolved to take
care of Her in a special manner as one destitute and
poor; for the other maidens each possessed their spend-
ing money and a certain sum assigned and destined for
their wearing apparel and for other necessities according
to their inclinations.
439. The holy matron, having first consulted the high
priest, also gave to the sweetest Child a rule of life. By
thus despoiling and resigning Herself the Queen and
Mistress of creation obtained a complete freedom and
detachment from all creatures and from her own Self,
neither possessing nor desiring anything except only the
most ardent love of God and her own abasement and hu-
miliation. I confess my great ignorance, my vileness and
insignificance, which make me entirely unworthy to ex-
plain such supernal and hidden mysteries. For where
the expert tongues of the wise, and the science and the
love of the highest cherubim and seraphim are compelled
to be mute, what can a useless and abject woman say? I
know how much such an attempt would offend against
the greatness of these mysteries, if obedience furnished no
excuse. But even in obeying I tremble, and I fear that
what I omit and am ignorant of, is the greater, and what
THE CONCEPTION 345
I know and say is the more insignificant part of all the
mysteries and the doings of this City of God, the most
holy jMary.
INSTRUCTION OF TllE MOST HOLY VIRGIN MARY.
440. My daughter, among the great and ineffable
favors of the Omnipotent in the course of my life, was
the one which thou has just learned and described ; for
by this clear vision of the Divinity and of the incompre-
hensible essence I acquired knowledge of the most hidden
sacraments and mysteries, and in this adornment and es-
pousal I received incomparable blessings and felt the
sweetest workings of the Divinity in my spirit. My de-
sire to take the four vows of poverty, obedience, chastity
and enclosure pleased the Lord very much, and I mer-
ited thereby that the godfearing in the Church and in the
law of grace are drawn to live under these vows, as is the
custom in the present time. This was the beginning of
that which you religious practice now, fulfilling the words
of David in the forty-fourth psalm: "After Her shall vir-
gins be brought to the King;" for the Lord ordained
that my aspirations be the foundation of religious life
and of the evangelical law. I fulfilled entirely and per-
fectly all that I proposed to the Lord, as far as was possi-
ble in my state of life ; never did I look upon the face of a
man, not even on that of my husband Joseph, nor on that
of the angels, when they appeared to me in human form,
though I saw and knew them all in God. Never did I in-
cline toward any creature, rational or irrational, nor to-
ward any human operation or tendency. But in all things
I was governed by the Most High, either directly by
Himself or indirectly through the obedience, to which I
freely subjected myself.
441. Do not forget, my dearest, that the religious state
346 CITY OF GOD
is consecrated and ordained by the Most High for main-
taining the doctrine of Christian perfection and the close
imitation of the life of my Son, and that therefore the
souls, who in religious life are sunk in sleepy forgetful-
ness of their high blessing and lead a life more listless
and lax than many worldly men, are objects of great
wrath of the Lord, and a severer judgment and chastise-
ment await them than others. The demon also, ancient
and astute serpent as he is, uses more diligence in his at-
tempts to overcome religious men and women, than to
conquer all the rest of worldly men ; and if one of these
religious fall, all hell exerts the greatest solicitude and
care to prevent his using the many means which religion
affords for rising from a fall, such as obedience and holy
exercises and the frequent use of the Sacraments. To
make all these remedies miscarry and be of no use to the
fallen religious, the enemy applies so many cunning snares
that it would fill with terror any one who saw them.
However, much of this is recognized in the actions and
artifices by which a lax religious soul tries to defend its
remissness, excusing it by specious arguments, if it does
not break out in disobedience and yet greater disorders
and faults.
442. Be careful therefore, my daughter, and fear so
dreadful a danger; by divine assistance of grace raise
thyself above thyself, never permitting thy will to consent
to any disorderly affection or movement. I wish thee to
consume thyself in dying to thy passions and in becom-
ing entirely spiritualized, so that having extinguished
within thee all that is of earth, thou mayest come to lead
an angelic life and conversation. In order to deserve the
name of spouse of Christ, thou must pass beyond the
limits and the sphere of a human being and ascend to
another state and divine existence. Although thou art
earth, thou must be a blessed earth, without the thorns of
THE CONCEPTION 347
passion, one whose fruit is all for the Lord, its Master.
If thou hast for thy Spouse that supreme and mighty-
Lord, who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
consider it beneath thy dignity to turn thy eyes, and much
more thy heart, toward such vile slaves, as are the human
creatures, for even the angels love and respect thee for
thy dignity as spouse of the Most High. If even among
men it is held to be a daring and boundless insolence in a
plebeian to cast longing eyes upon the spouse of a prince,
what a crime would it be to cast them on the spouse of
the heavenly and omnipotent King? And it would not be
a smaller crime if she herself would receive and consent
to such familiarity. Consider and assure thyself that the
punishment reserved for this sin is inconceivably terrible
and I do not show it to thee visibly, lest thou perish in thy
weakness. I wish that for thee my instructions suffice
to urge thee to the fulfillment of all I admonish and to
imitate me as my disciple, as far as thy powers go. Be
also solicitous in recalling this instruction to the mind of
thy nuns and in seeing that they live up to it.
443. My Mistress and my most kind Queen, in the joy
of my soul I listen to thy sweetest words, so full of spirit
and of life, and I wish to inscribe them in the interior of
my heart together with the graces of thy most holy Son,
which I beseech thee to obtain for me. If Thou give me
permission I will speak in thy presence as an ignorant
disciple with her Mistress and Teacher. I desire, O my
Mother and Protectress, though I am so unworthy and
remiss, to fulfill the four vows of my profession accord-
ing to thy commands and according to my obligation,
though I am so unworthy and remiss therein; yet I be-
seech Thee, give me a more full instruction, which may
ser\'e me as a guide and direction in the fulfillment of this
duty and as a complement of these vows, which Thou
hast placed in my heart.
CHAPTER III.
INSTRUCTION WHICH ThE QUEEN OE HEAVEN GAVE ME
CONCERNING The vows OE MY PROEESSION.
444. My dear daughter, I will not deny thee the in-
struction thou askest of me with the desire of putting it
into practice ; but do thou receive it with an appreciative
and devout mind, ready to follow it in deed. The wise
man says : "My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, thou
hast engaged fast thy hand to a stranger, thou art en-
snared with the words of thy mouth, and caught with thy
own words" (Prov. 6, 1). Accordingly he who has
made vows to God has bound his own will ; so that he has
no freedom of acting except according to the will and
direction of Him to whom he has bound himself ; for he
is chained down by the words of his own mouth uttered
in the profession of his vows. Before taking his vows,
the choice of his ways was in his own hands; but having
once bound and obliged himself, let him know that he
has entirely lost his liberty and had delivered himself up
to God in his superiors. The whole ruin or salvation of
souls depends upon the use of their free will ; but since
most men use it ill and damn themselves, the Most High
has established religious life under the sacred vows. Thus
the creature, by once using its liberty to make a perfect
and prudent choice, can deliver up to his Majesty that
very liberty, which so many pervert, if it remains free
and unhampered in its choice.
445. By these vows the liberty to do evil is happily
lost, and the liberty for doing good is assured. It is like
348
THE CONCEPTION 349
a bridle, which leads away from danger and directs into
the smooth and sure road. The soul is freed from the
slavery and subjection of the passions, and acquires a
new power over them, resuming her place as mistress and
queen in the government of her kingdom and remaining
subject only to the law of grace and the inspirations of
the Holy Ghost. If she thus applies her whole will solely
to the fulfillment of all that she has promised to God, the
holy Spirit will govern and direct all her operations. The
creature thereby passes from the condition and state of a
slave to that of a child of the Most High, from an earthly
to an angelic life, while the corruption and evil effects of
sin cannot exert their full power. It is impossible that
thou ever be able in this earthly life to calculate or com-
prehend, what and how many are the blessings and treas-
ures those souls gather for themselves, who with all their
powers and affection strive to fulfill perfectly the vows of
their profession. For I assure thee, my dearest, that
those who are perfect and punctual in their religious
obligations can equal and even surpass the martyrs in
merit.
446. My daughter, thou didst happily begin to gather
these blessings on the day when thou didst choose the bet-
ter part; but remember well that thou hast bound thy-
self to the eternal and mighty God, to whom the inmost
secrets of thy heart are manifest. If it is so base and de-
testable to deceive and disappoint men in just promises,
how vile is it to be unfaithful to God in the most just and
holy promises? As thy Creator, Preserver and Benefac-
tor, He claims thy gratitude ; as Father, thy reverence ;
as Spouse, thy fidelity; as a Friend, amicable intercourse;
as the most Faithful, He should excite thy faith and
hope; as the highest and eternal Good, He should possess
thy love; as the Almighty, thy entire subjection; as the
350 CITY OF GOD
most just Judge, He should rouse thy humble and holy
fear. Against all these allegiances and many others thou
committest perfidious treason, in failing or hesitating to
fulfill what thou hast promised according to thy profes-
sion. And if in all the nuns who have obliged themselves
to a spiritual life and conversation, it is such a monstrous
and terrible abomination to call themselves spouses of
Christ, while living as members and slaves of the devil,
how much more abominable will it be in thee, who hast
received more than they all, and therefore shouldst exceed
them in loving and exerting thyself to make a return
for such incomparable blessings and benefits.
447. Consider, O soul, how detestable this fault would
make thee in the sight of the Lord, of myself, and of the
angels and saints. For we all are witnesses of the love and
fidelity, which He has shown toward thee as a generous,
loving and faithful Spouse. Strive then with all thy
heart to avoid offending Him either in great or in small
things ; do not force Him to relinquish thee and to de-
liver thee over to the beastly disorders of sin; for thou
knowest that this would be a greater misfortune and
punishment than if He consign thee to the fury of the
elements, or to the wrath of all the wild animals, or even
to the rage of the demons. If all these were to execute
their anger upon thee, and if the world were to heap upon
thee all its punishments and insults, all would do thee less
damage than one venial sin against the God whom thou art
obliged to serve and love in all things and through all
things. Any punishment of this life is less dreadful than
sin ; for it ends with mortal life, but the guilt of sin, and
with it punishment, may be eternal.
448. In this life any punishment or tribulation fills
mortals with fear and dread, merely because it affects the
senses and brings them in close touch with it through
THE CONCEPTION 351
them, but the guilt of sin does not affect them nor fill
them with dread. Men are entirely taken up by that
which is visible, and they therefore do not look upon the
ultimate consequences of sin, which is the eternal punish-
ment of hell. Though this is imbibed and inseparably
connected wnth sin, the human heart becomes so heavy
and remiss that it remains as if it were stupefied in its
wickedness, because it does not feel it present in its
senses. Though it could see and feel it by faith, this it-
self remains listless and dead, as if it were wanting en-
tirely. O most unhappy blindness of mortals! O torpid
negligence, that holds so many souls, capable of reason
and of glory, oppressed in deceit! There are not words
or sentences sufficient to describe this terrible and tre-
mendous danger. My daughter, haste away, and fly with
holy fear such an unhappy state, and deliver thyself up to
all the troubles and torments of life, which pass soon,
rather than incur such a danger; for nothing will be want-
ing to thee, if thou do not lose God. To be convinced
that there are no small faults for thee and for thy state,
is a powerful means of saving thyself; fear greatly the
small things, for in despising small faults the Most High
knows, that the human heart invites other greater ones.
That is not a blameless love, which does not avoid all dis-
pleasure of the beloved one.
449. The order which religious souls should maintain
in their desires should be : that they strive to be punctual
in fulfilling the obligations of their vows and all the vir-
tues, which are connected w^ith them. Afterwards and
secondarily they may engage in voluntary practices, such
as are called supererogatory. This order some of the
souls, who are misled by the devil to entertain an indis-
creet zeal for perfection, are wont to invert; thus, while
they fail seriously in the obligations of their state, they
352 CITY OF GOD
are eager to add other voluntary exercises and practices,
which are usually of small use or benefit, or arise from a
spirit of presumption and singularity. They secretly de-
sire to be looked upon as distinguished in zeal and per-
fection, while in truth they are very far even from the
beginning of perfection. I do not wish to see in thee a
fault so reprehensible: but first fulfill all the duties of thy
vows and of community life, and then thou mayest add
what thou canst, according to thy ability and the inspira-
tion of divine grace. This together will beautify thy
soul and will make it perfect and agreeable in the eyes of
God.
450. The vow of obedience is the principal one in reli-
gion; for it implies a total renunciation and denial of one's
will. By it the religious renounces all jurisdiction or right
to say for himself : I will or I will not, I shall or I shall
not act : all this he throws aside and renounces by obe-
dience, delivering himself into the hands of his superior.
In order to fulfill this obligation it is necessary for thee
not to be wise in thy own conceit, not to imagine thyself
still mistress of thy likings, thy desires, or thy opinion ;
for true obedience must be of the quality of faith, so that
the commands of the superior are esteemed, reverenced
and put into execution, without any pretense of examina-
tion or criticism. Accordingly, in order to obey, thou must
consider thyself without opinion, without life of thy own,
without right of speech ; but thou must allow thyself to be
moved and governed like a corpse, alive only in order to
execute devotedly all that the superior desires. Never
discuss within thyself whether thou shouldst fulfill his
commands or not, but only consider how thou canst best
execute that which is commanded. Sacrifice thy own in-
clination and repress all thy appetites and passions; and
when by this efficacious determination thou art dead to
THE CONCEPTION 353
all the movements of self, let obedience be the soul and
the life of thy works. To the will of thy superior thou
must conform all thy own, with all its activity in all thy
words and works ; let it be thy prayer, to be able to quit
thy own being and receive another new one, so that noth-
ing be thine and all in thee be of obedience without con-
tradiction or resistance.
451. Remember that the most perfect manner of obey-
ing is to avoid offending the superior by showing that you
disagree with him. He should find a willing obedience,
convincing him that his commands are obeyed promptly,
without objection or murmur, either in words or by any
other signs. The superiors take the place of God, and he
who obeys his superiors, obeys the Lord himself, who is
in them and governs them and enlightens them, so that
their commands will be for the salvation of souls. The
contempt shown to superiors passes on to God himself,
who through them manifests and makes known his will
(Luke 10, 16). Thou must persuade thyself, that the
Lord moves them to speak, and that it is the word of the
Omnipotent himself. My daughter, strive to be obedient
in order that thou mayest speak of victories (Prov. 21,
28) ; do not fear to obey, for that is the secure path ; so
secure, that God will not bring to account the errors of
the obedient on the day of judgment, but He will rather
blot out other sins in consideration of the sacrifice made
in obedience. My most holy Son offered his precious suf-
ferings and death in special love for the obedient, and pro-
cured for them special rights in regard to mercy and
grace, and special privileges toward the success and per-
fection of all that is due under obedience. Even now, in
order to appease Him, He reminds the eternal Father of
his obedience unto death and unto the cross (Phil. 2, 8),
and so the Father is placated toward men. Because He
354 CITY OF GOD
was pleased with the obedience of Abraham and his son
Isaac, He held Himself obliged not only to save Isaac
from death, who showed himself so obedient, but to make
him the ancestor of the incarnate Word and to designate
him as the head and beginning of the great blessings.
452, The vow of poverty is a generous renunciation
and detachment from the heavy burden of temporal things.
It is an alleviation of the spirit, it is a relief afforded to
human infirmity, the liberty of a noble heart to strive
after eternal and spiritual blessings. It is a satiety and
abundance, in which the thirst after earthly treasures is al-
layed, and a sovereignty and ownership, in which a most
noble enjoyment of all riches is established. All this, my
daughter, and many other blessings are contained in vol-
untary poverty, and all this the sons of the world are
ignorant and deprived of, precisely because they are lov-
ers of earthly riches and enemies of this holy and opulent
poverty. They do not consider, although they feel and
suffer, the heavy weight of riches, which pins them to the
earth and drives them into its very bowels to seek gold
and silver in great anxiety, sleeplessness, labors and sweat,
as if they were not men, but wild beasts that know not
what they are suffering and doing. And if they are thus
weighed down before acquiring riches, how much more
when they have come into their possession? Let the count-
less hosts that have fallen into hell with their burden, pro-
claim it ; let their incalculable anxieties of preserving their
riches, and much more, let the intolerable laws, which
riches and those that possess them have foisted upon the
world, testify what is required to retain them!
453. If, on the one hand, possessions throttle the spirit
and tyrannically oppress it in its weakness, if they suppress
the soul's most noble privilege of following eternal goods
and God himself : it is certain on the other hand, that vol-
I
THE CONCEPTION 355
imtar}' poverty restores to man the nobility of his condi-
tion and, Hberating him from vile servitude and reinstat-
ing him his noble freedom and mastery of all things. The
soul is never more a mistress than when she despises them,
and only then has she the more firm possession and makes
the more excellent use of riches, when she gives them
away or leaves them of her own free will ; only then her
appetite for them is best satiated, when she does not care
to possess them. Then above all is the heart set free and
made capable of the treasures of the Divinity, for which
it is furnished by the Creator with almost infinite capacity.
454. My daughter, I wish thee to study diligently this
divine philosophy and science, which the world forgets,
and not only the world, but also many religious souls, who
have promised it to God. Great is the divine wrath on
account of this fault, and suddenly will the infringers
of this vow receive heavy and unexpected punishment.
By setting aside their voluntar}'- poverty, they have alien-
ated from themselves the spirit of Christ, my most holy
Son, and all that We have come to teach men in abnega-
tion and poverty. Although they do not now feel it, be-
cause the Judge delays and they enjoy the abundance
which they desire, yet in the judgment they will find them-
selves over\vhelmed and dismayed by the rigor of their
punishment, greater than they ever expected, considered
or imagined in their forget fulness of divine justice.
455. The temporal goods are created by the Most High
for the sole purpose of sustaining life; having attained
this end, the need of them ceases. And as this need is
limited, soon and easily satisfied, there is no reason that
the care for the immortal soul should be only fitful and
temporary, while the hunger after riches should be so per-
petual and unintermitting. as it has come to be among men.
It is the height of perv^erseness for man to mix up the end
356 CITY OF GOD
and the means in an affair so important and urgent, that
he devote all his time, all his care, all the exertion of his
powers and all the alertness of his mind to the life of his
body, of which he knows not the duration nor the end,
and that on the other hand, in many years of his existence
he spare for his poor soul only one hour, and that very
often the last and the worst one of his whole life.
456. Make use therefore, my dearest daughter, of the
true enlightenment, by which the Most High has un-
deceived thee in regard to such a dangerous error. Re-
nounce all affection or inclination for earthly things ; even
under the pretext of the necessity and poverty of thy con-
vent do not be oversolicitous to procure the things used
for the sustenance of life. In exerting ordinary care, let
it be such as will not disturb thee, when thou failest to
obtain what thou desirest, and let it be without inordinate
affection, even when thou seekest it for the service of God :
for thou must know, that thy love of God shall be so much
the less, as the number of things thou lovest together with
Him is greater. Great possessions thou must renounce as
superfluous ; thou dost not need them and it is a crime to
keep them for no purpose ; the little thou standst in need
of should also be esteemed but little; for it v/ould be a
great error to embarrass the heart with that which is of no
account and can hinder it much. If thou hast all that ac-
cording to thy judgment is necessary for human wants,
thou art not in reality poor; for to be poor properly and
strictly means to have less than what is necessary. Those,
to whom nothing is wanting, call themselves rich. To
possess more than is necessary creates unrest and affliction
of spirit ; to desire and look for what is not used will be a
poverty without quiet or satisfaction.
457. I require of thee such a freedom of spirit, as not
to attach thyself to anything, be it great or small, super-
THE CONCEPTION 357
fluous or necessary. Of the things that are necessary for
human hfe, accept only so much, as is needed to prevent
death or indecency. Let this latter be of the poorest and
of such as is patched up sufficient to cover thee, and in thy
nourishment seek what is most coarse, without satisfying
thy particular whims of taste, but asking for what is in-
sipid and tasteless, so that on purpose thou mayst be
served with what is disagreeable and be deprived of what
the appetite craves, thus seeking in all things the greatest
perfection.
458. The vow of -chastity includes purity of body and
soul; this is easily lost, and it is difficult, sometimes, ac-
cording to the manner of losing it, even impossible to re-
pair. This great treasure is deposited in a castle, which
has many portals and openings, and if these are not all
well guarded and defended, the treasure is without secur-
ity. iMy daughter, in order to presence perfectly this vow,
it is necessary to make an inviolable pact with thy senses,
not to use them, except for what is according to the dic-
tates of reason and for the glory of the Creator. After
once the senses are mortified, it will be easy to overcome
thy enemies, for only through them can they conquer
thee; for no thoughts can recur, or be awakened to activ-
ity, unless fomented and excited by the images and im-
pressions admitted through the exterior senses. Thou
shouldst not touch, nor look upon, nor speak to any per-
son of whatever condition, whether man or woman, so as
to let their images or resemblances find entrance into thy
imagination. This carefulness, which I enjoin, will be
the guard of the purity, which I require of thee. If on
account of charity or obedience thou must converse with
them (for only these virtues are sufficient causes for con-
versing with creatures j, do it with all gravity, modesty
and reserve.
459. In regard to thy own person live as if thou wert
358 CITY OF GOD
a pilgrim and stranger in this world; be poor, mortified,
laborious, loving the hardship connected with temporal
things, without expecting alleviation or enjoyment, as one
who is absent from her home and her country, enlisted to
work and battle against powerful foes. Since the flesh
is the center of weakness and danger, it is proper that
thou carefully resist thy natural likings, and through them
the temptations of the demons. Raise thyself above thy-
self, and seek a habitation far above all that is earthly in
order that thou mayest live under the shadow of Him,
whom thou desirest (Cant. 2, Z) and in his protection thou
shalt enjoy tranquillity and true refreshment. Deliver
thyself over with thy whole heart to his chaste and holy
love, without attending to any creatures, except in so far
as they may help and oblige thee to love and serve thy
Creator; in all other respects abhor them.
460. Although no virtue should be wanting in her, who
professes herself, and is entitled to call herself, a spouse
of Christ ; yet it is the virtue of chastity which makes her
most worthy and like to her Spouse. For it is chastity,
which makes her spiritual and withdraws her from earth-
ly corruption, elevating her to angelic life and to a certain
resemblance of God himself. This virtue beautifies and
adorns all the rest, raises the body to a higher existence,
enlightens the mind and preserves in the soul a nobility
above all that is corruptible. Because this virtue was in
an especial fruit of the Redemption, merited by my Son on
the Cross, where He paid for the sins of the world, there-
fore holy Scripture expressly mentions that virgins ac-
company and follow the Lamb (Apoc. 14, 4j.
461. The vow of enclosure is the wall of chastity and of
all virtues, the preserve where they are nourished and ex-
panded : it is a privilege granted by heaven to the spouses
of Christ in religion, dispensing them from the burden-
some and dangerous tribute, which the freedom of the
THE CONCEPTION 359
world pays to the ruler of its vanities. By this vow the
religious live as in a secure port, while other souls navi-
gate and are tossed about in the storms of a dangerous
sea. With so many advantages enclosure cannot be con-
sidered as a confinement in a narrow space, for in it are
offered to the religious the spacious fields of virtue, of the
knowledge of God, of his infinite perfections, of his mys-
teries, and of his benefits conferred on man. On such
spacious grounds can a nun, recreate and enjoy herself;
and only when she fails in this enjoyment, does she be-
gin to feel narrow confinement in this, the greatest free-
dom. For thee, my daughter, let there be no other play-
ground, nor do I wish to see thee confine thyself to so
narrow limits as even the whole visible world. Rise up to
the height of the knowledge and love of God, where there
are no limits or confines to hold thee, and where thou canst
live in unbounded liberty. From that eminence thou wilt
see how small, vile and despicable is all that is created,
and how much too narrow it is to hold thy soul.
462. To the necessary enclosure of the body add also
the restrictions of the senses, in order that, imbued with
fortitude, they may preserve for thee interior purity, and
through it keep ablaze the fire of the sanctuary (Lev. 6,
12) which thou must continue to nourish and watch lest it
be extinguished. In order to better guard the senses and
profit from the vow of enclosure, do not approach the por-
tals, nor the speaking-grate, nor the windows, and do not
even remember that the convent is furnished therewith,
unless it is required by some particular office or by obe-
dience. Desire nothing, and therefore strive after nothing,
and do not exert thyself for that, which is not allowed
thee to desire. In retirement, solitude and circumspec-
tion wilt thou find thy peace. Thereby wilt thou give me
pleasure, and merit for thyself copious fruit and the re-
ward of love and grace, which thou desirest.
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE PERFECTION IN WHICH MOST HOLY MARY PASSED
HER DAYS IN THE TEMPLE, AND OE THE EXERCISES
WHICH SHE WAS ORDERED TO UNDERTAKE.
463. Let us now return to our heavenly narrative.
After the most holy Child had begun to consecrate the
temple by her holy presence and daily life, She grew from
day to day in wisdom and grace, before God and before
men. The understanding which was given me of that,
which the powerful hand of God proceeded to work in
the heavenly Princess during these years, place me as it
were at the shore of a vast and unmeasured sea, leaving
me lost in astonishment and doubt as to how I am to em-
bark on such an immense ocean for the destined port. For
I am forced to leave much unsaid, and it is difficult to
describe even the smallest part. I will relate that, which
the Most High explained to me on one occasion in his
own words:
464. "The works of Her, who was to be the Mother of
the Godman, were altogether and in every way most per-
fect, and even to understand them exceeds the capacity
of all human creatures and of the angels. Her interior
acts of the virtues were so precious and of such great
merit and favor, that they surpass all that the seraphim
can do; and thou, my soul, wilt much better understand,
than be able to explain them with words of thy tongue.
But it is my will, that during thy pilgrimage in th)'- mortal
body thou place most holy Mary as the beginning of thy
joy, and that thou follow Her through the desert of re-
360
THE CONCEPTION 361
nunciation and abnegation of all that is human and visible.
Follow Her by a perfect imitation according to the meas-
ure of thy strength and of the light which thou receivest.
Let Her be thy guiding star and thy Directress : She will
manifest to thee my will and will let thee find my holy
law which is written in Her by the power of my right
hand : meditate upon it day and night. She by her inter-
cession will strike the rock of Christ's humanity (Num.
20, 11), in order that in this desert may abound the
waters of divine grace and light, so that thy thirst may be
quenched, thy understanding enlightened, and thy will
inflamed. She will be a pillar of light to illuminate thy
path (Exod. 13, 21) and a cloud to afford thee shade and
refreshment against the ardors of thy passions and the
fierceness of thy enemies."
465. "Thou wilt have in Her an angel, who will guard
and guide thee, and (Exod. 23, 21) lead thee away from
the dangers of Babylon and of Sodom, so that my pun-
ishment shall not reach thee. Thou wilt have in Her a
Mother to love thee, a Friend to counsel thee, a Mistress
to direct thee, a Protectress to shield thee and a Queen
whom thou canst serve and obey as a handmaid. In the
virtues, which this Mother of the Onlybegotten exer-
cised in the temple, thou wilt find a summary of all the
highest perfections according to which thou shouldst ar-
range thy life ; an exact and reliable copy of all her sancti-
ty ; the beauty of virginity, the loveliness of humility, the
utmost promptness in devotion and obedience, the stead-
fastness of faith, the certitude of hope, the fire of love
and the most complete outline map of all the wonders of
my right hand. According to this rule thou must regu-
late thy life, by this mirror thou must arrange and adorn
it, adding to the beauty and grace of a bride that wishes
to enter into the chamber of her Spouse and Lord."
25
362 CITY OF GOD
466. "If the nobility and condition of the teacher are
a spur to the disciple and tend to make his doctrine more
acceptable, who can attract thee more powerfully than thy
Instructress, who is the Mother of thy Spouse, chosen as
the most pure and holy among women, and without blem-
ish of sin, being at the same time a Virgin and the Mother
of the Onlybegotten of the eternal Father, the splendor of
his Divinity in his own essence? Hear then this sover-
eign Mistress; follow Her in close imitation, and meditate
without ceasing upon her admirable excellence and vir-
tues. Remember, that the life and conversation She led
in the temple is the original, which all the souls, that con-
secrate themselves after Her as spouses of Christ, must
copy within themselves." The above is the explanation
and instruction, which the Most High gave me in outline
concerning the life and conduct of the most holy Mary
in the temple.
467. But let us proceed now to a more particular de-
scription of her actions. After the vision of the Divinity,
described in the second chapter, after She had offered
Herself entirely to the Lord and delivered up to her in-
structress all that She possessed, being thus deprived of
all, entirely bound over to obedience, and hiding, beneath
the veil of these virtues, treasures of grace and wisdom
greater than that of the seraphim, She requested the priest
and her teacher to prescribe for Her an order of life and
to direct Her in the occupations, which She was to as-
sume. The priest and her instructress, having together
considered her petition with the aid of a special enlighten-
ment from on high and desiring to regulate from now on
the exercises of this heavenly Child of only three years,
called Her to their presence. The Princess of heaven re-
mained kneeling before them during this interview and,
although they bade Her rise, She begged most humbly to
THE CONCEPTION 363
be allowed to remain in this reverent position in the pres-
ence of the minister and priest of the Most High and of
her teacher, on account of their office and dignity.
468. The priest spoke to Her and said : "My Daugh-
ter, as a very young Child the Lord has drawn Thee to his
house and holy temple; be thankful for this favor and
seek to profit by it by striving hard to serve Him in truth
and with an upright heart. Acquire all the virtues, in
order that thou mayest return from this holy place pre-
pared and fortified against the troubles and the dangers of
this world. Obey thy Mistress Anne and commence early
to bear the sweet yoke of virtue, in order that thou mayest
find it more easy to bear during the rest of thy life"
(Thren. 3, 27). The sovereign Child answered: "Do
thou, my master, who art the minister and priest of God
and boldest his place, and thou my Mistress together with
him, command and instruct me in whatever I am to do so
that I may not commit any fault : this I beg of you, wish-
ing to obey you in all things."
469. The priest and her teacher Anne felt within them-
selves a great enlightenment and a divine impulse to at-
tend especially to this heavenly Child and to care for Her
more than the other maidens. Conferring with themselves
about this great esteem, with which they had been in-
spired, though ignorant of the mystery by wdiich it came
to them, they resolved to devote particular attention to
her guidance and assistance. But as their care could ex-
tend only to the exterior and visible actions, they were
far from suspecting the interior acts and inspirations of
her heart, for over these the Most High watched with
singular protection and favor. Thus the pure heart of the
Princess of heaven remained free to advance and grow in
interior vision, without losing one instant, in which She
did not reach what is highest and most excellent in virtue.
364 CITY OF GOD
470. The priest also gave Her a rule for her occupa-
tions and said : "My Daughter thou wilt assist at the ex-
ercises of divine praise and song in honor of the Lord
with all reverence and devotion, and always pray to the
Most High for the necessities of his holy temple and of
his people, and for the coming of the Messias. At eight
o'clock thou wilt retire for sleep and at the beginning of
dawn thou wilt arise in order to praise the Lord until the
third hour (this hour corresponds to our nine o'clock in
the morning). From the third hour until evening thou
wilt occupy thyself in some manual works, in order that
thou mayest be instructed in all things. At meals, of
which thou wilt partake after thy exercise, observe be-
fitting moderation. Then thou wilt go to hear the instruc-
tions of thy teacher; the rest of the day thou wilt en-
gage thyself in the reading of holy Scriptures, and in all
things be humble, affable, and obedient to the commands
of thy instructress."
47 L The most holy Child remained on her knees, while
She listened to the words of the priest and then asked his
blessing; having kissed his hand and the hand of her mis-
tress. She proposed in her heart to observe the order of
life assigned Her during her stay in the temple and as
long as they should not command her otherwise. And
She, who was the Mistress of sanctity, fulfilled their or-
ders as if She were the least of all the scholars. Her de-
sires and her most ardent love impelled Her to many other
external exercises, which they had not included in their
orders; but with regard to these She subjected Herself
to the minister of the Lord, preferring the sacrifice of a
perfect and holy obedience to the high dictates of her own
fervor. She knew, as Mistress of all perfection, that the
divine will is more surely fulfilled by the humble acquies-
cence of obedience, than in following the highest aspira-
THE CONCEPTION 365
tions to other virtues. By this rare example let souls, and
especially those in the religious state, learn not to follow
their own effervescences and whims contrary to obedience
and the will of their superiors ; for in the latter God makes
known to us his desire and pleasure, whereas in the form-
er we seek only our own fancies; in the superiors God
himself operates, in ourselves (if we work contrary to
their orders), temptations, blind passion and deceit is
active.
472. In the performance of works not commanded Her
our Queen and Lady distinguished Herself from other
maidens by asking her teacher to be allowed to ser\-e them
all and be engaged in the humble occupation of scrubbing
and cleaning the rooms and of washing the dishes. Al-
though this seemed extraordinary, especially in one of the
firstborn children, who were treated with greater consid-
eration and respect, yet the incomparable humility of the
heavenly Princess could not be restrained or confined by
any consideration of what was due to her position, but
reached out for the most humble occupations. With such
an eager humility She knew how to gain time and oppor-
tunity for doing such work, that She was beforehand in
assuming the tasks of others. By means of her infused
science She understood all the mysteries and ceremonies
of the temple; but She was anxious to learn them also by
study and practice, as if She were ignorant of them, nor
did She ever fail in any ceremony or duty, no matter how
small. She was most eager for humiliation and most sub-
missive in her selfcontempt ; every morning and evening
She asked the blessing of her teacher and kissed her hand,
and the same She did whenever She was ordered or was
permitted to perform works of humility. Sometimes,
when it was allowed Her, She kissed her feet with pro-
found humilitv.
366 CITY OF GOD
473. The sovereign Princess was so docile, so sweet
and friendly in her actions, so ready to serve and so eager
and diligent in humbling Herself, so anxious to show
kindness and esteem toward all the maidens in the temple,
obeying them as if each had been Her Mistress, that She
ravished all the hearts. By Her ineffable and heavenly
prudence She proceeded in all her actions in such a man-
ner, that She never lost an occasion for engaging in lowly
work, in humble service of her companions, and in the
fulfillment of the divine pleasure.
474. But what shall I, most vile creature, and what
shall all faithful children of the Catholic Church think,
when describing and considering such a vivid example of
humility? It seems to us great virtue, when the inferior
obeys the superior, the lowly yields to the exalted ; and we
esteem it a great humility, that the equal submit to his
equal. But when the inferior commands and the superior
obeys, when the Queen humbles Herself before her slave,
when the most holy and the most perfect of all creatures
submits to a mere wormlet, the Queen of heaven and
earth to the least of women, and when this is done with
all her heart and in all sincerity: who is not astonished
and confounded in his vapid pride? Who will not see, as
in a clear mirror, his unhappy presumption? Who can
convince himself, that he knows what true humility is,
much less exercise it, when he sees it exhibited, in its real-
ity and in its own element, the most holy Mary? Let us
souls, who live under the vow of obedience, approach
this light in order to perceive and correct the disorders,
which show themselves, whenever obedience to our god-
given superiors requires renouncement of our whims
and therefore becomes hard and troublesome. Here let
our hardness be crushed, let the proudest humiliate her-
self and be confounded in her shameful pride ; let her ban-
ish all presumption and let her not account herself obe-
THE CONCEPTION 367
dient and humble, because on certain occasions she has
yielded to the superiors, for she is yet far from thinking
herself inferior and beneath her companion, as Mary did,
who is superior to all.
475. The beauty, grace, elegance and courteousness of
our Queen were incomparable ; for all the natural graces
and gifts, which were hers in a most perfect degree, were
re-enforced by the splendor of supernatural or divine
grace, and effected a marvelous union of grace and beauty
in all her being and activity, enthralling all in love and
admiration of Her. Divine Providence moderated the out-
ward demonstrations of this affection, which those who
conversed with Her, would have shown, if they had been
left to the natural force of their spontaneous love of the
Queen. In eating and in sleep, as in all other virtues, She
was most perfect : She observed the measure dictated by
temperance ; never did She exceed, nor could She, rather
She deducted from the necessary. Although her curtailed
sleep did not interrupt her high contemplation, as I have
said before (No. 352), yet She would have gladly omitted
it altogether; in virtue of obedience however. She retired
to rest at the time appointed, and on her humble and poor
couch, strewn with the flowers of virtue (Cant. 1, 15)
and surrounded by the seraphim and the angelic host who
guarded and assisted Her, She enjoyed more exalted con-
templation (outside of beatific vision), and more ardent
ecstasies of love, than all of them together.
476. She divided her time and applied it with rare pru-
dence so as to give to each of her actions and occupations
its proper share. She read much in the sacred writings
of the ancients and, by means of her infused science, She
was so well versed in them and in all their profound mys-
teries, that none of them was unfamiliar to Her: for the
Most High made known to Her all their mysteries and
sacraments ; She treated and conversed about them in her
368 CITY OF GOD
conferences with the holy angels of her guard, familiariz-
ing Herself with them and asking about them with in-
comparable intelligence and great acuteness. If this sov-
ereign Mistress had written what She understood, we
would have many other additions to the sacred Scriptures ;
and we would be able to draw out of them a perfect under-
standing of those writings and the deep meanings and
mysteries of all those preserved in the Church. All the
plenitude of this science She utilized for the worship,
praise and love of God : to this She applied all knowledge
without allowing one ray of her divine enlightenment to
remain sterile or idle. She was most subtile in discourse,
most profound in her intelligence, most exalted and lov-
ing in her thoughts, most prudent in her choice and ar-
rangement, most efficacious and sweet in her operations,
and in all things She was a most perfect example and an
object of admiration for men and angels, and even, in a
way, for the Lord himself, who had formed Her altogeth-
er according to his heart and pleasure.
INSTRUCTION OF THE SOVEREIGN MISTRESS.
477. My daughter, human nature is imperfect and re-
miss in practicing virtue, and easily weakens in its exer-
cise ; for it continually seeks rest and evades labor with all
its might. When the soul listens to and extemporizes with
the animal and carnal part of its nature this latter will en-
gross and overcome the forces of reason and of the spirit,
and will reduce them to a dangerous and shameful slavery.
This disorder is abominable and much to be feared by all ;
but God abhors it without comparison more in his minis-
ters and in religious : they, as a matter of course, are sup-
posed to be perfect, and therefore are injured so much
the more seriously, if they do not come out victorious in
the conflict of the passions. By remissness in battle and by
their frequent defeats they live themselves into a paralyz-
THE CONCEPTION 369
ing and self-satisfied conviction of false security, content
with the performance of certain easy outward practices
of virtue, at the same time imagining (without the least
real advancement) that they are moving mountains. The
demon then introduces other distractions and temptations,
and on account of their small appreciation of the rules and
practices of religion, they begin to weaken in all of them,
esteem them as light and unimportant matter, and, living
on in their false security, come to lose the ver}^ perception
of true virtue.
478. I desire that thou, my daughter, guard against
this error. Remember, that a voluntary remissness in re-
gard to one imperfection prepares and opens the way for
others : these facilitate the commission of venial sins, these
again of mortal sins. Thus the descent is from one abyss
to another, until the bottom is found in the disregard of
all evil. In order to prevent such a misfortune it is neces-
sary to intercept from afar the current of sin, for the prac-
tice or ceremony, which seems but small, is an outwork
which keeps the enemy at a distance, while the precepts
and laws concerning more important matters are the for-
tress walls of conscience. If the demon can break through
and gain the outer defenses, he is in better position to gain
the inner ones. If then an opening is made in the bul-
warks by the commission of sin, although it may not be a
ver\' grievous one, he already has a better opportunity to
make an assault on the interior reign of a soul. As the
soul finds herself weakened by vicious acts and habits and
without strength of grace, she does not resist the attack
with fortitude, and the devil, acquiring more and more
power over her, begins to subject and oppress her with-
out opposition.
479. Consider therefore now, my dearest, how great
must be thy watchfulness, and how great is the necessity of
not falling asleep in the midst of so many dangers. Re-
370 CITY OF GOD
member that thou art a rehgious, a spouse of Christ, a
superior, taught and enhghtened, favored with so many
singular blessings. By these privileges and many others,
which thou wilt find connected with them, thou shouldst
gage thy solicitude, for thou owest a return and corres-
pondence in all of them to the Lord. Exert thyself to be
punctual in the fulfillment of all the rules and practices of
religion ; let there be no rule, no command, and no exer-
cise of perfection, which ever will seem small to thee;
despise or forget none of them ; observe them all with rig-
or, for in the eyes of God all is precious and of great im-
port when practiced according to his pleasure. It is cer-
tain, that He finds pleasure in seeing his commands ful-
filled, and is offended in seeing them set aside. Therefore
in all things consider, that thou hast a Spouse, whom thou
must please, a God, whom thou must serve, a Father,
whom thou must obey, a Judge, whom thou must fear, and
a Mistress, whom thou shouldst imitate and follow.
480. In order that thou mayest fulfill all this, thou
must renew in thy soul the strong resolution not to listen
to thy inclinations, not to yield to the negligence and
weakness of thy nature ; do not omit any practice or ex-
ercise on account of its difficulty, as for instance kissing
the ground, as thou has been accustomed to do according
to the custom of the religious. Both small and great per-
form with a loving constancy and thus thou wilt be pleas-
ing in the eyes of my Son and myself. In the works of
supererogation, after praying for a holy alacrity, ask ad-
vice of thy confessor and superior, and perform them with
a spirit entirely free of any predilection or selflove. That
which they direct, accept and write in thy heart, never
resting in its punctual fulfillment. If it is possible to avail
thyself of obedience and counsel, never decide for thyself
on anything, how good soever it may appear to thee ; for
the true will of God is always manifest in holy obedience.
CHAPTER V.
OF THE PERFECTIONS OF THE MOST HOLY MARY IN THE
PRACTICE OF VIRTUES IN GENERAL, AND OF HER AD-
VANCE IN THEM.
481. Virtue is a habit, which ennobles and adorns the
rational powers of the creature, and incHnes it toward
doing good. It is called a habit, because it is a quality
which is permanently connected with the faculties from
which it is not so easily separated, thereby differing from a
virtuous act, which does not remain, but passes away. It
creates an alertness and facility of action tending toward
the good; this quality is not inherent in the faculty itself,
for these faculties are indifferent toward good or evil.
Most holy Mary was adorned from the first instant of her
life with all virtues in a most eminent degree, and they
were continually augmented by new graces and by new
perfection in practice. All the virtues and merits, which
the hand of the Lord had showered upon Her, She
brought to their fullest perfection.
482. Although the faculties of this Lady and sover-
eign Princess were in no sense subject to disorder, nor to
any of the repugnance, which other children of Adam
must first overcome (for sin had not touched Her, nor the
leaven of sin. which draws toward evil and resists the
good) ; yet, by virtuous habits, these already well ordered
faculties were capable of being inclined more and more to
what was most perfect, holy and praiseworthy. More-
over She was a mere creature capable of suffering, and as
such She was also subject to pain, to the inclination to-
ward licit repose, and to the inertia, disinclining Her
371
Z72 CITY OF GOD
toward the performance of some supererogatory works,
which without sin She could have omitted. In order to
overcome this natural disinclination and repugnance
habits of the most exalted virtues assisted Her, so that this
Queen of heaven vanquished them without any weakness
and was in no way hindered in pursuing the utmost per-
fection in all her works.
483. On account of this beauty and harmony regarding
the habits of virtue, the soul of the most holy Mary was
so enlightened, ennobled and entirely bent on the highest
Good and last End of all creation ; so alert, prompt, effi-
cient and joyful in the practice of virtue, that, if it were
possible for our weak insight to penetrate into the interior
of her sacred soul, we would there find a more wonderful
beauty than that of all creatures combined and inferior
only to that of God himself. All the perfection of crea-
tures were in purest Mary as if in their own sphere and
center, and all virtues reached in Her the highest perfec-
tion, so that in no manner could it ever be said of Her :
this or that is wanting in order to make Her altogether
beautiful and perfect. Besides the infused virtues, She
possessed all the acquired ones, which She augmented by
practice and exercise. In other souls, one single act can-
not be called virtue, because many repeated acts are neces-
sary to constitute virtue ; but in the most holy Mary each
act was so efficacious, intense and consummate, that each
one was superior to the virtues of all the other creatures.
Accordingly, as her acts of virtue were so frequent and
did not fall short in the least point of the highest degree
of perfection, how incomparably excellent were not the
habits of virtue, which the heavenly Mistress attained by
her personal exertion? The end for which something is
done is that which makes an act virtuous as being well
done. In Mary, our Mistress, this end was God himself,
THE CONCEPTION 373
highest possible end of all activity; for She did nothing
through which She was not certain to advance the greater
glory and pleasure of the Lord and She looked upon this
as the motive and ultimate end of all her actions.
484. The two kinds of virtues, the infused and the ac-
quired, are founded upon a third kind, called natural vir-
tue; this is born within us as part of our rational nature
and is called synteresis. It is a certain knowledge of the
first foundations and principles of virtue, perceived by
the light of reason, and a certain inclination in the will,
corresponding to this light. Such for instance is the senti-
ment, that we must love those who do us good, or that
we should not do unto others, what we do not wish to be
done to ourselves, etc. The most holy Queen possessed
this natural virtue or synteresis in the most superlative
degree, so that from the natural principles She drew all
their consequences and relations up to the universal Good,
though ever so remote; for She reasoned from these first
principles with profoundest insight, and incredible swift-
ness and accuracy. To arrive at these conclusions, She
availed Herself of her infused knowledge of created
things, especially of the more noble and vast ones, of the
heavens, the sun, the moon and stars, the arrangement of
all the heavenlv bodies and of the elements. Takinsr in
their whole scope from beginning to end, She invited these
creatures to praise their Creator and commanded them,
as far as was in them, to raise and draw men toward their
God until they should arrive at the knowledge of the
Creator and Author of all.
485. The infused virtues are divided into two classes.
To the first belong only those, that have God himself for
their immediate object ; therefore they are called theologi-
cal virtues, being faith, hope, and charity. To the second
class belong all those other virtues, which have as their
374 CITY OF GOD
proximate object some means or some honorable good,
which advances the soul toward its last end, namely God.
These are called the moral virtues, because they are inti-
mately connected with established customs, and, although
they are many in number, they can be reduced to four,
which are called the cardinal virtues : prudence, justice,
fortitude and temperance. Of all these virtues and their
different species I will say farther on as much as I can in
order that I may make clear, how all of them and each
one in particular adorned the faculties of the most holy
Mary. At present I only mention in general, that none
of them was wanting in Her, and that all were possessed
by Her in the most perfect manner ; moreover they were
supplemented by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the fruits
of the Spirit, and the Beatitudes. God did not fail to in-
fuse into Her from the first moment of her Conception,
all of the graces and gifts conducive to the highest beauty
of the human soul and faculties ; and this was true of the
will as well as of the understanding, so that She had as
well the knowledge as the habit of the sciences. In order to
say it all in one word : all the good, which the Most High
could give Her as the Mother of his Son and as a mere
creature, He conferred upon Her in the most exalted de-
gree. In addition to all this her virtues continually aug-
mented : the infused virtues, because She added to them by
her own merits, and the acquired virtues, because She nur-
tured and multiplied them by the intensity of her merito-
rious acts.
INSTRUCTION OF THE MOTHER OE GOD AND MOST HOLY
VIRGIN.
486. My daughter, the Most High communicates to
all mortals without distinction the light of the natural
virtues; to those who dispose themselves by means of
THE CONCEPTION 375
them and by his graces, He concedes also the infused
virtues at the time of their justification. As He is the
Author of nature and of grace, He distributes these gifts
with greater or less abundance, according to his equity
and pleasure. In Baptism He instills the virtues of faith,
hope and charity, and with these, other virtues, by which
the creature is to co-operate and exert itself toward the
pursuit of Good, not only preserving within itself those
received in the sacraments, but acquiring others by its
own merits and exertions. This will be the greatest hap-
piness and blessedness of men, that they correspond to
the love, which the Creator and Redeemer shows them,
adorning their soul and, by the infused habits, familiariz-
ing themselves with the virtuous exercise of their own
will. But the failure to correspond to those inestimable
benefits brings on their greatest misfortune, because in
this disloyalty consists the first great victory of the demon
over man.
487. Of thee, my soul, I require that thou exercise
thyself and co-operate with the natural and the supernat-
ural, gifts of virtue with an unceasing diligence, and that
thou acquire the habits of other virtues, which thou
shouldst augment by the frequent exercise of those, which
God so liberally and graciously has communicated to
thee. The infused gifts, joined to the virtues nurtured
and attained by the soul itself, are an adornment and ac-
quisition of marvelous beauty, and ver\' pleasing in the
eyes of the Most High. I remind thee also, my dearest,
that the Almighty has been so generous in conferring
these blessings on thy soul and has enriched it with such
great treasures of grace, that if thou shouldst fall into
disgrace, it would be thy fault, and thou wouldst incur a
greater guilt, than many generations of men. Consider
and always remember the great nobility of virtue, how it
376 CITY OF GOD
so enlightens and beautifies the soul, that even if there
were no other gain or object, the desire of possessing it
for its own sake would be entirely justifiable. Now, that
which exalts virtue beyond all comparison is, that its final
end is God himself, for whom truth and perfection, which
are its constituents, must be primarily intended ; and as
soon as virtues attain this their end, namely God himself,
they will be the foundation of the happiness and blessed-
ness of the creature.
CHAPTER VI.
OF THE VIRTUE OE FAITH, AND HOW MOST HOLY MARY
PRACTICED IT.
488. In few words the holy Ehzabeth described the
greatness of the faith of most holy Mar}% when, as re-
ported to us by the evangelist Luke, She exclaimed :
"Blessed art thou for having believed, because the words
and promises of the Lord shall be fulfilled in Thee"
(Luke 1, 45). The faith of this great Lady must be esti-
mated from the greatness of her good fortune and beati-
tude, and from her ineffable dignity; for her faith in-
spired Her with so great and so excellent a belief in God,
that it merited a place inferior only to God himself. She
believed that Sacrament of all sacraments and mysteries,
which was to be fulfilled in her own Self. So great was
the prudence and the divine light in Mary our Mistress,
in believing this new and unheard of mystery of the In-
carnation, that it surpassed all human and angelic under-
standing, and that it could be properly estimated and
understood only in the divine Mind, the workshop of the
Most High, where in the power of his right hand all the
virtues of this Queen had their origin and completion. I
always find myself taken aback and stupefied, whenever
I speak of these virtues, and more particularly of the in-
terior ones; for though great is the light and intelligence,
which were given to me concerning them, yet too limited
are human terms to describe the concq^t and acts of faith,
which were engendered in the mind and spirit of Her,
v,ho was the most faithful of all creatures, or rather, of
377
378 CITY OF GOD
Her, who was greater in faith than all of them taken to-
gether. I will say what I can, acknowledging my inability
to say what I desire, and much more, what is due to the
reality.
489. The faith of the most holy Mary was an image of
.the whole creation and an open prodigy of the divine
power, for in Her the virtue of faith existed in the high-
est and the most perfect degree possible; in a certain *
manner and to a great extent, it made up for the want of
faith in men. The Most High has given this excellent
virtue to mortals so that, in spite of the carnal and mortal
nature, they might have the knowledge of the Divinity
and of his mysteries and admirable works : a knowledge
so certain and infallibly secure, that it is like seeing Him
face to face, and like the vision of the blessed angels in
heaven. The same object and the same truth, which they
see openly, we perceive obscured under the veil of faith.
490. One glance at the world will make us understand,
how many nations, reigns and provinces, since the begin-
ning of the world, have lost their claims to this great
blessing of the faith, so little understood by the thankless
mortals : how many have unhappily flung it aside, after
the Lord had conferred it on them in his generous mercy,
and how many of the faithful, having without their merit
received the gift of faith, neglect and despise it, letting it
lie idle and unproductive for the last end to which it is
to direct and guide them. It was befitting therefore, that
the divine equity should have some recompense for such
lamentable loss, and that such an incomparable benefit
should find an adequate and proportionate return, as far
as is possible from creatures; it was befitting that there
should be found at least one Creature, in whom the virtue
of faith should come to its fullest perfection, as an ex-
ample and rule for the rest.
THE COXXEPTION 379
491. All this was found in the great faith of the most
holy Mary and on account of Her and for Her alone, if
there had been no other creature in the world, it would
have been most proper, that God should contrive and
create the excellent virtue of faith ; for according to our
way of understanding, Mary by Herself was a sufficient
pledge to the divine Providence, that He would find a
proper return on the part of man, and that the object of
this faith would not be frustrated by the want of corres-
pondence among mortals. The faith of this sovereign
Queen was to make recompense for their default and She
was to copy the divine prototype of this virtue in its high-
est perfection. All the other faithful can measure and
gage themselves by the faith of this Mistress; for they
will be more or less faithful, the more or less they ap-
proach the perfection of her incomparable faith. There-
fore She was set as Teacher and example of all the be-
lieving, including the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles and
Martyrs and all that have believed or will believe in the
Christian doctrines to the end of the world.
492. Some one might ask the question : how can it be
possible, that the Queen of heaven exercised faith, since
She had clear visions of the Divinity many times, and
many more times was favored with abstract visions, which
likewise make evident that which is perceived by the un-
derstanding, as was said above (No. 229, 237) and will
be said over and over again later on. On account of its
uncertainty, the Apostle says, that faith is the substance
of the things that appear not ; by which is meant, that we
have no other presence or evidence of the real existence
of the things we hope for as the ultimate realization of
our happiness, than that which is obscurely and as in a
mirror presented to us by faith. It is the force of this
infused habit, drawing us to believe what we do not see,
380 CITY OF GOD
and the infallible certitude of what is believed, which pre-
sent those strong" motives for prompting the will to strive
after what it desires and hopes. According to this doc-
trine, it seems, that, if the most holy Virgin had ever en-
joyed the vision and possession of God (for these two are
one) She was deprived of the obscurity necessary for the
existence of faith in the things, which She had seen face
to face; especially if her understanding retained the
images of what She had seen in the intuitive or open vis-
ion of the Divinity.
493. But this experience was not only no hindrance to
the faith of the most holy Mary, but augmented and
raised it to its highest excellence. For the Lord wished,
that his Mother should be so wonderfully distinguished
in this virtue of faith (and likewise in the virtue of hope),
that She should therein surpass all that is given to ordi-
nary wayfarers. He wished, that her understanding, in
order to befit her position as the Mistress and Artist of
these great virtues be embellished at one time by the most
perfect acts of faith and hope, at another enraptured with
the vision and the possession (even if only temporary), of
the very End and Object of faith and hope. Thus She
was prepared by her personal experience and fruition to
teach the faithful to believe what She had herself seen and
enjoyed. To join these two things in the most holy soul
of Mary was easy to the power of the Almighty ; it was
due to her dignity as his most pure Mother, and so it must
be done : no privilege, however great, was unbecoming to
Her; and in Her none must be wanting.
494. It is true that the clear vision of a mystery is in-
compatible with the obscurity of the faith by which we
believe it, and the possession of a thing excludes the hope
of it. So most holy Mary, whenever these high mysteries
were shown to Her by evident intuition or intellectual ab-
THE CONCEPTION 381
stractions did not exercise the obscure acts or habits of
faith ; for on those occasions She could make use only
of her infused science. But the theological virtues of
faith and hope did not therefore remain idle all the time
of her life; for the Lord, in order to afford Her the
possibility of exercising them, suspended the influx and
activity of the clear and evident vision, thereby caus-
ing a cessation of the effects of infused knowledge, and
making room for the obscurity of faith and the Lord hid
himself from Her by taking away all clear evidence of
Himself from her mind. This happened in the most high
mystery of the Incarnation, as I shall relate in its place
(Part II, 119, 133).
495. It was not proper, that the Mother of God should
be deprived of the reward of the infused virtues of faith
and hope ; yet in order to gain this reward, it was neces-
sary to merit it; and in order to merit it, She must have
practiced these virtues in proportion to the reward. Just
as her merits were great beyond comparison, so the faith
in each and every one of the acts of this exalted Lady
were correspondingly great ; for She perceived and ac-
cepted explicitly all the truths of the Catholic religion
with the deepest and most perfect faith as a wayfarer.
Manifestly the understanding, as soon as it sees the prop-
er evidence for that which it perceives, does not wait for
the consent of the will in order to believe, for before it
can receive the command of the will, it has already been
compelled to accept the truth by its evidences. Therefore
the act of believing what cannot be denied, is not meri-
torious. When most holy ^lary assented to the message
of the archangel, She merited an ineft'able reward on ac-
count of the act of faith necessary to believe such a deep
mystery; and the same was true of other acts of faith,
whenever the Most High gave Her an opportunity for its
382 CITY OF GOD
exercise by withdrawing the infused knowledge. But
even when She apphed infused knowledge, She gained
great merit, on account of the love with which She util-
ized it, as I have said in another place (Supra 2o2, 381,
384).
496. Just as little did She use the gift of infused science,
when She lost the divine Child, at least not in order to
find the place where He tarried, though this was possible to
Her in many other things. She did not then make use of
the clear images of the Divinity ; also not at the foot of the
Cross, because the Lord restricted those visions and oper-
ations of her most holy soul which would have prevented
sorrow. It was becoming, that She should feel it and be
left to the strength of her faith and hope alone. The joy
occasioned by any of her visions or intelligences of the
Divinity (even if only abstractive), would naturally pre-
vent pain, unless God wrought a new miracle to unite
pain with joy. It was not proper that God should work
this miracle, since on the sorrows of the Lady depended
her merits, and the imitation of her divine Son was to be
commensurate with the graces and excellences of the
Mother. Therefore She sought the Child sorrowfully, as
She herself says, in faith and lively hope; and the same
virtues were also active in witnessing the Passion and
Resurrection of her beloved Son. During those times She
depended upon Catholic faith, which then became as it
were restricted and confined to Her, as its Mistress and
Foundress.
497. Three qualities or excellences must in particular
be mentioned in speaking of the faith of the most holy
Mary: its continuity, its intensity and the intelligence
with which it was exercised. The faith of Mary as men-
tioned above, was suspended only during those times,
in which She enjoyed the clearness of the intuitive, and the
THE CONCEPTION 383
evidence of the abstractive visions of the Divinity. Al-
though only the Lord himself, who dispensed them, could
know when She put into operation the one or the other
kind of acts, yet the most holy Queen, in making use of
the different kinds of spiritual activity, never allowed
Her understanding to remain idle for one instant of her
life, and from the first moment of her Conception She
never lost sight of God. For when She suspended faith,
it was because She was enjoying the clear vision of God
through the highest kind of infused knowledge, and as
soon as the Lord interrupted this clear vision, She re-
newed the memory of his presence by her faith. The in-
terchange and succession of these acts produced in the
mind of the most holy Mary an exquisite harmony, to
which the Most High called the attention of the angels,
when He said in the eighth chapter of the Canticles:
"Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the friends hearken :
make me hear thv voice."
498. In regard to the intensity or efficacy of the faith
of this sovereign Princess, it is certain, that it exceeded
that of the Apostles, Prophets and Saints taken together
and reached the highest degree possible in a creature. It
not only exceeded the faith of all true believers, but She
supplied the faith that was wanting in all those that have
not believed and She could bv Her faith enrich them all.
Thus Her faith remained firm, immovable and constant,
when the Apostles in the hour of the Passion fell away;
and if all the temptations, deceits, errors, and falsehoods
of the world were joined together, they could not prevail
or disturb the invincible faith of the Queen of believers.
She, its Foundress and Instructress, would overcome them
all and issue forth victorious and triumphant.
499. The intelligent love, with which She explicitly
believed all the divine truths, cannot be expressed in
384 CITY OF GOD
words, without misrepresenting its intensity. The most
holy Mary knew all that She believed and believed all
that She knew ; for the infused theological knowledge of
the credibility of faith's mysteries, and the understanding
of this credibility, existed in the wisest Virgin Mother in
the highest degree possible in a mere creature. Her
knowledge was kept in a constant actuality, and by means
of her memory, like that of an angel. She never forgot,
that which once She had learnt. This gift and faculty of
the understanding She kept in constant operation in order
to exercise her deep faith ; only at times, as already said,
God suspended faith by other acts of the mind (No. 492,
465). Except that She was not yet a comprehensor,
nothing was wanting in regard to her intelligence of the
matters of faith and in regard to the clear knowledge of
the Divinity. In this regard She held a position far above
that of all the wayfarers and She by Herself constituted
a class of such high degrees, as cannot be attained by any
other wayfarer to heaven.
500. And if the most holy Mary, while She exercised
the acts of faith and hope, was in what might be called
her most ordinary and therefore the lowest degree of
activity, and if in that state She excelled all the angels and
saints in merits by her faith and love, what must we say
of the excellence of her acts, her merits and her affections,
during the time in which She was exalted by the divine
power to the blessed state of highest intuitive vision and
clear knowledge of the Divinity? If this is beyond the
comprehension of the angelic mind, how can an earthly
creature ever hope to find words to describe it? I there-
fore can only express the mere wish, that all mortals
might come to a knowledge of the precious value of faith,
by learning it from this heavenly Original, in whom
THE CONCEPTION 385
faith attained its ultimate perfection and where it com-
pletely fulfilled the end for which it was created. Let the
infidels, the heretics, the pagans and idolaters approach
this Mistress of faith, most holy Mary, in order to be en-
lightened in their falsehoods and darksome errors and in
order to find the sure way toward the last end of their
being. Let also Catholics approach and learn to under-
stand the copious rewards of this virtue ; let them ask the
Lord with the Apostles to increase their faith (Luke 7,
5). Not that they ever can reach the faith of most holy
Mary, but let them ask for the desire to imitate Her and
follow Her, for by her faith She teaches us, and by her
merits She helps us to obtain this virtue.
501. Saint Paul calls the patriarch Abraham the father
of all the faithful (Rom. 6, 11), because he first received
the promise, hoping against hope (Rom. 4, 18) . He
wishes to extol the excellence of the Patriarch's faith, be-
cause he believed the promise of the Lord, that Sarah, his
wife, would bear him a son though she was sterile, and,
according to the laws of nature, incapable of concep-
tion ; moreover, in offering his son as a sacrifice at God's
command, he relinquished at the same time the prospect
of the countless offspring, which the Lord had promised
to Him. This all, and many other sayings and promises
of the Lord were made impossible of fulfillment according
to the laws of nature, yet Abraham believed, that the di-
vine power could execute them in a supernatural manner.
Therefore he merited to be called the Father of all the
believers and to receive the seal of his faith which justi-
fied him, namely circumcision.
502. But our supereminent Lady, Mar\'. possesses
much greater rights and titles to be called the ^lother of
386 CITY OF GOD
faith and of all the faithful. In her hand is hoisted the
standard and ensign of faith for all the believers in the
law of grace. First indeed, according to the order of
time, was the Patriarch and consequently he was ordained
to be the father and head of the Hebrew people: great
was his belief in the promises concerning Christ our Lord,
and in the works of the Most High. Nevertheless in-
comparably more admirable was the faith of Mary in all
these regards and She excels him in dignity. Greater
difficulty and incongruity was there that a virgin should
conceive and bring forth, than that an aged and sterile
woman should bear fruit ; and the patriarch Abraham was
not so certain of the sacrifice of Isaac, as Mary was of the
inevitable sacrifice of her most holy Son. She is the One,
who perfectly believed and hoped in all the mysteries, and
She shows to the whole Church, how it must believe in
the Most High and in the works of his Redemption.
Having thus understood the faith of Mary our Queen, we
must admit Her to be the Mother of the faithful and the
prototype of the Catholic faith and of holy hope. And in
order to conclude this chapter, I will add, that Christ, our
Redeemer and Teacher, as He was a comprehensor and
as his most holy soul enjoyed the highest glory and the
beatific vision, had no necessity or occasion for faith, nor
could He in his own actions give us an example of this vir-
tue. But what the Lord could not do in his own Person,
He did in the person of his most holy Mother, constitut-
ing Her as the Foundress, the Mother and the example
of faith in his evangelical Church. And thus on the day
of universal accounting this sovereign Mistress and
Queen shall in an especial manner assist her most holy
Son in the judgment of those, who, in spite of such an ex-
ample, have not believed during their stay on earth.
THE CONCEPTION 387
INSTRUCTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, OUR LADY.
503. My daughter, the inestimable treasure of the vir-
tue of divine faith is hidden to those mortals who have
only carnal and earthly eyes ; for they do not know how
to appreciate and esteem a gift and blessing of such in-
comparable value. Consider, my dearest, what the world
was without faith and what it would be today if my Son
and Lord would not preserve faith. How many men whom
the world has celebrated as great, powerful and wise have
precipitated themselves, on account of the want of light of
faith, from the darkness of their unbelief into most
abominable sins, and thence into the eternal darkness of
hell ! How many kingdoms and provinces, being blind
themselves, follow these still more blind leaders until
they together fall into the abyss of eternal pains! And
they are followed by the bad Christians, who having re-
ceived the grace and blessing of faith, live as if they had
it not in their hearts.
504. Do not forget, my dear friend, to be thankful for
this precious jewel which the Lord has given thee as a
dower and a wedding gift of thy espousal with Him, in
order to draw thee to the bridal chamber of his holy
Church and afterwards to have intercourse with Him in
the eternal beatitude. Continually exercise this virtue of
faith, for it places thee near to thy last end, after which
thou strivest, and brings thee near to the object of thy de-
sires and thy love. Faith teaches the sure way of eternal
salvation, faith is the light that shines in the darkness of
this mortal life and pilgrimage; it leads men securely to
the possession of the fatherland to which they are way-
faring, if they do not allow it to die out by infidelity and
sinfulness. Faith enlivens the other virtues and serves as a
nourishment of the just man and a support in his labors.
388 CITY OF GOD
Faith confounds and fills with fear the infidels and the lax
Christians in their negligence; for it convinces them in
this world of their sin and threatens punishment in the
life to come. Faith is powerful to do all things, for noth-
ing is impossible to the believer; faith makes all things
attainable and possible. Faith illumines and ennobles the
understanding of man, since it directs him in the darkness
of his natural ignorance, not to stray from the way, and
it elevates him above himself so that he sees and under-
stands with infallible certainty what is far above his pow-
ers and assures him of it no less than if he saw it clearly
before him. He is thus freed from the gross and vile nar-
row-mindedness of those who will believe only what they
can experience by their own limited natural powers, not
considering that the soul, as long as it lives in the prison
of this corruptible body, is very much circumscribed and
limited in its sphere of action by the knowledge drawn
from the coarse activity of the senses. Appreciate, there-
fore, my daughter, this priceless treasure of the Catholic
faith given thee by God, watch over it and practice it in
great esteem and reverence.
CHAPTER VII.
OF THE VIRTUE OF HOPE, AND HOW THE VIRGIN OUR LADY
PRACTICED IT.
505. The virtue of hope naturally follows upon that of
faith, since it is ordained as its complement. For if the
Most High instills in us the divine light of faith, and if
He wishes us, without regard to differences of position
and of age, to come into the infallible knowledge of the
Godhead and of his mysteries and promises, it is for no
other reason than that each one of us, knowing Him as
our last end and object, and learning of the means of
arriving at it, may engender within himself the vehement
desire to reach that goal. This desire, which naturally
carries with it the inclination to attain this highest Good,
is called hope and is infused into our will or natural ap-
petite in Baptism. For it belongs to the proper activity
of the will to strive after eternal felicity as its greatest
good and blessing, to make use of divine grace for ob-
taining it and for overcoming the difficulties which will
occur in its pursuit.
506. How excellent the virtue of hope is, may be
learned from the fact that its ultimate object is God him-
self, our highest Good. Although it perceives and seeks
Him as something that is absent, yet at the same time it
seeks Him also as something that is attainable through
the merits of Christ and through the proper activity of
the one that hopes for it. The acts and operations of this
virtue are rec^ulated bv the lisrht of divine faith and bv
the prudent reliance on the infallible promise of the Lord.
389
390 CITY OF GOD
Thus hope, by means of the reasoning- powers, maintains
the middle road between despair and presumption, not per-
mitting man to presume on his own powers for the at-
tainment of eternal glory or to set aside meritorious activ-
ity on his own part, nor allowing fear or despondency to
hinder Him from exerting himself toward it on account
of the Lord's promises and assurances of final success. In
this security, guaranteed by divine faith in all that per-
tains to these things and applied in prudent and sound
reasoning, man hopes without fear of being deceived and
yet also without presumption.
507. From this it can be seen that despair may arise
both from a want of believing what faith promises and
also from a failure to apply to one's own self the se-
curity of the divine promises, in which one believes, but
which one falsely supposes unattainable in one's own re-
gard. Between these two dangerous extremes hope di-
rects us in the safe way, maintaining us in the confident
belief on the one hand that God will not deny to our-
selves what He has promised to all, and on the other,
that the promise was not made unconditionally and ab-
solutely, but requires our exertion and effort to merit its
fulfillment as far as it is possible with the help of divine
grace. For if God has made man capable of the vision
of eternal glory, it was not just that any one should at-
tain to such felicity by sinful abuse of the very faculties
with which he is to enjoy it; but that he use them in such
a way as to befit the end for which he received them. This
proper use of the faculties consists in the exercise of the
virtues, which prepare man for the enjoyment of his
highest good, and in seeking it already in this life by the
knowledge and love of God.
508. Now, in most holy Mary this virtue of hope
reached the highest degree possible both in regard to it-
THE CONCEPTION 391
self and in reg-ard to all its effects, circumstances and
qualities ; for the desire and the striving after the last
end, which is the vision and the fruition of God, was in
Her more active than in all other creatures ; moreover
this most faithful and prudent Lady did nothing to im-
pede these aspirations, but followed them up with all the
perfection possible in a creature. Not only did She pos-
sess the infused virtue of faith in the promises of our
Lord and its concomitant intensity of hope ; but over and
above all this She enjoyed beatific vision, in which She
learnt to know by experience the infinite truth and fidelity
of the Most High. And although She did not have occa-
sion to make use of hope, while enjoying the vision and
possession of the Divinity ; nevertheless, after again re-
suming Her ordinary state. She was impelled by the mem-
ory of what She had enjoyed, to hope and strive after it
with so much the greater force and avidity. Thus the
longings of the Queen of all virtues constituted a certain
kind of new and particular kind of hope.
509. There was another reason wliy the hope of the
most holy Mary excelled the hope of all the other faith-
ful joined together: namely the greatness of the pros-
pective reward and glory due to this sovereign Queen,
for reward is after all the real object of hope and in Her
it was to be far above all the glory of the angels and
saints; that is, proportionate to the knowledge of this
glory assured to Her in God was also her expectation and
desire to acquire it. Moreover in order that She might
attain the highest summit of this virtue, and that She
might worthily hope for all that the powerful arm of
God would work in Her, She was befittingly furnished
with the light of a supreme faith and all the helps and
gifts pertaining thereto, and with an especial assistance of
the Holv Ghost. What we have said of the virtue of
392 CITY OF GOD
hope in the blessed Virgin in regard to its principal ob-
ject must also be affirmed in regard to its secondary ob-
jects, for the gifts and mysterious blessings enjoyed by
this Queen of Heaven were so great that they could not
be amplified even by the arm of the Almighty God in a
mere creature. Now as the great Lady was to receive
these favors through the medium of faith and hope, these
virtues were proportionately great, and therefore the
greatest that could possibly fall to the lot of a handiwork
of God.
510. Moreover if, as has already been said of the
virtue of faith, the Queen of heaven was endowed with
an explicit knowledge and faith of all the revealed truths
and of all the mysteries and operations of the Most High,
and if the acts of hope corresponded to these acts of
faith, who, except the Lord himself could ever compre-
hend how many and how excellent were the acts of hope,
which the Mistress of virtues elicited, since She was aware
of her own eternal glory and felicity and of that, which
was to be wrought in the rest of the evangelical Church
by the merits of her most holy Son? For the sole sake of
Mary, as we have before said of her faith, God would
have created this virtue, and for her sake He would have
conferred it, as He really did, on the whole human race
(No. 491).
511. On this account the holy Spirit calls Her the
Mother of beautiful love and holy hope (Eccli. 25, 24) ;
for just as She became the Mother of Christ because She
furnished Him with the flesh of his body, so the holy
Spirit made Her the Mother of hope, because by her es-
pecial concurrence and cooperation She conceived and
brought forth this virtue for the faithful of the Church.
Her prerogative of being the Mother of holy hope was
connected with and consequent upon Her being the
THE CONCEPTION 393
Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord, for She knew that in
her Son She would lay the foundation of all the security
of our hope. On account of these conceptions and births
of the most holy Queen, She obtained a certain dominion
and sovereignty over those graces and the promises of
the Most High, which depended upon the death of Christ,
her Son, for their fulfillment. When She of her own
free will gave conception and birth to the incarnate Word
She turned them all over to us and thereby gave birth to
our hope. Thus was accomplished in its legitimate sense
that which the Holy Ghost said to Her: "Thy plants are
a paradise" (Cant. 4, 13) ; for all that came forth from
Mary, the IMother of grace, was to constitute our happi-
ness, our paradise, and our certain hope of being able to
attain them.
512. The Church has a celestial and true father in
Jesus Christ, for He engendered and founded it by his
merits and labors, and enriched it with his graces, his
example and his doctrines, as was to be expected from
the Father and Author of such an admirable work.
Therefore it was befitting that the Church should have
also a loving and kind Mother, who with sweet regale-
ment and caresses, and with maternal solicitude and as-
sistance, should nurse the little children at her breast (I.
Cor. 3, 2), nourish them with tender and delicious food
as long as they cannot in their infancy bear the food of
the robust and strong. This sweet ^lother was most holv
Mary, who since the beginning of the Church, when the
law of grace was born in her yet tender children, began
to give forth the sweet milk of her enlightened teaching
as a merciful Mother; and who will continue to the end
of the world thus to assist and intercede for the new chil-
dren, which Christ our Lord engenders every day by his
merits and at the petitions of this ^lother of mercy. She
27
394 CITY OF GOD
it is for whom they are born, who raises and nourishes
them. She is our sweet Mother, our Hfe and our hope,
the original of the blessings, which are ours. She is the
example which we are to imitate, She is our assurance
in the pursuit of the eternal happiness, merited by her
most holy Son, She furnishes the assistance necessary for
its final attainment.
INSTRUCTION OF THE MOST HOLY VIRGIN MARY.
513. My daughter, as with two indefatigable wings,
my spirit raised its flight by means of faith and hope
toward the endless and the highest good, until it rested
in union with God through intimate and perfect love.
Many times I tasted and enjoyed the clear vision and
fruition of Him; but as these blessings were not contin-
uous in my state of pilgrimage, I supplied their place by
the exercise of faith and hope. They remained with me
during my visions and fruitions and immediately became
active during their absence, preventing any cessation in
my high aspirations. The effects of these virtues, the
love, the efforts and the desires which they excited in my
soul toward the possession of the eternal fruition of God,
cannot be adequately comprehended by the created mind
in its present limited state, but they shall be known in
God and cause eternal praise in those who will be worthy
to see Him in heaven.
514. Thou, my dearest, having received such great en-
lightenment concerning the excellence of this virtue and
the works which I practiced by its help, shouldst work
without ceasing to imitate me according to the assistance
of divine grace. Renew continually and confer within
thyself the promises of the Most High and, with un-
shaken confidence in their divine truthfulness, raise thy
THE CONXEPTION 395
heart to ardent desires and longings for their attainment.
In this firm hope thou canst assure thyself of arriving
through the merits of my most holy Son, at the blessed
cohabitation in the celestial fatherland and at the com-
panionship of all those who there see in immortal glory
the face of the Most High. With its help thou canst
raise thy heart above earthly things and fix thy mind
upon the immutable Good, to which thou aspirest; all
visible things will appear to thee burdensome and dis-
agreeable, and thou wilt esteem them as vile and con-
temptible ; nothing wilt thou strive after except that most
lovable and delightful object of thy desires. In my soul
there was an ardor of hope, such as is possible only to
those who have apprehended its object in faith and tasted
it by experience ; no tongue and no words can describe
or express its intensity.
515. Besides, in order to spur thee on still more, con-
sider and deplore with heartfelt sorrow the unhappiness
of so many souls who are images of God and capable of
his glory, and who through their own fault are deprived
of the true hope of enjoying it. If the children of the
holy Church would pause in their vain occupations and
would take time to consider and weigh the blessings of
unerring faith and hope, which separates them from
darkness and which, without their merit, distinguishes
them from the followers of blind unbelief, they would
without doubt be ashamed of their torpid forgetfulness
and repudiate their vile ingratitude. But let them be un-
deceived, for most terrible punishments await them ; they
are most detestable in the sight of God and the saints,
because they despise the blood shed by Christ for the
very purpose of gaining them these blessings. As if all
were only a fiction they treat with contempt the blessings
of truth, hastening about during their whole life without
396 CITY OF GOD
spending even one day, and many of them not even an
hour, in the consideration of their duties and of their
danger. Weep, O soul, over this lamentable evil, and
according to thy power work and pray for its extirpation
through my most holy Son. Believe me that whatever
exertion and attempt thou makest toward this purpose
shall be rewarded by his Majesty.
CHAPTER VIII.
OF THE VIRTUE OF CHARITY IN THE MOST HOLY MARY,
OUR LADY.
516. The most excellent virtue of charity is the Mis-
tress, the queen, the mother, the life and beauty of all the
other virtues ; charity governs, moves and directs them to
their ultimate and true end, charity leads them on to their
ultimate perfection, preserves them and makes them
grow, enlightens them and beautifies them, gives them
life and efficacy. If the other virtues confer each their
measure of perfection on creatures, charity gives them
perfection itself and brings them to their full complement.
Without charity all is of small value, obscure, languid,
lifeless and unprofitable, not being endowed either with
the essence or the appurtenances of true vitality. Char-
ity is kind, patient, meek, without emulation, without
envy, without offensiveness, desires not to acquire, but
readily distributes all, is the cause of all good and con-
sents not to evil; as far as it is concerned (I Cor. 13, 4)
it is the fullest participation in the true and ultimate
Good. O Virtue of virtues and greatest treasure of
heaven! Thou alone hast the key of paradise! Thou
art the dawn of eternal light, the sun of eternity's day,
the fire which purifies, the wine which inebriates with
new delights, the nectar which rejoices, the sweetness
which satiates without surceasing, the chamber of rest
for the soul, a bond so intimate that it makes us one with
God (Joan 17, 21), with the same bond that unites the
eternal Father to the Son, and Both to the holy Spirit.
397
398 CITY OF GOD
517. On account of the nobility of this most excellent
of all virtues, our God and Lord, according to the Gos-
pel of St. John, wished to honor Himself or wished to
honor it, by calling Himself Charity (I John 4, 16).
There are rnany reasons why the Catholic Church attrib-
utes the divine perfections of omnipotence to the Fa-
ther, of wisdom to the Son, and of love to the Holy
Ghost. For the Father is the beginning, the Son is en-
gendered of the Father through the divine intelligence,
and the Holy Ghost proceeds from Both through the
will. But the name of Charity and the perfection which
it implies is attributed to the Lord himself without dis-
tinction of Persons, since the Evangelist says indiscrim-
inately : "God is charity." This virtue in the Lord has
the distinction of being the terminus or end of all his
operations ad intra and ad extra. For on the one hand
all the divine processions (which are the operations of the
Godhead with Himself or ad intra), terminate in the re-
ciprocal union and love of the three divine Persons, and
thus they constitute an indissoluble bond of unity over
and above the indivisibility of the divine Essence, proper
to it as being one and the same God. On the other hand
the works ad extra, namely the creatures, are an off-
spring of divine charity and are ordained towards it, so
that, issuing from that immense sea of divine bounty,
they also return by charity and love to the source from
whence they sprang. It is peculiar to the virtue of char-
ity in opposition to all the other virtues and gifts, that it
is a perfect participation of a divine virtue ; it is born of
one source, is directed back to the same, and is more
adapted to that eternal source than all other virtues.^ If
we call God our hope, our patience, or our wisdom, it is
because we receive them from his hand, and not because
these perfections are in God as they exist in ourselves.
THE CONCEPTION 399
But we call God our charity, not only because we re-
ceive it from the Lord, and because He communicates it
to us, but because He himself is essential charity, and the
overliow of this divine perfection, which we represent to
ourselves as a form and attribute of his Divinity, re-
dounds in our souls, transforming it more perfectly and
abundantly than any other virtue.
518. Other admirable qualities of charity are mani-
fested in the relation between God and ourselves; for as
this virtue is the source of our being-, and afterwards our
highest end, God himself, it is also the spur and the ideal
of our affection and love of the Lord. For, if the knowl-
edge that God is in Himself the infinite and highest good
is not sufficient to move and incite us to love Him, at least
the knowledge that He is our own greatest good, should
draw and oblige us toward his love. If we could not
know how to love Him before He gave his Onlybegotten
for us (I John 4, 10), we certainly cannot have an ex-
cuse for not loving Him after that sacrifice. For al-
though we might be exonerated for not being able to
merit such a benefit, yet now, after we have received this
sacrifice without our merit, we can certainly not be ex-
cused for not acknowledging the favor.
519. The example which divine Charity furnishes for
our own, manifests still more the excellence of this vir-
tue, although it is difficult for me to explain my percep-
tion of this excellence. When Christ Our Lord founded
his most perfect law of love and grace, He exhorted us
to be perfect imitators of our heavenly Father, who al-
lows his sun to rise over the just and the unjust w^ithout
distinction (Matth. 5, 45). Such doctrine and such an
example only He himself, the Son of the eternal Father,
could give to men. Among all the visible creatures there
is none like the sun to compare with divine charity and
400 CITY OF GOD
to show us how to imitate it ; for this most noble star,
from its very nature, without hesitation and entirely ac-
cording- to its own innate tendency, distributes its light
in all directions, and without distinction to all who are
capable of receiving it, and on its part never denies or
suspends its benevolent activity. And this it does with-
out desiring- acknowledgment, without imposing any
obligation on any one, without asking for benefits or re-
quiring any return, without finding in the objects of its
enlightening bounty any previous goodness to move and
draw it towards them. Nor does it expect any profit in
the communication of its own blessed light, in which all
participate and share.
520. At the consideration of the noble attributes of
this created charity, who will not recognize the signa-
ture of the uncreated Charity which it follows? And who
is not ashamed of failing to imitate it? Who can claim
to have true charity in himself without copying its pro-
totype? It is true our charity and love cannot create
goodness in the object of its affection, as is done by the
uncreated Charity of the Lord ; nevertheless, even if by
charity we cannot make good those whom we love, we
can offer the goods of love to all without looking for the
advancement of ourselves and without proceeding to de-
liberate and study whom we are to love and benefit in the
hope of being repaid. I do not wish to be understood as
saying that love is not free, nor that God was in any
way forced to create through natural necessity. All the
works ad extra, which are those of Creation, are free acts
of God. The example contained for us in divine Charity
points in another direction, namely, that the free will
must not twist or do violence to the inclination and the
impulse of charity; but in imitation of the highest Good,
which in no way hinders the divine will in its inclination
THE CONCEPTION 401
to do good, the human will must allow itself to be moved
and impelled by the inclination of charity to communicate
its goodness. For in this manner the divine Will is im-
pelled to distribute the rays of its inaccessible light to all
creatures according to the capacity of each one, without
any preceding goodness, service or benefit on their side,
and without hope of such return afterwards, as the divine
Goodness stands in need of nothing.
521. This is in part the nature of Charity in its divine
original, God. Outside of God himself, however, we will
find it in the fullest perfection possible to a mere creature
in none other than most holy Mary, and in Her we find
the model after which we are more immediately to copy
our own charity. It is evident that the light proceeding
from the uncreated Sun of charity, where it is contained
without limit or circumscription, communicates itself to
all creatures even the most remote according to an order
and measurement adjusted in proportion to the proximity
or distance of each from the divine source. And this
order manifests the fullness and perfection of the divine
Providence; for without it, this Providence would show
a certain defect, confusedness and discord in the creatures
as far as the participation of his goodness and love is
concerned. The first place after God himself, in the dis-
tribution of divine Charity, was due to that Soul and that
Person, who was at the same time uncreated God and
created man; for the highest grace and participation of
love naturally was to be found where existed the closest
and most intimate union with God, as it existed and as it
will exist forever in Christ our Lord.
522. The second place is due to his most holy Mother
Mary, in whom charity and divine love found its resting
place in an especial manner. For. according to our way
of apprehending, the uncreated Charity could not be
402 CITY OF GOD
quieted until It should find a creature to which It could
communicate Itself in such great plenitude, that the love
and affection of the whole human race should in its en-
tirety be reproduced in that Creature alone. It was in-
tended that this chosen Creature should in Herself be
endowed with the gifts of charity, without the shortcom-
ings and defects common to the rest of mortals infected
with sin, so that She by Herself would be able to supply
the balance of creation and make for it the greatest pos-
sible return of love. Mary alone was chosen among all
creatures to imitate the Sun of justice" in charity (Cant.
6, 9), and faithfully to copy this virtue from its Original.
She by Herself knew how to love more ardently and per-
fectly than all the rest of creatures combined, to love God
entirely for his own sake, purely, intensely and without
defect, and also loving creatures for God's sake and in a
manner similar to Him. She alone adequately followed
the impulse of charity and her generous inclination of
loving the highest Good as highest Good, without any
side intentions ; and of loving the creatures on account of
their participation in God, without the thought of a re-
turn or reward of her love. And in perfect imitation of
the uncreated Charity, Mary by her charity was able
and knew how to love in such a way as to make bet-
ter that which is loved ; for by her love She made better
heaven and earth and all things that exist outside of God.
523. If the charity of this great Lady were put in the
balance with that of all the men and angels, hers would
outweigh theirs by far; for She by Herself exceeded
them all in her knowledge of the essence and qualities of
the divine Charity and consequently only Mary knew
how to imitate It with adequate perfection and above all
the powers of intellectual creatures. In this excess of
love and charity She repaid and satisfied the debt of in-
THE COXCEPTION 403
finite love due to the Lord from creatures, as far as He
could demand a return of them, for their return was not
to be infinite in value, that being impossible. Just as the
love and the charity of the most holy soul of Jesus Christ
was in its greatness proportionate to the hypostatic union,
so the love of Alary was great in proportion to the ex-
cellence conferred upon Her by the eternal Father, when
He appointed Her as the one, who as Mother was to con-
ceive and bear his Son for the salvation of the world.
524. Thence we understand that all the gifts and the
blessings of creatures depend in some manner on the love
and charity of the blessed Virgin toward God. In Her
alone it was possible that divine Charity could exist in
this world in its highest and ultimate perfection. She
paid the whole debt of charity at a time when all men
were unable to pay or even to understand the greatness
of their debt. She, by her most perfect charity, obliged
the eternal Father to sacrifice his most holy Son for Her-
self and in Redemption of the whole world; for if Mary
had loved less and if her charity had been defective, the
proper preparation for his Incarnation would have been
wanting. But as soon as any creature was found, which
resembled God so closely as She, it was, so to say. but a
natural consequence that He should descend to Her as
He did.
525. All this is the meaning of the words of the Holy
Ghost when He calls Mary the mother of beautiful love
(Eccli. 24, 24), as has already been explained correspond-
ingly in regard to hope. These words to Mary signify:
Mary is the Mother of Him. who is our sweetest love.
Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer, who became the most
beautiful among men by a divine, infinite and uncreated
beauty, and by a human nature which was to be without
guilt or blemish and to which no beauty of grace that
404 CITY OF GOD
could be communicated by the Divinity, was wanting (I
Pet. 2, 22). She is also the Mother of beautiful love,
for She alone engendered in her soul the perfect love
and charity and the most beautiful affection. All the
rest of the creatures combined could not attain the beauty
and faultlessness of her Charity for theirs was not worthy
to be called absolutely beautiful. She is the Mother of
our love; for She drew it toward the earth for us; She
cultivated it for us; She taught us to know and practice
it; there is no other creature in heaven or on earth that
could be such a teacher of this beautiful love for men or
angels. Therefore all the saints are but rays of this sun,
and streamlets flowing from this ocean ; so much the bet-
ter will they know how to love, the more they participate
in this love and charity of most holy Mary, and in as far
as they succeed in imitating and copying it more exactly.
526. The sources of this charity and love of our prin-
cess Mary were her profound knowledge and wisdom,
derived as well from her infused faith and hope, as also
from the gifts of science, intellect and wisdom given to
Her by the Holy Ghost ; but the greatest of all the sources
of her love were the intuitive and abstractive visions of
the Divinity. Through all these mediums She reached
the highest knowledge of the uncreated Charity and
drank of it at its very fountain, and as She thus learned,
how God was to be loved for his own sake and the crea-
ture for the sake of God, also how to practice and exe-
cute this love with the most intense and fervent desire.
Moreover, as the power of God found no impediment or
hindrance, no inadvertence, ignorance or imperfection,
nor any tardiness of the will in this Queen, it could oper-
ate in Her according to his pleasure. This was not pos-
sible in other creatures, since in none of them it found
the same disposition as in most holy Mary.
THE CONCEPTION 405
527. In Her was the fulfillment of that great natural
and divine precept : "Thou shalt love thy God with thy
whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole
strength." ]\Iary alone satisfied this obligation and debt
for all men, which in this life and before seeing God they
neither knew nor could ever fulfill entirely. This Lady
fulfilled it more perfectly during her pilgrimage than
the saints even in the state of beatitude. Moreover She
also satisfied the intentions of God in regard to this pre-
cept, namely that it remain not unfruitful and as it were
frustrated on the part of wayfaring men ; for most holy
Mary by Herself sanctified and fulfilled it entirely for all
of them, supplying by her charity all that was wanting in
the fulfillment of this precept among men. And probably
if God had not foreknown that Mary our Queen would
be among the number of the mortals, He would not have
given this command in this form. But on Her account
He was pleased to give it ; to Her we owe not only this
command of perfect charity, but also the adequate fulfill-
ment of it among men.
528. O most sweet and most beautiful ^Mother of beau-
tiful love and charity ! Let all the nations know Thee, let
all generations bless Thee, and let all the creatures mag-
nify and praise Thee! Thou alone art the perfect One,
the beloved One. the chosen Mother of uncreated Char-
ity. It formed Thee and selected Thee to shine like the
sun in thy most beautiful and most perfect love (Cant. 6,
9) ! Let all us miserable children of Eve approach this
sun in order to be enlightened and inflamed. Let us ap-
proach this Mother in order to be born again in love.
Let us approach this Teacher in order to be taught the
love, affection and charity which is without defect. Love
is a disposition which is pleased and satisfied with the
thing loved. Affection is a selection and separation of
406 CITY OF GOD
the beloved from other of the same kind, and charity
imphed in addition to these, a high appreciation and es-
teem for the goodness of the beloved. All this we will
learn from the Mother of true love, who is called by that
name precisely because her love possesses all these quali-
ties. In Her we learn to love God for his own sake, rest-
ing satisfied in Him with all our heart; to give Him a
separate place in all our love from all that is not God, for
loving Him, together with other things, only diminishes
our love of God. We learn to appreciate Him and esteem
Him above gold and above all precious things, for in
comparison with Him all precious things are of no value,
all beauty is ugliness, and all that is great and estimable
in carnal eyes, becomes contemptible and valueless. Of
the effects of this love of the most holy Mary, this whole
history treats and of them heaven and earth are full.
Therefore I will not stay to describe more particularly
what no human tongue, nor words of men or angels can
convey.
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN MK BY THE QUEEN OE HEAVEN.
529. My daughter, if I desire in maternal affection,
that thou follow me and imitate me in all the other vir-
tues, then more especially do I make known and declare
to thee my desire to see thee follow me in the virtue of
charity, for this is the end and the crowning glory of all
other virtues. I desire that thou exert thy utmost
powers to copy in thy soul, with the greatest perfection,
all that thou hast learnt of my charity. Light up the
lamp of thy faith and reason in order to find this drachm
of infinite value, and after thou hast (Luke 15, 8) found
it, forget and despise all that is earthly and corruptible.
In thy own mind consider again and again, ponder and
THE CONCEPTION 407
take heed of the infinite reasons and causes that make
God lovable above all other things. In order that thou
mayest be sure that thou lovest Him perfectly and truly,
search within thyself for the following- signs and effects
of that love; whether thy thought and meditation dwell
continually on God, whether his commands and counsel
find in thee no repugnance or remissness, whether thou
fearest to offend Him, whether thou seekest immediately
to appease Him after having offended Him, whether thou
grievest to see Him offended and rejoicest to see Him
served by all creatures, whether thou desirest and art de-
lighted to speak continually of his love; see whether thou
delightest in the memory of his presence, whether thou
grievest at thy forgetfulness of Him and at his absence
from thee, whether thou lovest what He loves, and ab-
horrest what He abhors, whether thou seekest to draw
all men towards his friendship and grace, whether thou
prayest with confidence ; see whether thou receivest with
gratitude his benefits, whether thou dost not waste them
but rather turnst them to good account for his honor and
glory, whether thou strivest to extinguish in thyself all
the movements of the passions, which retard thee or
hinder thee in thy loving aspirations and in thy works of
virtue.
530. All these and many more are the signs of greater
or less charity in the soul. When charity is ardent and
strong, it will be especially careful not to suffer the forces
of the soul to remain idle, nor to consent to any blem-
ish, because it will immediately consume and wipe it out.
It will not rest until it can taste the highest Good of its
love. For without it, this love droops, is wounded and
dies. It thirsts after that wine which inebriates the heart,
causing a forgetfulness of all that is corruptible and pass-
ing (Cant. 5, 1). And as charity is the mother and the
408 CITY OF GOD
root of all virtue, its fecundity will immediately show it-
self as soon as it has found a place in the soul ; it will fill
it and adorn it with the habits of the other virtues, and
engender them one after another by establishing the prac-
tice of them, as the Apostle says (I Cor. 13, 4), The
soul that is in charity not only feels the effects of charity
in itself, but through charity it is secure of being loved
by God; through this divine love, it enjoys the reciprocal
effect of God's indwelling, so that the Father, the Son and
the Holy Ghost will come and live in it as their temple,
and this is a blessing which no words and no example can
properly express in this mortal life.
531, The right order of this virtue is to love God above
all the creatures, then to love oneself, and him who is
nearest to oneself, namely, our neighbor. God must be
loved with the whole understanding, without deceit, with
the whole will, without reserve or division, with the
whole mind, without forgetfulness, without diminution,
without negligence or remissness. The motive of char-
ity in loving God is none else than God Himself ; for He
must be loved for his own sake, being the highest Good
and most perfect goodness and holiness. Loving God
for such motives causes the creature to love itself and the
neighbor and itself ; for both belong to one and the same
God, from whom they derive their origin, their life and
activity. He that loves God truly for Himself will also
love all that is of God and all that in some way partici-
pates in his goodness. Therefore charity looks upon the
neighbor as a work and a participation of God and makes
no distinction between friend or enemy. Charity looks
only upon that which is of God and which pertains to
Him in others, no matter whether the neighbor is friend-
THE CONCEPTION 409
ly or hostile, a benefactor or a persecutor. It attends
only to the difference in the participation of the divine
and infinite goodness and according to this standard it
loves all in God and for God.
532. All other kinds of love, such as loving creatures
for less exalted motives, hoping for some kind of re-
ward, advantage or return, or loving them under cover
of disorderly concupiscence, or with a mere human and
natural love, even if it should spring from naturally vir-
tuous and well ordered motives, are not infused charity.
As it is usual in men to be moved by these partial excel-
lences and for selfish and earthly ends, there are few who
embrace and appreciate the nobility of this generous vir-
tue and who exercise it with proper perfection. For they
seek even God and pursue Him, for the sake of temporal
blessings, or for spiritual benefits and pleasures. I de-
sire that thou, my daughter, drive out of thy heart all
these disorderly loves, and that thou live only in well
ordered charity, to which the }*Iost High has inclined thy
desires. If thou so many times reaffirmest that this
virtue is so beautiful, so pleasing and so worthy of being
sought and esteemed by all creatures, apply thyself to
know it in its full excellence ; and having come to under-
stand its value, set thyself to purchase this incomparable
gem by forgetting and extinguishing in thy heart all
love that is not the perfect love. Love no creatures ex-
cept for God, and for what thou seest in them as coming
from God and belonging to Him, in the same manner
as a bride loves all the servants and connections of the
house of her bridegroom because they are his. Forget
to love anything not referable to God or not lovable on
his account, nor love in any other way except as I have
asked thee or the Most High has commanded thee to love.
28
410
CITY OF GOD
Thou wilt also know whether thou lovest with pure char-
ity, by thy behavior towards friends and enemies, the
naturally agreeable and disagreeable, the polite and the
impolite, those that possess or do not possess natural ad-
vantages. All this sort of distinction does not come from
pure charity, but from the natural inclinations and pas-
sions of the appetites, which thou must govern, extin-
guish and eradicate by means of this sublime virtue.
CHAPTER IX.
OF The virtue oe prudence as practiced by the most
HOLY QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
533. As the acts of the understanding go before the
acts of the will and direct them on the way, the virtues
pertaining to the exercise of the understanding also pre-
cede those of the will. Although the proper sphere of the
intellect is to recognize the truth and comprehend it,
thereby perhaps causing a doubt whether it can be classed
as a virtue (for virtue of its very nature consists in tend-
ing toward and practicing the good) ; yet it is certain that
there are also intellectual virtues, tlie practice of which
is praiseworthy in proportion as they conform to reason
and truth ; for these are the proper good of the intellect.
When therefore it proposes truth to the will and instructs
the will to follow its guidance, then this act of the intel-
lect is theologically good, when matters of faith are con-
cerned, and morally good when, as for instance in the
exercise of prudence, the operations of the appetites are
regulated. On this account the virtue of prudence comes
first as pertaining to the proper use of the understanding.
It is as it were the root of the other cardinal and moral
virtues ; for these others are praiseworthy when accom-
panied by prudence, and faulty and reprehensible when
devoid of it.
534. The sovereign Queen Mary possessed this vir-
tue of prudence in supreme excellence and in proportion
to the height of her other virtues already described and
yet to be described. On account of her wonderful pru-
411
412 CITY OF GOD
dence the Church calls her the "Virgin most pru-
dent." As this virtue governs all the others and as this
whole history treats of the exercise of these virtues in the
most holy Mary, all of what little I can say and manifest
of this sea of prudence will be nothing else than a con-
tinual implied reference to her prudence, and all her
works will show the splendor of this virtue. Therefore
I will speak here more in general of the prudence of the
sovereign Queen, exhibiting the different parts and qual-
ities of prudence as taught us by teachers and saints, in
order that we may thereby obtain a better understanding
of it in her regard.
535. Of the three kinds of prudence called political,
purgative and that of a soul already purified or perfect,
none was wanting in our Queen and they were hers in the
highest degree. For, although all her faculties were most
pure and perfect, or in other words, had no need of being
purified from any faultiness or opposition to virtue, yet
they could be improved as regards the natural knowledge
and in as far as the progress from goodness and holiness
to greatest goodness and holiness was concerned. This
must be understood of course only of her own works, as
far as they are compared with each other, and not in as
far as they are brought into comparison with the works
of others. For in comparison with the works of other
saints there was no great or small in this City of God,
whose foundations are above the holy mountains. But
in her own works, since they grew in charity and grace
from the first moment of her Conception, some of them,
though in themselves most perfect and superior to all
the works of the saints, were less perfect in comparison
with other acts of a later period in her life.
536. Political prudence in general is that which pon-
ders and weighs all that is to be done and reduces it to
THE CO\XEPTION 413
the dictates of reason, eschewing all that is not just and
good. The purgative or purifying prudence is that which
disposes and selects all things in such a way as to rectify
the heart by divine contemplation toward all celestial
things. The prudence of the purified or perfect soul is
that which directs and centres all the affections upon the
highest Good, as if no other object existed. All these
kinds of prudence existed in most holy Mary in order
that She might distinguish and know without fail, direct
and accomplish without remissness or tardiness, what-
ever is most perfect and excellent in the fulfillment of her
works. Never did the judgment of this sovereign Lady
in the whole range of her activity, dictate or attach itself
to anything which was not the best and most proper. No
one ever equaled Her in disposing and directing all visi-
ble or w^orldly matters so as to make them useful for di-
vine contemplation. Therefore having perceived them so
intimately and in so many different lights of knowledge,
She was united in such a manner to the highest Good by
divine love that no preoccupation or hindrance ever pre-
vented Her from resting completely in the centre of her
love.
537. It is manifest also that all the component parts
of prudence existed in their entirety in our Queen, The
first is memory, which retains in the mind things already
experienced in the past. From past experiences are drawn
many rules for proceeding and acting in the present and
in the future; because prudence concerns itself with par-
ticular actions, and as there cannot be a general rule for
all of them, it is necessary to draw special rules from
many past examples and experiences stored up in the
memory. Our Sovereign was so endowed with it that
She never experienced the natural defect of forgetful-
ness ; for that which once She had understood and learnt.
414 CITY OF GOD
was ever present and immovable in her memory. In re-
gard to this blessing most pure Mary transcended the
whole human and even the angeHc order, because God
made Her a summary of all that was most perfect in both
of them. She contained in Herself all the essential good-
ness of the human nature and all that was most perfect
and the farthest removed from blemish in the accidental
qualities of man; and many of the natural and many of
the supernatural gifts of the angelic nature She possessed
by special privilege and in a higher degree than the an-
gels themselves. One of these gifts was a fixed and con-
stant memory, incapable of forgetting what She had
learnt. In regard to her memory She excelled the angels
in the same proportion as She excelled them in the virtue
of prudence.
538. Only in one respect this blessing was limited in a
mysterious manner by the humble purity of the most holy
Mary : if the images of all things were to be fixed in the
memory, it was unavoidable, that also much that springs
from the vileness and sinfulness of creatures, should fill
its sacred precincts. Therefore the most humble and
pure Princess besought the Lord that the full gift of
memory should not extend itself toward the preservation
of these images, but only in so far as was necessary for
the exercise of fraternal charity towards her neighbor
and for the practice of other virtues. The Most High
granted this petition more in testimony of her most hum-
ble purity than on account of any danger, to which these
images could expose Her; for the sun is not harmed by
the impurities which it may shine upon, nor are the an-
gels disturbed by our vileness, since to the pure all things
are pure (Tit. 1, 15). But in this regard the Lord of the
angels wished to privilege his Mother m.ore than them;
He wished to tolerate in her memory only those images
THE CONCEPTION 415
which pertain to the highest sanctity, honesty, cleanliness
and the most amiable purity, and what was most pleasing
to Himself. Thus her most holy soul, in regard to these
things, was without blemish, and her memory was
adorned with the representations of all that is most pure
and desirable.
539. Another component part of the virtue of pru-
dence is the intelligence which principally concerns itself
with what is to be done in the present moment. It is a
correct and profound understanding of the reasons and
the principles, according to which virtuous actions are to
be performed. It reduces this understanding into action,
not only in so far as to give a comprehensive knowledge
of the excellence of virtue in general, but also in so far
as to direct our activity in the proper channel for per-
forming there and then each particular work in a vir-
tuous and perfect manner. Thus when I have a deep un-
derstanding of the precept : "Do nothing unto others
what thou wishest not to be done unto thyself," I will at
once know that I shall not do this or that particular in-
jury, because it would seem a wrong if done to me or
some one else. This kind of intelligence most holy Mary
possessed in so much the higher degree than all the rest
of creatures, as She exceeded them in knowledge of the
moral virtues, in profound penetration regarding infal-
lible rectitude, and in participation of the divine right-
eousness. In the light of this intelligence, derived from
the splendors of the Divinity itself, there could be no de-
ceit, no ignorance, no doubt, no mere opinions, as is the
case with other creatures. For She understood and pene-
trated all the truths, both in their general and their par-
ticular bearings, and especially as far as their practical
application in the matter of virtue is concerned, seeing
them as they are in themselves. Thus it must be held
416 CITY OF GOD
that this part of prudence was hers in an unequalled full-
ness and plenitude.
540. The third component part of prudence is called
providence. It is the most important of all the parts of
prudence, for in human actions it is most important that
the present be well ordered toward the future, so that all
things may be rightly adjusted. This is effected by provi-
dence. Our Lady and Queen practiced this part of pru-
dence in a degree even more excellent (if possible) than
all the other parts of prudence; for besides the vivid
memory of the past and the profound understanding of
things present, She had an unerring knowledge and un-
derstanding of things to come, to which her providence
extended itself. With this knowledge and infused science
She so arranged all happenings that they were a prepara-
tion for the future and nothing could come upon Her un-
awares or by surprise. All things were by Her foreseen,
considered and weighed beforehand in the sanctuary of
her mind, illumined by infused light. Thus without a
shade of doubt or uncertainty, such as is the lot of other
men, She awaited the events before their arrival with
unerring certitude, so that for all things She found a
place, a time and opportune circumstances directing them
all toward the Good.
541. These three parts of prudence comprehend the
activity of the intellect in the practice of this virtue, for
they secure the good order of our actions in regard to
past, the present and the future. However, when we con-
sider this virtue under another aspect, namely in so far
as it perceives the proper means for the practice of virtue
and directs the will to employ them rightly, the teachers
and philosophers mention five other points or different
kind of activities of prudence, namely ; docility, reason-
ableness, cleverness, circumspection and caution. Docil-
THE CONCEPTION 417
ity is the good judgment and readiness of the creature
to be taught by others better informed than itself, and a
disposition not inflated by its own knowledge, and not
resting unduly on its own insiglit and wisdom. Reason-
ableness, or the power of drawing correct inferences,
consists in reasoning without error from generally un-
derstood principles to the particular course of action in
each single case. Cleverness is a diligent attention and
practical application of our activity to that which hap-
pens, enabling us to judge rightly and follow the best
course of action, just as docility is attention to the teach-
ings of others. Circumspection is a just consideration of
the circumstances connected with each good work ; for it
is not sufficient that the end of our actions be good, but it
is necessary to consider the opportuneness of the circum-
stances. Cautiousness is a discreet attention to the dan-
gers or impediments, so that when they occur under cover
of virtue or unexpectedly, we may not be found rash or
unprepared.
542, All these complements of prudence existed in the
Queen of heaven without any faultiness and in their full-
est perfection. Docility belonged to ^lary as the legiti-
mate daughter of her incomparable humility; for though
She had received the plenitude of science from the mo-
ment of her Immaculate Conception, and though She was
the teacher and the mother of true wisdom. She neverthe-
less allowed Herself to be taught by her elders, by her
equals and by those below Her. esteeming Herself as
lower than all of them and seeking to be a disciple of
those who in comparison to Her were most ignorant.
This docility She exhibited during all her life like a most
simple dove, disguising her wisdom with a greater pru-
dence than that of the serpent (Matth. 10, 16). As a
Child She accepted instruction from her parents, from
Vol. 1—27
418 CITY OF GOD
her teacher in the temple, from her companions, and later
on from her spouse saint Joseph, from the Apostles ; from
all creatures She wished to learn, being a prodigy of hu-
mility, as I have said in another place (No. 406, 472).
543. The reasonableness or prudent judgment of most
holy Mary can be easily inferred from what saint Luke
says of Her: that She kept and pondered in her heart
the mysterious events in the life of her most holy Son.
This pondering was the reasoning which She employed,
comparing cause with cause in the order in which they
occurred and happened, and by this comparison She
formed for Herself most prudent counsels, which enabled
Her to act with the perfection peculiar to Her. Although
She very often understood many things without the dis-
course of reasoning by a simple intuition and in-
telligence which exceeded all human understanding; yet,
as far as the actual exercise of the virtues was concerned,
She applied this process of reasoning from the abstract
principles of virtue to her own practice of them.
544. In regard to cleverness and diligent appHcation
of the rules of prudence the sovereign Lady also was
highly privileged ; for She was not weighed down by the
heavy load of human passion and corruption, and thus
She felt not our languors and tardiness in her faculties,
but She was always alert, ready and very skillful in no-
ticing and attending to all that was necessary to come to
a correct and wholesome conclusion in the performance
of virtuous actions, and in striking, readily and quickly,
the happy medium of virtue in her doings. Equally ad-
mirable was most holy Mary in her circumspection; for
all her works were so accomplished that no point of per-
fection was missing, and all of them stand forth in the
highest perfection possible. And as the greater part of
her actions were works of charity towards the neighbor,
THE CONCEPTION 419
and all of them most opportune; therefore in all her
teaching, admonishing, consoling, beseeching and correct-
ing of her neighbor, the efficacious sweetness of her rea-
sonable and pleasing manners met with its full success.
545. The last complement of prudence, called cautious-
ness, which meets and evades the impediments of virtue,
w^as necessarily also possessed by the Queen of angels in
a greater perfection than by these spirits; for her exalted
wisdom and the love which accompanied it, incited Her
to such caution and foresight, that no event which might
be an impediment in the exercise of the most perfect vir-
tue, found Her unprepared and unprovided with a coun-
ter remedy. And since the enemy, as will be described
later on, not being able to find any hold in her passions,
exerted himself so much in placing elaborate and unheard
of obstacles in her way, the most prudent Virgin had oc-
casion to practice this caution many times, thereby excit-
ing the wonder of the Apostles. On account of the cau-
tious discretion of the most holy Mary the demon pur-
sued Her with a terrified wrath and envy, burning with
a desire to know by what power She foiled such power-
ful machinations and cunning snares as he devised in
order to hinder or draw Her away. For in every instance
he was vanquished and had to be witness of the most
perfect exercise of all that is virtuous in all her under-
takings and works.
546. After having mentioned and described the parts
and complements of prudence, let us also examine the dif-
ferent species or kinds, into which it can be divided, ac-
cording to the object or the ends to which it is applied.
Prudence can be used either in our own actions and af-
fairs, or for the affairs of others, and thus arise two
kinds of prudence, directing the activity which concerns
ourselves, and that which concerns our neighbors. That
420 CITY OP GOD
which governs one's own particular activity is called
enarchic prudence, and in reference to the Queen of
heaven, it is not necessary to say more in proof of her
having- exercised this kind of prudence, than what has al-
ready been said above about the manner in which She
regulated her own life. The prudence which regulates
the government of others is called pollyarchic ; this is sub-
divided into four kinds, according to four different ways
of governing others. The first kind is that which facili-
tates the government of countries by just and useful
laws ; it is proper to kings, princes and monarchs and of
all those whose authority is supreme. The second kind
is called the political prudence, which has its name from
the fact that it teaches the right government of cities or
republics. The third is called economical prudence,
which shows how to govern and manage domestic afifairs
of the family or particular homes. The fourth is military
prudence, which is adapted to prosecution of wars and
management of armies.
547. None of these different kinds of prudence was
wanting in our great Queen. All were given to Her as
habits in the instant of her Conception and of her sancti-
fication so that no grace, no virtue, no perfection which
might exalt and beautify Her above all creatures, might
be wanting in Her. The Most High made Her an archive
and depositary of all his gifts, an example to all the rest
of creation thus giving an exhibition of his power and
greatness, so that in the whole heavenly Jerusalem it
might be known what He could and would do for a mere
creature. And in Mary these sublime habits of virtue did
not lie idle, for all of them She exercised in the course of
her life on many occasions as they offered themselves.
As regards economical prudence it is well known how in-
comparable was the government of her domestic affairs.
THE CONXEPTION 421
when living with her spouse Joseph and with her most
holy Son ; for in his education and service She acted with
such prudence as was befitting the most occult mystery
which God entrusted to men, as I shall show in another
place, according to my understanding and ability,
548. She exercised also the governing or monarchical
prudence as the sole Empress of the Church, teaching, ad-
vising and directing the sacred Apostles in the primitive
Church, thus helping to lay its foundation and to initiate
the laws, rites and ceremonies most necessary and use-
ful for its propagation and establishment. Though She
obeyed the Apostles in particular matters, and consulted
especially saint Peter as the vicar of Christ and the head
of the Church, and saint John as her chaplain, yet they
and all the Christians asked her advice and followed it in
the general and particular matters relating to the govern-
ment of the Church. She also taught the Christian kings
and princes who approached Her for counsel ; for many
of them sought to know Her after the Ascension of her
most holy Son into heaven. Among them especially can
be mentioned the three Kings of the East, when they
came to adore the Child. She explained and instructed
them in all that they must do for their states, with such
light and clearness that She was their star and guide on
the way to eternity. They returned to their country en-
lightened, consoled and astonished at the wisdom, pru-
dence and sweetness of the words which they had heard
from the mouth of a tender Maiden. In witness of all
the high praise which this Queen deserved in this regard.
it is enough to hear her own words : "By me, kings reign,
and law-givers decree just things, by me princes rule"
(Prov. 8, 13).
549. Neither was the political prudence wanting in
Her; for She taught the republics and nations, and the
422 CITY OF GOD
primitive Christians in particular, how to proceed in pub-
He acts and government of their country, how they must
obey kings and secular princes, their prelates and bishops,
how they are to convoke councils, issue the definitions
and decrees resolved upon. Even military prudence found
a place in the sovereign Queen, for also in this direction
She was consulted by some of the faithful, and She in-
structed and taught them what was required to carry on
a just war with their enemies, so as to conduct them ac-
cording to the justice and pleasure of the Lord. Here
can also be mentioned the courage and prudence with
which this powerful Lady vanquished the prince of dark-
ness, teaching us thereby how we must battle with him ;
for She overcame him by an exalted wisdom and pru-
dence, greater than that shown by David in his combat
with the giant, or by Judith with Holofernes, or by Es-
ther with Aman (I Kings, 17, 50, Judith 13, 10, Esth.
7, 6). Even if all these kinds of prudence had not been
needed for the actions mentioned, yet it was proper, that
this Mother of wisdom, aside of their being befitting
ornaments of her most holy soul, should possess them on
account of her being the Mediatrix and sole Advocate
of this world. For as She was to procure by her interces-
sion all the blessings, which God would bestow upon
the human race, and since none of them were to be
granted without her intercession, it was necessary, that
She should know perfectly all the virtues, which She was
to obtain for men, and that these blessings, next to God,
their uncreated beginning, should flow from Her as from
an original source.
550. There are other helps, which are attached to the
virtue of prudence and which are called potential parts,
being as it were instruments with which prudence works.
They are, synesis, or the aptitude and readiness to form
THE CONCEPTION 423
sane judgments; eubulia, the faculty of giving and sug-
gesting good counsel ; gnome, which teaches what ex-
ceptions can justly be made to general rules; and this
latter is necessary for the use of epikeia, which enables
us to judge what particular cases are to be decided by
rules higher than the ordinary. All these perfections and
excellences adorned the prudence of most holy Mary, so
that no one could give such unerring counsel in all pos-
sible contingencies, nor could any one, not even the most
exalted angel, form such correct judgment in all things as
She. Above all was our most prudent Queen skilled in the
higher principles and rules of action, and such as were
above the ordinary and common laws ; but it would re-
quire a long discourse even to mention the instances
here : many of them will be understood in the sequel of
this history of her most holy life. In order to conclude
this chapter on the prudence of the blessed Virgin, it is
only necessary to say, that the rule by which it is
to be measured, is none else than the prudence of the
soul of Christ, our Lord; for it was conformed and as-
similated entirely to his, since She was to be the Coad-
jutrix in all the works of wisdom and prudence, per-
formed by the Lord of all creation and Savior of the
world.
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN,
55 L My daughter. I wish, that all that thou hast
written and that thou hast understood in this chapter,
be to thee an instruction and a reminder of what, I have
taught thee for the government of thy actions. Write
in thy heart and fix in thy mind the memory of all that
thou hast learnt of my prudence in all that I have
thought, desired and executed. Let this light guide thee
through the midst of the darkness of human ignorance.
424 CITY OF GOD
so that thou mayst not be disturbed or confounded by
the luring passions, nor especially by the malice and
snares laid thee by the watchful malice of thy enemies,
seeking to infect thy understanding. Not to be endowed
with all the perfections of prudence, is not culpable in the
creature ; but to be negligent in learning the rules of
prudence after having been instructed how to attain this
knowledge, is a serious fault and the cause of many mis-
takes and errors in the conduct of affairs. On account of
this negligence the passions countermand, impede, and
obstruct the dictates of prudence. This is especially the
case with disorderly sorrow and excessive enjoyment,
which are apt to pervert the just estimation of good or
bad. Thence arise two dangerous vices : precipitation
in our actions, impelling us to undertake things without
considering the proper means of success, and incon-
stancy in our good resolutions and in the works once
begun. Ungoverned anger or indiscreet fervor, both
cause us to be precipitate or remiss in many of our
exterior actions, because they are performed without
proper moderation and counsel. Hasty judgment and
want of firmness in pursuing the good, cause the soul im-
prudently to desist from its laudable enterprise; for it
gives easy admittance to that, which is opposed to the
true good, and is highly pleased, now with the true good-
ness, then again with what is but apparent and deceitful
or is presented by the passions or by the demon.
552. Against all these dangers I wish to see thee
watchful and provident; and thou wilt be so, if thou
attend to the example, which I gave thee in my life, and
if thou obey the instructions and counsels of thy spiritual
guides ; for without them thou must do nothing, if thou
wishest to proceed with docile discretion. Be assured,
that the Most High will give thee plentiful wisdom; for
THE CONCEPTION 425
a pure submissive and docile heart will draw from Him
superabundant aid. Keep in mind always the misfor-
tune of the imprudent and foolish virgins, who, in their
thoughtless negligence, rejected wise counsel and cast
aside fear, instead of being solicitous ; and when after-
wards they sought to make up for it, they found the
portal of salvation closed against them (Matth. 25, 12).
See to it, therefore, my daughter, that thou unite the
simplicity of the dove with the prudence of the serpent,
and then thy works shall be perfect.
CHAPTER X.
oif The virtue of justice, as practiced by most holy
MARY.
553. The great virtue of justice is most necessary for
the exercise of the love of God and man, and therefore
also for all human conversation and intercourse. It is a
habit by which the will is urged to give to each one what
belongs to him, and its object matter is the just and
equitable dealing, which must be observed toward God.
And as there are so many occasions in which man can
exercise or violate this equity, and in so many different
ways, the range of application of this virtue is very wide
and diffused, and there are many different species or
kinds of justice. In as far as it concerns the public and
common good, it is called legal justice; in so far as it
influences all the other virtues, it is called a general virtue,
although it does not partake of the nature of the rest.
In so far however as justice is employed for one deter-
mined object and by individuals to preserve the rights of
each, it is called particular or special justice.
554. This virtue, in all its parts or kinds, the Empress
of heaven exercised toward all creatures in an eminent
degree ; for She alone knew by her greater enlightenment,
all its obligations and comprehended them perfectly.
Although this virtue does not directly have anything
to do with the natural passions, as is the case with forti-
tude and temperance, yet in many instances, precisely on
account of the failure to moderate and regulate the pas-
sions, justice toward the neighbor is set aside. This
426
THE CONCEPTION 427
happens with those, who out of disorderly covetousness
or lust usurp what does not belong to them. But as in
the most holy Mary there were no disorderly passions nor
any ignorance of proper measure to be maintained ac-
cording' to justice, She fulfilled all justice toward each
person, and showed the way of justice to all who were
privileged to hear from her mouth the words and doc-
trine of eternal life. As far as legal justice is concerned,
She not only observed it to the letter by obeying the
common laws, as She did in the purification and other
prescriptions of the old Law, although, on account of be-
ing the Queen and free from sin. She was exempt from
them; but no one except her most holy Son, ever ad-
vanced so much as She the public and common good of
morals. For toward this end She directed all her
virtues and operations, earning thereby the divine mercy
for mankind and benefiting^ her neighbor in many other
ways.
555. Also the distributive and commutative justice be-
longed to most holy Mary in a heroic degree. Distribu-
tive justice regulates the distribution of the common
goods to individual persons. This justice her Highness
observed in many affairs, which were left to her authority
and management in the primitive Chuch : as for instance
in the distribution of the common property for the sus-
tenance and other necessities of each person. Although
She never distributed money, (for that She never hand-
led), yet She gave her orders and at other times her
counsel for its just application. On these and similar
occasions. She always acted up to strict equity and justice,
according to the necessities and the circumstances of each
one's condition. The same She also obser\'ed in the dis-
tribution of ofiices and ministerial dignities among the
Apostles and the first children of the Church in their
428 CITY OF GOD
meetings and assemblies. All these things this most wise
Teacher ordered and arranged with perfect equity; for
besides her ordinary knowledge and insight into the dis-
positions of each of her subjects, She made use of prayer
and of the divine enlightenment. On this account the
Apostles and others, whom She governed, had recourse
to Her for direction and counsel, and whatever was
done under her direction, was disposed of in perfect
equity and without acceptation of persons.
556. Commutative justice procures reciprocal equal-
ity in that which is given and received by individuals ; as
for instance observing the rule : to offer gift for gift, etc.,
or value for value. This kind of justice the Queen of
heaven had fewer opportunities of exercising, than other
virtues ; for She never bought or sold anything for Her-
self. If it was necessary to buy or commute any article,
it was done by the patriarch saint Joseph, while he lived,
and afterwards by saint John the evangelist, or some of
the Apostles. The Master of sanctity, who came to de-
stroy and eradicate avarice (I Tim. 6, 10) the root of all
evil, wished to remove from Himself and from his most
holy Mother all those negotiations and transactions, in
which the fire of human covetousness is enkindled and
preserved. Therefore his Providence ordained, that
neither his own hand nor that of his purest Mother should
be soiled by the transactions of human commerce in buy-
ing and selling, even if only of things necessary for the
preservation of human life. However the Queen did not
omit to teach men this virtue of commutative justice,
directing in the way of perfect justice all those, who in
the apostolate and primitive Church were engaged in
such affairs.
557. This virtue of justice comprises also other kinds
of activity in regard to the neighbor, such as judging
THE CONCEPTION 429
others in the pubHc and civil courts, or in private. Our
Savior refers to the contrary vice, when he says in saint
Matthew: "JudgQ not that you may not be judged"
(Matt. 7, 1). These judgments are formed by each one
according to the estimate which is in his own mind :
therefore they are just judgments, if they are conform-
able to reason, and unjust, if they disagree with it. Our
sovereign Queen never exercised the office of a pubHc or
civil judge, although She had the power to be the judge
of all the universe; but by her most equitous counsels
during the time of her life, and afterwards through her
intercession. She fulfilled what was written about Her
in the proverbs: "I walk in the paths of justice and
through me the mighty decree justice" (Prov. 8, 20, 16).
558. As regards particular judgments no injustice
ever could find a place in the most pure heart of most
holy Mary; for She could never be imprudent in her sus-
picions, or rash in her judgments, nor was She troubled
by doubts; nor. if She had any, would She ever decide
them unkindly for the worse part. These vices of in-
justice are proper and natural as it were to the children of
Adam, who are dominated and enslaved by the disorderly
passions of hate, envy, illnatured emulation, and other
evil inclinations. From these bad roots sprout unjust
suspicions with slight foundations, rash judgments
and prejudiced solution of doubts; for each one easily
presumes in his brother his own faults. Because they
are filled with hate and envy at the prosperity of their
neighbor, and rejoice at his misfortune, they lightly give
belief, where there are no grounds, only yielding to their
bad desires, and allowing their judgments to drift in ac-
cordance with their wishes. From all these consequences
of sin our Queen was free, as She had no part in sin : all
was charity, purity, sanctity and perfect love, whatever
430 CITY OF GOD
entered or came from the sanctuary of her heart: in Her
was all the grace of truth and the way of life (Eccli.
24, 25). In the plenitude of her sanctity and science
She doubted nothing, She suspected nothing ; for She was
aware of all the secrets hidden in the hearts of men
and searched their souls with the light of truth and
mercy, not suspecting evil and never attributing blame,
where none was due. On the contrary She was solicitous
to excuse the sins of men, in justice and equity yielding
to each and every one his dues. Her most earnest de-
sire was to fill all men with the sweetness and the gra-
ciousness of her virtues.
559. In the two different kinds of commutative and
distributive justice there are contained many other kinds
or species of virtues, but I will only refer to them in
so far as to say, that all of them, both as habits and as
acts, were possessed by the most holy Mary in the high-
est and most excellent degree. Some of these virtues
are related to justice, because they are exercised in our
intercourse with our neighbor and partake to a certain
extent, though not in all their bearings, of the nature of
justice; either because we are unable to pay fully what
we owe, or because, if we are able, the debt or obligation
is not so strict as that which is incurred by commutative
or distributive justice. I will not enter upon a full ex-
planation of these virtues, since they are various and
numerous ; but in order not to pass them over entirely, I
will give a short summary, so as to show how our
Sovereign and most high Princess was adorned with all
of them.
560. It is a just obligation to give worship and
reverence to those, who are placed above us. According to
the greatness of their excellence and their dignity and
according to the benefits which we receive at their hands,
THE CONCEPTION 431
varies also our obligation and the reverence which we owe
them, although no return on our part can equal the benefit
or the dignity. The first virtue of this kind is that of
religion, by which we give to God due worship and rever-
ence, though his magnificence and his gifts exceed in-
finitely all that we will ever be able to return in thanks
or praise. Among the moral virtues this one is the most
noble on account of its object, namely the worship of
God, and its subject matter is as extensive as there are
ways and means of directly praising and reverencing God.
In this virtue of religion are comprehended all the interior
acts of prayer, contemplation and devotion, with all their
parts, conditions, causes, effects and purposes. Among
exterior actions, latria, which is the supreme outward
adoration due only to God, falls under this head, and with
it also all its different kinds of parts, namely: sacrifices,
oblations, tithes and vows, oaths, exterior and vocal offer-
ing of praise. For in all these actions, if they are per-
formed in the proper manner, God is honored and rever-
enced by the creatures, just as He is very much offended
in the contrary vices.
561. The second virtue falling under the above class
is piety, by which we are inclined to honor our parents,
to whom after God we owe our being and our education.
By it we also show proper regard for those, who partici-
pate in a manner of the quality of parents, such as for in-
stance our relatives, or our country, which sustains and
governs us. This virtue is so important, that we must
prefer its dictates to the acts of supererogation in the
virtue of religion. So Christ the Lord teaches us in
saint Matthew, when He reprehended the pharisees for
setting aside piety toward their parents under the pre-
text of the worship of God. In the third place must be
mentioned veneration, which inclines us to give honor
432 CITY OF GOD
and reverence to those, who possess some superior ex-
cellence or dignity of a different kind from that of our
parents or fatherland. This virtue the doctors divide
into two kinds : dulia and obedience. Dulia is the vener-
ation due to those who participate to a certain measure
in the majesty and dominion of the highest Lord God, to
whom is due, as we said above, the worship of adoration
or latria. Therefore we honor the saints by the reverence
called dulia, and likewise those in the higher dignities, to
whom we subject ourselves as servants. Obedience is
the subjection of our will, inducing us to do the will of
our superior in preference to our own. Our free will is so
estimable, that this virtue is admirable and excellent
above all the moral virtues; for the sacrifice is greater
than in any other.
562. These three virtues of religion, piety and venera-
tion (observantia) were possessed by Mary in such great
plenitude and perfection, that nothing possible pertain-
ing to them was wanting. What intellect can ever com-
prehend the honor, veneration and worship with which
this Lady served her most beloved Son, adoring Him as
true God and Man, as Creator, Redeemer, Glorifier, the
Highest, the Infinite, the Immense in essence, in goodness
and in all attributes? She knew more of Him than any
other creature and more than all of them together ; and ac-
cording to her knowledge She rendered due honor, teach-
ing even the Seraphim how to reverence Him. In this
virtue She was so great a Teacher, that merely to see Her
was sufficient to rouse, urge and incite all by a secret
force to worship the supreme Lord and Author of heaven
and earth ; and without any other effort on her part She
induced many to praise God. Her prayers, contempla-
tions and devotions, together with the wonderful effects
and the power of her intercession, are known to all the
THE CONCEPTION 433
angels and saints, but cannot be comprehended by them,
exciting their endless admiration. To Her all the intel-
lectual creatures are indebted, since She satisfied and
made recompense not only for that which they have
culpably neglected in this regard, but also for that which
they could never attain, or execute, or merit. This Lady
outraced the salvation of the world, and if She had not
been in it, the eternal Word would not have issued from
the bosom of the Father. She excelled the seraphim from
her first instant in contemplation, in prayer, in petition,
and in devout promptitude for the service of God. She
offered the proper sacrifice, gave oblations and tithes ; and
all this in such a perfect manner, that nothing on the part
of men was more acceptable next to that of her most holy
Son. In the ceaseless praise, hymns, canticles and vocal
prayers, which She offered, She was above all the Patri-
archs and Prophets ; and if in the Church militant Her
doings were known as in the Church triumphant, they
would be the admiration of the world.
563. The virtues of piety and veneration her Majesty
exercised in proportion as She knew how to estimate
better her obligation toward her parents and their heroic
sanctity. The same was true in regard to her relations.
For instance, She procured special graces for John the
Baptist and his mother, for holy Elisabeth and some
others in the apostolate. Certainly, if her fatherland had
not been made unworthy of favor by the ingratitude and
hardheartedness of its inhabitants, She would have made
it the most fortunate country on earth ; nevertheless, in
as far as the INIost High permitted. She conferred upon it
great benefits and favors, both spiritual and material. In
reverence toward the priests She was admirable, for She
alone knew and could set proper value on the dignity of
the anointed of the Lord. She has taught us all in this
434 CITY OF GOD
matter, and also how to honor the Patriarchs, Prophets
and Saints, as well as the temporal masters and those in
authority. She omitted no act pertaining to these vir-
tues, being solicitous according to time and opportunity
to instruct others in the exercise of them, especially the
first faithful in the establishment of the evangelical
Church. There, obeying not any more the verbal com-
mands of her most holy Son, or of her husband, but sub-
mitting to her Son's substitutes, She became an example
to the world of a new kind of obedience; for in those
times, not She owed obedience to any creature, but the
whole earth, in an especial manner, owed obedience to
Her, since She was staying upon it as its Queen and
Mistress for the very purpose of governing it.
564. There are other virtues, which can also be classed
under the head of justice; for they dispose us to yield to
others that which we owe them on account of some moral
obligation, founded upon an honest and just title. These
virtues are : gratitude or thankfulness, truth or veracity,
vindication, liberality, friendship or affability. By grati-
tude we create a certain equality of ourselves with those
from whom we have received benefits giving them thanks
in return, according to the nature of the benefits and the
kindness, with which they were bestowed (which after all
is the most valuable part of the benefit). The grateful
also take into account the position and dignity of the
benefactor. Gratitude bears in mind all these elements
and can be manifested in different ways. Veracity in-
clines us to be truthful in all our intercourse, as is proper
in human life and conversation, avoiding all lying,
(which is never allowed), deceitful simulation, hypocrisy,
boastfulness and irony. These vices are all opposed to
truth; and though it is possible and even advisable to
minimize when we are speaking of our own excellence or
THE CONCEPTION 435
virtue in order not to offend by boasting, yet it is not right
to do so by telling a falsehood, imputing vice to ourselves
untruthfully. Vindication is a virtue, which teaches
us to recompense or make up for damage done by our-
selves or by the neighbor, satisfying for it by some pun-
ishment. Among mortals the practice of this virtue is
difficult; for they are so much moved by immoderate
anger and dislike of their brethren, and so tardy in
charity and justice, this vindication of the particular or
general wellbeing is no unimportant virtue. Christ our
Lord made use of this virtue, when He expelled from the
temple those, who desecrated it by their irreverence (John
2, 15) ; Elias and Eliseus drew down fire from heaven in
order to chastise some sins (IV King 1, 20) ; and in the
Proverbs it is said : "He that spareth the rod hateth his
son" (Prov. 13, 24). Liberality or generosity serves to
distribute in a reasonable manner money or other goods,
without falling into the vices of prodigality or niggardli-
ness. Friendship or affability consists in conversing and
acting in a decent and becoming manner toward all, with-
out quarreling or flattery, which are the vices opposed to
friendship.
565. None of these virtues, nor any others which
might be related to justice, were wanting to the Queen of
heaven ; of all these She had the habit and practiced them
as occasion offered. Moreover as the Teacher and ^lis-
tress of all sanctity She instructed and enlightened many
souls how they were to exercise and practice them with
the greatest perfection. The virtue of gratitude toward
God She exercised by acts of religion and worship, as we
have already described : for this is the best way to show
our gratitude toward Him : and as the dignity of the
most pure Mary and her concomitant sanctity was exalt-
ed above all created understanding, this eminent Mistress
gave a return of gratitude proportionate to his benefits
436 CITY OF GOD
within the measure possible to a creature. The same
holds true in regard to her piety toward her parents and
her country, as mentioned above. To her fellowmen this
most humble Princess returned thanks for each favor as
if She deserved no consideration from any one ; and, al-
though all favors were due to Her in justice, She never-
theless g^ve thanks for them with gracious affability.
She alone knew and practiced this virtue to such an ex-
tent, as to return thanks for injuries and offenses as if
they were great benefits ; for in her incomparable humility
She never recognized anything as an injury and con-
sidered Herself under obligation for what really were
such. Moreover, as She never forgot any benefit, She
also never ceased in her gratitude.
566. About the truthfulness of Mary our Lady, little
need be said, since She who was so superior to the demon,
the father of lies and deceit, could not tolerate even the
shadow of that despicable vice. The standard, by which
the virtue of truthfulness is to be measured in our Queen,
is her dove-like charity and simplicity, which excluded all
duplicity or deceit in her intercourse with creatures. And
how could the guilt of deceit be found in the mouth of
that Lady, who with one word of truest humility falling
from her lips drew down to her womb that One, who is
essential truth and holiness? In regard to the exercise
of the virtue called vindication the most holy Mary like-
wise was proficient : not only instructing others as a
Teacher during the time of the first beginnings of the
evangelical Church ; but zealously advancing the honor
of the Most High and trying to convert many sinners
through fraternal correction, as was the case in regard
to Judas many times, and commanding the creatures,
(which were obedient to her wishes), to punish some of
the sinners in order that they might be converted and be
saved from the eternal punishment due to their sins. Al-
THE CONCEPTION 437
though on these occasions She was most sweet and kind
in her punishments, yet She did not remit them, whenever
necessary to secure an effective cleansing from sin. Most
of all however did She exercise retribution toward the
demon, in order to free the human race from his slavery.
567. The sovereign Queen practiced also the most ex-
alted liberality and friendliness. Her generosity in giving
and distributing was on a scale befitting the Empress of
all creation and one who knows the proper value of all
invisible and visible things. This Lady never possessed
anything of her own that She did not consider just as
much the property of her neighbor as hers nor did She
ever deny anything to anybody, not even waiting till they
should pay the price of asking for it, whenever She could
be beforehand in giving. The poverty and miseries which
She alleviated, the benefits which She bestowed, the
mercies which flowed from Her, even as regards only
temporal matters, could not be recounted in an immense
volume. Her amiable friendliness toward all creatures
was so singular and admirable, that, if She had not con-
cealed it with rare prudence, She would have drawn to
Herself all the world, entranced by her most sweet in-
tercourse ; her mildness and kindness, though tempered
by a divine seriousness and wisdom, displayed in her in-
tercourse the marks of superhuman excellence. The Most
High himself regulated this perfection in Her, allowing
at times some of the signs of the sacrament of the King
to show themselves, but taking care, that the veil should
fall immediately and again conceal the mystery beneath
earthly labors, thus forestalling the applause of men. All
their honors were far below that which She deserved,
and men would never be able to attain, and would fall
either below or exceed, the correct measure of honor due
to One who was at the same time a creature and the
Mother of God. This was reserved for the time when as
438 CITY OF GOD
children of the Church, men should be enlightened by the
Catholic faith,
568. For the adequate and perfect exercise of this
great virtue of justice the doctors point out another part
or aid to it, which they call epikeia, which guides us in
some affairs, that are above the common and ordinary
rules and laws. For not all affairs, with their varying
circumstances, can be covered by the ordinary laws, and
therefore it is necessary to proceed on certain occasions
by the light of a superior and extraordinary reasoning.
This part of justice the sovereign Queen practiced on
many occasions during her life, both before, and espe-
cially after the Ascension of her onlybegotten Son. In
order to regulate the affairs of the primitive Church, as I
will say in its place. She often made use of epikeia, as
required by the interests of the Most High.
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
569. In this extensive virtue of Justice, my daughter,
although thou hast been taught much of its value, thou
still art ignorant of the greater part of it on account of thy
condition in this state of mortality ; and therefore also this
thy account of it is insufficient for a full understanding of
its excellence. Nevertheless thou hast in it a copious sum-
mary to direct thy intercourse with creatures and thy
worship of the Most High. In regard to this latter I re-
mind thee, my dearest, that the supreme majesty of the
Omnipotent is highly indignant at the offenses of mortals,
who forget the veneration, adoration, and reverence due
to Him. If some of them do render it, it is so coarse, in-
attentive and discourteous, that they do not merit re-
ward but chastisement. They revere and adore pro-
foundly the princes and magnates of the earth ; they ask
favors and seek to obtain them with the utmost diligence ;
they are effusive in their thanks, when they succeed, pro-
THE CONCEPTION 439
testing their lifelong gratitude. But the supreme Lord,
who gives them being, life and activity, who preserves and
sustains them, who has redeemed them and raised them
to the dignity of sons, who wishes to confer upon them
his own glory, who is in Himself the infinite and the high-
est Good ; Him, the highest Majesty, they forget, because
they cannot see Him with their corporal eyes. As if not
all good came from Him, they return, at the highest,
merely a sluggish remembrance and a hasty thanksgiving.
I will not even mention at present, how much those ofTend
the most just Ruler of the universe, who wickedly break
through and overturn all the order of justice toward
their neighbor, perverting the whole natural order in
wishing to their brothers, what they would not wish for
themselves.
570. Abhor, my daughter, such execrable conduct, and
as far as thy forces will allow, make up by thy works for
this want of acknowledgment in the service of the Most
High. And as by thy state of life thou art consecrated to
the divine worship, let that be thy principal occupation
and delight, striving to imitate the angelic spirits in their
ceaseless fear and worship of the Lord. Preserve rever-
ence for holy things, including also the ornaments and
sacred vessels used in divine service. During divine office,
prayer, and sacrifice see that thou remain on thy knees ;
implore with faith and receive his favors with humble
thanksgiving; the same consideration thou shouldst show
also to all men. even if they offend thee. To all be kind,
afifable, meek, simple and truthful ; without deceit or
double-dealing, without detraction or illwill. without rash
judgment of thy neighbor. And in order that thou mayst
fulfill all justice, revive the memor\' of it constantly and
desire to do to thy neighbor that which thou wishest done
to thyself. Especially remember how my most holy Son,
and I in imitation of Him, acted toward all men.
CHAPTER XL
THE VIRTUE OF FORTITUDE, AS PRACTICED BY THE MOST
HOLY MARY.
571. The virtue of fortitude, which is the third of the
four cardinal virtues, serves to moderate the personal ac-
tivity of each one's choleric affections. Although it is true
that concupiscence precedes irascibility, and therefore
temperance which regulates concupiscence, might seem to
precede fortitude, because the resistance pertaining to for-
titude is exerted against that which opposes concupis-
cence; nevertheless we must first treat of the activity of
the choleric affections and their moderation through forti-
tude. For in the pursuit of that which is desired, success
ordinarily depends upon the intervention of the irascible
faculties for overcoming the obstacles that present them-
selves. Therefore fortitude is a more noble and excellent
virtue than temperance, of which we shall treat in the
following chapter.
572. The moderation of the irascible passions by the
virtue of fortitude is made up of two elements or kinds
of activity : to give way to anger in conformity with
reason, propriety and honor, and to repress unreasonable
anger and passion, whenever it is more useful to restrain
than to allow them to act. For as well the one as the other
can be praiseworthy or blamable according to the end in
view and the circumstances of the affair in hand. The
first of these two kinds of operations of this virtue is
properly called fortitude, being called by some teachers
pugnacity (bellicositas). The second is called patience,
440
THE CONCEPTION 441
which is the more noble and excellent kind of fortitude,
and is possessed and exercised principally by the saints:
the worldly-minded, throwing aside good judgment and
usurping a false term, are apt to call patience pusillan-
imity, and miscall inconsiderate and rash presumption,
fortitude. Thus it comes, that they never attain the true
practice of the virtue of fortitude.
573. In most holy Mary there were no inordinate
movements, which could call to activity the irascible affec-
tions for the exercise of fortitude; for in the most in-
nocent Queen all the passions were well ordered and sub-
ject to reason, and her reason was subject to God, who
governed Her in all her actions and movements. But She
was in need of this virtue in order to overcome the ob-
stacles placed by the devil in diverse ways, seeking to pre-
vent Her from attaining what She most prudently and
most properly desired for Herself and her most holy Son,
And in this most valiant resistance and conflict none of
the creatures ever showed more fortitude. For no one
ever encountered such conflicts and opposition as She
from the demon. But whenever it became necessary to
make use of this kind of fortitude or pugnacity with hu-
man creatures. She was equally sweet and forcible, or
rather, She was just as irresistible as She was most sweet
in her activity. For this heavenly Lady alone among all
creatures was able to copy so faithfully in her operations
that attribute of the Most High, which unites irresistible
power with heavenly sweetness (Wisdom 8, 1). Thus
our Queen proceeded in her actions with fortitude, know-
ing no disorderly fear in her generous heart, as She was
superior to all creation. Neither was She rash, or auda-
cious, or immoderate, being alike removed from all these
vicious extremes ; for in her great wisdom She knew what
terrors were to be vanquished, and what rashness was to
30
442 CITY OF GOD
be avoided. Thus She was the chosen Woman, clothed
in the strength of fortitude and beauty (Prov. 31, 25).
574. That part of fortitude which consists in patient
endurance, most holy Mary practiced in a still more ad-
mirable manner, for She alone participated in the ex-
cellent patience of her most holy Son, who bore punish-
ment and suffered innocently without guilt, and in a
greater measure than all those who had contracted the
guilt. The whole life of the sovereign Queen was a con-
tinual suffering and tribulation, especially during the life
and passion of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Her patience
during this time exceeds the comprehension of all crea-
tures ; and only the Lord who imposed this suffering upon
Her, could worthily understand its greatness. Never was
this most pure Dove excited to the least impatience against
any creature, nor did any of the immense tribulations and
sorrows of her life seem great to Her, nor was She ever
dejected on account of them, nor did She fail to accept
them all with joy and gratitude. If, according to the
Apostle, the first requisite of charity, and as it were its
firstborn, is patience (I Cor. 13, 4) ; and if our Queen was
the Mother of love (Prov. 24, 24), then She was also the
Another of patience, and her love is the measure of her
patience. For in the degree in which we love and esteem
the eternal good, (and we should esteem it above all
visible things), in that degree will we be ready, in order to
obtain it and avoid the loss of it, to suffer all hardships
in patience. Hence most holy Mary in her love was
patient beyond all that is created and She was the
Mother of patience for us. Flying to her protection we
shall find the tower of David with its thousand shields of
patience pending from it (Cant. 4, 4), with which the
brave ones of the Church and of the militia of Christ our
Lord arm themselves for battle.
THE CONCEPTION 443
575. Our most patient Queen was never affected by the
caprices of feminine inconstancy, nor indulged in outward
signs of anger; all this She restrained by the aid of divine
light and wisdom, although these latter did not do away
with pain, but rather augmented it; for no one could
recognize the infinite misfortune of sins and offenses
against God as this Lady. But even so her invincible
heart could not be disturbed : neither the malice of Judas,
nor the injuries and insults of the pharisees could ever
cause signs of anger in her exterior. Although at the
death of her most holy Son all the insensible elements and
creatures seemed to have lost patience toward mortals,
not being able to suffer the injuries and offenses done to
their Creator, Mary alone remained unmoved and ready to
receive Judas, all the pharisees and high-priests who cruci-
fied Christ, if they had chosen to return to this Mother of
piety and mercy.
576. It is true that, without thereby passing the bounds
of reason or virtue, the most meek Queen could justly
have been indignant and angry at those who delivered
over her most holy Son to such a frightful death ; for the
Lord himself punished this sin in his justice. While fol-
lowing up this thought, I was informed, that the Most
High provided against these movements and kept Her
free from all motions and affections of anger, though they
would not have been unjust; for He wished to prevent
Her from being the accuser of these sinners, because He
had chosen Her as the ^Mediatrix and Advocate, the
Mother of mercy. Through Her were to flow all the
mercies which He wished to grant to all the children of
Adam. He wished Her to be the one Creature, that could
worthily intercede for sin and temper the wrath of the
just Judge. Solely against the demon the anger of this
Lady was given free scope. Also in so far as this passion
444 CITY OF GOD
was necessary to exercise patience and forbearance and
to overcome the impediments with which this enemy
and ancient serpent obstructed her beneficent course.
577. To this virtue of fortitude belong also mag-
nanimity and magnificence because they in a manner par-
take of the nature of this virtue by giving firmness to
the will in matters relating to fortitude. Magnanimity
consists in pursuing great things and thus striving after
the great honors of virtue. Its subject matter is therefore
great honorableness, from which arise many qualities pe-
culiar to the magnanimous ; as for instance to abhor
flattery and the pretenses of hypocrisy, (for to love these
is the part of small and mean souls), not to be covetous,
selfishly looking only for usefulness, but rather to seek
honorable and great things; to speak little of one's self,
not to brag, and not to be easily taken up by small things,
and not to avoid the greater undertakings, to be more in-
clined to give than to receive; for all these things are
worthy of honor. But this virtue is not on this account
opposed to humility, for one virtue cannot be opposed to
another. Magnanimity causes us to use our gifts and
virtues in such a way as to merit the greater honor, with-
out at the same time seeking honor anxiously and un-
reasonably. Humility on the other hand teaches us our
relation to God and the smallness of our desert caused by
our defects and our own lowly nature. On account of the
special difficulties connected with great and noble under-
takings, fortitude, especially the fortitude called mag-
nanimity, is necessary. This proportions our forces to
the execution of great works, neither allowing us to desist
from them in pusillanimity, nor to attempt them with pre-
sumption, disorderly ambition, or vainglory ; for all these
vices magnanimity abhors.
578. Magnificence similarly points to the execution of
THE CONCEPTION 445
great deeds, and in this signification it may enter into
the perfection of every virtue, for in all virtues great
things may be undertaken. But as there is a special dif-
ficulty in great outlays or sacrifices, magnificence more
particularly is that virtue, which inclines us to make great
sacrifices in the prudent manner, so that there be neither
niggardliness, where much is required, nor profuseness
where there is no need, wasting and destroying without
necessity. Although this seems to be the same virtue as
liberality, yet the philosophers distinguish one from the
other. Magnificence regards only the greatness of the cost,
without attending to other circumstances, whereas liberal-
ity regulates the temperate love and use of money. One
can therefore be liberal without being magnificent, as lib-
erality may stop short of its course, when there is ques-
tion of great and important favors.
579. These virtues of magnanimity and magnificence
were possessed by the Queen of heaven in a manner, un-
attainable by others capable of these virtues. ]Mary alone
found no difficulty or hindrance in accomplishing great
things ; and She alone did everything on a grand scale,
even though the matter was small in itself. She alone
understood the full bearing of these virtues, as She did
of all the rest. She could give them their full perfection,
without gaging them by any contrary inclinations, nor
was She ignorant of the perfect manner of exercising, nor
of making them dependent upon the assistance of other
virtues. For this is wont to happen with most holy and
prudent men, who, when they cannot attain entire per-
fection in all virtue, choose that which seems to be the
best of them. In all her practice of virtues this Lady was
so magnanimous, that She always performed that which
was most excellent and worthy of honor and commenda-
tion. Yet though She deserved honor and praise from all
446 CITY OF GOD
creatures, She was nevertheless niost magnanimous in
despising it and referring it to God alone, and She pre-
served her humility while practicing the highest perfec-
tion of virtue. The acts of her heroic humility stood as
it were in heavenly rivalry with the magnanimous excel-
lence of all her other virtues and were like richest jewels
set in contrast with the beauteous variety of excellences
that adorned the Daughter of the King, whose glory, as
David, her father, had said (Psalm 44, 14), is all from
within.
580. Also in magnificence our Queen greatly excelled.
For although She was poor and without any affection
toward earthly things, nevertheless She dispensed most
freely those things, with which the Lord furnished Her,
as happened with the precious gifts, which the Magi
ofifered to the Child Jesus, and many times afterwards in
the course of her life after the Lord had ascended to
heaven. As Mistress of all creation She also showed her
great magnificence by willingly yielding the whole of it
for the common benefit and for the honor and the worship
of God. Many She instructed in this doctrine and vir-
tue, which, on account of their vile customs and inclina-
tions mortals practice with so much difficulty, and in
which they never reach the proper perfection of prudence.
Commonly mortals follow their inclinations and desires,
seeking only the honor and emoluments of virtue, and to
be esteemed as great and extraordinary. The honor and
glory of virtue is thus diverted from the Lord by their
wrongful hankering; and consequently, when any oc-
casion presents itself for the performance of a magnan-
imous and generous deed, they shrink back and fail to
execute it, on account of the littleness and meanness of
their sentiments. As their desire of seeming great, ex-
cellent and worthy of admiration nevertheless remains,
THE CONCEPTION 447
they have recourse to other measures, proportionably
deceitful and really vicious, such as getting angry, show-
ing arrogance, impatience, haughtiness, dislike and
boastfulness. However, these vices are not a part of
magnanimity, but of smallness and meanness of heart.
Hence, as such conduct and sentiments repel rather than
attract honor, they do not gain the honor and esteem of
the wise, but contempt and abhorrence.
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
581. My daughter, if thou seekest attentively to ob-
tain a full understanding of the excellence and the pro-
priety of the virtue of fortitude, as is my wish, thou shalt
come into the possession of a most efficient check for the
guiding of thy irascible affections ; for these are the
passions, which are most easily moved to action and are
most apt to overstep the bounds of reason. Thou shalt
also have the means of attaining to the utmost greatness
and perfection of virtue, which thou desirest, and of re-
sisting and overcoming all the machinations of thy ene-
mies, who seek to intimidate thee in the pursuit of what is
hard in perfection. But understand, my dearest, that the
irascible in thy nature assists the concupiscible by oppos-
ing what is hostile to the object sought after by the con-
cupiscible powers. On this account the irascible will de-
teriorate much faster than the concupiscible as soon
as the concupiscible aft'ections become disordered and
begin to love what is only apparently good or what
is vicious. In place of a virtuous fortitude many
execrable and deformed vices will then result. This will
also teach thee that disorderly love of one's own ex-
cellence and distinction, and vainglory, which are the
sources of pride and vanity, will breed many vices pe-
culiar to the irascible passions, such as discords, conten-
448 CITY OF GOD
tions, quarrels, boasting, strife, impatience, obstinacy;
moreover also vices peculiar to the concupiscible passions,
such as hypocrisy, lying, vain strivings, curiosity and the
desire to appear more than is befitting to a creature, and
to conceal the meanness which truly belongs to one who
has committed sins. From all these contemptible vices
thou shalt keep thyself free, if thou wilt earnestly mortify
and restrain the inordinate movements of concupiscence
by virtue of temperance, which I will now teach thee. For
when thou strivest after that which is just and useful, al-
though thou must make use of fortitude and of the well-
ordered irascible passions, it must always be done in
such a way as not to pass the proper bounds; and there is
continual danger of allowing oneself to be carried away
by inordinate zeal for virtue, when one is subject to self-
love or any disorderly love. Sometimes this vice disguises
itself and hides under the cloak of a pious zeal, and its
victims, anxious to appear zealous for God and the good
of their neighbor, are in reality deceived and ensnared
into anger by selfish motives. On this account the patience,
which is founded in charity and which is accompanied
by generosity and magnanimity, is very honorable,
estimable and necessary ; for he that really loves the high-
est and truest Good, easily bears the loss of apparent
honor and glory, despising it with magnanimity as vile
and contemptible. Even when it is freely given by his
fellow creatures, the magnanimous will set no value on it ;
he will show himself invincible and constant in all his
imdertakings. Thus he will advance, according to his
opportunities, in the virtues of perseverance and patience.
CHAPTER XII.
THE VIRTUE OF TEMPERANCE AS PRACTICED BY THE MOST
HOEY MARY.
583. In regard to good and evil man possesses two
tendencies: namely that of striving after the good and
of repelling the evil ; the latter is regulated by fortitude,
which, as already demonstrated, serves to strengthen the
will against the immoderate exercise of the irascible facul-
ties and inspires it w^ith bold daring rather to suffer all
possible afflictions of the senses than to desist from the
attainment of the good. The other tendency, founded on
the concupiscible faculties, is regulated by temperance,
and this is the last and the least of the cardinal virtues ;
for the good w^hich it procures is not so universal as that
attained by the practice of other virtues, since temperance
directly is concerned only with the particular advantage
of its possessor. The doctors and teachers treat of tem-
perance in another aspect : namely in so far as it can
regulate the action of all the natural appetites of man;
in this respect temperance is a general and universal vir-
tue which comprises within its scope the proper exercise
of all the virtues according to reason. We do not at
present speak of this general virtue of temperance, but
only of that temperance which serves to regulate the con-
cupiscence of touch and other pleasurable concupiscences
indirectly related to the touch, but not presenting such
powerful attractions as the concupiscence of the flesh.
584. In this regard temperance holds the last place
among the virtues, its aim being less noble than that of
449
450 CITY OF GOD
others ; yet in other regards it may be said to have greater
excellence, namely in as far as it preserves man from viler
and more contemptible transgressions, namely from the
immoderate indulgence of those pleasures which are com-
mon to men and the irrational brutes. Referring to this
David says that man has become like unto the beast
(Psalm 48, 13, 21), allowing himself to be carried away
by the pleasure of the senses. Intemperance is rightly
called a puerile vice; for, just as a child is not guided by
reason, but by the spur of fancy, and does not restrain
itself, except through fear of chastisement, so also con-
cupiscence cannot otherwise be checked in the indulgence
of its desires. From this dishonor and vileness man is
freed by the virtue of temperance, which teaches him to
govern himself not by his desires, but by reason. There-
fore a certain decorous honorableness and comeliness dis-
tinguish this virtue, by which the reason is enabled to
preserve its rule, although the indomitable passions are
hardly ever inclined to listen or yield to it willingly. On
the other hand, the subjection of man to beastly pleasures
is a great dishonor, degrading him to the position of an
irrational animal or of an unreasoning child.
585. Temperance includes the two virtues of absti-
nence and sobriety ; the former being opposed to gluttony
and the latter to drunkenness. Abstinence also includes
fasting. These virtues take the first place in treating of
temperance ; for nourishment, being necessary for the
preservation of life, is among the principal objects cov-
eted by the appetites. After these follow others which
regulate the use of the faculties for reproduction of the
species, such as chastity and susceptibility to shame, with
their concomitant virginity and continence, opposed to
the vices of lust and incontinence and their species. Be-
sides these virtues, which are the principal ones belonging
THE CONCEPTION 451
to temperance, there are others that regulate the appetite
in the less important desires. Those that regulate the
sensations of smell, hearing and sight, may be classed un-
der those referring to the proper use of the sense of
touch. But there are still other kinds of virtues which
resemble some of the above, though their object is en-
tirely different, such as clemency and meekness, which
are set to govern anger and wrath in the administration
of punishment, lest they turn into bestial and inhuman
cruelty. Then there is modesty, which includes four vir-
tues; the first one is humility, which keeps down pride,
lest man seek in a disorderly manner his own exaltation
and honor before men; the second is studiousness, by
which one preserves the proper measure in seeking infor-
mation, being opposed to vain curiosity. The third is
moderation or frugality, by which one avoids superfluous
expense and ostentation in regard to clothing and exterior
living; the fourth is the restraint of overindulgence in
pleasurable entertainment, such as playing, bodily exer-
cise, dancing, jesting and the like. Although this virtue
seems to have no special name, it is of the greatest impor-
tance. It goes under the generic name of modesty or
temperance.
586. It always seems to me when I describe the excel-
lence of these and of the other virtues when applied to
the corresponding virtues of the Queen of heaven, that
the terms at my disposal and commonly used in order to
describe these virtues in other creatures, fall far below
the truth. The graces and gifts of the most holy Mary
were in closer correspondence with those of the divine
perfections, than all the virtues and the holiness of the
saints are with those of the sovereign Queen of virtues.
Thence it no doubt happens that whatever we can say of
her virtues by using the terms fit for describing the vir-
452 CITY OF GOD
tues of the saints, seems to fall far short of the truth;
for the latter, as great as they may have been, existed in
persons disordered and subject to imperfections and the
distempers of sin. When therefore Ecclesiasticus says
(Eccli. 26, 20), that we can have no true conception of
the excellence of the continent man, what shall we say
of the virtue of temperance in the Mistress of all vir-
tues, and what of the beauty of that soul which con-
tained the perfection of all virtues? All the do-
mestics of this strong Woman were doubly clothed
(Prov. 31, 21) because all her faculties were clothed in
two vestments or perfections of incomparable beauty and
strength; the one, that of original justice, which sub-
jected all the appetites to reason and grace; the other
that of the infused habits, which supplied new beauty
and strength for the attainment of highest perfection in
her works.
587. All the saints that have signalized themselves in
the beauty of temperance, obtained the full conquest over
the indomitable concupiscences by subjecting them in
such a manner to the rule of reason, as not to allow their
desires to reach out after anything that might afterwards
occasion them sorrow for having desired it. They ad-
vanced so far, that they denied themselves all indulgence
in those concupiscences, which could be withdrawn with-
out destroying human nature. Nevertheless in all these
exercises of the virtue of temperance they felt a certain
opposition within themselves, which retarded the perfect
assent of the will, or at least a certain resistance prevent-
ing them from reaching the plenitude of perfection in
their actions. They complained with the Apostle of the
unhappy burden of this body of sin (Rom. 7, 24). In
most holy Mary no such dissonance could be traced ; for
without a murmur of the appetites and without a shadow
THE CONCEPTION 453
of repugnance of the dictates of her will, all her powers
acted in such harmony and concert that, like armies
marching- in well ordered squadrons (Cant. 6, 3), they
moved on in heavenly unison. As She had no rebellious
passions to overcome, She exercised such great temper-
ance in all her actions, that not even the suggestion of
disorder ever entered her mind. On the contrary her
activity so closely imitated the divine operations that they
seemed originated and drawn directly from this supreme
Source, turning toward it as the only rule and ultimate
end of all her perfections.
588. The abstinence and sobriety of most holy Mary
was the admiration of the angels; for though being the
Queen of all creation and experiencing the natural affec-
tions of hunger and thirst, She never sought after the
delicacies that would have suited her high estate, nor ever
indulged in nourishment merely for the sake of the pleas-
ures of taste, but only in order to supply her natural
wants. Even these She satisfied with such moderation
as never to exceed, or ever being capable of exceeding,
the exact measure necessary to preserve the radical hu-
mors of life. Moreover She partook of nourishment in
such a way as to allow room for hunger and thirst and
so as to make allowance for the effects of grace on the
natural process of bodily nourishment. She never ex-
perienced the changes of corruption arising from super-
fluous eating or drinking; nor did her needs in this regard
grow greater on one day than on others ; nor was She
more subject to these changes on account of the want of
food; for if at any time She detracted from the food
necessar}' to keep up the natural warmth. She was sup-
plemented in her activity by divine grace, in which the
creature lives, not in bread alone (Matth. 4, 4). The
Lord could have sustained Her without food or drink.
454 CITY OF GOD
but He did not do it ; for it was not right that She should
lose the merit of virtuously using these things, thus af-
fording us the benefit of her example and merits. As to
the kind of food and the time in which She partook of it,
we will mention these circumstances in different parts of
this history (Part II, 196, 424, 898). Of Her own
choice She never ate meat, nor did She eat more than
once a day, except when She lived with her husband
Joseph, or when She accompanied her most holy Son in
his travels; for in such circumstances, in order to con-
form Herself to others. She imitated the mode of living
followed by the Lord, although at all times She was won-
derful in her temperance.
589. Of the virginal purity and modesty of this Vir-
gin of virgins not even the seraphim could speak worthily,
for in this virtue, though to them it is co-natural, they
were inferior to their Queen and Mistress. By the privi-
lege and power of the Most High She was more free
from the contrary vice than the angels themselves, who
by their very nature could not be touched by impurity.
Mortals will never in this life be able to form a proper
idea of this virtue as it existed in the Queen of heaven;
for we are much weighed down by the earthliness, and the
pure and crystalline light of chastity is much obscured in
our souls. Our great Queen possessed this virtue in such
a degree that She might justly have preferred it even to
the dignity of being the Mother of God, if this dignity
had not been the very source of her great purity.
Measuring this virginal purity of Mary by the esteem
in which She held it, and by the dignity to which
it raised Her, we can partly estimate how great
was that virtue in her virginal body and soul. She re-
solved upon this purity from the moment of her Immacu-
late Conception, She vowed it at her nativity, and She
THE CONCEPTION 455
guarded it in such a manner that She never offended
against it, or against the utmost modesty in any of her
actions or movements, nor in any attitude of her body or
soul. Accordingly She never spoke to any man except at
the command of God ; nor did She ever look into the face
of a man, and not even in the face of a woman ; and this
not on account of any danger to Her, but for the sake of
gaining merit, and for our example, and in order to exer-
cise the superabundance of her heavenly prudence, wis-
dom and charity.
590. Of her clemency and meekness Solomon says that
the law of clemency is on her tongue (Prov. 31, 26).
She never moved it except in order to let flow the grace
poured out on her lips (Psalm 44, 3). Meekness regu-
lates wrath, and clemency moderates punishment. There
was no anger in our most mild Queen, nor did She use
the faculty of it except, as we have said above, in order
to lend fortitude to her activity against sin and the devil
or the like. But against men and the angels She made no
use of anger for the purpose of punishing them, nor was
She moved to anger by any event, nor did She ever on any
account interrupt her most perfect practice of meekness,
preserving inimitable and imperturbable equanimity both
interiorly and exteriorly ; neither did She ever show out-
ward signs of inward anger in her countenance, in her
voice or in her movements. Her mildness and clemency
the Lord made use of as, an instrument peculiarly his own,
and through it He wished to scatter all his benefits of his
ancient and everlasting mercies; on this account it was
necessary that the clemency of Mary should imitate so
closely his own as to make it a fit channel for the over-
flow of his divine clemency toward the creatures. When
we consider attentively and once have understood well
the works of the divine mercy toward sinners and when
456 CITY OF GOD
we see that the most holy Mary was a fit instrument of
their distribution and apphcation, we will then partly un-
derstand the clemency of this Lady. All her corrections
were undertaken more by pleading, teaching and admon-
ishing than by chastisement; She herself besought the
Lord, and He ordained that this be her course of action ;
for this incomparable Creature was to be the fountain of
clemency and the depositary of the law of clemency, of
which his Majesty should avail Himself, and from which
mortals should draw this virtue as well as all the others.
59L To discourse worthily of the other virtues, es-
pecially of the humility and of the frugality and of the
poverty of most holy Mary, many books and the tongues
of angels would be required. Of these ineffable virtues
of Mary this history is replete, for in all the actions of the
Queen of heaven her incomparable humility shines forth
beyond everything else. I fear extremely to understate
the greatness of this singular virtue in the blessed Virgin
by trying to encompass in the limited terms at my dis-
posal, that ocean of humility which was able to contain
and embrace the Incomprehensible and the Immense him-
self. All that the angels and the saints themselves could
comprehend and practice of the virtue of humility, cannot
equal even the least part of that which our Queen attained
therein. Which of the saints or angels could ever merit
the title of Mother of God? And who, beside Mary and
the eternal Father, could ever address the incarnate Word
as Son? If then She, who in this regard attained to a dig-
nity like that of the eternal Father and possessed the
graces and gifts befitting such a state, reputed Herself as
the last of all creatures and all the rest as her superiors,
what fragrance and odor of virtue did this humble spike-
nard exhale for the delight of God, while She bore in
her womb the King of kings ? ( Cant. L 11).
THE CONCEPTION 457
592. That the pillars of heaven, the angels (Job 26,
li), should quake and tremble in the presence of the in-
accessible light of the infinite Majesty, is not to be won-
dered at ; for they had before their eyes the ruin of their
companions, while they themselves were confirmed in the
advantages and favors common to all. That the most
valiant and invincible of the saints should humiliate them-
selves, embracing contempt and reproach, and acknowl-
edging themselves unworthy of the least favors of grace,
and even of the service and succor of the creatures out-
side themselves; all this was most just and only accord-
ing to the natural order of things. For all of us have
sinned and infringe on the glory of God (Rom. 3, 23) ;
and no one is so holy that he cannot increase in sanctity ;
nor so perfect that some virtue is not wanting in him;
nor so innocent, that the eyes of God find nothing to rep-
rehend. And if any one should be of consummate perfec-
tion, he nevertheless would still remain within the sphere
of the common graces and benefits, since no one is su-
perior to all in all things.
593. But just on this account the humility of the most
pure Mary was without example and without equal. For
though She was the dawn of grace, the pure beginning of
all creatures, the superior over them all. the prodigy of
the divine perfections, the centre of his love, the sphere of
the omnipotence of God, who called God her Son and was
called by Him his Mother, She nevertheless humbled Her-
self to the lowest place in all creation. She. who enjoyed
the highest position, exalted above all the works of God,
so that no higher position was left for a mere creature,
humiliated Herself so far as to judge Herself unworthy
of the least estimation, distinction or honor, not even of
such as would befit the most insignificant of the rational
creatures. Not only did She deem Herself unworthy of
31
458 CITY OF GOD
the dignity of being the Mother of God and of all the
graces connected therewith, but She did not esteem Her-
self deserving of the air She breathed, of the support the
earth gave to her footsteps, of the sustenance derived
from it, or of any service or kindness at the hands of
creatures ; of all things She considered Herself unworthy
and She gave thanks for all, as if She were really so un-
deserving. In order to say all in a few words: that a
creature should not seek the honor which does not belong
to it or which for some reason it does not merit, is not
such a great humility, although the Most High in his in-
finite kindness accepts it and considers Himself under
obligation to one who practices it in that way. But She,
most admirably exceeding all this, while deserving all ex-
altation and majesty, humiliated Herself more than all
other creatures and sought neither honor nor exaltation.
Thus Mary, holding worthily the dignity of Mother of
God, annihilated Herself, and by this very humility de-
served anew and in justice to be raised to the dominion
and sovereignty of all creation.
594. In proportion to this incomparable humility most
holy Mary possessed also all the other virtues, which be-
long to modesty. The desire of knowing more than is
necessary, ordinarily arises from the want of humility
and charity. This is a fault not only of no use, but of
great hindrance in the advancement of virtue, as hap-
pened with Dina (Gen. 24, 1), who, going out to see
what was no benefit to her, suffered such great damage
to her honor. From the same root of proud presumption
usually also springs superfluous ostentation and finery in
outward dress, and also the disorderly behavior in ges-
ture and carriage, which serves sensuality and vanity, tes-
tifying to the levity of the heart according to the saying
of Ecclesiasticus (19, 27) : "The attire of the body and
THE CONCEPTION 459
the laughter of the teeth, and the gait of the man, show
what he is." All the virtues opposed to these vices were
in most holy Mary in their entirety, void of all disinclina-
tion or feebleness in the exercise of them. They were
like companions of her profound humility, charity and
purity, that revealed the certain tokens of a nature more
heavenly than earthly.
595. She was most studious without being curious;
for though She was replete with a wnsdom far above that
of the cherubim. She studied and allowed Herself to be
taught as if ignorant of all things. Whenever She made
use of her divine science or sought to learn the will of
God, She was so prudent and attended so carefully and
exactly to all circumstances that her efforts always
wounded the heart of God and drew and inclined Him to
fulfill her most well-ordered wishes. In povertv and fru-
gality She was most admirable : for being the Mistress of
all creation and having full right to dispose of it. She
yielded all right of possession to the Lord in imitation of
her most holy Son; namely, just as the Father gave all
things into the hands of the incarnate Word, so the Word
put all into the hands of his Mother, and She. similarly
offered all things, as well in desire as in fact, for the
glory of her Son and Lord. Of the modesty of her be-
havior and sweetness of her intercourse, and of all her
exterior actions, it is sufficient to repeat what is asserted
by the wise man of Athens, saint Dionysius. that She
would have deserved to be looked upon as more than
human, if faith did not teach that She is a mere creature.
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
596. My daughter, thou hast said something of the
virtue of temperance and of my practice of it, so far as
thou hast understood its dignity and excellence. Yet thou
460 CITY OF GOD
hast omitted much that belongs to a full understanding
of the necessity of temperance in human actions. It was
a punishment of the first sin that man lost the perfect use
of reason, and that the passions should rise in rebellion
against him, because he rose up against God in contempt
of his most just command. In order to repair this dam-
age, temperance became necessary; by it man restrains
his concupiscences within proper bounds ; he perceives the
perfect medium in that which is desirable and he is taught
to follow once more the dictates of reason, bringing him
near to the Divinity and declining to follow his concu-
piscences like irrational beasts. Without this virtue it is
not possible for man to divest himself of the spoiled hu-
man nature, nor to dispose himself for the graces and
wisdom of God; for they will not enter into a soul sub-
ject to the body of sin (Wisdom 1, 4). He that knows
how to moderate his passions by denying them their im-
moderate and bestial desires, will be able to say and ex-
perience in truth, what is said of the Canticles (2, 4) :
that the King has introduced him into the cellars of his
delicious wine, and into the treasurehouse of his wisdom
and spiritual gifts; for this virtue is a storehouse of most
beautiful and fragrant virtues for the delight of the Al-
mighty.
597. Although of course I wish thee to labor much
in acquiring all virtues pertaining to temperance, I desire
nevertheless that thou consider especially the beauty and
fragrance of chastity, the strength which abstinence and
sobriety in eating and drinking will give, the sweet in-
fluence of modesty in words and actions, the exalted no-
bility of poverty in the use of created things. With the
help of these virtues, thou wilt attain the divine enlight-
enment, the peace and tranquillity of thy soul, the serenity
of thy faculties, the right government of thy inclinations ;
THE CONXEPTION 461
thou wilt be entirely illumined with the splendors of the
divine graces and gifts; from an animal and sensual way
of living thou wilt be raised to a heavenly intercourse and
an angelic life; and that is what I seek in thee and what
thou thyself by divine assistance art striving after. Be
careful therefore, my dearest, and watch for the divine
light in all thy actions, and let not any of thy powers be
induced to activity merely by pleasure and inclination;
but always act according to reason and for the glory of the
Most High in all things necessary for the conduct of thy
life; in eating, in sleeping, in dressing, in speaking, in
hearing, in desiring, in correcting, in commanding, in
speaking : let all be governed in thee by the light and the
pleasure of the Lord God, and not by thy own.
598. And in order that thou mayest so much the more
be captivated by the beauty and loveliness of the virtue of
temperance, consider the vileness of its contrary vices and
let thyself be deeply impressed according to the divine
light given thee ; consider assiduously how ugly, abom-
inable, horrible and monstrous the world is in the sight
of God and the saints on account of the enormous abom-
inations, which men commit against this lovable virtue.
Look how some follow like brutes after the horrors of
sensuality, how gluttony degrades others, how some fol-
low after pleasures of play and vanity, how others are
dominated by pride and presumption, how many are en-
tangled in avarice and the desire of gain, how the\' all fol-
low the impulse of passions, seeking in this life only
pleasure, while in the life to come they pile up for them-
selves eternal torments and incur the loss of the beatific
vision of their God and Lord.
CHAPTER XIII.
OF THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST AND HOW THE
MOST HOLY MARY MADE USE OF THEM.
599. The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to
the light given to me on this subject, seem to me to add
something to the virtues to which they refer ; and because
they superadd to them, they must also differ from them, al-
though they pursue the same object. Every benefit con-
ferred by the Lord can be called a gift flowing from his
hand, although it may only be a natural benefit ; but here
we do not speak of the gifts of God included in this wide
sense of the word, not even of the infused virtues and
gifts; for not all persons, who possess one or more vir-
tues, have the gifts pertaining to those virtues, or at least
they do not reach that degree of virtue that they can be
called perfect gifts, such as those mentioned by Isaias and
referred to by the doctors of the Church. Isaias says the
Holy Ghost rested upon Christ our Lord (Is. 11, 2),
enumerating seven graces, which commonly are called
gifts of the Holy Ghost, namely: the spirit of wisdom
and intellect, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit
of science and piety, and the fear of God. These gifts
were in the most holy soul of Christ, overflowing from
the Divinity to which it was hypostatically united, just
as the water is in the fountain, flowing from it and com-
municating itself to other places. For we all partake of
the waters of the Savior (Is. 12, 3), grace for grace, gift
for gift (John 1, 16) ; and in Him are hidden the treas-
ures of divine wisdom and science (Coloss. 2, 1).
462
THE CONCEPTION 463
600. The gifts of the Holy Ghost correspond to the
virtues to which they are related. And although not all
teachers agree in their doctrines about their correspon-
dence, there can be no difference of opinion in regard to
the end or purpose of these gifts, which is none else than
to give a special kind of perfection to the faculties for the
performance of exalted and heroic acts of virtue. The
excellence of these gifts must principally include and con-
sist of some specially strong inspiration or influence of
the Holy Ghost, which overcomes with greater efficacy
the impediments and moves the free will with greater
force, so that man be not remiss in his actions, but may
proceed with great fortitude and with all perfection in
those things to which that particular gift pertains. All
this the free will cannot attain without being illumined
and sustained by a specially efficacious and powerful in-
fluence of the Holy Ghost, which impels him, sweetly and
pleasingly (Sap. Wisdom 8, 1) to follow the enlighten-
ment, and freely to execute and accomplish what the will
under the efficacious influence of the Holy Ghost, under-
takes (Rom. 8). Therefore this impulse is called in-
stinct of the Holy Ghost; for although the will acts
freely and without compulsion, yet in these operations it
is much like a voluntary instrument and seems to be one.
because it acts less under the guidance of common pru-
dence, as in other virtues, although it does not act with
less intelligence or liberty.
601. I will try to make myself understood to a certain
degree by referring to two different faculties of the will
that are called into action in drawing the will to pursue
virtue. The one is its own inclination or attraction to-
ward the good, moving or stirring it in the same way as
gravity causes the stone to fall or lightness makes the
fire ascend toward its centre. This inclination of the will
464 CITY OF GOD
is increased more or less by the custom or habits of vir-
tue (and the same is to be said in their degree about the
habits of vice), for being drawn by love, the will moves
freely and of its own accord. The other faculty is that
of the intellect, which is an enlightenment in regard to
virtue by which the will directs itself in determining its
course of action, and this enlightenment is proportionate
with the habits and the operations of the will. For the
ordinary acts, prudence and whatever deliberation it in-
spires, are sufficient ; but for the more exalted operations
it requires a higher and a superior enlightenment and in-
citement, that of the Holy Ghost, such as is given by the
seven gifts. Since charity and grace is a supernatural
habit, which depends on the divine Will in the same way
as the ray depends upon the sun, therefore charity is ac-
companied by a particular influence of the Divinity, by
which it is moved to pursue the rest of the virtues and
good habits of the will, and much more so, when this
charity is re-enforced by the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
602. Therefore it seems to me that I perceive in the
gifts of the Holy Ghost a certain special enlightenment
in which the intellect remains to a large extent merely
passive as far as moving the will is concerned. In the
will at the same time there is a certain perfection of its
habits, which inclines it to most heroic acts in a manner
far above the ordinary forces of virtuousness. As the
movements of a stone, if another impulse beside gravity is
added, are much accelerated, so the impulse of the will
toward virtue is stronger and more excellent, if it is acted
upon by the gifts. The gift of wisdom communicates to
the soul a certain kind of taste by which it can distinguish
the divine from the human without error, throwing all
its influence and weight in all things against those in-
clinations which arise from human ignorance and folly;
THE CONCEPTION 465
this gift is related to charity. The gift of intellect sen-es
to penetrate into the understanding of divine things and
gives a knowledge of them overwhelmingly superior to
the ignorance and slowness of the natural intellect ; while
that of science searches the most obscure mysteries and
creates perfect teachers to oppose human ignorance ; these
two gifts are related to faith. The gift of counsel guides,
directs and restrains man within the rules of prudence in
his inconsiderate activity. It is closely related to this its
own virtue. That of fortitude expels disorderly fear and
gives strength to human weakness ; it is superadded to the
cardinal virtue of that name. Piety makes the heart kind,
takes away its hardness and softens it against its own
impiety and stubborness; it is related to religion. The
fear of God lovingly humiliates the soul in opposition to
pride, and is allied to humility.
603. In the most holy Mar}' were all the gifts of the
Holy Ghost as in one who was undoubtedly capable
of and entitled to them ; for She was the Mother
of the divine Word, from whom the Holy Ghost,
the Giver of them, proceeds. Moreover, since these
gifts were to correspond to her dignity of Mother
of God, it follows, that they were in Her in a measure
proportionate to that dignity, and as different from that
of all the rest of the creatures as her position of Mother
of God excels that of ordinary creatures. This was nec-
essary also because She enjoyed at the same time im-
peccability, while the other creatures stand in such a dis-
tant relation to the Holy Spirit, not only on account of
their common sin, but on account of their place in creation,
having no such proximitv to the Holy Ghost. If these
gifts existed in Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, as in their
fountainliead, they were in Mar}' as in a lake or ocean,
from whence thev are distributed over all creation : for
466 CITY OF GOD
from her superabundance they overflow into the whole
Church. This is referred to by Solomon in the book of
Proverbs, when Wisdom is made to say : that She builds
for Herself a house on seven pillars, etc., and in it She
prepares the table, mixes the wine, and invites the little
ones and the uninstructed ones drawing and raising them
up from their childhood to teach them prudence (Prov.
9, 1, 2). I will not stop to expatiate on this, but every
Catholic knows, that most holy Mary was this magnificent
mansion of the Most High, built up in strength and
beauty on these seven pillars of the gifts, so that in this
mystic palace might be held the banquet of the whole
Church. In Mary was prepared the table, at which all
we uninstructed little ones, children of Adam, may become
satiated with the activities and gifts of the Holy Ghost.
604. When speaking of these gifts as acquired by the
discipline in the exercise of virtue and the conquest of the
contrary vices, the first place must be assigned to fear of
God. In regard to Christ, Isaias begins by mentioning
the gift of wisdom, the highest one, because Christ re-
ceived them as the Master and as the Head, and not as
a disciple. In the same order we are to consider them
in the most holy Mary, for in gifts She was made more
similar to her most holy Son, than other creatures. The
gift of wisdom confers a certain enlightenment, like a
second taste, by which the intellect as it were tastes the
hidden truth and searches into the highest and ultimate
causes of things, while the will, with this same taste of
truth in the highest good, distinguishes the real good from
the apparent good without fail. For he is truly wise, who
perceives without mistake the true good in order to taste
of it, and who tastes it in perceiving it. This taste of
wisdom consists in rejoicing in the highest good by an
intimate union of love, upon which follows the savouring
THE CONCEPTION 467
and relishing of the particular good gained and realized
by the exercise of the virtues inferior to love. Therefore
he is not called wise, who merely perceives truth in a
speculative manner, although he may find his delight in
that pursuit : nor is he called wise, who practices virtue
merely for the sake of obtaining a knowledge of it. and
still less he who practices it for other reasons. But he,
that perceives the highest and the true good, and in it and
for it also the minor truths, and who, on account of the
relish of this truth, acts with a sincere and unitive love of
that good, is the one who will be truly wise. This percep-
tion or knowledge is supplied to wisdom by the gift of in-
tellect, which precedes and accompanies it, and which
consists in an intimate penetration into the divine truths,
and in the perception of all that can be reduced and pave
the way toward them; for the Spirit searches the pro-
found things of God, as the Apostle says (I Cor. 2, 10).
605. This same spirit will be necessary in order to
understand and in order to explain to a certain extent the
g^fts of wisdom and intellect possessed by Mary, the
Empress of heaven. The impetus of the river, which was
withheld by the highest Goodness for so many eternal
ages, rejoiced this City of God by its flow, and through
inhabitation of the Onlybegotten of the Father and Her-
self, completely filled her most holy soul ; so that it
seemed, (according to our way of speaking), as if the
infinite oceans of the Divinity were drained into this sea
of wisdom as soon as She was capable of invoking the
Spirit of wisdom. And in order that She might invoke
Him, He came to Her, that She might learn wisdom with-
out guile and communicate it without envy (Wisdom 7,
13). This She also did; for by means of her wisdom,
the light of the world, the eternal incarnate Word mani-
fested Itself to the world. This most wise Virgin knew
468 CITY OF GOD
in her wisdom the arrangement of the whole world and
the powers of the elements (Wisdom 7, 17), the begin-
ning, the middle, and the end of time with its mutations,
the course of the stars, the natures of the animals, the
fur\^ of the wild beasts, the powers of the winds, the dis-
positions and thoughts of men, the virtues of plants,
herbs, trees, fruits and roots, the hidden and occult things
beyond all thoughts of men, the mysterious ways of the
Most High : all this Mary, our Queen, knew and She de-
lighted in it through the wisdom, which She drew from
its original fountain and which was embodied in all her
thoughts.
606. Thence did She receive that vapor of the power
of God and the bright emanation of his pure charity,
which made Her immaculate and preserved Her from the
pollution, which stains the soul ; and on this account She
remained a mirror without blur reflecting the Majesty of
God. Thence did She draw the spirit of intelligence, be-
longing to wisdom, a spirit holy, single, manifold, subtle,
eloquent, active, undefiled, sure, sweet, loving the good
without impediment, beneficent, gentle, kind, steadfast,
assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all things
and understanding all things with clearness and with a
subtlety reaching from one end to the other (Wisdom 7,
22). All these qualities, which the wise man mentions as
belonging to the Spirit of Wisdom, were in a singularly
perfect manner the property of Mary most holy, second-
ary only to the manner in which they were possessed by
her Onlybegotten. Together with wisdom came to Her
all good (Wisdom 7, 11) and in all her works She was
led on by these high gifts of wisdom and intellect. By
them She was governed in the exercise of all the rest of
her virtues, being as it were saturated with this incompar-
able wisdom.
THE CONCEPTION 469
607. Something- has already been said of Her other
gifts, when speaking of the gifts in general; but since all
that we can understand and say is so far beneath that
which is really to be found in this mystical city of ]\Iary,
there always remains much to add. The gift of counsel,
in the order given by Isaias, follows that of the intellect ;
it consists in a supernatural illumination, by which the
Holy Ghost touches the interior, enlightening it beyond
all human and ordinary intelligence and thereby inclining
the soul to choose all that is most profitable, most decent
and just, and to reject all that is of the contrary kind. It
leads back the will by the immaculate and eternal laws of
God to the standard of one single love, conforming it to
perfect desire of the highest Good. Thus divinely instruct-
ed, the creature lays aside the multitude of the diverse in-
clinations, and the foreign and the inferior affections and
movements that may retard or hinder the human heart
from listening to or following the divine impulses and
counsels, or that may prevent man from conforming to
the living example of Christ our Lord, who in highest
council has said to the eternal Father: "Not my will be
done, but thine" (Matth. 26. 39).
608. The gift of fortitude is the participation of in-
fluence of a divine virtue, which the Holy Ghost com-
municates to the created will, in order that it may be hap-
pily encouraged to raise itself above all that is passing
and all that is wont to inspire human weakness with fear
in temptations, sorrows, tribulations and adversities.
Overcoming and vanquishing them all, the will acquires
and maintains in itself all that is most arduous and ex-
cellent in virtue ; it transcends and surpasses all the vir-
tues, graces, spiritual and interior exaltations, revelations,
sensible ecstasies of love : no matter of what degree and
excellence, it leaves all behind and soars upward in divine
470 CITY OF GOD
flight, until it reaches the highest and the most intimate
union with the supreme Good after which it longed with
the most ardent desire. Then in truth flows the sweet-
ness from strength (Judges 14, 14), having conquered all
things in Him that strengthened it (Philip. 4, 13). The
gift of science is an intelligent and unerring knowledge of
what must be believed and done in regard to the virtues,
and it differs from counsel, in so far as science selects,
while counsel decides; science forms a correct judgment
and counsel makes the wise choice. Science differs also
from intelligence, because intelligence penetrates into the
divine truths of faith and virtues by means of a simple in-
tuition, while science knows authoritatively all that can be
deduced from the principles of faith, conforming the
outward operations of the faculties to the perfection of
the virtues and being as it were the mother and the root
of discretion.
609. The gift of piety is a divine virtue or influence by
which the Holy Ghost softens, or as it were smoothens or
melts the human will, moving it to embrace all that per-
tains to the service of the Most High and to the welfare of
the neighbor. By means of this softening and sweet mild-
ness of the mind, our will is ever ready, and our memory
always attentive, so that in all times and places and circum-
stances we are ready to praise, bless, thank and honor the
highest Good ; and likewise we are moved to act with a
tender and loving compassion toward creatures, without
failing them in their troubles and necessities. This gift
is not hindered, when it meets envy and it overlooks hate,
avarice, and spurns weakness, or littleness of mind ; for
it causes in man a strong and delightful inclination by
which it proceeds sweetly and lovingly to fulfill all the
works of the love of God and the neighbor, making him
benevolent, ready to do a service, kind and diligent. On
THE CONCEPTION 471
that account the Apostle says, that the exercise of piety
is useful for all things (I Tim. 4, 8) and that it has the
promise of eternal life, being a most noble instrument of
charity.
610. In the last place comes the gift of fear, so highly
praised, exalted and recommended in many places of the
holy Scriptures and by the holy teachers, as the founda-
tion of Christian perfection and as the beginning of true
wisdom ; for the fear of God before all other things re-
sists, banishes and destroys the arrogant foolishness of
men. This important gift consists in a loving heedfulness
and a most noble modesty and restraint, by which the soul
withdraws within itself making it conscious of its own
lowly condition, comparing its lowliness with the supreme
majesty and greatness of God, not attending merely to
its own sentiments, preventing it to be wise in its own con-
ceit, and thus filling it with awe, as the Apostle teaches
(Rom. 11, 21). This gift of fear has its different de-
grees ; in the beginning it is called initial, and afterwards
it becomes filial fear ; for first the soul commences to flee
from guilt, as contrary to the highest Good ; and then it
proceeds still farther in its selfabasement and selfcon-
tempt, comparing its own littleness with God's majesty,
its ignorance with his wisdom, its poverty with his infinite
riches. Thus, finding itself in all things dependent on
God's divine will, it humiliates and subjects itself beneath
all creatures for the sake of God, acting toward Him and
towards them with a sincere love. It finally reaches tlie
perfection of the sons of God and arrives at the intimate
union of its powers with the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost.
611. If I should dilate still more in the explanation of
the gifts of the Holy Ghost. I would far exceed the limits
which I have set, and I would have to extend dispropor-
472 CITY OF GOD
tionately this discourse: that which I have said of these
gifts seems to me sufficient for the understanding of their
nature and their quahties. This understanding will en-
able us properly to consider, how these gifts of the Holy
Ghost were possessed by the sovereign Queen of heaven
not only in an ordinarily sufficient degree, such as is com-
monly possessed by other saints ; but that they were in
this Lady in such an excellent and privileged a degree,
as would not fall to the lot of the saints, nor be proper to
anyone inferior to Her in sanctity. Having then under-
stood, in what holy fear, piety, fortitude, science and coun-
sel consist and in how far they are gifts of the Holy Ghost,
let the human estimation and angelic understanding dilate,
let them soar in thought to the noblest, the most excellent,
the most perfect and the most divine : greater than all
this, and above whatever else creatures in their entirety
can conceive, will be the gifts of Mary, and the lowest of
the perfections of Mary will scarcely be within reach of
the highest that can enter the thoughts of man ; just as in
the same manner the highest perfections of our Lady
and Queen attain only in a certain sense the lowest of
Christ and the Divinity.
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY MARY THE MOST HOLY
QUEEN.
612. My daughter, these most noble and excellent gifts
of the Holy Ghost, which thou hast come to understand,
are the emanations of the Divinity communicating them-
selves to and transforming the holy souls: on their own
part they do not admit of any limitation but only on the
part of the subject upon which they act. If the creatures
would empty their hearts of earthly love and affections,
although their heart is limited, they would participate
without measure in the torrent of the infinite Godhead
THE CONCEPTION 473
through the inestimable gifts of the Holy Ghost. The
virtues purify the creature from the ugliness and guilt of
its vices, and thereby they begin to restore the disconcert-
ed order of its faculties, which was first lost by original
sin and afterwards increased by actual sins; they add
beauty to the soul, strength and joy in doing good. But
the gifts of the Holy Ghost raise these same virtues to a
sublime perfection, adornment and beauty, by which they
dispose, beautify and fill the soul with graces and intro-
duce it to the chamber of its Spouse, where it remains
united with the Divinity in a spiritual bond of eternal
peace. From this most blessed condition it proceeds
faithfully and truthfully to the practice of heroic virtues;
and laden with them it returns to the same source from
which it issued forth, namely God himself. In his
shadow it rests and is satiated, freed from the impetuous
fury of the passions and their disorderly appetites. Such
a happiness however is the lot of few, and only by ex-
perience can it actually be known, who does attain it.
613. Take heed therefore, my dearest, and study pro-
foundly how thou canst ascend to the height of these
gifts; for it is the will of the Lord and mine, that thou
ascend higher up as a guest in the feast (Luc. 14, 10)
which is prepared for thee in all the sweetness of his
blessed gifts (Ps. 20, 4) and to which thou hast been in-
vited for this very purpose by this excess of liberality.
Remember that there are only two ways to eternity : the
one, which leads to eternal death by contempt of virtue
and ignorance of the Divinity; the other, which leads to
eternal life by the profitable knowledge of the Most High ;
for this is eternal life (Jno. 17, 3), that men know the
way to Him and to his Onlybegotten, whom He sent into
the world. The way of death is trodden by innumerable
wicked ones (Eccles. 1, 14). who are unaware of their
33
474 CITY OF GOD
own ignorance, presumption and insipid pride. To those,
whom his mercy calls to his admirable light (1 Pet. 2, 9),
and whom He engenders anew as sons of light, God gives
by this regeneration a new being in faith, hope and charity,
making them his own and heirs of an eternal and godlike
fruition. Having been made sons they are endowed with
the virtues accompanying the first justification, in order
that as sons of light, they may perform corresponding
works of light ; and over and above they receive the gifts
of the Holy Ghost. And just as the material sun denies
its light and warmth to nothing that is capable and fit for
its influence, so also the divine Wisdom, emitting its voice
on the high mountains, on the royal highway and in the
most hidden paths, invites and calls out to all, and hides
itself or denies itself to no one (Prov. 8,1). But the fool-
ishness of men makes them stupid and deaf, their impious
malice makes them scoffers, and their unbelieving per-
versity turns them away from God, whose Wisdom finds
no place in the malevolent heart (Wisdom 1, 4), nor in a
body subject to sin.
614. Thou however, my daughter, remember thy
promises, thy vocation and thy aspirations; for the
tongue which lies to God, is an abominable murderer of
the soul (Wisdom 1, 11, 12) : see that thou do not pursue
death in the error of this life, nor draw upon thyself ruin
by the work of thy hands (Cant. 2, 4), as by divine light,
thou hast seen the sons of darkness do. Fear the powerful
God and Lord with an humble and a well-ordered fear,
and in all thy works be governed by that Master. Make
thy heart gentle, yielding and docile to discipline and
works of piety. Judge of things according to the true
value of virtue and vice. Animate thyself with an in-
vincible fortitude to strive after the most arduous and ex-
alted, and to endure the most adverse and exacting labors.
THE CONCEPTION 475
By discretion choose the means for attaining to these re-
sults. Give way to the force of the divine hght, by which
thou canst transcend all sensible things, rise to the highest
knowledge of the hidden secrets of divine wisdom and dis-
tinguish between the things of the new and of the old man.
Then wilt thou be made capable of partaking of this
wisdom; for then thou wilt enter into the wine-cellar of
thy Spouse and be inebriated with his love, and his eternal
charity will be well ordered in thee.
CHAPTER XIV.
EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DIVINE
VISIONS ENJOYED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND THE
EFFECTS WHICH THEY WROUGHT IN HER.
615. The grace of divine visions, revelations and rap-
tures, (I do not speak here of the beatific visions), al-
though they are operations of the Holy Ghost, must be
distinguished from justifying grace and from virtues,
which sanctify and perfect the soul in their operations.
As not all the just, nor all the saints, necessarily have
visions or divine revelations, it is evident that sanctity and
virtuousness can exist without these gifts. It is also
evident, that revelations and visions are not dependent
upon the sanctity and perfection of those, that are thus
favored, but upon the divine will. God concedes them
according to weight and measure for the ends which He
wishes to attain in his Church (Wisdom 11, 21). God
can without doubt grant great and the most exalted
visions to those, who are less holy, and only inferior
revelations to those, who are of exalted sanctity. The
gift of prophecy and the other gifts freely given (gratis
data) He can give to those even, who are not saints;
some of the raptures moreover can arise from causes,
which have nothing to do with moral virtues. Therefore
if any comparison is made between the Prophets, their
sanctity does not enter into calculation, for that can be
estimated only by God ; but the divine light of prophecy
and the mode of receiving it, must be made the basis of
the comparison as to its being more or less exalted in its
476
THE CONCEPTION 477
different aspects. Thus it happens, that charity and
virtue, which make their possessors holy and perfect, de-
pend upon the will, while visions and revelations, and
likewise some of the raptures, affect the understanding of
the intellectual part of man, the perfection of which does
not in itself sanctify the soul.
616. Nevertheless, though the gift of divine vision is
distinct from holiness and separate from it, the divine
will and providence very often joins them according to
the end and object in the gratuitous gifts of special revela-
tion ; for sometimes God ordains them for the public
benefit (I Cor. 12, 7) and for the common good of the
Church, as the Apostle tells us. Thus the Prophets, in-
spired by the Holy Ghost and not filled with their own
imaginations (H Pet. 1, 21), spoke and prophesied to
us the mysteries of the Redemption and of the evangelical
Law (I Pet. 1, 10). When the revelations and visions
are of this kind, they are not necessarily joined with
sanctity; for Balaam was a prophet and no saint. But
generally it suited divine Providence, that the prophets
should at the same time be saints, preferring not to de-
posit, at least not easily and frequently, the spirit of
prophecy and of divine revelations in impure vessels. In
some instances He, as the Allpowerful. did choose to act
in this manner, yet (not to mention many other reasons)
He did not ordinarily wish to derogate from the power of
his divine truths and teachings by the bad life of the
instrument.
617. At other times the divine revelations and visions
do not pertain to things of so general an import and they
do not concern so much the common good, but only the
particular advantage of the one who receives them; just
as the former are the effects of God's love toward his
Church, so the latter, the special revelations, are the re-
478 CITY OF GOD
suits of the special love of God toward the particular soul.
He communicates them in order to instruct his chosen
ones and in order to raise them to the highest grade of
love and perfection. In this kind of revelations the spirit
of wisdom transcends through successive generations of
holy souls, making them successively prophets and
friends of God. Just as the efficient cause of the revela-
tions is the love of God shown to some particular souls,
so also their final cause or object is the holiness, the
purity and the charity of these very souls; God chooses
this means of divine revelation and vision in order to gain
this end.
618. I do not therefore say here, that revelations and
visions are the indispensable and necessary means for the
making of the saints and the perfect; many are such by
other means, irrespective of these benefits. But, even
supposing this truth, that the concession or denial of these
particular gifts depends solely upon the divine will, it is
nevertheless also a fact that on our part and on the part
of God there may be certain reasons of propriety which
induce God to communicate them more frequently to his
servants. The first among several is, that the most proper
and convenient means of rising to eternal things, entering
into them, becoming spiritualized, and arriving at the per-
fect union of the soul with the highest Good, is the super-
natural light concerning the mysteries and secrets of the
Most High, which comes from revelation and vision
granted to it in solitude and in its excesses of mind. For
this purpose the Lord himself invites the soul with many
promises and caresses, as is ofttimes shown in holy Scrip-
ture and especially in the Canticles of Solomon.
619. The second of these reasons of propriety concerns
the Lord : for love is impatient to communicate its favors
and its mysteries to the beloved and to the friend. "I
THE CONCEPTION 479
will not now call you servants, nor treat you as servants,"
our Lord, the Master of truth said to the Apostles, "for
I have manifested to you the secrets of my Father,"
(John 15, 15). And Moses says of himself, that God
spoke to him as a friend with a friend (Exodus 23, 11).
The holy Ancestors, Patriarchs and Prophets, received
from the Holy Ghost not only general revelations, but
many other private and particular ones, and these were
tokens of the love in which God held them, as is seen from
the petition of Moses to allow him to see the face of God.
(Exod. 23, 13). The same is shown by the names, which
the Almighty applies to the chosen soul in calling it
spouse, friend, dove, sister, perfect, beloved, beautiful,
etc. (Cant. 4, 8, 9; 2, 10; 1, 14 et passim). All these
titles, though betokening much of the force of divine love
and its effects, yet fall far short of that which the supreme
King operates in those whom He wishes thus to honor ;
for the Lord is mighty to do all that He desires ; and He
alone knows how to desire as a Spouse, as a Friend, as a
Father, as the highest and infinite Good, without limit or
measure.
620. The truth loses nothing of its force by its not
being intelligible to carnal wisdom : nor by the deceptions
of carnal prudence, through which some souls have been
led into false visions and revelations forged by the devil
in the garb of light. This deception has been more fre-
quent in women on account of their ignorance and their
passions; however, it fell also upon many men, who
sought to appear virtuous and wise. In all of them it
has arisen from an evil root. I do not speak of those
who with diabolical hypocrisy have feigned false and
apparent revelations, visions and raptures; but I speak of
those who have been deceived bv Ivinjr visions throusfh
the agency of the devil, although such things do not
480 CITY OF GOD
happen without sin in consenting thereto. Of the former
it can be said, that they deceive, and of the latter, at least
in the beginning, that they are deceived; for the ancient
serpent, knowing them to be little mortified in their pas-
sions and little practiced in the interior perception of the
divine things, implants into them with astute subtlety a
proud presumption, that they are much favored by God.
The devil robs them of their humble fear and inspires
them with vain curiosity to know high things by revela-
tion, to be favored with visions, and to be distinguished
in such things above other men. Thereby they open the
gates for the entrance of satan, he fills them with deceit-
ful and false illusions, far distant from divine truth, yet
having the appearance of truth in order to conceal his
poison and deceive the soul.
621. The way to avoid such dangerous deceit is to
live in humble fear and not to aspire to high things
(Rom. 11, 20) ; not to judge of our advance in the tri-
bunal of our inclinations and not to trust to our own
prudence ; to leave judgment to God, his ministers, and
well informed confessors, who will search into the inten-
tion of our acts. Then it will soon become known,
whether the soul desires these favors as a means of vir-
tue and perfection or in order to obtain honor among
men. The most secure path will always be not to desire
them, and always to fear the danger which at all times
is great and more so in the first beginnings. For the
sensible sweetness of devotion, even when it comes from
the Lord and when it is not an imposture of the devil, is
not given because the soul is already capable of the solid
food of his greater favors and secrets ; but it is given as
the food of the little ones, in order to draw them away
with greater earnestness from the faults and induce them
to greater self-denial in sensible things; not at all in
THE CONCEPTION 481
order to make them imagine that they are advanced in
virtue. Even raptures, which spring- from admiration,
suppose ignorance rather than special love. As soon as
our love becomes ecstatic, fervent, yearning, quickened,
full of activity and inaccessible, impatient of any other
presence except that of its Beloved, and if besides all this,
it has a full command over all the affections of the heart ;
then the soul begins to be rightly disposed to receive the
light of mysterious revelations and of divine visions ; and
so much the better will it be disposed toward receiving
them, the more it esteems itself unworthy of the recep-
tion of even much smaller favors. Wise men will not be
surprised that women have been so much favored in
these gifts; for besides being more fervent in their love,
God also favors them for being the weakest among crea-
tures and so much the more appropriate witnesses of his
power. Women also are more wanting in the acquired
science of theology than learned men, except when the
Most High infuses that science in order to illumine their
weak and uninformed judgment.
622. Having established these principles, we must
acknowledge that in most holy Mary, even if there were
no other special reasons, the revelations and visions of
the Most High were more exalted, more wonderful, more
frequent, and more divine than those of all the rest of
saints. These favors, just like all the gifts, must be
measured by her dignity, her holiness, purity, and also by
the love, which her Son and the blessed Trinity cherished
towards Her, who was the ^lother of the Son, the
Daughter of the Father, and the Spouse of the Holy
Ghost. In proportion to the greatness of these preroga-
tives were also the influxes of the Divinity : Christ and his
Mother being infinitely more beloved than all the rest of
the angels and men. The divine visions enjoyed by our
482 CITY OF GOD
sovereign Queen can be divided into five grades or kinds,
and I will describe each one of them, as far as has been
revealed to me.
MOST HOi^Y Mary's clear vision oS' the divinity.
623. The highest and most excellent of all her visions
were those of the beatific vision of the divine Essence, for
in her state of pilgrimage She many times enjoyed the
unveiled vision of the Divinity. I shall mention all these
visions in the course of this history according to the time
and occasion in which She enjoyed this supreme privilege
of a creature. Some doctors are in doubt, whether the
other saints have reached this state of seeing the God-
head clearly and intuitively while yet in mortal flesh ; but
whatever may be their uncertainty about such visions in
regard to other saints, no such doubt can be entertained in
regard to the Queen of heaven, and it would be an injury
to Her, if we were to measure her favors with the com-
mon measure of the saints. Many more favors and graces
than were even possible in them actually were consummat-
ed in the Mother of grace, and it is at least possible that
beatific vision can take place in men yet in their pilgrim-
age, whatever may be the mode in which this happens.
The first requisite of a soul, which is to see God face to
face, is a degree of sanctifying grace most exalted and
far above the ordinary. Now the degree of sanctifying
grace, which Mary reached from the first moment of her
existence, was superabundant and of such perfection, that
it exceeded that of the highest seraphim. In addition to
sanctifying grace, there must be great purity of all the
faculties, without a shadow of guilt or the least inclina-
tion to sin. Just as a vessel, which has contained any im-
pure liquid and which is to be filled with another pure
substance, must be cleansed, washed and purified until not
THE CONCEPTION 483
a taste or odor of the former remains so as not to infect
the new substance : so all traces of sin (and much more of
actual sin) contaminate and infect the soul. And because
all these effects make the soul unfit for divine bounty, it
must be prepared before it can be united with God by the
intuitive vision and beautifying love. It must be cleansed
and purified, so that not a vestige of the odor, or the taste
of sin remains, nor any traces of vicious habits or in-
clinations consequent thereon. This applies not only to
the effects and stains of mortal, but also of venial sin, all
of which cause in the soul a special turpitude, like to that,
which, according to our way of understanding such
things, ensues, when a foul breath covers and obscures the
clearness of crystal : all its brightness and purity must first
be restored to the soul before it can see God face to face.
624. Moreover, besides this purity which is as it were
the negative cleansing of the nature of him who is to en-
joy the vision of God, it is necessary to cauterize the in-
fection of original sin, so that it is entirely extinct and
neutralized, as if it had never existed in the creature.
Thus all trace or inward cause inclining it to any sin or
imperfection must first be done away with, and the entire
free will must, as it were, be made incapable of ever\'-
thing, which in any way is opposed to highest sanctity and
goodness. Hence, on account of what I shall mention af-
terward, it will be easily understood, how difficult it is for
the soul to attain the necessary condition for the clear
vision of God in mortal flesh ; and that it can be conceded
to the creatures only with great circumspection, for most
important reasons, and after great preparation. Accord-
ing to my understanding there are two kind of incon-
gruities and divergencies of the sinful creature in regard
to the divine nature. The first consists in this, that God
is invisible, infinite, a pure and simple act, while man is
484 CITY OF GOD
a corporeal, earthly, corruptible and coarse substance. The
other incongruity is caused by sin, which is immensely
distant from the divine goodness, and this entails a
greater divergence and alienation than the first. But
both of them must be done away with before such ex-
tremes can be united, and before the creatures can rest in
this supreme manner in the Deity and before it can as-
similate itself with God so as to see and enjoy Him as He
is (I John 3, 2).
625. All the requisites of immaculate purity and
transparency, excluding all sin and imperfection, were
possessed by the Queen of heaven in a much higher de-
gree than even by the angels ; for She was touched neither
by original nor by actual sin, nor by any of their conse-
quences. In this regard divine grace acted more power-
fully in Her, than was merited by the impeccable nature
of the angels, and in Mary there was no disproportion
nor any obstacle of sin, which could retard the vision of
God. On the other hand, besides being immaculate, the
grace given to Her in the first instance exceeded that of
the angels and saints, and Her merits were in proportion
to that grace. By her first act She merited more than
all the others, even by their most perfect and consummate
acts, which they have performed in order to reach beatific
vision. Therefore, if it is just, that in the other saints
the reward of glory merited by them be deferred until
the end of their mortal life: it does not seem against
justice, that this law was not followed so strictly in re-
gard to most holy Mary and that the most high Ruler
should and really did proceed differently with Her dur-
ing Her mortal existence. The most blessed Trinity
would not suffer such a long delay in regard to Her, and
manifested Itself to Her many times : since She merited it
above all the angels, seraphim and saints, who, having
THE CONCEPTION 485
less grace and merits, are enjoying the supreme beati-
tude. ]\Ioreover, there was another reason why the
Divinity should manifest Itself clearly to Her: namely,
since She was elected to be the Mother of God, it was ap-
propriate, that She should know by fruition and experi-
ence the treasure of the infinite Deity and see Him face to
face as her God, whom having enjoyed, She was to clothe
in mortal flesh and bear about in her virginal womb, and
whom She was afterwards to treat as her Son and as her
God.
626. Even with all the aforesaid purity and sinlessness
and with the addition of sanctifying grace, the soul is not
yet worthy or capable of the beatific vision, since still
other dispositions and divine operations are required.
With these the Queen of heaven was furnished whenever
She enjoyed this vision and hence they are much more
necessary to any other soul, that is to be thus favored in
mortal flesh. After the soul has reached the state of
purity and sanctification above described, the Lord adds
a finishing touch as of a most spiritual fire, which refines
and chases it as fire does the gold, or as Isaias was puri-
fied by the seraphim (Isaias 6,7). It has two effects in
the soul: first it spiritualizes and separates in it (accord-
ing to our mode of understanding) the dross and earthli-
ness connected with its present existence and its union
with the bodily matter. Secondly it fills the soul with
a new light, which scatters, I do not know what obscurity
and darkness, just as the light of the morning scatters the
darkness of night. This light takes possession, leaves
the soul clarified and replenished with new splendors of
a divine fire, producing still other effects in the soul. For
if it is guilty or has been gnilty of any sins, the soul de-
plores these sins with incomparable sorrow and contrition,
with a sorrow, that cannot be equaled by any other human
486 CITY OF GOD
sorrow, for all are very little in comparison with it. At
the same time it feels another effect of this light : it purges
the understanding of all the images impressed upon it by
the sensible and visible things of earth. For all impres-
sions and images, acquired by the senses distort the in-
tellectual vision and serve only as a hindrance to the clear
vision of the supreme spiritual essence of God. There-
fore it is necessary to clear and evacuate from the facul-
ties all these earthly idols and images. Not only is this
necessary, in order that the soul may see God clearly and
intuitively, but equally so, in order to see Him
abstractively.
627. In the soul of our most pure Queen, there was no
fault to deplore, no after-effects of the sensible operations,
no dependence upon the body, and therefore these illumi-
nations and purifications immediately wrought the other
effects, beginning to elevate her nature to a condition not
so far removed from the ultimate supreme End. In ad-
dition to this they caused in this most pure soul new senti-
ments and movements of humility and knowledge of the
nothingness of the creature in comparison with the Crea-
tor and his blessings. Thus her inflamed heart was in-
cited to many other heroic acts of virtue. Like effects
are produced in a corresponding degree in other souls,
who are to be prepared for the visions of the Deity.
628. Our curtailed insight might well hold that the
foregoing preparations are sufficient for being admitted
to the beatific vision ; but they are not : still another qual-
ity is wanting, a divine emanation or light, the light of
glory. This new cleansing, though it is similar in nature
to those already spoken of, is altogether different from
them in its effects. For it raises the soul to a very high and
serene state, where, in greatest tranquillity, it enjoys the
sweetest peace, which is not felt in connection with the
THE CONCEPTION 487
first mentioned purifications, For in those the pain and
bitterness of sin is still felt, if the soul was guilty of any,
and if not, then there remains still the earthly weight of
our lower nature. These effects are not compatible with
the close approach and assimilation to the supreme bless-
edness. It seems to me that the first purifications serve to
mortify, and that, which I am now referring to, serves to
revivify and heal nature. God proceeds in these things
like the painter, who first delineates the image, then ap-
plies the ground colors, and at last puts on the finishing
touches, so that the picture comes to light well defined.
629. Over and above all these purifications, prepajra-
tions and their admirable effects, God adds still a last
one, which is the light of glory by which the soul raises
itself to attain and enjoy the beatific vision of God. In
this light the Godhead manifests Itself, for without this
light God cannot be seen by any creature. Since the
natural powers of the creature cannot attain to this light
and these preparations, therefore it is impossible to see
God by the natural faculties alone, for all this far exceeds
the forces of nature.
630. With all this beauty and adornment the Spouse
of the Holy Ghost, the Daughter of the Father, and the
Mother of the Son, was furnished for Her entrance into
the chamber of the Divinity in order to enjoy from time
to time the beatific vision and intuitive fruition. And as
these favors were given to Her according to the measure
of her dignity and grace, therefore it is impossible to en-
compass the godlike proportions of her enlightenment by
the reasoning powers, or the thoughts of a creature, and
much less of an ignorant woman. Still less can the joys
of her soul be estimated or calculated, when it was thus
exalted above all that is most supreme in the highest
seraphim and saints. If in regard to all the just, even
488 CITY OF GOD
the lowest of those who enjoy God, it is infalHbly true,
that neither eye has seen, nor ears heard, nor mind con-
ceived, what God has prepared for his elect (I Cor. 2, 9),
what must be the enjoyment of the greater saints? And
if the same Apostle who says this confesses that he cannot
repeat, what he had heard (II Cor. 12, 4), what shall we,
in our narrow limitation of powers, be able to say of the
Saint of the saints, the Mother of Him, who is the glory
of the saints? Next to the Soul of her most holy Son,
who was man and true God, She was the one, who knew
and saw the greatest mysteries and sacraments in those in-
finite and hidden immensities of the Divinity, To Her
more than to all the blessed in their entirety were thrown
open the infinite treasures, the expanding vastnesses of
that inaccessible Being, unlimited by any beginning or
end. She, as the City of God, was inundated by the
ecstatic torrents of the supreme Being, overwhelming
Her with the impetuous waves of wisdom and grace,
spiritualizing and impregnating Her with the spirit of the
Divinity.
ABSTRACTIVE VISIONS OF THE DIVINITY ENJOYED BY MOST
HOLY MARY.
631. The second kind of divine visions enjoyed by the
Queen of heaven was the abstractive, which is very dif-
ferent and much inferior to the intuitive; it was more
frequent in Her, though not daily or continual. This
kind of knowledge or vision is communicated by the Most
High without unveiling Himself directly to the created
mind, but through a certain veil or species, by means of
which He becomes manifest. Because of this intervening
medium between the faculty and its object, this kind of
vision is very much inferior to the clear and intuitive
vision. It does not involve the real presence, though it
THE CONXEPTION 489
presupposes it intellectually in an inferior way. Although
the creature knows that it is nigh to the Divinity and
discovers the attributes, perfections and mysteries, which
as in a mirror of the will, God wishes to show and mani-
fest, yet it does not feel and is not aware of his presence
so as to enjoy Him with complete satiety.
632. Nevertheless this is a great, rare and, next to the
clear vision, a more excellent favor than any other. Al-
though it does not require the light of glory, but only the
light appropriate to the species themselves, and not even
the ultimate disposition and purification proper to the
light of glory; yet all the other preparations antecedent
to the intuitive vision, must go before it ; for by them the
soul enters into the antechambers of the house of the
eternal God and Lord (Psalm 45, 5). The effects of this
kind of vision are admirable, for besides the exalted state
which it presupposes in the soul and which raises it above
itself (Thren. 3, 28), it inebriates the soul (Psalm 35, 9)
with an ineffable and an inexplicable delight and sweet-
ness, inflaming it with divine love, transforming it and
causing a forget fulness of and an aversion toward all
earthliness and toward itself, so that already the soul does
not any more live in itself, but in Christ and Christ in it
(Gal. 2, 20). Besides all this there remains after this
vision in the soul a light, which, if not lost by negligence
and carelessness, or by some sin, will always accompany it
to the highest pinnacle of perfection, teaching it the most
secure paths to eternity and resembling the perpetual fire
of the sanctuary (Lev. 6, 12) or the beaconlight of the
citadel of God ^Apoc. 22, 5).
633. These and other effects were caused in our sover-
eign Queen by abstractive vision and to such an eminent
degree, that I cannot give an explanation of my concept
in words. But some idea will be obtained, if we consider
490 CITY OF GOD
the condition of that most pure soul, in which there was
not the least hindrance, either of lukewarmness, nor of
the least defect, no indolence or forgetfulness, no negli-
gence or ignorance, nor the least inattention ; but in which
on the contrary was the fullness of grace and of ardent
love, unfailing diligence, perpetual and unceasing praise
of the Creator, the utmost solicitude and readiness to give
Him glory, and a preparation which allowed the powerful
hand of God to operate without opposition or hindrance
whatever. She was favored with this kind of blessed
vision in the first moment of her Conception, as I have
already related before (Supra, No. 228, 236, 311, 382,
388; infra, 731, 739; Part II 6-101; Part II 537), and
will relate afterwards many times in the course of her
most holy life.
INTELLECTUAIv VISIONS AND REVELATIONS OE THE MOST
HOLY MARY.
634. The third kind of divine visions and revelations
enjoyed by the most holy Mary were the intellectual ones.
Although abstractive visions or the visions of the Divinity
may be called intellectual visions, yet for two reasons I
have mentioned them especially and placed them in a high-
er order. First, because the object of the abstractive visions
is altogether supreme among intellectual things, whereas
the range of these more ordinary intellectual visions ex-
tends to many various objects, since they include the ma-
terial and the spiritual things, and the entire field of in-
tellectual truths and mysteries. The second reason is, be-
cause the abstractive visions of the divine Essence are
brought about by the most exalted and supernaturally in-
fused species or images of the being of God ; whereas the
common revelations and the intellectual visions take place
in diverse ways ; sometimes the intellectual images of the
THE CONCEPTION 491
objects revealed are all infused; at other times not neces-
sarily all the subject-matter of the revelations is infused;
because then the same species or images, which the imag-
ination or phantasy already possesses are sufficient for the
revelation. For the understanding, endowed with a new
light and a supernatural power, can apprehend the mys-
teries of God from imaginary images, as happened with
Joseph in Eg}'pt (Gen. 40, 41), and with Daniel in Baby-
lon (Dan. 1, 24). This kind of revelation was given to
David; and next to the knowledge of the Essence of the
Deity, it is the most noble and secure. For neither the
demons nor the angels can infuse this supernatural light
into the understanding, since they can only cause images
and phantasies in the imagination.
635. This form of revelation was common among the
holy Prophets of the old and the new Testaments; for
the light of perfect prophecy which they possessed, ter-
minated in the understanding of some hidden mystery;
and without this intelligence, or intellectual light, they
would not have been perfect prophets, nor w-ould they
have spoken prophetically. Therefore, they that do or
say something prophetical, as for instance Caiphas and the
soldiers refusing to divide the garment of Christ our Lord
(John 11, 49; 19. 24). although they are urged to these
things by divine impulse, are not prophets in the perfect
sense; for they do not speak prophetically, that is with
divine intelligence and light. It is even true that the holy
Prophets, who are prophets in the real sense, and who call
themselves seers on account of the interior light by which
they see secret things, can perform some prophetic actions
without knowing all the mysteries included therein, or
even without knowing any of the mysteries ; but in such
cases they are not to be called prophets in the same sense,
as when they prophesy with a supernatural understanding
492 CITY OF GOD
of things. This kind of revelation is of many dififerent
grades, which cannot here be explained ; and although the
Lord can communicate it irrespective of charity, of grace
and virtue; yet ordinarily it is accompanied by them, as
in the Prophets, Apostles and the just, and this happens
both when He manifests his secrets to them as friends,
and also when the intellectual visions or revelations are
given for the advantage and greater advancement of those
who receive them, as I have said above (No. 616). There-
fore these revelations demand a very excellent predispo-
sition in those souls who are to be raised to them, and
ordinarily God does not communicate them, except when
the soul is in the state of quiet and peace, withdrawn from
the earthly things and well ordered in its faculties for the
workings of the divine light.
636. In the Queen of heaven these intelligences or rev-
elations were vastly different from those which are proper
to the Saints and Prophets; for her Highness enjoyed
them continually, both in habit and in act, whenever She
was not enjoying other more exalted visions of the Divin-
ity. Moreover the clearness and the extent of this intel-
lectual light and all its effects were incomparably greater
in most holy Mary. For of the truths, mysteries and
sacraments of the Most High, She knew more than all the
holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and more even than
all the angels combined; and She understood more pro-
foundly and clearly, more unerringly and securely all that
She did know. By means of this intelligence She pene-
trated to the very being of God and to his attributes as
manifested in the very smallest of his works and crea-
tures. Not one of them existed in which She did not per-
ceive the participation of the greatness of the Creator and
his divine foresight and providence. Most holy Mary
alone could in the fullest sense say of Herself that the
THE CONCEPTION 493
Lord had manifested to Her the uncertain and occult
things of his wisdom (Psalm 50, 8) as recorded by the
Prophet. It is impossible to describe the effects of this
intelligence in the sovereign Lady; this whole history
must serve in a manner to declare them. In other souls
they are of wonderful advantage and efficacy, for they
illumine in the highest manner the understanding, inflame
the will with incredible ardor, they undeceive, disentangle,
elevate and spiritualize the creature, and at the same time
they seem to lighten and subtilize even the gross and em-
burdened earthly body in holy emulation with the soul.
The Queen of heaven enjoyed in these visions also an-
other privilege, of which, however, I will speak in the
following chapter.
IMAGINARY VISION OF MOST HOLY MARY, THE QUEEN OE
HEAVEN.
637. In the fourth place must be mentioned the imag-
inary visions, which are produced by sensible visions,
raised or set in motion in the imagination or phantasy.
They represent the object in a material or sensitive man-
ner, in the same way as are represented those things we
see, hear, touch or taste. By means of this kind of vision
the Most High manifested to the Prophets of the old Tes-
tament great mysteries and sacraments. Such happened
especially with Ezechiel, Daniel and Jeremias, and under
the influence of similar visions the evangelist saint John
wrote the Apocalypse. Since these visions partake so
much of the sensible and corporal element, they are much
inferior to the ones spoken of under the preceding head-
ing. On this same account the demon can reproduce
them in appearance by exciting phantasms of the imagi-
nation ; he does not. however, reproduce them in reality,
494 CITY OF GOD
being the father of lies. Therefore it is necessary to be-
ware of these kind of visions and to examine them in
the hght of the teachings of the saints; for if the demon
perceives any cupidity toward them in the soul during
prayer or devotions, and if God permits, he can easily
work deception. Even some saints, though dreading the
dangers of such visions, were nevertheless entangled in
them by satan in his assumed light, as is related in their
lives for our instruction and warning.
638. The one in whom these imaginary visions and
revelations were without any danger and entirely secure
and divine, was most holy Mary, whose interior light
could not be obscured or invaded by the astuteness of the
serpent. Our Queen was favored with many such visions,
for of this kind were those which manifested to Her many
of the actions of her most holy Son while absent, as we
shall see in the sequence of her life (Part II, Chap. 23, 24,
25, Book V). She also perceived in imaginary visions
many creatures and mysteries, whenever the Most High
so dispensed it according to his will and providence. And
since this and many benefits received by the sovereign
Princess of heaven were ordained for most high ends,
not only for the advancement of her own sanctity, purity
and merits, but also for the advantage of the Church, of
which this great Mother of grace was to be a Teacher and
a Cooperatrix in Redemption, the effects of these visions
and her understanding of them were admirable and they
were invariably accompanied by incomparable proofs of
the glory of God, and of new and increasing gifts and
graces in the soul of most holy Mary. Of the effects of
these visions in other creatures I will speak immediately
below ; for of these and the next kind of visions, the same
can be said as far as their effects in other souls are con-
cerned.
THE CONCEPTION 495
CORPOREAL VISIONS OF DIVINE ORIGIN ENJOYED BY MOST
HOLY MARY.
639. The fifth and lowest order of visions and revela-
tions are those which are perceived by the corporeal and
exterior senses, and that is the reason why they are called
corporeal, although they can be brought about in two dif-
ferent ways. The one kind are truly and properly called
corporeal visions, when in a visible and quantitative body
some supernatural being appears to the sight or touch, be
it God, a saint, or the demon, or a soul and the like ; such
body being formed for that very purpose by the ministry
and power of good or of bad angels from the ether or
from the phantasms, which, though it is no true or natural
body of the thing represented by it, yet is truly a quanti-
tative body constructed from the ether in external dimen-
sions. The other kind of corporeal visions are such in an
improper sense, rather an illusion of the sense of sight ; for
they are only an image of the object, its coloring, etc.,
which an angel can make visible by an alteration of the
inter\'ening air. The one that sees it thinks that he looks
upon a real body actually present, though there is no such
body, but only an empty image, by which the senses are
imperceptibly fascinated. This kind of illusory visions
of the senses is not proper to the good angels nor to
divine revelation, although they are possible to God and
the angels ; such might have been the voice which Samuel
heard. But they are a favorite ruse of the demon, on
account of their deceptiveness, especially in regard to
the sight. Therefore, and because the Queen never had
this kind of visions, I will speak only of the truly cor-
poreal visions, such as She really enjoyed.
640. In the holy Scriptures are many instances of cor-
poreal visions granted to the saints and Patriarchs. Adam
496 CITY OF GOD
saw God represented in the form of an angel (Gen. 3, 8) ;
Abraham saw three angels (Gen. 17, 1) ; Moses saw a
bush, (Exod. 3, 2) and many times the Lord himself.
Likewise others, who were sinners, have had corporeal or
imaginary visions: as for instance Cain (Gen. 4, 9),
Bahassar (Dan. 5, 5), who saw the hand on the
wall: then imaginary images, as for instance Pharao
(Gen. 41, 2) in the vision of the cows; Nabucho-
donozor, that of the tree and the statue (Dan. 4,
12, 2, 1) and other recorded in the holy Scriptures.
These instances prove that in order to see corporeal and
imaginary visions sanctity is not required in the subject.
But it is true nevertheless, that they who obtain such an
imaginary or corporeal vision, without receiving there-
from any light or intelligence, cannot be called Prophets ;
nor can they be said to receive a true revelation, but
only those who receive the necessary understanding of the
vision, as Daniel says (Dan. 10, 1). Thus Joseph and
Daniel were Prophets, not however Pharao, Baltassar,
Nabuchodonosor. Moreover those are the more important
revelation and visions, which are accompanied by a higher
intelligence, although, to judge from outward appear-
ances, others may be called higher, namely, those which
represent God or the Mother of God, and the saints ac-
cording to their station.
641. It is certain that in order to receive corporeal
visions it is necessary that the senses should be prepared.
The imaginary ones are often sent by God in sleep, as for
instance in the vision of Joseph, the husband of most holy
Mary (Matth. 1, 20), of the Magi Kings (2, 12) of
Pharao (Gen. 41, 2), etc. Others can be perceived while
the senses are in their full natural activity, this not being
repugnant. But the ordinary^ and co-natural manner of
receiving the corporeal as well as the intellectual visions,
is during some rapture or ecstasy of the external senses ;
THE CONXEPTION 497
for in such a state the interior facukies are more collected
and prepared for the perception of high and divine things.
Yet the exterior senses are apt to be a hindrance less to
the intellectual visions than to the imaginary ones, the
latter having more affinity for exterior things than the
acts of the intellect. Therefore it often happens, when-
ever the intellectual revelations are not infused species,
or when the affections do not suspend the action of the
senses, that most high intelligences of great and super-
natural mysteries are conferred without the cessation of
the activity of the senses.
642. In the Queen of heaven this happened many
times and even frequently. For, though She was enrapt-
ured during many of the beatific visions, (which in ordi-
nary mortals is always required), and also during her in-
tellectual and imaginary visions ; yet, even while She was
in the full use of her senses, She received higher revela-
tions and intelligences than all the saints and Prophets in
their greatest ecstasies. Nor in any wise did her exterior
senses disturb her imaginary visions. For the great heart
of Mary, so full of wisdom, was not embarrassed
by the sentiments of admiration and love, which are wont
to take away the sensible activities of the other saints and
Prophets. This was true of her corporeal visions, as is
evident from the Annunciation of the message by the
archangel Gabriel (Luc. 1, 18), and although the Evan-
gelists give no other instance in the course of her most
holy life, prudent and Catholic judgment cannot doubt
that they did happen at other times, for the Queen of the
heavens and of the angels was to be served by her vassals,
as we shall relate later on (No. 758) when we describe
the continuous service of her angelic guard, and of other
angels appearing in corporeal and visible form. It hap-
pened also in another v^'ay, as we shall see in the following
chapter.
498 CITY OF GOD
643. Other souls must be very circumspect and care-
ful in regard to these corporeal visions, since they are
subject to dangerous deceptions and illusions coming from
the ancient serpent. Those who never seek them avoid a
great part of this danger. If the soul is free from such de-
sire and from other disorderly affections, and if then any
corporeal or imaginary visions should happen, it must
be very cautious before performing and executing that,
which is enjoined by those visions: for it is a very bad
sign and savoring of the devil's influence, if, without any
deliberation or counsel, it immediately believes and obeys ;
since the good angels, who are our teachers in matters of
obedience, truth, prudence and holiness, do not urge such
a course of action. There are also other indications and
signs, generally accompanying the causes and the effects
of such visions, which will securely guide souls as to their
truthfulness or their falsity. But I will not enter into
these matters, in order not to be led away from my pur-
pose; and besides, I submit myself in these things to the
doctors and teachers of the spiritual life.
INSTRUCTION OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
644. My daughter, in the enlightenment, which thou
hast received in this chapter, thou hast a certain rule of
action in regard to the visions and revelations of the Lord,
and it inculcates two precautions. The one consists in
thy subjecting these relations to the examination and the
judgment of thy confessors and superiors, asking the
Most High with a lively faith, that He give them light to
understand his divine will and truth to instruct thee fully
therein. The other consists in questioning thy own heart
and observing the effects of these revelations and visions,
prudently trying to assure thyself against any error. For
the divine influence, which accompanies them, will urge
and draw thee on, inflaming thy heart to chaste love and
THE CONCEPTION 499
reverence of God to acknowledgrnent of thy littleness, to
abhorrence of the earthly vanities, to desire of being de-
spised by creatures, to joyful suffering, to love of the cross
and an earnest and generous acceptation of it ; it will
move thee to seek the last place, to love those that perse-
cute thee, to fear and abhor sin, even the slightest, to as-
pire to the purest, the most perfect and refined in virtue,
to deny thyself thy own inclinations, and to unite thyself
to the highest and truest good. When He thus teaches
thee the most holy and perfect things of the Christian law
and excites thee to imitate Him and me, then thou wilt
have infallible signs of divine truth revealed to thee by the
Most High in these visions.
645. And in order that thou, dearest, mayest execute
this doctrine, which thou hast received through the kind-
ness of the Most High, do not ever forget it, and do not
lose sight of the blessing of having been instructed by
Him in these things with so much loving caresses ; re-
nounce all human esteem and consolation, all the delight
and pleasure of the world. All that thy earthly inclina-
tions demand, refuse to thyself, although it may be small
and licit in itself; turn thy back on all sensible things, seek-
ing only to love and to suffer. This is the science and
divine philosophy taught thee by the visits of the Most
High and in it thou wilt feel the force of the divine fire,
which should never through thy fault and thy negligence,
be allowed to become extinguished in thy bosom. Be alert,
dilate thy heart, gird thyself with fortitude in order to be
commissioned with great undertakings and be able to ac-
complish them. Be constant in thy faith regarding these
admonitions, believing in them, esteeming them and writ-
ing them in thy soul with an humble and loving affec-
tion of thy heart, as being sent in faithful solicitude by
thy Spouse and transmitted to thee by me, thy Teacher
and Mistress.
CHAPTER XV.
DESCRIPTION OF ANOTHER KIND OF VISIONS AND COM-
MUNICATIONS, WHICH THE MOST HOIvY MARY EN-
JOYED WITH THE HOLY ANGELS OE HER GUARD.
646. Such is the force and efficacy of God's grace, and
of his love excited in the creature, that it can blot out in
it the very images of sin and the earthly nature of man,
(I Cor. 15, 49) and form in it a new being and celestial
image, whose conversation is in heaven (Philip 3, 20),
understanding, loving and operating not any more as a
creature of earth, but as a being celestial and divine ; for,
the force of love ravishes the heart and soul by which the
creature lives, sacrificing and transforming them to that,
which it loves. This Christian truth, believed by all, un-
derstood by the learned, and experienced by the saints,
must be conceived as fulfilled in our great Queen and Lady
in so privileged a manner, that neither by the example of
what was experienced by the saints, nor by the intellect of
the angels, can it ever be comprehended or explained.
Most holy Mary as being the Mother of the Word, was
Mistress of all creation; but being a faithful representa-
tion of her onlybegotten Son, She in imitation of Him
made so little use of creatures, of which She was Mistress,
that none ever used them less than She, for She excluded
all that was not absolutely necessary for the service of the
Most High and for the natural life of her most holy Son
and of Herself.
647. To this forgetfulness and withdrawal from all
500
THE CONCEPTION 501
earthly things corresponded her intercourse with heaven ;
this again was proportionate to her dignity of Mother of
God and Queen of heaven, all earthly intercourse being
thus transformed into the heavenly. It followed as a
natural consequence, that the Queen and Mistress of the
angels enjoyed singular privileges in regard to the atten-
tion paid to Her by the heavenly courtiers, her vassals,
and She treated and conferred with them in a more ex-
alted manner, than all the other human creatures, how
holy so ever they may be. In the twenty-third chapter of
the first book I have said something of the diverse ordi-
nary visions in which the holy angels and seraphim, who
were destined and selected for her guard, manifested
themselves to our Queen and Mistress. And in the fore-
going chapter I explained in general the manner and form
of the divine visions conceded to Her. having been careful
to keep in mind that in all their wide range and sphere
they were supremely exalted and divine in their nature,
their manner, and their effects upon her most holy soul.
648. In this chapter I will treat of another kind of
vision, more singular and privileged still, which the Most
High granted to most holy Mary and by which She com-
municated with and visibly treated with the holy angels
of her guard and with the rest, who. in behalf of the Lord,
visited Her on diverse occasions. This mode of vision and
intercourse was of the same kind as that by which each
one of the supernal spirits knows the others as they are in
themselves, without any other image to move the intellect
than the very substance and nature of the angel thus
known. The superior angels illumine the inferior, mak-
ing known to them the hidden mysteries which the Most
High reveals and manifests immediately to the higher
angels for transmission to the lowest ; for this manner of
communicating with them is befitting to the greatness and
502 CITY OF GOD
infinite majesty of the highest King and Governor of all
creation. From this it can easily be seen, that this most
orderly illumination and revelation is a favor which is
superadded to the essential glory of the holy angels. For
the essential glory they obtain immediately from the
Divinity, each one receiving the vision and fruition of
God according to the measure of his merits. One angel
cannot create essential happiness in another by illuminat-
ing him or revealing to him a mystery ; for the one who
is illuminated would not thereby see God face to face,
without which he cannot be in beatitude or attain to his
last end.
649. But since the Object is infinite and is like a volun-
tary mirror, there are infinite secrets and mysteries, (be-
sides those which pertain to beatific knowledge), which
God can reveal to the saints and which He reveals to them
especially in the government of his Church in the world ;
in these revelations He follows the course, which I am
explaining. As these revelations are outside of the es-
sential glory, the want of these revelations cannot be
called ignorance in the angels or a privation of knowl-
edge ; but it is called nescience or negation ; while revela-
tion is called illumination, or a purgation or purification of
that nescience. According to our mode of understanding it
might be compared to the process which takes place,
when the rays of the sun pass through many crystals in
succession, making all partake of the same light from the
first to the last, and reaching first those that are more
immediately neighboring to the light. Only one difference
must be noted in this comparison; that the prisms or
crystals are entirely passive in this process in respect to
the rays, without having any more activity than that given
by the sun, which illumines all by one operation; but the
holy angels are passive in receiving the enlightenment and
THE CONCEPTION 503
active in communicating it to their inferiors; and more-
over they communicate their light with praise, admiration
and love, all derived from the supreme Sun of justice, the
eternal and immutable God.
650. Into this admirable and divine order of revelation
the Most High introduced most holy Mary, so that She
might enjoy these privileges, which the courtiers of heaven
possessed as becoming their nature. For this purpose He
appointed the seraphim, whom I have mentioned in the
fourteenth chapter of the first book, because they were
supreme and nearest to the Divinity; also other angels of
Mary's guard performed the same office, whenever, ac-
cording to the divine will, it seemed befitting and neces-
sary. The Queen of angels and men knew all these angels
and others as they are in themselves, without dependence
upon the senses or the phantasy, and without any hin-
drance from the mortal or earthly body. Through this
vision and knowledge the seraphim and other angels of
the Lord illuminated and purified Her, revealing to their
Queen many mysteries, which for that very purpose they
had learned from the Most High. And although this kind
of illumination and intellectual vision was not continual
in most holy Mar\' ; it was very frequent, especially when,
in order to give Her opportunity for more merits and
divine movements of love, the Lord hid or absented Him-
self from Her. as shall be described afterwards (Infr.
725, Part II 719, 720). On such occasions He made use
of the mediation of the angels, allowing their enlighten-
ment to proceed in its order until it was communicated to
their Queen.
651. This mode of illumination did not derogate from
the dignity of the Mother of God and of the Mistress of
the angels; for in the conferring of these benefits, the
mode of their participation was not to be determined by
504 CITY OF GOD
the dignity and sanctity of our sovereign Queen, since in
that She was superior to all the angelic orders; but it was
determined by the present state and condition of her nature
in which She was inferior; for She was yet a wayfarer
and of a human, bodily and mortal nature. By these
illuminations She was to be raised to the angelic opera-
tion and estate though yet living in mortal flesh and sub-
ject to the natural use of the senses, and it was a great
privilege, yet entirely proper to her sanctity and dignity. I
believe that the hand of the Most High has extended this
favor to other souls in mortal life, although not so fre-
quently as to his most holy Mother, nor with such a
plenitude and under such exalted conditions as in Her.
If many doctors (not without good reason) conceded that
saint Paul, Moses, and other saints have enjoyed beatific
vision, it is credible, that other earthly wayfarers have
shared this kind of knowledge of the angelic nature ; for
this favor is no more than to see intuitively the angelic
substance. In regard to clearness, this vision corresponds
to the one which I have first mentioned in the foregoing
chapter, and in regard to the intellectual qualities it cor-
responds to the third mentioned in the same place, al-
though it does not proceed by means of imprinted images.
652. The truth is, this privilege is not ordinary or com-
mon but very rare and extraordinary; and therefore it
demands in the soul a great preparation and purity of
conscience. It is incompatible with earthly affections,
voluntary imperfections, or any leaning toward sin : for
in order that the soul may enter into the angelic order
it must lead a life more angelic than human ; since if this
supernal assimilation and sympathy is wanting, the union
of such extremes would imply a monstrous dispropor-
tion. With the divine grace, however, the creature (al-
though yet in earthly and corruptible body) can deny it-
THE CONCEPTION 505
self all that is demanded by its passions and inclinations,
die to all visible things, eject from its memory all images
of them, and live more in the spirit than in the flesh. And
when it arrives at the enjoyment of true peace, tranquillity
and quiet of spirit, which cause in it a sweet and loving
serenity in the possession of the highest Good, then it is
less incapable of being raised to the vision of the angelic
spirits by intuitive clearness, of receiving the divine revela-
tions, which they communicate to each other, and of ex-
periencing the admirable effects of this kind of vision.
653. If those which our sovereign Queen received,
correspond to her purity and love, their value cannot be
estimated by men. The light communicated to Her in
these visions of the seraphim is beyond human compar-
ison ; for to a certain extent the image of the Divinity is
flashed from them, as from most pure spiritual mirrors,
in which most holy Mary perceived it in all its infinite at-
tributes and perfections. Also the glory, which the
seraphim themselves enjoyed, was manifested to Her in
an admirable manner by some of its effects; for as She
saw intuitively the essence of the angels, She knew much
of its secrets. By the insight into these things She was
entirely inflamed and enkindled with divine love and
many times wrapt in wonderful ecstasy. Hence in union
with the seraphim and the angels She broke forth in can-
ticles of praise, celebrating the incomparable glory of the
Divinity, so that She excited the admiration of the heaven-
ly spirits themselves. For though She was enlightened by
them as regards the intellect, yet by her own acts of the
will She left them far behind, and with a much greater
force of love did She quickly ascend and arrive at union
with the ultimate and the highest Good, whence She im-
mediatelv received new impulse? of the torrent of the
Divinity (Psalm 35, 9) by which She was inundated. And
506 CITY OF GOD
if the Seraphim had not been enjoying the presence of
the infinite Object, which was the beginning and the
end of their beatific love, they might well have been the
pupils of their most holy Queen in divine love, just as
She was theirs in regard to the illumination of the mind
derived from them.
654. Next to the immediate vision of the spiritual and
angelic substance, the more inferior intellectual vision of
the same by infused species is more common, as we said
also of the abstractive vision of the Divinity. This kind
of vision the Queen of heaven enjoyed sometimes, but it
was not so common with Her as the one mentioned ; for
though in other just souls the privilege of seeing the angels
and saints by means of intellectual images is very rare and
precious, yet in the Queen of angels it was not necessary,
because She had a more exalted intercourse and knowl-
edge of them. She, therefore, enjoyed this inferior kind of
visions only when the Lord ordained that the angels
should hide themselves and when the more exalted com-
munion with them was to be interrupted for her greater
merit and practice in virtue. In such time, She saw them
by intellectual or imaginary species, as mentioned in the
foregoing chapter. Divine effects are produced in other
souls by these visions of angels through intellectual
images; for these celestial beings become known to the
mind in their quality as executors and ambassadors of the
supreme King, and with them the soul holds sweet
colloquy concerning the Lord, and concerning all celestial
and heavenly things. The whole soul is illumined, taught,
directed and governed, led on and urged onward in its
ascent to the perfect union of divine love, and in its
efforts to practice that which is the most consummate,
refined and holy in spiritual life.
THE CONCEPTION 507
INSTRUCTION VOUCHSAFED BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
655. Admirable, my daughter, is the love, the fidelity
and the solicitude with which the angelic spirits assist
mortals in their necessities; and most horrible is the for-
getfulness, ingratitude and grossness on the part of men in
failing to acknowledge this debt. In the bosom of the
Most High, whose face they see (Matth. 8, 10) in beatific
clearness, these heavenly spirits perceive the infinite pa-
ternal love of the Father in heaven for earthly men, and
therefore they appreciate and estimate worthily the blood
of the Lamb, by which men were bought and rescued,
and they know the value of the souls thus purchased with
the treasures of the Divinity. Thence arises their watch-
fulness and attention in securing the interests of the souls,
which, on account of the value set upon them by the I^Iost
High, have been given into their charge. I wish thee
to understand well, how by the ministry of these angels,
mortals would receive great enlightenment, and incom-
parable favors from the Lord, if only they did not hinder
them by their sins and abominations, and by their oblivion
of this inestimable blessing. But as they block up the
way, which God in his ineffable Providence has opened up
for conducting them to eternal felicity, the greater part of
them damn themselves, whereas, with the protection of
the angels and with a proper estimate of his blessing,
they could save themselves.
656. O my dearest daughter, since many men are so
indifferent in attending to the paternal works of my Son
and Lord, I seek in thee a special gratitude for this bless-
ing. Since He has dealt with thee liberally in his appoint-
ment of angels for thy guard, be attentive to their inter-
course and listen to their injunctions with reverence; give
thyself over to their guidance, honor them as the am-
508 CITY OF GOD
bassadors of the Most High, seek their favor, in order
that, having been cleansed of thy sins and freed from im-
perfection, inflamed with divine love, thou mayest be-
come so spiritualized, as to be fit to treat with them as
their companion in the participation of the divine illumina-
tions. These He will not withhold from thee, if thou
on thy part dispose thyself in the manner I desire.
657. Since thou hast desired to know in the spirit of
obedience, what was the reason that the holy angels com-
municated with me in so many kinds of visions, I will re-
spond to thy desires, explaining more clearly, what thou
hast understood and written with the aid of divine light.
The cause of this privilege was, on the part of the Most
High, his most liberal love, with which He pursued me,
and on my part, it was the state of pilgrimage, in which
I then found myself. For it was neither possible nor be-
fitting, that this life should be altogether uniform in re-
gard to the acts of virtue, by which the divine Wisdom
wished to raise me above all creation. As this pilgrimage
was to be performed by me as a human wayfarer, subject
to the use of the senses with all its various coincidences of
life in the practice of virtue, I sometimes acted altogether
in a spiritual manner and without the hindrance of the
senses, when the angels communicated with me as they do
among themselves ; at other times it was necessary for me
to suffer and to be afflicted in the lower part of my soul
or in my sensitive faculties ; at other times again I suffered
want, loneliness and interior dereliction. According to the
vicissitudes of these different effects and conditions I re-
ceived the favors and the visits of the holy angels. Many
times then did I speak to them by intelligence, at others
in imaginary species, at others in corporeal and sensible
vision, according as my state and necessities demanded
and the Most High ordained.
THE CONCEPTION 509
658. By all these means my faculties and senses were
illumined and sanctified through the divine influences and
blessings, in* order that I might experience in reality all
these operations and through all of them receive the in-
flux of supernatural grace. But in regard to these favors,
my dearest daughter, I wish thee to remember, that al-
though God acted with such magnificent mercy toward
me. He nevertheless followed his intention of conferring
them upon me so lavishly not only because of my dignity
as his Mother, but because He took into account my co-
operation and disposition by which I concurred with his
graces on my part. I withdrew all my faculties and senses
from intercourse with created things, and rejecting all that
was merely sensible and created, turned to the highest
Good and centered all the powers of my will on his holy
love. In this disposition of my soul I sanctified all my
faculties by co-operation with these favors, visions and
illuminations, having evacuated them of all human and
terrestrial pleasures. So great was the reward of my
works in mortal flesh, that thou canst not understand it,
nor describe it with mortal tongue. The liberality of the
Highest at once makes an advance payment of the bless-
ings in this life as a pledge of those He has reserved for
the eternal.
659. And although the powerful arm of God by these
means wished to prepare me worthily from my Conception
for the incarnation of the Word in my womb, and to
sanctify and form my faculties and senses for the inter-
course and communication with my Son : nevertheless, if
other souls would dispose themselves in imitation of me,
living not according to the flesh but according to the spirit,
free and untouched by the earthly contagion, the Most
High would show his fidelity to these souls as well and
would not deny them his blessings and favors according
to the equity of his divine Providence.
CHAPTER XVI.
CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE MOST HOLY
CHILD MARY IN THE TEMPLE; THE LORD PREPARES
HER FOR TROUBLES, AND JOACHIM, HER FATHER, DIES.
660. We left our sovereign Princess, most holy Mary,
passing the years of her childhood in the temple, while we
made a diversion to speak of the virtues, gifts and divine
revelations, which She, a child in years but an adult in
supreme wisdom, received from the hand of the Most
High and which She put to practical use in her life. The
most holy Child grew in age and grace before God and
men : but always in such a proportion, that zeal exceeded
the powers of nature, and that grace was measured not by
her age, but by the beneficent designs and high purposes of
the Divinity, whose impetuous currents sought their gath-
ering-place and resting-place in this City of God. The
Most High continued his gifts and favors, renewing
every hour the marvels of his powerful arm, as if all its
activity were reserved solely for most holy Mary. And
so well did her Majesty correspond in her tender age to
this divine influx, that She filled the heart of the Lord
with a perfect and adequate complacency, and all the
angels of heaven with admiration. The celestial spirits
were witnesses of something like a wonderful strife and
competition between the Most High and the child Prin-
cess: the divine power, in order to enrich Her, daily draw-
ing from his treasures new and old blessings reserved
solely for the purest Mary, and She, as blessed earth, not
only causing the seed of the divine word to sprout and
510
THE CONCEPTION 511
God's gifts and favors to yield fruit a hundredfold, as
was the case with the saints ; but exciting the admiration
of all the heavens that She, a tender child, should exceed
in love, thanksgiving, in praise and all virtues, the highest
and most ardent seraphim, without losing time, place,
occasion, or any service, in which She did not practice
the highest possible perfection.
661. Even in the years of her tender infancy it was
noticeable that She understood the Scriptures and She
spent much time in reading them. As She was full of
wisdom She conferred in her heart what She knew from
the divine revelations made to her own self, with what is
revealed to all men in the holy Scriptures; and therefore
in her reading and private meditation She sent up contin-
ual and fervent prayers and petitions for the Redemption
of the human race and for the incarnation of the Word.
She read more ordinarily from the prophets Isaias and
Jeremias and from the Psalms, because the mysteries of the
Messias and the law of grace are more plainly expressed
and repeated in these writings. In addition to what She
herself understood and comprehended. She extended her
knowledge by asking deep and wonderful questions, and
proposing difficulties to the angels, and many times She
spoke of the mystery of the humanity of the Word with
incomparable tenderness, lovingly wondering, that He
was to become an infant, that He was to be born of a
Virgin Mother, come to manhood, as other men, suffer,
and die for all the children of Adam.
662. In these conferences and questionings the holy
angels and seraphim gave their answers, illuminating
Her, confirming and inflaming Her virginal heart with
new ardors of divine love. But they always concealed
from Her her own most high dignity, although She
many times offered Herself in profoundest humility as
512 CITY OF GOD
a slave to the Lord and to the happy Mother, whom He
was to select for his birth into the world. At other times,
interrogating the holy angels, She spoke full of admira-
tion : "My princes and lords, is it possible that the Creator
himself is to be born of a creature and shall call her
Mother? That the Omnipotent and the Infinite, He that
has made the heavens and is not encompassed by them,
should be enclosed in the womb of a woman, and should
clothe Himself with the limited human nature? He that
vested in beauty the elements, the heavens and the angels,
is to become subject to suffering? Is it possible, that
there should be a Woman endowed with our human
nature, who shall be so fortunate as to be able to call Him
Son, who has made Her out of nothing, and that She
should be called Mother by Him, who is uncreated and
who created the whole universe? O unheard of wonder!
If the Author himself would not have declared it, how
could earthly frailty conceive a thing so magnificent ? O
miracle of all his miracles! O happy eyes that shall
see it and happy times that shall merit it!" To these
sentiments and exclamations the angels would on their
part respond, explaining these divine sacraments, in as
far as they did not involve and affect her own Self.
663. Each of these high and ardent affections of
humility in the child Mary was as one of those locks of
the Spouse, or darts of love, with which She so wounded
the heart of God, that, if it had not been befitting to wait
until She had arrived at the competent and opportune age
for conceiving and bringing forth the incarnate Word, his
delight could not (according to our way of thinking)
contain itself and would have assumed humanity at once
in her womb. But although She was fit for this mystery
from her childhood, as far as merits and grace were con-
cerned, He waited in order to conceal and. disguise more
THE CONCEPTION 513
effectively the sacraments of the Incarnation, and in order
to protect and safeguard the honor of his most holy
Mother by postponing her virginal parturition to the age
approaching that of married women. During this delay
the Lord (according to our concept) entertained Him-
self with the affectionate discourses and love-canticles of
his Daughter and Spouse, who was soon to be the worthy
Mother of the divine Word. These canticles and hymns
of our Queen and Lady, as has been shown to me by
special enlightenment, were so many and so exalted, that,
if they were written, the holy Church would possess many
more than all the Prophets and Saints have left behind ;
for She expressed and comprehended all that they have
written, and over and above understood and expressed
much more than they ever could attain. But the Most
High has provided, that the Church militant should pos-
sess abundantly sufficient matter of that kind in the writ-
ings of the Apostles and Prophets ; while his revelations to
his most holy Mother, are preserved and written in his
divine mind, afterwards to be made known to the
triumphant Church in as far as shall serve for the acci-
dental glory of the blessed.
664. Moreover the divine condescension yielded to the
holy wish of Mary our Mistress, that, for the increase of
her prudent humility and for an example of her great
virtues to mortals, the sacrament of the King should re-
main concealed (Tob. 12, 7). and, whenever it became
necessary partly to reveal it for the service of his Majesty
and the welfare of the Church, the most holy Mary pro-
ceeded with such heavenly pnidence. that though She
was the Teacher. She never ceased to be the most humble
Disciple. In her infancy She consulted the angels and
followed their counsels ; after the incarnate Word was
bom, She looked upon the Onlybegotten as her Teacher
514 CITY OF GOD
and example in all her actions and at the close of his
mysterious life and after his Ascension into heaven, the
great Queen of the universe obeyed the Apostles, as we
shall relate. This is one of the reasons why, in the
Apocalypse, saint John the evangelist disguised the mys-
teries of the Lady, beneath such enigmatic words, that
they can be interpreted and applied just as well to the
Church militant as to the triumphant.
665. The Most High resolved, that the plenitude of the
graces and virtues of the princess Mary should, as it were,
anticipate the time set for reaching the apex of her merits,
and that they should extend to the most difficult and
magnanimo-us undertakings, as much as possible, even in
her most tender years. In one of the visions in which the
Majesty of God manifested Itself to Her, He said : "My
Spouse and my Dove, I love thee with an infinite love and
I desire of thee what is most pleasing in my eyes and
the fulfillment of all my desires. Thou art not unaware,
my Daughter, of the hidden treasure, which is contained
in hardships and tribulations, so much dreaded by the
blind ignorance of mortals, nor is it unknown to thee
that my Onlybegotten, when He shall clothe Himself in
human nature, shall teach the way of the cross as well in
words as in deeds ; that He shall leave it as a heritage to
my chosen ones ; and that He shall choose it for Himself
and establish upon it the law of grace, making humility
and patience in suffering the foundation of the firmness
and excellence of that law. For this is best suited to the
present condition of human nature, and much more so,
after it has been depraved and evilly inclined by so many
sins. It is also conformable to my equity and providence,
that the mortals should attain and merit for themselves
the crown of glory through hardships and the cross, since
my onlybegotten Son is to merit it by the same means
THE CONCEPTION 515
in human flesh. Therefore, my Spouse, thou wilt under-
stand, that, having chosen thee by my right hand for my
dehght, and having enriched thee with my gifts, it would
not be just, that my grace should be idle in thy heart, nor
that thy love should want its fruit, nor that thou shouldst
be excluded from the inheritance of my elect. Hence I
wish that thou dispose thyself for tribulations and sor-
rows for love of Me."
666. To this proposal of the Most High the invincible
Princess Mary answered with a more courageous heart
than all the saints and martyrs have ever shown in the
world ; and She said : "Lord God and my highest King, all
my faculties and their operations, and my being itself,
which I have received of thy infinite bounty, I hold in
readiness as a sacrifice to thy divine pleasure, wishing
that it be fulfilled entirely according to the desires of thy
infinite wisdom and goodness. And if Thou give me any
freedom of choice in regard to anything, I wish only to
chose suffering unto death in love for Thee; and I be-
seech Thee, my only Good, that Thou make of thy slave
a sacrifice and holocaust of suffering acceptable in thy
eyes. I acknowledge, Lord, powerful and most liberal
God, my debt, and that no creature owes to Thee so great
a return, nor are all of them together so much indebted
to Thee as I alone, who am so entirely unequal to the
task of discharging this indebtedness to thy magnificence.
But if Thou wilt admit suffering as a sort of return, let
all the sorrows and tribulations of death come over me. I
will only ask for thy divine protection, and, prostrate be-
fore the throne of thy infinite ]\Iajesty, I supplicate Thee
not to forsake me. Remember, O my Lord, the faithful
promises, which Thou hast made to our Ancestors and
Prophets, that Thou wilt favor the just, stand by those
who are in tribulation, console the afflicted, be a protection
516 CITY OF GOD
and a defense to them in their tribulations. True are thy
words, infallible and certain are thy promises ; the heavens
and the earth shall sooner fall to pieces than that thy
words should ever fail. The malice of the creature cannot
extinguish thy charity toward those that hope in thy
mercy ; fulfill in me thy holy and perfect will."
667. The Most High accepted this morning offering
from his tender Spouse and holy child Mary, and with
a most benign countenance He said to Her: "Beautiful
art thou in thy thoughts. Daughter of the Prince, my
Dove, my beloved and chosen One. I accept thy desires
as highly pleasing to me and I wish that as a beginning of
their fulfillment thou take notice, that according to my
divine ordainment, thy father Joachim must pass from
this mortal to the eternal and immortal life. His death
will happen shortly and He will pass in peace and shall
be placed among the saints in limbo, to await the Redemp-
tion of the human race." This announcement did not
disturb the royal heart of the Princess of heaven, the
blessed Mary ; but as the love of children for their parents
is a just debt of nature, and as in this most holy Child this
love had attained its highest perfection, the natural sor-
row for the loss of her father Joachim could not be want-
ing, for She loved him with a holy love. The tender
and sweet Child therefore felt, that this sorrowful com-
passion was perfectly compatible with the serenity of her
magnanimous heart, and, working in all things with
grandeur, giving nature and grace each their due. She
offered an ardent prayer for her father saint Joachim.
She besought the Lord to give him grace to depend upon
Him as his powerful and true God in his transit through
a blessed death ; and asked Him to defend Joachim against
the demon especially in that hour, preserve him for and
constitute him among the number of the elect, since dur-
THE CONCEPTION 517
ing his life He had confessed and magnified his admirable
and holy name. And in order to oblige his Majesty the
more, the most faithful Daughter offered to suffer all that
the Lord might ordain.
668. The Lord accepted this petition and consoled
the heavenly Child by assuring Her, that He would assist
her father as a most merciful and kind Rewarder of those
that love and serve Him, and that He would place him
among the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At the
same time He prepared Her anew for the acceptance and
endurance of troubles. Eight days before the death of the
patriarch Joachim the most holy Mary received another
notice from the Lord, advising Her of the day and hour
in which He was to die. His death took place only six
months after Her entrance into the temple. Having re-
ceived this notice from the Lord, She requested the twelve
angels, mentioned by saint John in the Apocalypse, to
assist her father Joachim and to comfort and console Plim
in his sickness, which they did. For the last hours of his
life She sent all the angels of her guard asking the Lord,
to make them visible to him for his greater consolation.
God conceded this favor and confirmed all the wishes of
his chosen and only One; and the great patriarch, most
happy Joachim, saw the thousand angels which guarded
Mary. In response to her prayer and wishes the Al-
mighty allowed his graces to overflow, commanding the
angels to address Joachim as follows :
669. "Man of God, may the Most High and powerful
Lord be thy eternal salvation and may he send thee from
his holy place the necessar}-- and opportune help for thy
soul. Mary thy Daughter has sent us in order to assist
thee in this hour, in which thou must pay the debt of
mortality to thy Creator. She is a most faithful and
powerful Intercessor before the Almighty, in whose name
518 CITY OF GOD
and peace thou wilt now pass consoled and joyous from
this world, because He has made thee the father of such
a blessed Daughter. Although his incomprehensible Ma-
jesty, on account of his hidden decrees, has not as yet
revealed the sacraments and dignity, in which He shall
invest thy Daughter, He wishes thee to know it now in
order that thou mayest magnify and praise Him, and in
order that the pain and sorrow of natural death may be
relieved by the joy of thy spirit at this news. Mary, thy
Daughter, is chosen and ordained by the Almighty as
the One, in whom the divine Word shall vest Himself
with human flesh and form. She is to be the happy Mother
of the Messias and the Blessed among women, the most
exalted among all creatures, and only inferior to God
himself. Thy most fortunate Daughter is to restore what
the human race lost by the first sin, and She is the high
mountain on which is to be established and constructed
the new law of grace. Since thou leavest to the world
a Daughter, through whom God will restore it and pre-
pare a full remedy, do thou part from it in the joy of thy
soul, and may the Lord bless thee from Sion (Psalm 127,
5) and constitute thee in the inheritance of the saints and
bring thee to the vision and enjoyment of the blessed
Jerusalem."
670. During these words of the holy angels to
Joachim, his spouse, holy Anne, stood at the head of his
bed and by divine disposition She heard and understood
what they said. In the same moment the holy patri-
arch lost the use of speech and, treading into the path
common to all flesh, he commenced his agony in a marvel-
ous struggle between his joy at this message and the pain
of death. In this conflict of the interior powers of his
soul he made many fervent acts of divine love, of faith, of
admiration, of praise, of thanksgiving, of humility and
heroic acts of many other virtues. Thus absorbed in
THE CONCEPTION 519
the knowledge of so divine a myster)% he arrived at
the term of his natural Hfe and died the precious death of
the saints (Psalm 115, 15). His holy soul was carried by
the angels to the limbo of the Patriarchs and just souls;
and, for a new consolation and light in the protracted
night in which they lived, the Most High sent the soul of
Joachim as the last messenger and legate of the Lord to
announce to the whole congregation of the just: that the
dawn of the eternal day was at hand ; that the morning
light was breaking upon the world in most holy Mary,
the Daughter of Joachim and Anne; that from Her was
to be brought forth the Sun of the Divinity, Christ, the
Redeemer of all the human race. This great news the
holy fathers and the just in limbo heard and received
with jubilee and in their exultation they sang many hjanns
of thanksgiving to the Most High.
671. This happy death of the patriarch saint Joachim
happened as I said about a half year after his most holy
Daughter Mary had entered the temple. Hence She was
three and a half years old, when She was left without an
earthly father. The age of the patriarch was sixty-nine
years, divided as follows : at the age of forty-six years he
accepted saint Anne as his spouse, in the twentieth year
of his marriage, they were blessed with most holy Mary ;
and the three and a half years of the age of her age at his
death complete the sixty-nine and a half years, a few days
more or less.
672. After the death of the holy Patriarch and father
of our Queen the angels of her guard at once returned to
the presence of Mary and related to Her what had hap-
pened in the passing away of her father : and immediately
the most prudent Child turned in solicitous prayers to the
Lord, asking Him to console, govern and assist her Mother
Anne with fatherlv kindness in her solitude after the
death of her husband. Saint Anne also sent notice of the
520 CITY OF GOD
death of Joachim to the instructress of the heavenly Prin-
cess, asking Her to console the Child in breaking this news
to Her. The teacher acted accordingly and the most wise
Child listened to her thankfully, concealing her own
knowledge. However it was with the patience and mod-
esty of a Queen, and of one who was not oblivious of the
possibility of the event, which her instructress related to
Her as new. Acting in all things according to the high-
est perfection, She betook Herself at once into the temple,
reiterating her sacrifice of praise, humility, patience and
of other virtues, and progressing always with more ac-
celerated and beautiful steps in the eyes of the Most High
(Cant. 7, 1). As a climax of these exercises, She, as
usual, requested the holy angels to concur and assist in
blessing God.
INSTRUCTION WHICH THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN GAVE ME.
673. My daughter, renovate many times in the secret
of thy heart thy esteem for the blessing of tribulations,
which the hidden providence of God dispenses for the
justification of mortals. These are the judgments justified
in themselves (Psalm 18, 10, 11) and more valuable than
precious stones and gold, more sweet than the honeycomb,
to those who know how to hold them in proper esteem.
I wish thee to remember, my beloved, that to suffer and
to be afflicted with or without one's fault is a benefit of
which one cannot be worthy without special and great
mercy of the Almighty ; moreover to be allowed to suffer
for one's sins, is not only a mercy, but is demanded by
justice. Behold, however, the great insanity of the chil-
dren of Adam nowadays in desiring and seeking after
emoluments, benefits, and favors agreeable to their senses,
and in sleeplessly striving to avert from themselves, that
which is painful or includes any hardship or trouble. It
would be to their greatest benefit to seek tribulations dili-
THE CONCEPTION 521
gently even when unmerited, yet they strive by all means
to avoid them even when merited, and even though they
cannot be happy and blessed without having undergone
such sufferings.
674. When gold is untouched by the furnace-heat, the
iron by the file, the grain by the grinding stone or flail,
the grapes by the winepress, they are all useless and will
not attain the end for which they are created. Why then
will mortals continue to deceive themselves, by expecting,
in spite of their sins, to become pure and worthy of en-
joying God, without the furnace or the file of sorrows?
If they were incapable and unworthy of attaining to the
crown and reward of the infinite and eternal Good when
innocent, how can they attain it, when they are in darkness
and in disgrace before the Almighty? In addition to
this the sons of perdition are exerting all their powers to
remain unworthv and hostile to God and in evadinsf
crosses and afflictions which are the paths left open for
returning to God, in rejecting the light of the intellect
which is the means of recognizing the deceptiveness of
visible things, in refusing the nourishment of the just
which is the only means of grace, the price of glory, and
above all in repudiating the legitimate inheritance, selected
by my Son and Lord for Himself and for all his elect,
since He was born and lived continually in afflictions and
died upon the cross.
675. By such standards, my daughter, must thou
measure the value of sufYering, which the worldly will
not understand. Since they are unworthy of heavenly
knowledge, they despise it in proportion to their igno-
rance. Rejoice and congratulate thyself in thy sufferings,
and whenever the Almighty deigns to send thee any,
hasten to meet it and welcome it as one of his blessings
and pledges of his glorious love. Furnish thy heart with
magnanimity and constancy, so that when occasion of suf-
522 CITY OF GOD
fering is given thee thou mayest bear it with the same
equanimity as the prosperous and agreeable things. Be
not filled with sadness in executing that which thou hast
promised in gladness, for the Lord loves those that are
equally ready to give as to receive. Sacrifice thy heart
and all thy faculties as a holocaust of patience and chant
in new hymns of praise and joy the justification of the
Most High, whenever in the place of thy peregrination
He signalizes and distinguishes thee as his own with the
signs of his friendship which are no other than the tribula-
tions and trials of suffering.
676. Take notice, my dearest, that my most holy Son
and myself are trying to find among those who have ar-
rived at the way of the cross, some soul, whom We can
instruct systematically in this divine science and whom
We can withdraw from the worldly and diabolical wis-
dom, in which the sons of Adam, with blind stubborn-
ness, are rejecting the salutary discipline of sufferings.
If thou wishest to be our disciple enter into this school,
in which alone is taught the doctrine of the cross and the
manner of reaching true peace and veritable delights.
With this wisdom the earthly love of sensible pleasures
and riches is not compatible ; nor the vain ostentation and
pomp, which fascinates the blear-eyed worldlings, who are
so covetous of passing honors, and so full of ignorant
admiration for costly grandeur. Thou, my daughter,
choose for thyself the better part of being among the
lowly and the forgotten ones of this world. I was Mother
of the Godman himself, and, on that account, Mistress of
all creation conjointly with my Son : yet I was little
known and my Son very much despised by men. If this
doctrine were not most valuable and secure, We would
not have taught it by word and example. This Is the light,
which shines in the darkness (John 1, 7), loved by the
elect and abhorred by the reprobate.
CHAPTER XVII.
The princess of heaven begins to suffer affliction ;
GOD absents himself from most holy MARY : HER
SWEET and AMOROUS SIGHS.
677. The Most High, who in his infinite wisdom dis-
penses and regulates the welfare of his beloved ones
according to weight and measure, resolved to exercise our
heavenly Princess with some afflictions adapted to her
age and state of childhood. Though She was always great
in grace, He wished by this means to increase her glory.
For entirely filled with grace and wisdom was our Child
Mary; nevertheless it was befitting, that She should learn
by experience and thus make advancement and under-
stand better the science of suffering, which only expe-
rience can bring to its ultimate perfection and thorough-
ness. During the brief course of her tender years She had
enjoyed the delights of the Most High and his caresses,
and of the angels and of her parents, and in the temple,
the tender love of her teachers and of the priests, because
in the eyes of all of them She was most gracious and
amiable. It was now time that She should commence to
know all the good She possessed in another light and by
another knowledge; namely, the one which is acquired by
the absence and privation of the good, and that She make
use of it for the practice of those virtues, which arise from
comparison between the state of favors and caresses with
the state of dereliction, aridity and tribulation.
678. The first affliction, which our Princess suffered,
was that the Lord suspended the continual visions, which
523
524 CITY OF GOD
He had so far vouchsafed Her. So much the greater was
the sorrow occasioned Her thereby, in proportion as it
was a new and unaccustomed experience and in propor-
tion as the treasure thus withdrawn was high and
precious. Also the holy angels concealed themselves from
Her, and at the withdrawal from her sight of so many, so
excellent and heavenly beings, which took place all at once
(although they did not cease to surround Her invisibly
for her protection) , that most pure Soul seemed to Her-
self entirely forsaken and left alone in the dark night
occasioned by the absence of her Beloved.
679. It was a great surprise to our little Queen ; for the
Lord, though He had in general prepared Her for the
coming of tribulations, had not specified their nature. And
as the innocent heart of the most simple Dove harbored
no thoughts, and entertained no practical conclusions ex-
cept such as were conformable to her humility and in-
comparable love. She explained all according to this same
light. In her humility She began to think, that She had
not merited the further presence and possession of the
lost Good on account of her ingratitude; and in her in-
flamed love She sighed and yearned after It with such
great and loving affection and sorrow, that there are no
words to express them. She turned with her whole soul
to the Lord in this new state and said to Him :
680. "Highest God and Lord of all creation, infinite in
bounty and rich in mercies, I confess, my Lord, that such
a vile creature cannot merit thy favors and my soul in
utmost sorrow reproaches itself with its own ingratitude
and with the loss of thy friendship. If my ingratitude
has eclipsed the Sun, which vivified, animated and illu-
mined me, and if I have been remiss in giving thanks for
the great benefits, I acknowledge, my Lord and Shepherd,
the sin of my great negligence. If, like an ignorant and
THE CONCEPTION 525
simple little sheep, I did not know how to be thankful and
do what is most acceptable in thy eyes, see me prostrate
on the earth, adhering to the dust, in order to be raised
from my poverty and destitution by Thee, my God, who
dwellest on high. Thy powerful hands have formed me
(Job 10, 8), and Thou canst not be ignorant of our com-
position (Psalm 102, 14) and in what kind of a vase Thou
has placed thy treasures. My soul wastes away in bit-
terness (Psalm 30, 11) ; and in thy absence, since Thou
art its sweetest life, only Thou canst restore its droop-
ing life. To whom shall I go in thy absence? Whither
shall I turn my eyes without having light to direct them?
Who shall console me, when all is affliction ? Who shall
preserve me from death, when there is no life left?"
681. She also turned toward the angels and continued
without ceasing in her loving complaints, saying to them :
"Celestial Princes, ambassadors of the great and highest
King and most faithful friends of my soul : why have you
also left me? Why do also you deprive me of your sweet
countenances and deny me your intercourse ? But I do not
wonder, my lords, at your displeasure, if through my un-
thankfulness I have merited to fall into the disgrace of
your and my Creator. Lights of the heavens, enlighten
me in my ignorance in this matter, and if I have been at
fault, correct me and obtain again for me the pardon of
my Lord. Most noble courtiers of the celestial Jerusalem,
have pity on my sorrow and dereliction: tell me where is
my Beloved ; tell me where He has hidden Himself (Cant.
3, 3). Tell me where I can find Him without wandering
about, (Cant. 1,6) and without going through the gather-
ings of all the creatures. But woe to me, for you do not
answer, though you are so courteous and well know the
hiding-place of my Spouse, since He never withdraws his
face and his beauty from your sight!''
526 CITY OF GOD
682. Thereupon She turned toward all the rest of crea-
tion and in continual anxieties of her love She spoke to
them and said : "Without doubt you also, being thankful,
and being armed against all the ungrateful, are ex-
asperated against her, who was ungrateful. But even if
by the goodness of the Lord you permit me to remain in
your midst, although I am so vile, you cannot thereby
satisfy my longings. Very beautiful and extensive are ye,
O heavens; beautiful and refulgent are the planets and all
the stars ; great and mighty are the elements, the earth is
adorned and clothed in the perfumed plants and herbs,
innumerable are the fishes of the waters, admirable are the
elevations of the sea, (Psalm 92, 4), swift are the birds
in their feathery weight, hidden are the minerals, coura-
geous are the animals in their strength, and all of these
together serve as a gradual ascent and in a sweet harmony
teach the way to my Beloved ; yet they are but circuitous
paths for one that loves Him, and if I course swiftly over
them I find myself at the end absent from my blessedness.
For with the measured approach of these creatures to his
unmeasurable bounty, my flight is not content, my sorrow
is not allayed, my pains are unrelieved, my anguish in-
creases, my desires are augmented, my heart is more in-
flamed and faints away in the unsatiating love of mere
earthly things. O sweet death in the absence of my life!
O sorrowful life in the absence of my very soul and of my
Beloved ! What shall I do ? Whither shall I turn ? How
can I live, yet how can I die? Since my life is wanting,
what force sustains me? O all you creatures, that with
your ever renewed existence and perfections give me
such tokens of my Lord, attend and see whether there
is a sorrow like unto my sorrow!" (Thren. 1, 12.)
683. Our heavenly Lady indulged her sorrow in many
other discourses, expressing them in spoken words, such
THE CONCEPTION 527
as cannot be conceived by other created understanding;
for She alone possessed the wisdom and love properly to
estimate the meaning of the absence of God in a soul,
since She alone had known and enjoyed his presence in
its highest beatitude. But if even the angels, in a holy
and loving emulation, were filled with admiration to see
a mere creature and so tender a Child exercising such a
variety of acts of the most prudent humility, of faith, of
love, of affection, and such flights of a loving heart, who
can ever explain the pleasure and delight, which the Lord
himself took in the soul of the chosen One and in its as-
pirations, of which each one wounded the heart of his
Majesty and which proceeded from a greater and more
loving graciousness than He had given to the seraphim?
And if they altogether, being in the continual presence
of the Divinity could not exercise or imitate the example
given by the most holy Mary, nor fulfill the laws of love
so perfectly as She in the absence and concealment of
her God, what was the complacency of the most holy
Trinity in this Creature? This is a mystery hidden to
our littleness ; but it is meet, that we worship it in wonder
and admire it in all reverence.
684. Our most innocent Dove found no peace for her
heart nor any footrest for her affections (Gen. 8, 9) while
thus with incessant sighing She took her flight through all
the range of creation and beyond. Many times She sought
to approach the Lord in tears and loving complaints,
She turned to the angels of her guard and addressed all
the creatures as if they were capable of reason ; then She
would ascend to that highest habitation by her penetrating
intellect and her most ardent affections, where the high-
est Good had met Her and where She reciprocally with It
had enjoyed ineffable delights. But the most high Lord,
her beloved Spouse, who allowed Her to possess and yet
528 CITY OF GOD
not enjoy Him as before, inflamed by this possession of
Him only more and more her most pure heart, increasing
her merits and showering upon Her continually new,
though hidden gifts, in order that, in possessing Him the
more, She might love the better, and being more loved
and possessed. She seek Him with ever greater anxious-
ness and contrivances of her fiery love. "I seek Him,"
said the heavenly Princess, "and I do not find Him (Cant.
2, 2) ; again I was awakened and, running through the
streets and squares of the city of God, I renewed my
anxieties. But alas for me! that my hands distilled the
myrrh (Cant. 5, 5) ; my diligence is of no avail, my exer-
tions serve only to increase my sorrow (Cant, 6,7). My
Beloved absents Himself: I call Him and He does not
answer me, I turn my eyes to seek Him, but the guards
and the sentinels of the city, and all creatures were an
annoyance to me and offended my sight. Daughters of
Jerusalem, holy and just souls, you I beseech, you I sup-
plicate, if you meet my Beloved, tell Him that I am faint
and that I am dying with love."
685. In these sweet and loving lamentations our Queen
continued for several days, like the humble spikenard
giving forth most fragrant odors of sweetness. But the
Lord remained unmoved by her anxieties and secreted
Himself in the hidden recesses of her most faithful heart.
The divine Providence, for its greater glory and for the
superabundant merit of his Spouse, protracted this con-
flict in such a manner, that it continued for some time,
though not very long; in the meanwhile our heavenly
Lady suffered more spiritual torments and anxieties than
all the saints together. For She gradually began to be
alarmed by the fear of having lost God and fallen into
disgrace on account of her own faults ; and no one can
estimate or know, except the Lord himself, what and how
THE CONCEPTION 529
great was the grief of that burning heart, which had
known how to love so much. To weigh this grief be-
longs to God alone, and in order that She might feel it
in its fullest extent, She was left by God to the over-
whelming anxiety and fear of having lost Him.
INSTRUCTION WHICH MY LADY AND QUEEN GAVE ME.
686. My daughter, all goods are estimated according
to the appreciation in which creatures hold them : in so
far they value them, as they know them to be good. But
since there is only one true Good, and all the others merely
fictitious and apparent, it follows, that only the highest
Good is to be appreciated and recognized. Then only
shalt thou give Him true appreciation and love, when
thou shalt enjoy and esteem Him above all created things.
By this appreciation and love will also be measured the
sorrow of losing Him and from this thou canst under-
stand somewhat my sentiments, at the time when the
eternal God absented Himself from me, leaving me in my
fears lest perhaps I had lost Him through my own fault.
There is no doubt, that many times the sorrows of this
anxiety and the force of love would have deprived me
of life, if the Lord himself had not preserved it.
687. Imagine then, what ought to be the grief of losing
God reallv bv sin, if. without the bad effects of sin, the
absence of our true Good could cause such terrible suffer-
ing to the soul, knowing at the same time, that it has not
lost Him, but still possesses Him, though hidden and dis-
guised to its present consciousness. But this wisdom
seems far from the mind of carnal men : with a most
pen-erse blindness they continue to make much of the
visible and fictitious good, and they torment themselves
and are disconsolate, whenever it fails them. Because
they never taste or recognize the highest and truest Good,
530 CITY OF GOD
they take no thought or reckoning of It. And although
my most holy Son has brought a remedy for this dread-
ful ignorance contracted by the first sin, by meriting for
men faith and charity, thereby affording them the pos-
sibility of knowing and experiencing to a certain extent
the Good, which they never have experienced ; yet, O
sorrow, how easily charity is wasted and set aside for
any kind of pleasure, and how often faith remains with-
out any fruit and is involved in death ! The sons of dark-
ness live as if they had only a counterfeit or doubtful
connection with eternity,
688. Fear, my soul, this so slightly accounted danger;
rouse thyself and live always in watchfulness and prepara-
tion for the attacks of the enemies, who never sleep. Let
thy meditation day and night be, how thou canst provide
against losing the highest Good, which thou lovest. It is
not befitting that thou sleep or slumber in the midst of
invisible enemies. If sometimes thy Beloved hides Him-
self from thee, hope in patience and seek Him solicitously
without ceasing, since thou knowest not his secret judg-
ments. For the time of his absence and temptation pro-
vide thyself with the oil of charity and good intention,
so that it fail thee not in time of necessity and that thou
may est not be rejected with the foolish and negligent
virgins.
CHAPTER XVIII.
OTHER AFFLICTIONS OF OUR QUEEN, SOME OF WHICH
WERE PERMITTED BY THE LORD THROUGH THE AGENCY
OF CREATURES AND OF THE ANCIENT SERPENT.
689. The Most High continued to hide and conceal
Himself from the Princess of heaven; and to this afflic-
tion, which was the most severe, his Majesty added others
in order to increase her merit, her grace and her reward,
thus inflaming more and more the most pure love of the
heavenly Lady. The great dragon and ancient serpent
was not un watchful of the heroic works of the most holy
Mar>' : although he could not attain to the knowledge
of her interior acts, since they were hidden from his view,
yet he scrutinized the exterior ones which were so high
and so perfect as to arouse the pride and indignation of
that envious fiend ; for the purity and the sanctity of the
Child Mary tormented him beyond all calculation.
690. In his restless fury he called a conventicle of the
infernal leaders in order to consult about the matter with
the higher powers of hell. He addressed them as follows :
"The great triumph which we have until now obtained in
the world by the possession of so many souls who are
altogether subject to our wills, is, I am afraid and anxious,
about to be undone and counteracted by a Woman ;
we cannot make light of such a danger, for we have been
warned since our creation, and afterward heard the
sentence confirmed against us, that the Woman shall
crush our head (Gen. 3, 15). Therefore we must be
watchful and discard all carelessness. You have already
531
532 CITY OF GOD
been notified of a Child, which was born of Anne, and
is growing in age and is at the same time distinguishing
Herself in virtue : I have paid careful attention to all her
actions and movements, and I have not been able to
discover in Her the effects of the seeds of malice, which
usually begin to show themselves at the dawn of reason
and at the beginning of the activity of the passions in the
rest of the children of Adam. I have always seen Her
composed and most perfect, without being able to incline
or induce Her to fall into the slightest human imperfec-
tions, which are so natural in the other children. On this
account I fear, lest She be the one chosen as Mother of
Him who is to become Man."
691. "Yet I cannot convince myself of this; for She
was born as the rest of women, and subject to the com-
mon laws of nature, her parents offered prayers and
sacrifices in atonement for Her and their own sins, and
brought Her to the temple just like other women. Even
if She is not the one chosen as our enemy, her childhood
points to great things and her exquisite virtue and holiness
gives promise of still greater things later on ; nor can I
bear the prudence and discretion with which She acts in
all her affairs. Her wisdom enrages me, her modesty
irritates me, her humility annihilates me and oppresses
me, and her whole behavior provokes me to unbearable
wrath. I abhor Her more than all the children of Adam.
There is in Her a special power, which often makes it im-
possible for me to approach Her; if I assail Her with
suggestions. She does not admit them, and all my efforts
in her regard until this hour have been entirely fruitless.
Hence it is important for us all that we find a remedy ;
and we must make the greatest exertions, lest our power
be ruined. I desire the destruction of this soul more than
that of all the world. Tell me then, what means and
THE CONCEPTION 533
what contrivances must we use in order to overcome Her.
I will certainly offer high and liberal rewards to any one
who shall accomplish her downfall."
692. The matter was ventilated in that confused
synagogue, convoked solely for our ruin, and one of the
chiefs of the horrible council said : "Our chief and Lord,
do not allow thyself to be tormented by such a small
matter, for a weak little ^Maiden cannot be so invincible
and powerful as all of us that follow thee. Thou hast
deceived Eve, (Gen. 3, 4), dragging her down from the
high position which she held, and through her thou didst
also conquer her head Adam ; then why shouldst thou not
be able to overcome this Woman, her descendant, who
was born after the first fall? Promise thyself even at
this moment such a victor}'-; and in order to obtain it
we will persist in tempting Her though She resist many
times, and, if necessar}-, we will not stop at yielding some
of our greatness and haughtiness, in the hope of finally
deceiving Her. If that does not suf^xe, we will try to
destroy her honor or her life."
693. Other demons added their advice and said to
Lucifer: "By experience we know, O powerful chief,
that to bring about the downfall of many souls, the most
effective way is to make use of other creatures, and by
their means we often succeed where we otherwise fail.
Let us then plan and contrive the ruin of this Woman
in this way. first finding out the best time and the most
favorable opportunity. Above all it is necessary, that
we apply all our sagacity and astuteness to make Her
lose grace by some sin. As soon as this mainstay and
bulwark of the just is lost to Her. we can persecute and
ensnare Her in her forsakeness. and there will be no one
to snatch Her from our grasp, and we must exert our-
selves to reduce Her to despair of all remedy."
534 CITY OF GOD
694. Lucifer expressed his thanks for these encourag-
ing counsels of his followers and co-operators in crime.
He commanded and exhorted the most astute in malice
among them to accompany him as leader in this arduous
enterprise ; for he did not wish to trust it to other hands.
Although the demons assisted him, Lucifer himself in
person was always at the fore in tempting Mary and her
most holy Son in the desert, as well as during the whole
course of their lives, as we shall see later on.
695. In the meanwhile our heavenly Princess con-
tinued to sigh and grieve over the absence of her Beloved,
and thus the infernal squadron found Her, when they
rushed forward to begin their temptations. But the
divine power, which overshadowed Her, hindered the
assaults of Lucifer, so that he could not approach very
closely to Her, nor could he execute all that he had in-
tended. By permission of God the hellish host excited in
her faculties many suggestions and various thoughts of
highest iniquity and malice ; for the Lord did not judge it
to be alien to the Mother of Grace, that She should be
tempted in all things, although She was to be without sin
in temptation, as was afterwards her most holy Son.
696. It cannot easily be conceived how much in this
new conflict the most pure and innocent heart of Mary
suffered, seeing Herself assailed by suggestions so foreign
and so distant from the ineffable purity and nobility of
her heavenly mind. When the ancient serpent perceived
the affliction and tears of the great Lady, he imagined
that he had on this account more power over Her, being
blinded by his own pride and not knowing the secrets of
heaven. Therefore, animating his infernal helpers, he
said to them : "Let us persecute Her now, let us persecute
Her; already it seems we are gaining our end, for She
feels sorrowful, which is an opening for discouragement."
THE CONCEPTION 535
In this mistaken conviction, they suggested new thoughts
of dejection and despair, and they assailed Her with
terrible imaginations, but in vain; for as this flawless
stone was struck by occasions of more exalted virtues, so
also it gave forth more generously the sparks and flames
of divine love. Our invincible Queen was so superior to
this infernal battery, that her interior showed no signs
of change nor even of an understanding of such terrible
suggestions, except in so far as to concentrate Herself
the more in the exercise of her incomparable virtues and
allow the flames of divine love, which burned in her
breast, to ascend so much the higher.
697. The dragon, though seeing her courage and
constancy, and though feeling the force of the divine
assistance, knew nothing of the hidden wisdom and pru-
dence of our sovereign Queen. Nevertheless he persisted
in his pride and besieged the City of God in diverse ways
and several kinds of warfare. The astute enemy during
this warfare often changed his engines of war, but his
machinery was like the sting of a weak hornet against a
diamond, or adamantine wall. Our Princess was that
strong woman (Prov. 31. 11) on whom the heart of her
husband confidently relied, without the least anxiety lest
his desires should be frustrated in Her. Her adornments
were fortitude (Prov. 31. 25) which filled Her with
beauty, and her vestments were purity and charity, which
served Her as a helmet. The unclean and proud serpent
could not look upon this Creature without being blinded
anew in the fury of his confusion ; therefore he resolved
to take away her life, and the horde of malignant spirits
began to exert their utmost powers toward this end. In
this attempt they spent some time, but with just as little
success.
698. The knowledge of this hidden mystery caused in
536 CITY OF GOD
me great wonder, especially when I considered the ex-
tremes, to which the fury of Lucifer was allowed to pro-
ceed against the most holy Mary in her tender years and
when I beheld the hidden and vigilant defense and protec-
tion of the Most High. I saw how attentive the Lord was
toward his chosen and only One among creatures; and
I saw at the same time all hell lashed into fury against
Her and exerting against Her in fullest indignation such
a wrath as had never till then been exerted against any
other creature ; and I saw the facility with which God
neutralizes the infernal power and astuteness. O more
than unhappy Lucifer! How much greater is thy pride
and arrogance than thy strength! (Isaias 16, 6.) Very
weak and helpless art thou in spite of thy high-flown
pretentions ; beg'in to confide less in thyself and expect
no such great triumphs ; for a tender Child crushes thy
head and sends thee back conquered in all things and
altogether vanquished. Acknowledge now that thou canst
do and knowest but little, since thou wast even ignorant of
the sacrament of the King. Acknowledge that his power
has humiliated thee by the instrument thou hadst de-
spised, by a feeble Woman, by a Child in its natural weak-
ness. O how evident would thy ignorance also become
in regard to men, if they would avail themselves of the
protection of the Most High, and of the example, the
imitation and the intercession of that victorious and
triumphant Mistress of angels and men!
699. During these varying temptations and combats
the fervent prayers of most holy Mary never ceased, and
She spoke to the Lord : "Now, O my most high God,
while I am in tribulation, be with me (Psalm 90, 15) ;
now that I call to Thee with my whole heart and seek thy
justifications, (Psalm 118, 14) let my prayers come to
thy ears; now that I suffer such violence, wilt Thou
THE CONCEPTION 537
answer for me (Isaias 38, 14). Thou, my Lord and
Father, be my strength and my refuge (Psalm 30, 4), and
because of thy holy name Thou wilt deliver me from
danger; thou wilt lead me the sure way and nourish me
as thy Daughter." She repeated also many mysteries of
the holy Scriptures, especially passages from the Psalms,
to invoke his aid against the invisible enemies. With
these invincible arms, losing not an atom of interior
peace, equanimity and resignation, but rather confirming
Herself more therein, She raised her spirit on high,
battled with, resisted, and conquered satan to the in-
expressible delight of the Lord and for her greater merit.
700. After the most holy Virgin had successfully
fought these secret temptations and battles, the serpent
instituted a new conflict by means of creatures. For this
purpose he secretly kindled the sparks of envy and emula-
tion against the most holy IMary in the hearts of her
maiden companions of the temple. This contagion was
much the harder to counteract, as it arose from the
punctuality with which our heavenly Princess distin-
guished Herself in the practice of all virtues, growing in
wisdom and grace before God and man. For where the
prodding of ambition is, the very light of virtue darkens
and blinds the judgment, and at last enkindles the flames
of envy. The dragon through his secret suggestions per-
suaded these simple maidens, that the light of this sun,
most holy j\Iary, would obscure them and cause them to
be little noticed ; that on her account their own negli-
gences were more clearly apparent to the priests and their
teacher; and that Mary alone was preferred in the esti-
mation and judgment of all.
701. The companions of our Queen allowed the devil
to sow this bad seed in their bosoms ; for they were heed-
less and little experienced in spiritual ways. They allowed
36
538 CITY OF GOD
it to increase until it grew into a sort of interior abhor-
rence of the most pure Mary, and this into anger. Filled
with this anger, they began to look upon and treat Her
with hatred, not being able to endure the modesty of that
most innocent Dove. For the dragon had incited them
and had already imbued the incautious girls with some
of his own wrath. The temptation continuing, its effects
became manifest and the temple maidens began to plot
among themselves, ignorant of the spirit that moved
them. They agreed among themselves to molest and
persecute the unknown Princess of the world, until She
should be forced to leave the temple. Accordingly they
called Her aside and spoke to Her very sharp words,
treating Her at the same time very haughtily. They
called Her a hypocrite and reproached Her with schem-
ing to obtain the favor of the priests and of their teacher,
while seeking to discredit all the other girls by her com-
plaints and her exaggerations of their faults, whereas
She was the most useless of them all and therefore de-
served their hatred as an enemy.
702. These contumelies and many other accusations
the most prudent Virgin bore without disturbance and
with equable humility. She answered : "My friends
and my mistresses, you are right no doubt in saying, that
I am the least and the most imperfect among you; but
then you, my sisters, being better informed, must pardon
me my faults and must teach me in my ignorance. Direct
me therefore, that I may succeed in doing better and
act according to your pleasure. I beseech you, my
friends, not to deny me your good will, which, though
I am so imperfect, I sincerely wish to merit; for I love
you and reverence you as a servant, and I will obey you
in all things, in which you desire to make a trial of my
good will. Command me then, and tell me what you
wish of me."
THE CONCEPTION 539
703. These humble and sweet reasonings of the most
humble Mary did not soften the hardened hearts of her
associates and companions, for they were infected by the
poisonous fury of the dragon against Her. Precisely
on account of her sweet humility he became so much the
more infuriated, and thus turned this sweet antidote
against the poisonous bite into a means of inflaming
them with open wrath against Her who was the great
sign in heaven (Apoc. 12, 15). For many days this
persecution continued, during which the heavenly Lady
sought in vain to appease the hate of her companions
by her humility, patience, modesty and tolerance. On the
contrary the demon was emboldened to inspire them
with many thoughts full of temerity, urging them to lay
violent hands on the most humble lamb and maltreat
Her, even so far as to take away her life. But the Lord
did not permit the execution of such sacrilegious sugges-
tions; and the farthest which they were allowed to pro-
ceed, was to insult Her bv words or to inflict some blows.
This quarreling remained concealed from the teacher of
the maidens and from the priests, and during this time
most holy Mary gained incomparable merits in the sight
of the Almighty, because She took occasion to exercise
all the virtues, as well in regard to God as also in regard
to the creatures, which were persecuting and hating Her.
She performed heroic acts of charity and humility, yield-
ing good for evil, blessings for curses, prayers for
blasphemies (I Cor. 4, 13), fulfilling in all things the
most perfect and the highest requirements of the divine
law. Before the Lord She exercised the most exalted
virtues, by praying for his creatures who were persecut-
ing Her; and She excited the admiration of the angels,
by humiliating Herself as if She were the vilest of mor-
tals deservedly treated in that way. In all these things
540 CITY OF GOD
She surpassed the conceptions of men and the highest
merits of the seraphim.
704. It happened one day, that, impelled by the dia-
bolical suggestions, these girls brought Mary to a retired
room, where they could act with more safety. Here they
began to heap unmeasured injuries and insults upon Her,
in order to excite Her to weakness or anger and to entrap
Her imperturbable modesty into some hasty action. But
as the Queen of virtues could not even for a moment be
subject to vice. She showed Herself immovable, and She
answered them with great kindness and sweetness. Being
enraged beyond bounds on account of not succeeding in
their purpose, her companions raised their voices in dis-
cordant strife, so that they were heard in the temple and
by such unwonted noise caused great astonishment and
confusion. The priests and the teacher hastened to the
place whence the noise proceeded, and the Lord permitted
a new humiliation of his Spouse, for they asked with
severity, what was the cause of this strife. While the
most meek Dove remained silent, the other maidens
angrily answered and said : "Mary of Nazareth brings us
all into strife and quarreling by her horrid conduct: for
in your absence. She irritates and provokes us in such
a manner, that if She does not leave the temple, it will
be impossible to keep any peace with Her. When we
allow Her her own way, She becomes overbearing; if
we reprehend Her, She makes fun of all of us by pros-
trating Herself at our feet with feigned humility, and
afterwards She quarrels anew and throws all into up-
roar."
705. The priests and the instructress brought the Mis-
tress of the world into another room, and there they
severely reprehended Her, giving full credit at that time
to all the accusations of her companions, and, having
THE CONCEPTION 541
exhorted Her to reform and behave as one living in the
house of God, they threatened to expel Her from the
temple, if She would not mend Her conduct. This threat
was the most severe punishment, which they could have
given Her, even if She had been guilty; so much the more
severe was it, when She was altogether innocent of any of
the faults imputed to Her. Whoever will obtain from
the Lord some understanding of a part only of the pro-
found humility of the most holy Mary will also under-
stand somewhat of the effects of these mysteries in her
most innocent heart; for She judged Herself to be the
most vile of the womanborn, the most unworthy to live
among them and to burden the earth with her presence.
This threat cruelly lacerated the heart of the most pru-
dent Virgin, and in tears She answered and said to the
priests: "My masters, I acknowledge the favor, which
you do me in correcting and teaching me, the most im-
perfect and despicable of creatures; but I beseech you,
pardon me, you who are the servants of the Most High,
and overlooking my defects, direct me in all things so
that I may reform and from now on give pleasure to his
Majesty and to my sisters and companions. With the
grace of the Lord I will resolve this anew and will
commence from today."
706. Our Queen added other words full of sweetest
innocence and modesty; and therewith the instructress
and the priests dismissed Her, enjoining anew upon Her
that doctrine, of which She herself was the most wise
Teacher. Immediately She betook Herself to her com-
panions, and prostrating Herself at their feet, She asked
them pardon, as if the faults, with which they had charged
Her, could ever have been shared by the Mother of all in-
nocence. They received Her this time with more good will,
because they thought that her tears were the effect of the
542 CITY OF GOD
punishment and the warning of the priests and the in-
structress, whom they had induced to act thus in pur-
suance of their badly governed passions. The dragon,
who was secretly contriving this entanglement, urged the
incautious hearts of all these girls to still greater haugh-
tiness and presumption, and as they had now made head-
way in the estimation of the priests themselves, they pro-
ceeded to greater audacity in discrediting and lowering the
good name of the most pure Virgin. Accordingly by insti-
gation of the devil, they fabricated new accusations and
lies ; but the Most High never permitted them to say any-
thing very grave and dishonorable of Her, whom He had
chosen as the most holy Mother of his Onlybegotten. He
merely allowed the indignation and deceit of the maidens
to go so far as to exaggerate very much some small
faults, which were even in themselves altogether fictitious,
but which they accused Her of. Moreover they were
permitted to practice many feminine intrigues, to which
their own restlessness drove them. In these different
ways and in the reprehensions of her instructress and
of the priests our most humble Lady Mary found many
occasions of exercising virtues, of increasing the gifts
of the Most High, and of exalting Her merit.
707. In all this our Queen acted with the plenitude of
perfection in the eyes of the Lord, who regaled Himself
with the sweetest odor of that humble spikenard (Cant.
1, 18), maltreated and despised by the creatures, who
did not know Her. She repeated and continued her
clamors and her sighs on account of the absence of her
Beloved; and on one of these occasions She said: "My
highest Good and Lord of infinite mercies, if Thou who
art my Lord and my Maker, hast forsaken me, it is not
strange, that all the creatures abhor me and rise up
against me. All this my ingratitude to thy benefits well
THE CONCEPTION 543
merits ; nevertheless I will always acknowledge and con-
fess Thee as my refuge and my treasure. Thou alone art
my God, my Beloved and my rest : If then Thou art this
to me, how can my afflicted heart come to rest? The
creatures do only that with me, which they should ; but
they do not go so far in this as I merit, because Thou, O
my Lord and Father, in punishing, art so sparing, and in
rewarding art so generous. Discount, O Lord, my negli-
gences by my sorrow of having lost thy interior presence,
and pay back with a liberal hand the benefits, blessings,
which thy creatures gain for me in forcing me to ac-
knowledge thy goodness and my meanness. Raise, O
Lord, the needy one from the dust of the earth (I Reg.
2, 8) and renew her, who is poor and the most abject
of the creatures, and then may I see thy divine face and
be saved." (Psalm 79, 5).
708. It would not be possible, nor is it necessary, to
relate all that happened to our Queen in this test of her
virtues. But leaving Her at present therein, and con-
sidering Her behavior, we will have in Her a living
example, teaching us to bear with exultation all the
troubles, pains and strifes, which are so necessary in order
to satisfy for our sins and subject our necks to the yoke
of mortification. There was no sin nor any deceit in our
most innocent Dove, yet, in humble silence and patience,
She suffered ungrounded hate and persecution. Let us
then be confounded in her presence, that we should deem
slight injuries irreparable offenses which must be avenged ;
whereas all offenses, of whatever kind, are to be held but
slight by those, who have God for their enemy. The
Most Pligh was mighty to preserve Her from all persecu-
tion, but then He could not have shown his power in
leading Her out of it unharmed, nor would He have
given Her such dear pledges of his love, nor would She
544 CITY OF GOD
have reaped the sweet fruit of loving her enemies and
her persecutors. We make ourselves unworthy of such
great blessing in raising an outcry against creatures
whenever we are injured and our proud heart rises up
against God himself, who arranges all things; for it re-
fuses to subject itself to its Creator and Justifier, who
knows what is necessary for our salvation.
INSTRUCTION OF THE QUHEN OF HEAVEN, MOST BLESSED
MARY.
709. Take notice then, my Daughter, that the ex-
ample of these events of my life should serve thee for thy
instruction and direction. Treasure up this example lov-
ingly in thy bosom and allow it to dilate thy heart, so as
to receive with joy the persecutions and calumnies of
creatures, whenever thou art made partaker of such hap-
piness. The sons of perdition, who serve vanity, are
ignorant of the treasure of suffering injuries and of par-
doning them, and they make a boast of vengeance, which
even according to the requirements of the natural reason
is reprehensible and arises from a heart brutal and beast-
ly, rather than from a human. On the other hand, he who
pardons injuries magnanimously and forgets them, al-
though he may not have divine faith nor the light of the
Gospel, becomes noble and excellent, and does not pay
vile tribute to the fierce and irrational brutality of re-
venge.
710. And if the vice of revenge is so contrary even
to the dictates of nature, consider, my daughter, how
much it is opposed to grace and how hateful and abomi-
nable the vengeful are in the eyes of my most holy Son,
who made Himself man, suffered and died for no other
purpose than to forgive and to obtain the pardon of the
Almighty for the injuries committed by the human race.
THE CONCEPTION 545
Against this tendency of his whole life and against his
whole nature and infinite bounty, vengeance is arrayed;
as far as in him lies, the vindictive man destroys entirely,
as well God himself as all his works. And for this at-
tempt he well merits, that God should destroy him with
all his might. Between the person who pardons and
suffers injuries, and the vindictive, there is the same
difference as between the one and only heir and the deadly
enemy; this one provokes all the wrath of God and the
other merits and obtains all blessings; because in this
virtue he exhibits a most perfect image of the celestial
Father.
711. I wish thee, O soul, to understand, that to suffer
injuries with equanimity and to pardon them entirely for
the Lord, will be more acceptable in his eyes, than if thou
choose of thy own will to do the most severe penance and
shed thy own blood for Him. Humble thyself before
those who persecute thee, love them and pray for them
from thy true heart ; thereby shalt thou turn toward thee
in love the heart of thy God and rise to the perfection
of holiness, and thou shalt overcome hell in all things.
That great dragon, who persecutes all men, was con-
founded many times by my humility and meekness, and
his fury could not tolerate the sight of these virtues.
From them he fled more swiftly than the sun's rays. I
gained great victories for my soul and won glorious
triumphs for the exaltation of the Divinity. When any
creature rose up against me, I conceived no anger toward
it, for I knew in reality it was an instrument of the Most
High, directed by his Providence for my special good.
This knowledge and the consideration, that it was a crea-
ture of my Lord, capable of grace, excited me to love it
truly with a greater fer\'or, and I did not rest until I
could reward this benefit of persecution by obtaining for
it eternal life, as far as was possible.
546 CITY OF GOD
712. Strive after, therefore, and labor for the imita-
tion of that, which thou hast understood and written ;
show thyself most meek, peaceful and agreeable toward
those, who molest thee; esteem them truly in thy heart,
and do not take vengeance of thy Lord by taking ven-
geance on his instruments, nor despise the inestimable
jewel of injuries. As far as lies in thee always give good
for evil, (Rom. 12, 14) benefits for injuries, love for
hate, praise for blame, blessings for malediction. Then
wilt thou be a perfect daughter of thy Father (Matth. 5,
43), the beloved spouse of thy Lord, my friend and my
most cherished daughter.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE MOST HIGH ENLIGHTENS THE PRIEST CONCERNING
THE SPOTLESS INNOCENCE OF MOST HOLY MARY; SHE
HERSELF IS INFORMED OF THE APPROACHING DEATH
OF HER MOTHER, SAINT ANNE, AND IS PRESENT AT
THIS EVENT.
713. The Lord did not sleep, nor did He slumber
(Psalm 120, 4) during the clamors of his beloved spouse
Mary, although He pretended not to hear them, delight-
ing in the prolonged exercise of her sufferings, which
occasioned so many glorious triumphs and the admira-
tions and praises of the supernal spirits. The smoulder-
ing fire of the persecution already mentioned continued
unabated, in order that the Phenix, Mary, might many
times renew Herself from the ashes of her humility, and
in order that her most pure heart be regenerated over
and over again to new estates and conditions of divine
grace. But when the opportune time arrived for putting
an end to the blind envy and jealousy of those ensnared
maidens, and in order that their petulance might not al-
together discredit Her who was to be the excellence of
nature and grace itself, the Lord spoke to the priest in
his sleep and said to Him : "My servant Mary is
pleasing in my eyes, and She is my perfect and my chosen
One: She is entirely innocent of anything of which
She is accused." The same revelation was given to
Anne, the instructress of the maidens. That morning
the priest and the instructress conferred with each other
about the message, which both had received. Being
547
548 CITY OF GOD
now certain, they repented of the deceit, into which they
had been led, and called the Princess Mary, asking her
pardon for having given credit to the false report of the
girls and offering Her all the reparation necessary to de-
fend Her from the persecution and the sufferings con-
sequent upon it.
714. She that was the Mother and origin of humility,
after listening to their words, answered the priest and
the instructress : "My superiors, I am the one that de-
sen^es your reprehensions and I beseech you do not hold
me unworthy of undergoing them, since I ask for them
as most necessary to me. The intercourse with my
sisters, the other maidens, is most highly prized by me,
and I do not wish to be deprived of it through my fault,
since I owe them so much for having borne with me;
and as a return for that benefit, I desire to serve them
more faithfully; nevertheless if you command me any-
thing else, I stand prepared to obey your will." This
answer of the most holy Mary still more comforted and
consoled the priest and the instructress ; and they ap-
proved of her humble petition, but from that time on they
attended to Her and observed Her with new reverence
and affection. The most humble Maiden begged to kiss
the hand of the priest and of the matron, asking for
their blessing according to her custom; with this they
dismissed Her. Just as the parched desire of the thirsty
for drink is increased at the sight of clear water with-
drawn beyond their reach, so was the heart of Mary our
Mistress filled with yearning regret for the exercise of
suffering. Thirsting and burning for the divine love
She feared lest through the watchful care of the priest
and of the instructress. She should from thenceforward
be deprived of the treasure of affliction.
715, Seeking solitude and speaking with God alone.
THE CONCEPTION 549
She addressed Him: "Why, O Lord and most beloved
Master, such severity \vith me? Why such a long ab-
sence and such a forgetfulness of her, who cannot live
without Thee? And if in the protracted solitude and
separation from thy sweet and loving presence, I was
consoled by the pledges of thy affection, given to me in
the afflictions and sufferings for thy sake, how shall I
be able to live now in my dereliction without this solace ?
Why, O Lord, dost Thou so soon withdraw thy beneficent
hand from me in refusing me this favor? Who besides
thyself could have changed the sentiments of the priests
and of the instructress? But I do not merit the benefit
of their charitable reprehensions, nor am I worthy to
bear affliction ; for I am equally unworthy of thy most
loving visit and delightful presence. If I have not been
able to please Thee, my Father and Lord, I will make
amends for my negligence. There can be no relief from
the depression of my spirit as long as the joy of thy
presence is wanting to my soul. But I continue to
hope that thy divine pleasure, O my Spouse, be fulfilled
in all things."
716. The enlightenment of the priests and the in-
structress concerning Mary abated the persecutions of
the maidens. The Lord also restrained them and pre-
vented the demon from inciting them thereafter. But
the time, during which He absented Himself and during
which He hid Himself from this heavenly spouse, lasted
(wonderful to relate!) ten years; although the Most
High interrupted this absence a few times by allowing
the veil to fall from his face for the relief of his Be-
loved ; but it was not often that He dispensed this favor
during that time, and He did it with less lavishness and
tenderness than in the first years of her childhood. This
absence of the Lord was ordained for our Queen in order
550 CITY OF GOD
that She might, by actual exercise of all perfection, be
made worthy for the dignity to which She was destined
by the Most High. For if She had continually enjoyed
the vision of his Majesty in the manner described by us
in the fourteenth chapter of this book, She could not
have suffered according to the common order of a mere
creature.
717. But during this retirement and absence of the
Lord, although most holy Mary missed the intuitive and
abstractive visions of the divine Essence and of the angels
as mentioned above, her most holy soul and her faculties
enjoyed more gifts of grace and more supernatural en-
lightenment, than all the saints ever attained or received.
For in regard to this the hand of God never withdrew
from Her. But in comparison with the frequent visita-
tions of the Lord in her first years, I call the state of
her privation of his presence for such a long time, an
absence and withdrawal of the Lord. It commenced
eight days before the death of her father, saint Joachim,
and afterwards the persecution of hell began, followed by
the persecutions on the part of creatures. They lasted
until our Princess reached the age of twelve years. Hav-
ing passed this age, the holy angels on a certain day,
without manifesting themselves, spoke to Her as fol-
lows : "Mary, the end of the life of thy holy mother Anne
as ordained by the Most High, is now about to arrive,
and his Majesty has resolved to free her from the prison
of her mortal body and bring her labors to a happy ful-
fillment."
718. At this unexpected and sorrowful message the
heart of the affectionate Daughter was filled with com-
passion. Prostrating Herself in the presence of the Most
High, She poured forth a fervent prayer for the happy
death of her mother saint Anne in the following words :
THE CONCEPTION 551
"King of the ages, invisible and eternal Lord, immortal
and almighty Creator of the Universe, although I am but
dust and ashes and although I must confess, that I am
in debt to thy greatness, I will not on that account be
prevented from speaking to my Lord (Gen. 18, 17), and
I pour out before thee my heart, hoping, O my God, that
Thou wilt not despise her, who has always confessed
thy holy name. Dismiss, O Lord, in peace thy servant,
who has with invincible faith and confidence desired to
fulfill thy divine pleasure. Let her issue victoriously and
triumphantly from the hostile combat and enter the por-
tal of thy holy chosen ones ; let thy powerful arm
strengthen her; at the close of her mortal career, let that
same right hand, which has helped her to walk in the
path of perfection, assist her, and let her enter, O my
Father, into the peace of thy friendship and grace, since
she has always sought after it with an upright heart."
719. The Lord did not respond expressly in words to
this petition of his Beloved ; but his answer was a mar-
velous favor, shown to Her and to her mother, saint
Anne. During that night his Majesty commanded the
guardian angels of the most holy Mary to carry Her bod-
ily to the sickbed of her mother and one of them to remain
in her stead, assuming for this purpose an aerial body
as a substitute for hers. The holy angels obeyed the
mandate of God and they carried their and our Queen
to the house and to the room of her holy mother Anne.
Being thus brought to the presence of her mother, the
heavenly Lady kissed her hand and said to her: "My
mother and mistress, may the Most High be thy light
and thy strength, and may He be blessed, since He has
in his condescension not permitted me in my necessity to
remain without the benefit of thy last blessing: may I
then receive it, my mother, from thy hand." Holy Anne
552 CITY OF GOD
gave her last blessing to Mary and with overflowing
heart also thanked the Lord for the great favor thus
conferred upon Herself. For She knew the sacrament
of her Daughter and Queen, and she did not forget to
express her gratitude for the love, which Mary had
shown her on this occasion.
720. Then our Princess turned toward her mother
and comforted her against the approach of death; and
among many other words of incomparable consolation,
She spoke also the following: "Mother, beloved of my
soul, it is necessary that we pass through the portal of
death to the eternal life, which we expect ; bitter and
painful is the passage, but also profitable. For it is insti-
tuted by the divine Goodness as the beginning of our
security and rest; it satisfies by itself for the negligences
and shortcomings of the creature in fulfilling the duties.
Accept death, O my mother ; through it pay the common
debt with joy of spirit, and depart in confidence to the
company of the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, the just and
the friends of God, who were our ancestors. There
await with them the beatitude, which the Most High
will send to us through our Savior and his Redemption.
The certainty of this hope will be thy consolation until
we attain to the full possession of that which we expect."
721. Saint Anne answered her Daughter with a re-
turn of love and in a spirit of joy worthy of herself and
of such a Daughter on such an occasion. In maternal
tenderness she said: "Mary, my beloved Daughter, ful-
fill now thy obligation by not forgetting me in the pres-
ence of our Lord God and Creator and reminding Him
of the need I have of his protection in this hour. Re-
member what thou owest to her, who has conceived Thee
and bore Thee in her womb nine months, who after-
wards nourished Thee at her breast and has alwavs held
THE CONCEPTION 553
Tliee in her heart. Beseech the Lord, my Daughter, that
He extend a hand of mercy toward me, his useless crea-
ture, who has her beginning only through his mercies,
and that I may receive his blessing in this hour of my
death; for I place my confidence and have always placed
it altogether in his holy name. Do not leave me, my Be-
loved, before Thou hast closed my eyes. Thou wilt be
left an orphan and without the protection of man; but
thou wilt live under the guardianship of the Most High ;
confide in the mercies which He has shown of old.
Daughter of my heart, walk in the path of the justifica-
tions of the Lord and ask his Majesty to govern thy
aspirations and thy powers and to be thy Teacher in
the holy law. Do not leave the temple before choosing
thy state of life, and let it be done only with the sound
advice of the priests of the temple, and continue to pray
to the Lord that He dispose of thy affairs according to
his own pleasure. Pray that, if it be his will to give
Thee a spouse, he may be of the tribe of Juda and of the
race of David. The possessions of thy father Joachim
and of myself, which shall belong to Thee, share with
the poor, with whom thou shouldst deal in loving gen-
erosity. Keep thy secret hidden within thy Bosom and
ask the Omnipotent without ceasing to show his mercy
by sending his salvation and redemption through his
promised Messiah. Ask and beseech his infinite bounty-
to be thy protection, and may his blessing come over
Thee together with mine."
722. In the midst of such exalted and heavenly collo-
quies the blessed mother saint Anne felt the throes of
death approaching and, reclining upon the throne of
grace, that is, in the arms of her most holy Daughter
Mary, she rendered her most pure soul to her Creator.
Having closed the eyes of her mother, as saint Anne
had requested, and leaving the sacred body in position
37
554 CITY OF GOD
for burial, the Queen Mary was again taken up by the
holy angels and restored to her place in the temple. The
Most High did not impede the force of her filial love,
which naturally would cause a great and tender sorrow
at the death of her mother and a sense of loneliness at
being deprived of her assistance. But these sorrows
were most holy and perfect in our Queen, governed by
the graces of her most prudent innocence and purity.
In the midst of them She gave praise to the Most High
for the infinite mercies, which He had shown to her
mother both in life and in death, while her sweet and
loving complaints on account of the absence of the Lord
continued unabated.
723. However this most holy Daughter could not
know the full extent of the consolation afforded her
mother in having Her present at her death. For the
Daughter was not aware of her own exalted dignity and
the sacrament connected with Her, as was known to the
mother. This she had always kept secret, as the Most
High had commanded her. But finding at her bedside Her,
who was the light of her eyes and of the whole world,
and having the privilege of expiring in her arms, all the
desires of her mortal life were fulfilled, making its end
more happy than that of all the mortals up to that hour.
She died, not so much in the fullness of years as in the
fullness of merits, and her most holy soul was placed by
the angels in the bosom of Abraham, where she was
recognized and reverenced by all the Patriarchs,
Prophets and the just, who were in that place. This
most holy matron was naturally endowed with a great
and generous heart, with a clear and aspiring intellect
fervent and at the same time full of tranquillity and peace.
She was of medium stature, somewhat smaller than her
Daughter, most holy Mary; her face was rather round,
of a suffused whiteness, her countenance was always
THE CONCEPTION 555
equable and composed, and finally She was the mother of
Her, who was to be the Mother of God himself ; this
dignity in itself included many perfections. Saint Anne
lived fifty-six years, portioned ofif into the following
periods; at the age of twenty-four she espoused saint
Joachim and she remained without issue for twenty
years; then in the forty- fourth year she gave birth to the
most holy Mary, and of the twelve years which she lived
during the lifetime of Mary, three were passed in her
company and nine during her absence in the temple,
which altogether make fifty-six years.
724, Concerning this great and admirable woman, as
I have been informed, some grave authors assert, that
saint Anne was married three times and that in each one
of these marriages she was the mother of one of the
three Marys ; others have the contrary opinion. The
Lord has vouchsafed to me, solelv on account of his
goodness, great enlightenment concerning the life of this
fortunate saint ; yet never was it intimated to me that
she was ever married except to saint Joachim, or that
she ever had any other daughter besides Mary, the
Mother of Christ. Perhaps because it does not per-
tain to nor was necessary for the history which I
am writing, infomiation was not given to me whether
the other Marys who are called her sisters, were or were
not her cousins, that is daughters of the sister of saint
Anne. When her spouse saint Joachim died, she was in
the forty-eighth year of her age. and the Most High
selected and set her apart from the race of women, in
order to make her the mother of Her. who was the Su-
perior of all creatures, inferior only to God, and yet his
Mother. Because of her having such a Daughter and of
her being the grandmother of the Word made man. all
the nations may call the most fortunate saint Anne
blessed.
556 CITY OF GOD
INSTRUCTION BY THE MOST HOLY QUEEN MARY.
72h. My daughter, the most valuable science of man
is to know how to resign himself entirely into the hands
of his Creator, since He knows why he has formed him
and for what end each man is destined. Man's sole duty
is to live in obedience and in the love of his Lord. God
will charge himself most solicitously with the care of
those that thus confide in Him; He will take upon Him-
self the management of all the affairs and all the events
of this life in order to draw blessings and benefits for
those that thus trust in his fidelity. He afflicts and cor-
rects the just by adversities, He consoles and rejoices
them with his favors, He inspires them with hope in his
promises, and threatens them and inspires them with fear
by his threats; He absents Himself in order to attract
their love, He shows Himself to the souls in order to
reward and preserve them in fervor, and in all these
things He makes the lives of the chosen ones more de-
lightful and beautiful. All this happened to me in that
which thou hast written of me ; He visited me and pre-
pared me in his mercy with many different kinds of bless-
ings, difficulties and labors, persecutions of creatures,
and the separation from my parents and from all men.
726. In the midst of these various trials the Lord did
not forget my weakness, for with the sorrow for the
death of my mother, holy Anne, He combined the con-
solation and comfort of permitting me to be present at
her death. O my soul, how many blessings do men lose
by not attaining to this wisdom ! They hold themselves
aloof from the divine Providence, which is powerful and
sweet and unfailing, which measures the orbs of heaven
and the elements; which counts the footsteps, discerns
the thoughts, and disposes everything for the benefit of
THE CONXEPTION 557
the creatures. Instead of all this men are given over to
their own solicitudes, which are inefficient and weak,
blind, uncertain and inconsiderate. From this false be-
ginning originate and follow irreparable evils for man ;
for he deprives himself of the divine protection and falls
from the dignity of having his Creator as his Helper and
Defender. What is still worse, if by his carnal wisdom
and by diabolical astuteness to which man resigns him-
self, he succeeds sometimes in obtaining what he seeks,
he deems himself fortunate on account of this, his own
misfortune ! And with sensible pleasure he imbibes the
poison of eternal death in the deceitful delight, which he
has gained, while incurring the alienation and abhorrence
of his God.
727. Mind well, then, my daughter, this danger, and
let thy whole solicitude be to cast thyself securely into
the arms of thy provident God and Lord. He being in-
finite in wisdom and power, loves thee much more than
thou lovest thyself, and He knows and desires for thee
greater goods, than thou ever canst learn to desire and
request. Confide in his goodness and in his promises,
which do not admit of failure ; remember what He says
through his Prophet to the just: that it is well with man
(Is. 3, 10) since God take? upon Himself his desires and
cares, and charges Himself with them in order to deal
with them according to his generosity. By means of
this most secure confidence thou wilt even in this mortal
life enjoy the blessedness of a tranquil and peaceful con-
science: and although thou mayest find thyself sur-
rounded by the tempestuous waves of trial and adversity
which cast over thee the sorrows of death (Psalm 17,
5). and although the terrors of hell may surround Thee,
suffer thou and hope in patience, so that thou err not
from the portal of the grace and the good will of the
Most High.
CHAPTER XX.
THE MOST HIGH MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO HIS BELOVED
MARY, OUR PRINCESS, BY CONFERRING ON HER AN
EXTRAORDINARY FAVOR.
728. Already our heavenly Princess felt that the day
of the clear vision of the Divinity was approaching and
that like the harbingers of early dawn, the rays of the
divine light were breaking upon her soul. Her heart
began to be inflamed by the nearness of the invisible fire,
which illumines but does not consume; and made atten-
tive by this new clearness, She questioned her angels
and said to them : "My friends and lords, my most faith-
ful and vigilant sentinels, tell me : what hour is it of my
night ? And when will the bright light of the day arise,
in which my eyes shall see the Sun of justice which
illumines them and gives life to my affections and my
soul ?" The holy princes answered Her and said :
"Spouse of the Most High, thy wished-for light and
truth is near; it will not tarry long, for already it ap-
proaches." At these words the veil which hid the view
of these spiritual substances was slightly lifted; and the
holy angels became visible, showing themselves as dur-
ing her first years in their own essence, without hin-
drance or dependence of the bodily senses.
729. With these hopes and with the vision of the heav-
enly spirits the anxieties of most holy Mary concerning^
the sight of her Beloved were somewhat allayed. But
this kind of love seeks after the most noble Object, and
without It, although enjoying the presence of the angels
558
THE CONCEPTION 559
and saints, the heart, wounded by the arrows of the Om-
nipotent, will not come to rest. Nevertheless, our heav-
enly Princess, rejoiced by this alleviation, spoke to her
angels and said to them: "Sovereign Princess and flames
of that inaccessible light, in which my Beloved dwells,
why have I for so long a time been unworthy of your
sight? Wherein have I been displeasing to you and
failed to satisfy you? Tell me, my lords and teachers,
wherein I have been negligent, in order that I may not
again be forsaken by you through my own fault." "O
Lady and Spouse of the Almighty," they answered, "we
obey the voice of our Creator and are governed by his
holy will, and as his spirits. He commissions us and sends
us out in his service. He commanded us to conceal our-
selves during the time in which He himself withdrew
from sight. But though hidden we remained present,
solicitous for thy protection and defense, fulfilling his
command by remaining in thy company without being
visible."
730. "Tell me then, where is my Lord at the present
time, my highest God, my Maker. Tell me, whether
my eyes shall see Him soon, or whether perhaps I have
displeased Him, in order that I may, as a most insignifi-
cant creature, bitterly bewail the cause of this punish-
ment. Ministers and ambassadors of the highest King,
be moved bv my afflicted love and give me tokens of my
Beloved." "Soon, O Lady." they answered. "Thou shaft
see Him whom thy soul desires, let thy sweet sorrows
turn to hope; our God will not withhold Himself from
those that seek Him so truly; great. O Mistress, is his
loving Goodness with all those that cling to Him and He
will not be niggardly in satisfying thy wishes." The
holy angels openly called Her Mistress, as they were sure
of her most prudent humility and as they could conceal
560 CITY OF GOD
the full meaning of this title under pretense of her posi-
tion as Spouse of the Most High ; for She knew that they
had been eye-witnesses of the espousal, which his Ma-
jesty had celebrated with their Queen. And as his wis-
dom had ordered, that in all else, except in the title and
dignity of Mother of the Word, which was to remain
concealed to Her until the proper time, the holy angels
were to show Her great reverence; so they were solici-
tous to give Her many tokens of respect, although they
covertly honored Her much more for what they knew in
secret, than for that which they manifested to Her
openly.
731. During these conferences and loving colloquies
the heavenly Princess awaited the approach of her
Spouse and her highest delight, while the seraphim, who
attended Her, commenced to prepare Her by new en-
lightenment of her faculties ; a sure pledge of the begin-
ning of the Good for which She hoped. But as these
favors augmented the fire of her love without allowing
Her as yet to reach the desired end, they only augmented
the heartrending anguish of her love, and with sighs
She spoke to the seraphim, saying: "Most exalted spirits,
who stand close to my highest Good, ye clear mirrors,
whence reflected I was wont to see Him in the joy of
my soul, tell me, where is the light which illuminates
you and fills you with beauty? Tell me, why does my
Beloved tarry so long? Tell me, what hides Him, and
why my eyes cannot see Him? If it is through my fault,
I will amend my ways ; if I do not merit the fulfillment
of my wishes, I will conform myself to his will ; and if
He seeks his pleasure in my sorrow, I will suffer in the
joy of my heart; but tell me, how can I live without
having my own life? How shall I direct myself with-
out light?"
THE CONCEPTION 561
12i2. To her sweet complaints the holy seraphim an-
swered : "Lady, thy Beloved is not absent when for thy
good He tarries and withholds Himself ; in order to con-
sole his beloved, He afflicts them, in order to give so
much the more joy, He aggrieves them, in order to be
sought after. He withdraws from them. He wishes that
Thou sow in tears (Psalm 125, 5), and so gather after-
wards the sweet fruits of sorrow. If the Beloved did
not hide Himself, He would not be sought after with
that anxiety which is caused by his absence, nor would
the soul renew its affections, nor increase in the apprecia-
tion due to that Treasure."
733. They transmitted to Her that light, of which I
have spoken (No. 625), in order to purify her faculties;
not because there were any defects to be remedied, for
She could not be guilty of any defects. On the contrary
all her actions and operations during the absence of the
Lord had been meritorious and holy. Nevertheless it
was necessary that She be endowed with new gifts, in
order to tranquilize her spirit and her faculties, which
had been moved by affectionate labors and anxieties
during the absence of the Lord, and also in order to with-
draw Her from her present state and raise Her to a posi-
tion, where She could enjoy new and different favors,
for in order that her faculties might again be propor-
tioned to the high Object and to the manner of enjoying
It, they must necessarily be renewed and redisposed. All
this the holy seraphim proceeded to do with Her in the
manner already described in book second, chapter four-
teenth. When the Lord conferred upon Her the final
adornment and the quality necessary for the immediate
vision about to take place.
734. As far as I can explain, this successive elevation
of the faculties of the heavenly Queen engendered those
562 CITY OF GOD
particular affections and sentiments of love and virtues
which the Lord desired, and in the midst of these eleva-
tions his Majesty withdrew the veil. Then after his
long concealment He manifested Himself to his only
Spouse, his beloved and most holy Mary, by an abstrac-
tive vision of the Divinity. Although this vision was
given through abstractive images and not intuitive, yet it
was most clear and exalted in its kind. By it the Lord
dried the continual tears of our Queen, rewarded her
affection and her loving anxiety, satisfied all her desires
and overwhelmed Her with delight as She reclined in the
arms of her Beloved (Cant. 8, 5). Then was renewed the
youth of that aspiring Eagle, winging its flight into the
impenetrable regions of the Divinity (Psalm 102, 5), and
by the after-effects of this vision She ascended whither no
other creature can ascend, or no other intellect can reach
outside of God's.
735. The joy which filled the most pure Mistress on
the occasion of this vision must be measured as well by
the extreme sorrow through which She had passed as by
the accumulation of merits which She had gained. I can
only say that, in so far and by how much sorrow had
abounded, so also now overflowed her joy; and that her
patience, her humility, her fortitude, her constancy, her
loving anxieties were the most remarkable and the most
exquisite that ever until that time or ever after could
have existed or can exist in any creature. This most
unparalleled Lady alone could understand the excellence
of that wisdom and could appreciate the greatness of the
loss sustained in being deprived of the vision of God and
in being far from his presence. She alone having suf-
fered and measured this great loss in humility, and with
fortitude, to make it conducive to her sanctification by
ineffable love, and afterwards to appreciate the blessings
and the joy of its recovery.
THE CONCEPTION 563
736. Being- then elevated to this vision and having
prostrated Herself in the divine presence, the most holy-
Mary said to his Majesty: "Lord and most high God,
incomprehensible and highest Good of my soul, since
Thou raisest up such a poor and worthless worm as my-
self, receive, O Lord, in humble thankfulness of my soul,
the homage due from me to thy goodness and glory, to-
gether with that which thy courtiers render unto Thee;
and if any of the service which came from me, so low
and earthly a creature, has displeased Thee, reform that,
which in my works has been unsatisfactory to Thee, my
Lord. O Goodness and Wisdom incomparable and in-
finite, purify my heart and rene^v it, in order that it may
be pleasing, humble, penitent and acceptable in thy sight.
If I have not borne the insignificant troubles and the
death of my parents as I should, and if I have in any-
thing erred from that which is pleasing to Thee, perfect
my faculties and all my works, O most high God, as my
powerful Lord, as my Father, and as the only Spouse of
my soul."
7Z7. To this humble prayer the Most High an-
swered: "My Spouse and my Dove, the grief for the
death of thy parents and the sorrow occasioned by the
other troubles is the natural effect of human nature and
no fault; and by the love with which Thou has con-
formed Thyself to the dispositions of my Providence in
all things, Thou hast merited anew my graces and my
blessings. I am the One that distributes the true light
and its effects by my wisdom ; I am the Lord of all, that
calls forth the day and the night in succession; I cause
tranquillity and I set bounds to the storms, in order that
my power and my glor^"- may be exalted and in order
that through them the soul might steer more securely
with the ballast of experience and hasten more expedi-
564 CITY OF GOD
tiously through the violent waves of tribulation, arriv-
ing" at the secure harbor of my friendship and grace,
and obliging Me by the fullness of merit to receive it
with so much the greater favor. This, my Beloved, is
the admirable course of my wisdom and for this reason
I concealed Myself during all that time from thy sight;
for from Thee I seek whatever is most holy and most
perfect. Serve Me then, my beautiful One, who am thy
Spouse, thy God of infinite mercy and whose name is
admirable in the diversity and variety of my great
works."
738. Our Princess issued from this vision altogether
renovated and made godlike ; full of the new science of
the Divinity and of the hidden sacraments of the King,
confessing Him, adoring Him, and praising Him with
incessant canticles and by the flights of her pacified and
tranquilized spirit. In like proportion also was the in-
crease of her humility and of all the other virtues. Her
most ardent prayer was to penetrate more and more
deeply into that which is most perfect and most pleas-
ing to the will of the Most High, and to fulfill and exe-
cute it in her actions. Thus passed a number of days,
until that happened, which is to be related in the next
chapter.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN ME BY THE QUEEN OF IlKAVEN,
OUR MISTRESS.
739. My daughter, many times I shall repeat to thee
the lesson containing the greatest wisdom for souls,
which consists in the knowledge of the cross, in the
love of sufferings, and in putting this knowledge into
practice by bearing afflictions with patience. If the con-
dition of mortals were not so low. they would covet
sufferings merely for the sake of their God and Lord,
THE CONCEPTION 565
who has proclaimed them to be according to his will
and pleasure; for the faithful and loving servant should
always prefer the likings of his lord to his own con-
venience. But the worldlings in their torpidity are
moved neither by the duty of conforming to their
Father and Lord, nor by his declaration that all their
salvation consists in following Christ in his sufferings
and that his sinful children must reap the fruit of the
Redemption by imitation of their sinless Chief.
740. Accept then, my dearest, this doctrine and en-
grave it deeply into thy heart. Understand that as a
daughter of the Most High, as a spouse of my Son,
and as my disciple, even if from no other motive, thou
must acquire the precious gem of suffering and thus be-
come pleasing to thy Lord and Spouse. I exhort thee,
my daughter, to select the sufferings of his Cross in
preference to his favors and gifts and rather embrace
afflictions than desire to be visited with caresses; for in
choosing favors and delights thou mayest be moved by
selflove. but in accepting tribulations and sorrows, thou
canst be moved only by the love of Christ. And if pref-
erence is to be given to sufferings rather than to de-
lights, wherever it can be done without sin. what fool-
ishness is it. when men pursue so blindly the deceitful
and vile delights of the senses, and when they abhor so
much all that pertains to suffering for Christ and for
the good of their soul ?
74L Thy incessant prayer, my daughter, should be
always to repeat : here I am. Lord, what wilt Thou do
with me? Prepared is my heart. I am ready and not
disturbed; what dost Thou wish me to do for Thee?
These sentiments should fill thy heart in their full and
true import, repeating them more by sincere and ardent
affection, than by word of mouth. Let thy thoughts be
566 CITY OF GOD
exalted, thy intentions most upright, pure and noble,
desiring to fulfill in all things the greater pleasure of
the Lord, who with measure and weight dispenses both
sufferings and the favors of his graces. Examine and
search within thyself without ceasing, by what senti-
ments, by what actions, and in what occasion thou may-
est guard against offense and in what thou canst please
thy Beloved most perfectly, and thus learn what thou
must strive to correct or what thou must aspire to with-
in thyself. Every disorder, be it yet so small, and all
that may be less pure and perfect, see thou curtail and
expunge immediately, even though it seem allowable or
even of some profit ; all that is not most pleasing to the
Lord, thou must consider as evil, or as useless for thy-
self; and no imperfection must appear small to thee, if
it is displeasing to God. With this anxious fear and
holy solicitude thou shalt walk securely; and be certain,
my dearest daughter, that it cannot enter into the mind
of man, what copious reward the most high Lord re-
serves for those souls that live in this kind of attention
and solicitude.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE MOST HIGH COMMANDS THE MOST HOLY MARY TO
ENTER THE STATE OF MATRIMONY AND HER RE-
SPONSE TO THIS COMMAND.
742. At the age of thirteen and a half years, having-
grown considerably for her age, our most charming
Princess, most pure Mary, had another abstractive
vision of the Divinity of the same order and kind as
those already described. In this vision, we might say,
happened something similar to that which the holy
Scriptures relate of Abraham, when God commanded
him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, the only pledge
of all his hopes. God tempted Abraham, says Moses
(Gen. 12, 2), trying and probing the promptness of
his obedience in order to reward it. We can say the
same thing of our great Lady, that God tried Her in
this vision, by commanding Her to enter the state of
matrimony. Thence we can also understand the truth
of the words: How inscrutable are the judgments of
the Lord and how exalted are his ways and thoughts
above our own (Rom. 11. 33)! As distant as heaven
is from earth, were the thoughts of most holv Marv
from the plans which the Most High now made known
to Her, by commanding Her to accept a husband for
her protection and company: for as far as depended
upon her will She had desired and resolved during all
her life not to have a husband (433, 586) and She had
often repeated and renewed the vow of chastity, which
She had taken at such a premature age.
567
568 CITY OF GOD
743. As already mentioned, the Lord had celebrated
his solemn espousal with the Princess Mary (435) when
She was brought to the temple, confirming and approv-
ing her vow of chastity, and solemnizing it by the pres-
ence of the glorious hosts of angels. The most inno-
cent Dove had withdrawn Herself from all human in-
tercourse, relinquishing entirely all that might be called
worldly interest and attention, or love and desire of
creatures. She was altogether taken up and transformed
by the pure and chaste love of that highest Good which
never fails, knowing that She would be only more
chaste in its love, more pure in its contact, and more
virginal in its acceptance. When therefore, without any
other explanation, the command of the Lord reached Her,
that She now accept an earthly spouse and husband,
what surprise and astonishment was it to this heav-
enly Maid, who, in her fixed confidence was living
so secure in the possession of God himself as her Spouse
and who now heard from Him such a command?
Greater was this trial than that of Abraham (Gen. 22,
1, etc.), for he did not love Isaac in the same degree as
most holy Mary loved inviolate chastity,
744. Nevertheless at this unexpected command the
most prudent Virgin suspended her judgment, and pre-
served the calmness of her hope and belief more per-
fectly than Abraham. Hoping against hope (Rom. 4,
18), She made answer to the Lord saying: "Eternal
God and incomprehensible Majesty, Creator of heaven
and earth, and of all things contained therein. Thou, O
Lord, who weighest the winds (Job 28, 25), and by
thy commands settest bounds to the sea and subjectest
all creation to thy will, canst dispose of me, thy worth-
less wormlet, according to thy pleasure, without mak-
ing me fail in that which I have promised to Thee; and
THE CONCEPTION' 569
if it be not displeasing to Thee, my good Lord, I con-
finn and ratify anew my desire to remain chaste dur-
ing all my life and to have Thee for my Lord and
Spouse ; and since my only duty as a creature is to obey
Thee, see Thou to it, my Spouse, that according to thy
Providence I may escape from this predicament in which
thy holy love places me." There was, however, some
uneasiness in the most chaste maiden Mary, as far as
her inferior nature was concerned, just as happened
afterwards at the message of the archangel Gabriel
(Luke 1,8); yet, though She felt some sadness, it did
not hinder Her from practicing the most heroic obedi-
ence which until then had fallen to her lot, and She re-
signed Herself entirely into the hand of the Lord. His
Majesty answered her: ''Mary, let not thy heart be dis-
turbed, for thy resignation is acceptable to Me and my
powerful arm is not subject to laws; by my disposition
that will happen, which is most proper for Thee."
745. Consoled only by this vague promise of the
Lord, most holy IVIary recovered from her vision and
returned to her ordinary state. Left between doubt and
hope by the divine command and promise. She was full
of solicitude, for the Lord intended that She should
multiply Her tearful sentiments of love and confidence,
of faith, humility, of obedience, of purest chastity and
of other virtues, impossible to enumerate. In the mean-
time, while our great Lady applied Herself to vigilant
prayer, and to her resigned and prudent sighs and so-
licitude, God spoke in sleep to the high priest, saint
Simeon, and commanded him to arrange for the mar-
riage of Mary, the daughter of Joachim and Anne of
Nazareth ; since He regarded Her with special care and
love. The holy priest answered, asking what was his
will in regard to the person, whom the maiden Mar>'
38
570 CITY OF GOD
was to marry and to whom She was to give Herself as
Spouse. The Lord instructed Him to call together the
other priests and learned persons and to tell them that
this Maiden was left alone and an orphan and that She
did not desire to be married ; but that, as it was a cus-
tom for the firstborn maidens not to leave the temple
without being provided for, it was proper She should
be married to whomever it seemed good to them,
746. The highpriest obeyed the divine order and, hav-
ing called together the other priests, he made known to
them the will of the Most High, informing them of the
favor in which his Majesty held this Maiden, Mary of
Nazareth, according as it had been revealed to him. He
told them that as She was an inmate of the temple and
was now without parents, it was their duty to provide for
Her and find a husband worthy of a Maiden so modest,
virtuous and of such unimpeachable conduct as was hers
in the temple. Moreover, as Mary was of noble lineage
and as her property and other considerations made this
marriage particularly important, it was necessary to con-
sider well to whom She was to be entrusted. He added
also that Mary of Nazareth did not desire to be mar-
ried; but that at the same time it would not be proper
to dismiss Her from the temple unmarried, since She
was an orphan and a firstborn daughter.
747. Having conferred about this matter among
themselves the priests and learned men, moved by divine
impulse, concluded that, in a matter where so much was
involved and where the Lord himself had favorably in-
terfered, it would be best to inquire farther into his
holy will and to ask Him to designate in some manner
who should be the most appropriate person to be the
spouse of Mary. Knowing that her spouse must be of
the house and of the race of David in order to comply
THE CONCEPTION 571
with the law, they appointed a day, on which all the free
and unmarried men of that race, who then might be in
Jerusalem, were to be called together in the temple. It
happened to be the very day on which our Princess com-
pleted her fourteenth year. As it was necessary to
notify Her of the result of their conference and to ask
Her consent, the highpriest Simeon called Her and in-
formed her of their intention to give Her a spouse be-
fore dismissing Her from the temple.
748. The most prudent Virgin, with a countenance
betokening virginal modesty, answered the priest with
great composure and humility: "Sir, as far as my in-
clinations are concerned, I desire to preserve perpetual
chastity during all my life; for I wished to dedicate
myself to God in the service of this holy temple in re-
turn for the great blessings which I have received in it ;
I never had the intention or the desire to enter the state
of matrimony, since I consider myself incapable of ful-
filling the duties connected with it. This was my in-
clination, but thou, my master, who art to me in place
of God, wilt teach me what is according to his holy
Will." "My Daughter," answered the priest, "thy holy
desires are acceptable to the Lord; but remember, that
no maiden of Israel abstains from marriage as long as
we expect the coming of the Messias conformably to the
divine prophecies. Therefore all who obtain issue of
children among our people, esteem themselves happy
and blessed. In the matrimonial state Thou canst serve
God truly and in great perfection ; and in order that
Thou mayest obtain a companion according to the heart
of God and who will be conformable to thy wishes, we
wnll pray to the Lord, as I have told Thee, asking Him
to single out a husband for Thee, who shall be pleasing
to Him and of the line of David ; do Thou also pray
572 CITY OF GOD
continually for the same favor, in order that the Most
High may favor Thee and may direct us all."
749. This happened nine days before the one ap-
pointed for the execution and realization of their re-
solve. During this time the most holy Virgin multi-
plied her prayers, beseeching the Lord with incessant
tears and sighs, to fulfill his divine pleasure in that
which She had so much at heart. On one of those nine
days the Lord appeared to Her and said to Her: "My
Spouse and my Dove, let thy afBicted heart expand and
let it not be disturbed or sad ; I will attend to thy yearn-
ings and to thy requests, I will direct all things, and will
govern the priests by my enlightenment; I will give
Thee a spouse selected by Myself, and one who will put
no hindrance to thy holy desires, but who, by my grace
will prosper Thee in them. I will find for Thee a per-
fect man conformable to my heart and I will choose him
from the number of my servants; my power is infinite,
and my protection and aid shall never fail Thee."
750. The most holy Mary answering said : "Highest
Good and Love of my soul, Thou well knowest the secret
of my bosom and my desires, which Thou hast excited
in me from the first moment of the existence received
from Thee ; preserve me, then, my Spouse, pure and
chaste, as I have desired for Thee and through Thee.
Do not despise my sighs and deprive me not of thy
countenance. Remember, my Lord and God, that I am
but a useless wormlet, weak and despicable on account
of my insignificance ; and if I should fall away from
virtue in the state of matrimony, I shall disappoint Thee
and my desires; provide Thou for my security and be
not deterred by my demerits. Although I am but use-
less dust (Gen. 18, 27), I will call on thy greatness, O
Lord, trusting in thy infinite mercies."
THE CONCEPTION 573
751. The most chaste Maiden also approached her
holy angels, whom She surpassed in sanctity and purity,
and conferred with them many times concerning her
anxieties in regard to the new state, which She was ex-
pected to enter. One day the holy spirits said to Her :
"Spouse of the Most High, since Thou canst not ignore
this title, nor much less the love which He, who is al-
mighty and unfailing in his truth, has shown Thee, let
thy heart, O Mistress, be at peace; for sooner will the
heavens and the earth fail, than the fulfillment of his
promises (Matth. 24, 27). All the events of thy life
succeed each other according to the foreknowledge of
thy Spouse ; and his powerful arm, which governs the
elements and all creatures, can suspend the forces of the
impetuous waves and temper the vehemence of the ele-
ments, so that neither fire will burn nor the earth show
its weight. His high judgments are secret and holy, his
decrees are most just and wonderful, nor can creatures
comprehend them ; though they must revere them. If
his Majesty wishes that Thou serve Him in matrimony,
it will be better for Thee to please Him therein, than to
displease Him in some other state of life. He will no
doubt provide for Thee the most holy and perfect ; trust
Thou securely in his promises." This advice of the
angels quieted somewhat the anxieties of our Princess.
She asked them anew for protection and assistance, and
that they present to the Lord in her name her entire
subjection to that which his divine pleasure should or-
dain in her regard.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN TO ME BY THE PRINCESS OF
HEAVEN.
752. My dearest daughter, most high and venerable
are the judgments of the Lord, and they should not be
574 CITY OF GOD
scrutinized by mortals, since they are impenetrable. His
Majesty commanded me to enter the state of matrimony
and at the same time concealed from me the sacrament
dependent upon entering it. Matrimony was required,
in order that my parturition might be respectable in the
eyes of the world, and that the Word, made incarnate
in my womb, might be reputed as the son of my hus-
band, since at the same time the world was to remain
ignorant of this mystery. It was also a suitable means
to conceal this mystery from^ Lucifer and the demons,
who in such rage were bent on wreaking their fury
upon me. When they saw me enter the married state
as other women, their fury was appeased, not thinking
it compatible, that She should have a husband, who was
to be the Mother of God himself; Lucifer himself was
somewhat quieted by this means and made a truce with
his malice. The Lord had also other ends in view,
which have become manifest, although, on account of
circumstances, they were hidden to me at that period of
my life.
753. I vx?ish Thee to understand, my daughter, that
the certain prospect of being espoused to any man, with-
out at the same time knowing the mystery concealed
from me by the Lord, was the greatest sorrow and af-
fliction, which until then I had ever experienced; and if
the divine power had not strengthened me in this pain,
and had not given me some kind of confidence, although
it was only obscure and undetermined, I would have lost
my life in this suffering. But from this event thou
shouldst learn how complete must be the resignation of
the creature to the will of the Most High, and how it
must restrict its shortsighted judgment and guard
against scrutinizing- the secrets of a Majesty so exalted
and mysterious. If any danger or difficulty seems to
THE CONCEPTION 575
present itself in that which the Lord commands, let
man confide in Him and firmly believe that he was not
placed therein in order to be forsaken, but in order that
he may come forth victorious and triumphant, if he co-
operates on his own part with the assistance given by
the Lord. Whenever the soul seeks to scrutinize the
decrees of his wisdom and satisfy itself before it obeys
and believes, let it be convinced that it defrauds the
Creator of its glory and honor, and at the same time
loses for itself the merit of its works.
754. I was aware that God is superior to all crea-
tures and that He had no need of our foresight ; for He
seeks only the subjection of our will, since the creature
cannot give Him counsel, but only obedience and praise.
And although, on account of not knowing what He
wished of me and ordained for me in the state of matri-
mony, the love, which I had for chastity caused me
much affliction; yet that grievous sorrow did not make
me curious and inquisitive, but served to make my obe-
dience more excellent and pleasing in his eyes. By this
example thou thyself must regulate the subjection to
that which thou perceivest to be according to the pleas-
ure of the Lord thy Spouse, resigning thyself entirely to
his protection and confiding in the firmness of his prom-
ises. And wherever thou hast the approbation of thy
priests and superiors, allow thyself to be governed with-
out any resistance to their commands and to the divine
aspirations.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE ESPOUSAL OF MOST HOLY MARY WITH THE MOST
CHASTE SAINT JOSEPH.
755. On the day on which, as we have said in the pre-
ceding chapter, our Princess Mary completed the four-
teenth year of her hfe, the men, who at that time in the
city of Jerusalem were descendants of the tribe of Juda
and of the race of David, gathered together in the tem-
ple. The sovereign Lady was also of that lineage.
Among the number was Joseph, a native of Nazareth,
and then living in Jerusalem ; for he was one of the de-
scendants of the royal race of David. He was then
thirty-three years of age, of handsome person and pleas-
ing countenance, but also of incomparable modesty and
gravity; above all he was most chaste in thought and
conduct, and most saintly in all his inclinations. From
his twelfth year he had made and kept the vow of chas-
tity. He was related to the Virgin Mary in the third
degree, and was known for the utmost purity of his life,
holy and irreprehensible in the eyes of God and of men.
756. All these unmarried men gathered in the temple
and prayed to the Lord conjointly with the priests, in
order to be governed by the holy Spirit in what they
were about to do. The Most High spoke to the heart of
the highpriest, inspiring him to place into the hands of
each one of the young men a dry stick, with the com-
mand that each ask his Majesty with a lively faith, to
single out the one whom He had chosen as the spouse
of Mary. And as the sweet odor of her virtue and no-
576
THE CONCEPTION 577
bility, the fame of her beauty, her possessions and her
modesty, and her position as being the firstborn in her
family was known to all of them, each one coveted the
happiness of meriting Her as a spouse. Among them
all only the humble and most upright Joseph thought
himself unworthy of such a great blessing; and remem-
bering the vow of chastity which he had made and re-
solving anew its perpetual observance, he resigned him-
self to God's will, leaving it all to his disposal and being
filled at the same time with a veneration and esteem
greater than that of any of the others for the most noble
maiden Mary.
757. While they were thus engaged in prayer the staff
which Joseph held was seen to blossom and at the same
time a dove of purest white and resplendent with ad-
mirable light, was seen to descend and rest upon the
head of the saint, while in the interior of his heart God
spoke : "Joseph, my servant, Mary shall be thy Spouse ;
accept Her with attentive reverence, for She is accept-
able in my eyes, just and most pure in soul and body,
and thou shalt do all that She shall say to Thee." At
this manifestation and token from heaven the priests de-
clared saint Joseph as the spouse selected by God him-
self for the maiden Mar>', Calling Her forth for her
espousal, the Chosen one issued forth like the sun, more
resplendent than the moon, and She entered into the
presence of all with a countenance more beautiful than
that of an angel, incomparable in the charm of her
beauty, nobility and grace ; and the priests espoused Her
to the most chaste and holy of men, saint Joseph.
758. The heavenly Princess, more pure than the stars
of the firmament, with tearful and sorrowful counte-
nance and as the Queen of majesty, most humble yet
uniting all perfections within Herself, took leave of the
578 CITY OF GOD
priests, asking their blessing, and of her instructress and
her companions, begging their pardon. She gave thanks
to all of them for the favors received at their hands dur-
ing her stay in the temple. The humility of her be-
havior enhanced the prudence and aptness of her words
for the performance of these last duties in the temple;
for on all occasions She spoke in few and weighty
words. She took leave of the temple not without great
grief on account of the sacrifice of her inclinations and
desires. In the company of attendants who were some
of the more distinguished laymen in the service of the
temple. She betook Herself with her spouse Joseph to
Nazareth, the native city of this most fortunate married
couple. Joseph, although he had been born in that place,
had, by the providential disposition of circumstances,
decided to live for some time in Jerusalem. Thus it
happened that he so improved his fortune as to become
the spouse of Her, whom God had chosen to be his own
Mother.
759. Having arrived at their home in Nazareth,
where the Princess of heaven had inherited the pos-
sessions and estates of her blessed parents, they were
welcomed and visited by their friends and relatives
with the joyful congratulations customary on such occa-
sions. After they had in a most holy manner complied
with the natural duties of friendship and politeness, and
satisfied the worldly obligations connected with the con-
versation and intercourse of their fellowmen, the two
most holy spouses, Joseph and Mary, were left at leisure
and to their own counsel in their house. Custom had
introduced the practice among the Hebrews, that for the
first few days of their married state the husband and
wife should enter upon a sort of study or trial of each
others' habits and temperament, in order that afterwards
THE CONCEPTION 579
they might be able to make reciprocal allowance in their
conduct one toward the other.
760. During this time saint Joseph said to his spouse
Mary : "My spouse and Lady, I give thanks to the Lord
most high God for the favor of having designed me as
your husband without my merits, though I judged my-
self unworthy even of thy company; but his Majesty,
who can raise up the lowdy whenever He wishes, showed
this mercy to me, and I desire and hope, relying on thy
discretion and virtue, that Thou help me to make a
proper return in serving Him with an upright heart.
Hold me, therefore, as thy servant, and by the true love
which I have for thee, I beg of thee to supply my
deficiencies in the fulfillment of the domestic duties and
of other things, which as a worthy husband, I should
know how to perform ; tell me, Lady, what is thy pleas-
ure, in order that I may fulfill it."
761. The heavenly Spouse heard these words with an
humble heart, and yet also with a serene earnestness,
and She answered the saint : "My master, I am fortu-
nate, that the Most High, in order to place me in this
state of life, has chosen thee for my husband and that
He has given me such evident manifestation of his will,
that I serve thee; but if thou givest me leave I will
speak of my thoughts and intentions, which I wish to
manifest to thee for this purpose." The Most High
forestalled the sincere and upright heart of saint Jo-
seph with his grace and inflamed it anew with divine
love through the word of most holy Mary, and he an-
swered Her, saying: "Speak, Lady, thy servant hears."
On this occasion the ]\Iistress of the world was sur-
rounded by the thousand angels of her guard, in visible
form. She had asked them to be present in that man-
ner, because the Lord, in order that the most pure Vir-
580 CITY OF GOD
gin might act with greater grace and merit, had per-
mitted her to feel the respect and reverence, with which
She was bound to speak to her husband and left her to
the natural shyness and dread, which She always felt in
speaking to men alone ; for She had never done this,
except perhaps by accident with the highpriest.
762. The holy angels obeyed their Queen and, visible
only to Her, stood in attendance. In this glorious com-
pany She spoke to her spouse saint Joseph, and said to
him: "My lord and spouse, it is just that we give
praise and glory with all reverence to our God and Cre-
ator, who is infinite in goodness and incomprehensible
in his judgments. To us, who are so needy. He has
manifested his greatness and mercy in choosing us for
his service. I acknowledge myself among all creatures
as more beholden and indebted to Him than all others,
and more than all of them together; for, meriting less,
I have received from his liberal hand more than they.
At a tender age, being compelled thereto by the force of
this truth, which, with the knowledge of the deceitful-
ness of visible things, his divine light made known to
me, I consecrated myself to God by a perpetual vow of
chastity in body and soul ; his I am and Him I acknowl-
edge as my Spouse and Lord, with fixed resolve to pre-
serve for Him my chastity. I beseech thee, my master,
to help me in fulfilling this vow, while in all other things
I will be thy servant, willing to work for the comfort of
thy life as long as mine shall last. Yield, my spouse, to
this resolve and make a like resolve, in order that, of-
fering ourselves as an acceptable sacrifice to our eternal
God, He may receive us in the odor of sweetness and
bestow on us the eternal goods for which we hope."
763. The most chaste spouse Joseph, full of interior
joy at the words of his heavenly Spouse, answered Her:
THE CONCEPTION 581
"My Mistress, in making known to me thy chaste and
welcome sentiments, thou hast penetrated and dilated
my heart. I have not opened my thoughts to Thee be-
fore knowing thy own. I also acknowledge myself un-
der greater obligation to the Lord of creation than other
men ; for very early He has called me by his true en-
lightenment to love Him with an upright heart; and I
desire Thee to know. Lady, that at the age of twelve
years I also made a promise to serve the Most High
in perpetual chastity. On this account I now gladly
ratify this vow in order not to impede thy own; in the
presence of his Majesty I promise to aid Thee, as far
as in me lies, in serving Him and loving Him according
to thy full desires. I will be, with the divine grace, thy
most faithful servant and companion, and I pray Thee
accept my chaste love and hold me as thy brother, with-
out ever entertaining any other kind of love, outside the
one which Thou owest to God and after God to me."
In this conversation the Most High confirmed anew the
virtue of chastity in the heart of saint Joseph, and the
pure and holy love due to his most holy spouse Mary.
This love the saint already had in an eminent degree,
and the Lady herself augmented it sweetly, dilating his
heart by her most prudent discourse.
764. By divine operation the two most holy and
chaste Spouses felt an incomparable joy and consolation.
The heavenly Princess, as one who is the Mistress of all
virtues and who in all things pursued the highest per-
fection of all virtues, lovingly corresponded to the de-
sires of saint Joseph. The Most High also gave to saint
Joseph new purity and complete command over his nat-
ural inclinations, so that without hindrance or any trace
of sensual desires, but with admirable and new grace,
he might serve his spouse Mary, and in Her, execute his
582 CITY OF GOD
will and pleasure. They immediately set about dividing
the property inherited from saint Joachim and Anne,
the parents of the most holy Virgin; one part they of-
fered to the temple, where She had stayed, another they
destined for the poor, and the third was left in the hands
of the holy spouse saint Joseph to be disposed of accord-
ing to his judgment. Our Queen reserved for Herself
only the privilege of serving Him and of attending to
the household duties. For from intercourse with out-
siders and from the management of property, buying or
selling, the most prudent Virgin always kept aloof, as I
will mention farther on (552, 553).
765. In his former life saint Joseph had learnt the
trade of carpentering as being a respectable and proper
way of earning the sustenance in life. He was poor in
earthly possessions, as I have said above. He therefore
asked his most holy Spouse, whether it was agreeable to
Her, that he should exercise his trade in order to be
able to serve Her and to gain something for distribution
among the poor ; since it was necessary to do some work
and not to remain idle. The most prudent Virgin ap-
proved of this resolve, saying that the Lord did not wish
them to be rich, but poor and lovers of the poor, desir-
ous of helping them in as far as their means would
allow. Then arose between the two Spouses a holy con-
test, who should obey the other as superior. But She,
who among the humble was the most humble, won in
this contest of humility; for as the man is the head of
the family, She would not permit this natural order to
be inverted. She desired in all things to obey her
spouse saint Joseph, asking him solely for permission to
help the poor, which the saint gladly gave.
766. As saint Joseph during these days by divine en-
lightenment learnt to know more and more the qualities
THE CONCEPTION 583
of his spouse Mary, her rare prudence, humility, purity
and all her other virtues exceeding by far his thoughts
and estimates, he was seized with ever new admiration
and, in great joy of spirit, continued to praise and thank
the Lord again and again for having given him a Com-
panion and Spouse so far above his merits. And in
order that this work of the Most High might be entirely
perfect (for it was the beginning of the greatest, which
He was to execute by his Omnipotence) He ordained
that the Princess of heaven, by her mere presence and
intercourse, should infuse into the heart of her spouse a
holy fear and reverence greater than words could ever
suffice to describe. This effect was wrought upon saint
Joseph by an effulgence or reflection of the divine light,
which shone from the face of our Queen and which was
mingled with an ineffable and always visible majesty.
So much the more was this due to Her than to Moses
descending from the mountain, (Exod. 24, 30) as her
intercourse and conversation with God had been more
extended and intimate.
767. Soon after most holy Mary had a vision of the
Lord, in which God spoke to Her: "My most beloved
Spouse and Chosen one, behold how faithful I am to
my promises with those who love Me. Correspond
therefore now to my fidelity by observing all the laws of
a spouse, in holiness, purity and all perfection and let
the company of my servant Joseph, whom I have given
Thee, help thee thereto. Obey him as thou shouldst
and listen to his advice." The most holy Mary re-
sponded: "Most high Lord, I praise and magnify Thee
for thy admirable disposition and providence in my re-
gard, though I am so unworthy and poor a creature;
I desire to obey Thee and please Thee as one hav-
iri& greater obligation to Thee than any other. Be-
584 CITY OF GOD
stow upon me, my Lord, thy divine favor, in order
that I may be assisted in all things and governed accord-
ing to thy pleasure, and also in order that I may attend
to the duties of the state, in which Thou hast placed
me, never as Thy slave erring from thy commands and
wishes. Show me thy good will and blessing and with
it I will strive to obey and serve thy servant Joseph,
in such a manner as Thou, my Lord and Maker, com-
mandest."
768. On such heavenly beginnings was founded the
home and the married life of the most holy Mary and
saint Joseph. From the eighth of September, when
they were espoused, until the twenty-fifth of March fol-
lowing, when the Incarnation of the divine Word took
place (as I will say in the second part), the two Spouses
thus lived together, being prepared in the meanwhile for
the work designated for them by the Most High.
769. But I cannot at this juncture withhold my words
of congratulation at the good fortune of the most happy
among men, saint Joseph. Whence is it, O man of God,
that thou among all sons of Adam, shouldst have the
happiness and good fortune of possessing God himself
in such a manner, that He conducted Himself and was
reputed as thy only Son? The eternal Father gives to
Thee his Son, and the Son gives to thee his true and
real Mother, and the Holy Ghost entrusts to thee his
Spouse, while the whole blessed Trinity in its turn
yields and espouses to thee as thy legitimate wife its
chosen One, its only One, elect as the sun? Dost thou
realize, O Saint, thy dignity? Dost thou know thy ex-
cellence? Dost thou understand, that thy Spouse is the
Queen and Lady of heaven and earth and that Thou art
the depositary of the inestimable treasures of God him-
self? Be mindful, man of God, of thy entrusted pledge
THE CONCEPTION 585
and know, that if thou art not envied by the angels and
seraphim, thou hast certainly filled them with wonder
and astonishment at thy good fortune and at the sacra-
mental mystery connected with thy matrimony. Accept
the congratulations for such great happiness in the name
of the whole human race. Thou art the archive of the
history of the divine mercies, the master and spouse of
Her, who is inferior only to God himself; thou findest
thyself enriched and prosperous in the sight of all men
and of the angels themselves. Remember our poverty
and misery, and remember me the most worthless worm
of the earth: for I desire to be thy client, blessed and
favored by thy powerful intercession.
INSTRUCTION GIVEN BY THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
770. My daughter, in the example of the matrimonial
life wherein the Most High placed me, thou findest a
reproof for those souls, who allege their life in the world
as an excuse for not following perfection. To God
nothing is impossible, and nothing is likewise impossible
to those, who with a lively faith, hope in Him, and re-
sign themselves entirely to his divine Providence. I
lived in the house of my spouse with the same perfec-
tion as in the temple; for in changing my state of life I
altered neither my sentiments nor the desire and anxiety
to love and serve God ; on the contrary I added to my
solicitude lest the obligations of a spouse should hinder
me in God's service. On this account God favored me
and disposed and accommodated powerfully all things in
conformity to my desires. The Lord will do the same
for all men. if on their part they correspond. They
however blame the state of matrimony, deceiving them-
selves; for the hindrance to a holy and perfect life, is
not the state, but the vain and superfluous cares and
39
586 CITY OF GOD
anxieties, in which they involve themselves forgeiting
the sweetness of the Lord and seeking and preferring
their own.
771. And if there is no excuse for not living a perfect
life in the world, still less will the duties and obliga-
tions of the religious state be an excuse. Never imagine
thyself exempt from the pursuit of perfection on ac«ount
of being a superioress; for since God has placed thee
in office by obedience, thou must not despair of his
assistance and protection ; He himself will each day as-
sume the responsibility of strengthening thee and helping
thee to fulfill thy duties, without relaxing in the pursuit
of a perfect love due to God. Oblige Him by the
sacrifice of thy own will, submitting in humble patience
to all that his divine Providence may ordain. If thou
dost not hinder the course of his Providence, I assure
thee of his protection and of the power of his divine arm
to direct thee and guide all thy actions toward perfec-
tion.
i
CHAPTER XXIII.
AN EXPLANATION OF CHAPTER XXXI OF THE PROVERBS
OF SOLOMON, TO WHICH THE LORD REFERRED ME RE-
GARDING THE LIFE OF MOST HOLY MARY IN MATRI-
MONY.
772. As soon as the Princess of heaven, !Mary, found
Herself so unexpectedly in the new state of matrimony,
She raised her pure soul to the Father of light for illu-
mination and direction in the fulfillment of all its obli-
gations according to his pleasure. In order to give me
some insight into her holy thoughts at this time, the
Lord referred me to the last chapter of the Proverbs, in
which Solomon outlined the virtues of our Lady in de-
scribing the qualities and doings of a valiant woman.
Discoursing on this chapter I will say as much as I can
of what I was made to understand regarding Her. The
chapter begins with the words : "Who shall find a valiant
woman? The price of Her is as of things brought from
afar off and from the uttermost coasts." This question
is one implying admiration in regard to our great and
valiant woman ]\Iary and a doubt in regard to all other
women, when compared with Her; for none other as
valiant can be found in the whole range of the human
and natural existence. All the others are weak and
wanting, not one being exempt from tribute to the demon
through the guilt of sin. Who then will find another
woman? Not the kings and monarchs, nor the princes
of the earth, nor the angels of heaven, nor the divine
power itself will find another, since it had not created
587
588 CITY OF GOD
another like Her : She is the only one, without a peeress
or one resembling Her, who was exalted in dignity ac-
cording to the measure of his own Omnipotence. For
He could not have given Her more than his own eternal
Son, consubstantial, equal to Him in immensity, un-
created and infinite.
772i. Accordingly the price of this Woman is as some-
thing coming from afar, since upon earth and among
creatures there was none like to Her. The price of a
thing is the value for which a thing is bought or at
which it is estimated ; then is its price known, when it is
known at what value it is held or estimated. The price
of this valiant woman Mary was set in the council of
the most blessed Trinity, when God himself claimed or
purchased Her for Himself in advance of all the other
creatures, having received Her in real purchase as a sort
of return for the creation of the whole human nature.
The price and payment, which He gave for Mary, was
the incarnate Word itself and the eternal Father (ac-
cording to our way of speaking) considered Himself
sufficiently repaid by Mary. For finding this valiant
Woman in his divine mind, He set such a value on Her,
that He devoted his only Son to be at the same time his
Son and Hers : and the Son himself took from Her
human flesh and chose Her as Mother. Thus this pur-
chase price by which the Most High acquired and
appropriated Her, included his wisdom, goodness, omnip-
otence, justice and all other attributes, and all the
merits of his Son, releasing beforehand the whole human
race from debt ; so that, if all men were to be lost as
Adam had lost himself, He would still have left Mary
and her Son. Hence truly She was estimated at a price
so distant, that all creation would not be able to reach
an estimate and appreciation of it. This is meant by the
saying "that She came from afar,"
THE CONCEPTION 589
774. By this term "afar" are also to be understood
the ends of the earth ; for God is the last end and the
beginning of all creation, from which all things proceed
and to which all things return, as the streams return
to the sea (Eccles. 1, 7). Also the empyrean heaven
is the final material end of all corporeal matter; and it
is called in an especial way the footstool of the Divinity
(Isaias 66, 1). Yet, in another sense, the end of natural
life and the full perfection of virtue might be called the
ends of the earth, for in these is fulfilled the purpose of
man's natural existence; being called forth by the Crea-
tor for the knowledge and love of God, He himself is
the ultimate and most apparent end of life and action.
All this is included, when the price of most holy Mary
is said to come from the farthest ends. Her graces,
gifts and merits came and commenced from the ultimate
regions, they began where those of the other saints,
the Virgins, Confessors, Martyrs, Apostles and Patri-
archs ended : they in all their lives and all their sanctity
did not arrive at the point where Mary merely com-
menced. And if Christ, her Son and our Lord, calls
Himself the end of the works of Abraham, so can it be
said with equal justice, that the price of most holy Mary
is as from the farthest ends; for all her purity, inno-
cence and sanctity came from her most holy Son as the
exemplary, anteceding and principal cause of Her alone.
775. "The heart of her husband trusteth in Her, and
he shall have no need of spoils." (Prov. 31, 11). It is
certain that the heavenly Joseph is called the husband
of this valiant Woman, as he had legitimately espoused
Her; and it is also certain, that his heart confided in
Her, believing that on account of her incomparable vir-
tues all true blessings would come to him. But especially
did he trust in Her when he perceived her pregnancy
590 CITY OF GOD
and yet was ignorant of its mysterious origin ; for then
he believed and hoped against hope (Rom. 4, 18) ; all
indications being adverse and having no other founda-
tion for his hopeful belief, than the holiness of such a
Spouse and Wife, And although he resolved to leave
Her (Matth. 1, 19) as he saw the outward tokens of
pregnancy with his own eyes without the slightest knowl-
edge of the cause ; yet he never ventured to distrust her
honor and modesty, nor did he ever diminish in his holy
and pure love, with which his most upright heart was
bound to such a Spouse. Nor was he disappointed in
anything, nor was he in need of spoils; for if spoils are
things that are superfluous, then this man was abundant-
ly supplied with them, as soon as he knew who was his
Spouse and what belonged to Her.
776. But this heavenly Mistress had another Man,
who confided in Her, and to Him principally does Solo-
mon refer ; and this Man was her own Son, the true God
and Man, who confided in this Woman to the extent of
his own life and honor in the face of all creation. In
this confidence was included the greatness of both these,
his life and his honor; for neither God could confide
more to Her, nor could She correspond better so as to
assure Him of superabundant return. O what a miracle
of the infinite power and wisdom! That God should
trust Himself to a mere creature and a woman, assum-
ing flesh in her womb and of her very substance! To
call her Mother with unchangeable confidence, and She
to call Him Son, nurse Him at her breast and have Him
subject to her commands! That She should be his Co-
adjutrix in the rescue and restoration of the world,
the Depositary of the Divinity, the Dispensatrix of his
infinite treasures and of the merits of his most holy
Son, and of all the merits of his life, his miracles, his
THE CONCEPTION 591
preaching, his death and of all the other mysteries! All
this He confided to most holy Mary. But our wonder
increases, when we find that He was not frustrated in
his confidence; for we see that a mere Creature recog-
nized and could adequately fulfill such a trust, without
failing in the least point, and in such a manner, that
She could not act with greater faith, love, prudence,
humility and perfection of all holiness. Her Man found
Himself in no need of spoils, but rich, prosperous and
well supplied with honor and renown. Therefore Scrip-
ture adds :
777 . "She will render him good, and not evil, all the
days of her life." That for which most holy Mary
makes a return to her Man, I understand to be the bless-
ing, which Christ, her true Son, rendered unto Her;
for what. She herself rendered is already mentioned.
The equity, which the Lord observes in remunerating
with the greatest blessings and favors even the smallest
good deed, will enable us to form some idea of those
which flowed from the divine power upon our Queen
during her life. They commenced from the first instant
of her existence and were showered upon Her more
abundantly than upon the highest angels as a fitting ad-
junct of her preservation from original sin; She cor-
responded with these favors in an adequate manner and
co-operated with them to the utmost limit, and all the
deeds of her life were without remissness, negligence or
tardiness. What wonder then, that o'nly her most holy
Son was superior to Her and that all the rest of the
creatures were left behind as it were at an infinite dis-
tance?
778. "She hath sought wool and flax, and hath
wrought by the counsel of her hands." A well beseem-
ing praise and worthy of a valiant woman: that she
592 CITY OF GOD
should be industrious and diligent within her home, spin-
ning- flax and weaving linen for the shelter and comfort
of her family, providing these things for the inmates
and for others, who may be benefited thereby. This is
profitable counsel, which is put in practice by hands in-
dustrious and not idle; for the idleness of a wom.an,
who lives from hand to mouth, is a proof of base fool-
ishness and of other vices, which cannot be imputed
without shame. In this exterior virtue, which in a
married woman is the foundation of good domestic
management, most holy Mary was a valiant woman and
a worthy example to all the womankind. For She was
never idle, but was diligently engaged in preparing linen
and wool for her spouse and for her Son and for many
poor, whom She aided by the labor of her hands. Never-
theless, since She joined in the most perfect manner the
works of Martha with those of Mary, She was more
busy with the counsels of her heart in regard to interior
works than in the works of her hand. Preserving the
memory of the divine visions and the sayings of the holy
Scriptures, She was never interiorly at leisure, but con-
tinued to utilize and increase the gifts and virtues of her
soul. Accordingly the text continues :
779. "She is like the merchant ship, she bringeth her
bread from afar." As this visible world is called an un-
quiet and stormy sea, those that live upon it and are
tossed about upon it, can appropriately be called ships.
All are engaged in this navigation in order to earn their
bread, namely the sustenance and the maintenance of
this life, which is meant by bread. That vessel brings
its bread from the farthest distance, which is farthest
from what it is to procure; and that, which spends
more labor upon it, gains the more, since it brings it
from afar by so much the greater difficulty. There is a
THE CONCEPTION 593
sort of agreement between God and man, that while
they, as servants cultivate the earth and work upon it
in the sweat of their brow, making use of the secondary-
causes by which the Lord of all succors them, the earth
in return should sustain man and pay him for his per-
spiration and labor. What happens in regard to this
temporal contract, happens also in regard to the spiritual,
namely, that he who does not work shall also not eat.
780. Among all the children of Adam most holy Mary
was the rich and prosperous merchant ship, which
brought her own and our bread from afar. No one ever
was so discreetly diligent and zealous in the government
of her house ; no one so solicitous for that, which in
divine prudence She deemed necessary for its support
and for succoring the needy. She merited and earned
all this by the most prudent solicitude, by which She
brought it from afar; for She was far removed from
our vicious nature and from all its doings. How much
She thus acquired, merited and distributed to the needy
ones is impossible to conceive. But still more estimable
and admirable was the spiritual and living Bread, which
She drew down from heaven for us ; for She not only
drew It from the bosom of the Father, whence It would
not have descended, if It had not been drawn by this
valiant Woman, but It would never have come to this
world, so greatly unworthy of It, if It had not been
brought in the ship of Mary. Although She could not.
as a mere creature, merit the advent of God into the
world, yet She merited the hastening of his advent,
and She merited, that He should come in the rich ship of
her womb; for, since God could not take abode in any
other inferior to Her in merit, She alone induced Him
to become visible and to communicate Himself, and to
nourish those v/ho were so far off.
594 CITY OF GOD
781. "And She hath risen in the night, and given a
prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens."
Not less laudable is this activity of the valiant woman,
that she deprived Herself of the repose and sweet rest
of the night in order to govern her family, directing her
domestics, her husband, her sons and relations, and also
her servants to perform their duties and all that is neces-
sary for the welfare of the family. This kind of valor
and prudence does not look upon night as the time for
disengaging itself and forgetting in sleep its duties and
obligations ; withdrawal from work should not be sought
merely to satisfy a whim, but as a necessary means for
returning to it so much the more ardently. Our Queen
was truly admirable in this prudent kind of economy;
although She had no servants in her family, because her
love of obedience and humility did not permit her to
charge any one but Herself with the servile duties of the
house; nevertheless, in the care for her most holy Son
and for her spouse Joseph, She rendered the most vigi-
lant service and never was She guilty of any remissness,
forgetfulness, tardiness, or inadvertency in providing
what was necessary for them, as I shall have occasion
to relate in the whole of the succeeding discourse.
782. But what tongue could ever describe the untir-
ing watchfulness of this valiant Woman? She arose
and was on her feet in the night, when divine secrets
were still withheld from her heart; and in the hidden
darkness of the mystery of her matrimony She lived
in vigilant hope of its unravelment, attentive to execute
humbly and obediently, whatever was commanded to
Her. She provided all the necessary nourishment for her
domestics and servants, namely her interior faculties and
her exterior senses, and distributed to each one its sus-
tenance in the labor of the day, so that while they were
THE CONCEPTION 595
eng-aged in the outward service, the spirit might not find
itself needy and unprovided. She commanded the fac-
ulties of her soul to follow the inviolable rule of seek-
ing its sustenance from the light of the Divinity, of
being incessantly occupied in the ardent meditation and
contemplation of the holy law day and night, never al-
lowing it at any time to be withdrawn therefrom by
exterior work or occupation of her state of life. This
w^s the government and the nourishment of the servants
of her soul.
783. Also to the other servants, the exterior senses,
She distributed their legitimate occupation and nourish-
ment; making use of the jurisdiction, which She pos-
sessed over these faculties. She commanded, that, as
servants, they serve the spirit ; that, though in the world,
they be dead to it and ignore its vanities and live solely
in as far as was necessary for nature and grace ; that
they be not taken up with sensible delights, except in
so far as the superior part of the soul should allow and
communicate by its overflowing influence. She placed
boundaries and limits to all their operations, so that
without the slightest imperfection they were appropriated
to the sphere of divine love, all of them serving and
co-operating with it without resistance, unwillingness or
tardiness.
784. In another way also She arose and governed Her
Domestics. For there was another kind of night in
which this valiant Woman rose and other servants for
which She provided. She arose in the night of the an-
cient Law, in the obscure dawn of the future light : She
came into the world at the decline of that night and with
ineffable foresight She proffered and distributed the
nourishment of grace and of eternal life to all her do-
mestics and to the servants, namely her own people, to
596
CITY OF GOD
the rest of the human race, to the holy Fathers and the
just of her own nation, and to the sinners, slaves and
captives of all the w^orld. And She gave it so truly and
so fully, that the nourishment was taken from her own
substance and from her own blood, since it originated in
her virginal womb.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED: TllE REST OE THE
THIRTY-FIRST CHAPTER OF THE PROVERBS IS EX-
PLAINED.
785. No quality of a valiant woman could be want-
ing in our Queen, for She was the fountain of virtue and
of grace. Our text continues in the sixteenth verse :
"She hath considered a field and bought it: with the
fruits of her hand She hath planted a vineyard." The
field of highest perfection, where the abundant and fra-
grant fruits of virtue are reared, was the one which
most holy Mary considered ; and as She was inspecting
and taxing it by the clearness of the divine light, She
recognized the treasure, which was buried in it. In
order to buy this field She exchanged for it her prop-
erty rights in all the earth, of which She was truly the
Queen and Mistress, preferring the possession of this
field to all other things and abdicating in favor of it the
use and right of all her possessions. This Mistress alone
could dispose of all creation, for She alone had the full
possession of it, and She alone could buy the whole field
of holiness. She alone could examine and estimate its
full value and She alone, next to God, appropriated to
Herself, the field of the Divinity and its attributes, while
the other saints could appropriate only a part. "With
the fruits of her hands She hath planted a vineyard."
She planted the holy Church, not only by giving us her
most holy Son to form and constitute it, but by being
Herself his Coadjutrix, and after his Ascension, remain-
597
598
CITY OF GOD
ing the Mistress of the Church, as will be related in
the third part of this history. She planted the vineyard
of the paradise, which that fierce beast Lucifer had
ruined and devastated, thus restoring it to fruitfulness
by her solicitude. She planted the vineyard of her
most great and magnanimous heart, setting in it the
sprouts of virtue and the most fertile vines, from which
Christ in the winepress of the Cross distilled the most
sweet wine of his love to inebriate his beloved and
nourish his friends (Cant. 5, 1).
786. "She hath girdled her loins with strength, and
hath strengthened her arm." The greatest strength of
those who call themselves strong is in their arm, with
which they perform hard and difficult works : and the
most difficult work of earthly men consists in restrict-
ing their passions and inclinations and subjecting them
to reason. Therefore the holy text says of this valiant
Woman, that She both girds her loins and strengthens
her arm. Our Queen was subject to no passions or dis-
orderly inclinations, which She would have to suppress
in her most innocent person ; but this did not hinder Her
from being more courageous in restricting Herself than
all the children of Adam, whose interior is thrown into
disorder by the consequences of sin. Without having
need thereof her virtues and her love urged Her to
practice greater mortification than the most wicked in-
clinations could ever have required. None of those, who
were infected by sin and who were bound to satisfy for
it, ever exerted such strength in mortifying their dis-
orderly passions, as our Princess Mary exerted in gov-
erning and mortifying more and more all her faculties
and senses. She chastised her most innocent and vir-
ginal body by incessant penances, watchings, fasts,
prostrations in the form of the cross, as we shall say
THE CONCEPTION 599
later on (Part IT, 12, 232, 442, 568, 898, 990, 991 ; Part
III, 581) ; She denied to her senses all rest and indul-
gence, not because they were in disorder, but so as con-
tinually to perform what was most holy and acceptable
before God, being never weak, never remiss or negligent
in bringing all her works to the full measure and efficacy
of grace.
787. "She hath tasted and seen that her traffic is
good : her lamp shall not be put out in the night." The
Lord is so kind and faithful with creatures, that, when
He commands us to gird ourselves with mortification
and penance, (since the kingdom of heaven suffers vio-
lence and must be gained by force (Matth. 12, 12), on
account of this violence to our inclinations. He rewards
our efforts with a joy and consolation, that fill our
heart with delight. By this joy we know how good is
this exchange of the highest good for those works of
mortification by which we restrain our hankering after
temporal pleasure; for as a prepayment we receive the
joys of the Christian truth and in it a pledge of eternal
life. And the more we engage in this kind of com-
merce, the more we will gain and the greater will be
our esteem for this commerce.
788. If we. who are subject to sin, experience this
truth, how much more intimately did most holy Mary
understand and appreciate it? And if in us. in whom
the night of sin is so dense and persistent, the divine
light of grace can be preserved by means of penance
and mortification of our passions, how must this light
have burned in the heart of that most pure Creature?
She was not oppressed by the infection of our gross and
corrupted nature; She liad not been scorched by the
tinder of disobedience ; She was not stung by the re-
proaches of a bad conscience, nor by the fear of actual
600 CITY OF GOD
sin; and besides all this She was enlightened beyond all
conception of angels or men: She understood well and
enjoyed this kind of commerce, without extinguishing,
in the troubles and dangers of this life, the light-giving
lamp of the Lamb (Apoc. 31, 19).
789. "She hath put out her hand to strong things,
and her fingers have taken hold of the spindle." The
valiant Woman, who with the exertion and the labor of
her hands increases her virtues and the goods of her
family, who girds Herself with fortitude against her
passions, who recognizes the delights of the commerce
of virtue, could well extend and reach out her hand to-
ward great things. Most holy Mary, did this unhindered
by her state and its obligations; for, elevating Herself
above Herself and above all earthly things. She enlarged
her aspirations and extended her operations to what was
greatest and mightiest in the spheres of divine love and
knowledge, rising above all human and angelic natures.
And as with her espousal She approached nearer and
nearer to the dignity and state of Mother, She continued
to expand her heart and extend her hand to new works of
holiness, until She fitted Herself to co-operate in the
most arduous and sublime work of the divine Omnip-
otence, namely the Incarnation of the Word. Of all
this I will say more in the second part, when explaining
the preparation of our Queen for this great mystery
(Part II, 1 to 160). And because the mere resolve or
determination to do great things and without their ful-
fillment is futile and of no practical consequence, there-
fore it is said : "And her fingers have taken hold of the
spindle," which means to say, that our Queen really
executed all the great, arduous and difficult works, ex-
actly as She had intended and proposed in her most
well ordered mind. In all things She was found true,
THE CONCEPTION 601
and far from the exaggeration and mere outward show
of a woman, who carries the distaff at her girdle, but
does not take hold of the spindle. Therefore it is added :
790. "She hath opened her hand to the needy and
stretched out her hand to the poor." The prudent
woman and housewife shows great courage in being
liberal with the poor, never yielding to weakness of
mind, or cowardly diffidence, lest, on account of her
alms, her family should suffer; for the most powerful
means of increasing all possessions is to part liberally
with them for the poor of Christ, who even in this life
knows how to give a hundredfold in return (Marc. 10,
30). Most holy Mary distributed to the poor and to the
temple the inheritance of her parents, as I said above
(761) ; besides this She gave the labor of her hands to
assist in the works of mercy; for without contributing
her personal exertion and labor. She could not have
satisfied her pious and generous love of the poor. It
is no wonder, that the avaricious world of today should
feel want and poverty in temporal things, since men are
become so deficient in kindness and pity for the poor:
thev use that, which God created for the sustenance of
the needy and for the salvation of the rich, only for
satisfying their vanities.
791. Our most kind Queen and Lady, however, did
not extend only her own hands to the poor: She also
drew forth the Almighty hand of the omnipotent God ;
for as yet He had not extended the helping hand of his
divine Word towards mortals, who did not merit, or
rather, who were making themselves unworthy of such
a favor, this valiant Woman gave Him hands, hands
extended and opened for the benefit of us poor captives
afflicted by the misery of sin. Because this neediness
and poverty was the lot of all men. Scripture uses the
40
602 CITY OF GOD
word "poor" in the singular; for all the human race was
like one poor person, capable of providing for itself no
more than if all men had been only one single poor
person. The hands of our Savior, Christ our Lord,
extended for our Redemption and opened for the dis-
tribution of his gifts and merits, were none other than
the very hands of most holy Mary ; for He, as her Son,
had them from Her and without Mary the unfortunate
race would never have seen them opened for their relief.
They were hers also in many other respects.
792. "She shall not fear for her house in the cold of
snow : for all her domestics are clothed in double gar-
ments." Having lost the Sun of Justice, the warmth
of grace and original justice, our nature was buried un-
der the frozen snow of sin, with all its power for doing
good restricted, impeded and congealed. Thence arise
the difficulties in the performance of holy works, the
slowness of our actions, our inattention and negligence,
our instability and numerous other defects in the practice
of virtue; thence it comes, that we find ourselves, after
the commission of sin, deprived of the love of God,
without shelter or covering against temptations. Our
heavenly Queen was free from all these impediments and
defects in body and soul ; for all her domestics, that is
her interior and exterior faculties, were sheltered from
the frost of sin by double vestments. On the one hand
She was protected by original justice and the infused
virtues, together with the virtues acquired by her own
exertions from the first moment of her activity. On
the other hand She was also protected by the double
vestment of the common graces, which She received on
her own account, and those, which She received in an
especial manner on account of her dignity as Mother of
God. I will not detain myself in describing her provi-
THE CONCEPTION 603
dent care for her own household ; for in otlier women the
care which they bestow in this matter, may be praise-
worthy because it is necessar\' ; in the house of the Queen
of heaven and earth, most holy Mary, it was not neces-
sary to multiply the garments: not for Her Son, since
He possessed but one; not for Herself, nor for her
spouse Joseph, since their poverty was their greatest
adornment and shelter.
793. "She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry:
fine linen, and purple is her covering." This metaphor
likewise indicates the spiritual adornments of this
Woman ; it was a garment variegated and strong, serving
completely as a covering and defending Her from the
inclemencies and rigors of the rainstorms; for this is
the purpose, for which strong blankets, raincoats and
the like are woven. The long cloak of virtue and gifts
of Mary was impenetrable to the powerful streams of
temptation and assault, which the great red and san-
guinary dragon poured out against Her and which saint
John saw in tiie Apocalypse (Apoc. 1, 15). Greater
than the strength of this vestment was the beauty and
variety of her virtues, woven into it and not merely
apparent; for they had, so to say, become a part of her
flesh and blood, and of the substance of her nature from
the very moment, in which She obtained her existence
in grace and original justice. In Her were the purple
of charity, the white of chastity and purity, the azure
of hope, with all the other variety of gifts and graces,
which clothed Her about entirely and adorned Her in
all their beauty. Also the white and the red, which
the Spouse designates as the special tokens of the hu-
manity and the Divinity of the Son. adorned Her (Cant.
5, 10) ; for as She gave to the Word the red of his
most holy Humanity, He in return gave her the splendor
604 CITY OF GOD
of the Divinity, not uniting both these natures in her
virginal womb, but leaving in his Mother emanations
and rays of the Divinity more excellent than in all the
other creatures together.
794. "Her husband is honorable in the gates, when
he sitteth among the senators of the land." Just as
in the olden times judgment was held under the city
gates, so at the portals of eternal life, judgment is pro-
nounced separately over each one ; whereas on the last
day we are to expect the general judgment of the whole
world. In the universal judgment saint Joseph, one of
the men of the most holy Mary, will take his seat among
the nobility of the kingdom of God; for he will sit in
judgment with the Apostles over the world, enjoying
this privilege as the spouse of the valiant Woman, the
Queen of all, and as the putative father of the supreme
Judge. The other Man of this Lady is her Son, as I
have already said (774), and He is acknowledged and
recognized as the supreme Lord and true Judge both in
the particular judgment, and in that, which is to be
held over the angels and all men. This supreme power
devolves in part also upon most holy Mary; for it was
She, who gave Him the flesh, with which He redeemed
the world.
795. "She made fine linen, and sold it, and delivered
a girdle to the Chananite." In this solicitous labor of
the valiant Woman are pointed out two excellences of
our great Queen. First She made a linen so pure, so
spacious and large, that the eternal Word, although He
had to constrain and limit his greatness, could descend
and clothe Himself in it, and She sold it to no one
else than the Lord himself, who gave Her in return his
own Son. For there was nothing in all creation, which
was of sufficient price to buy this linen sheet of the
THE CONCEPTION 605
purity and sanctity of Mary, nor could any man merit to
be her son, except the Son of God himself. She also
gave, not sold, most graciously, a cincture to the Chan-
anite, cursed by his father (Gen. 9, 25) ; for all those
that participated in the first malediction and were de-
spoiled and subjected to disorderly appetites and inclina-
tions, could now gird themselves anew by the cincture
which most holy Mary procured for them through her
only and firstborn and only Son and through the law
of grace. Thereby being able to reform themselves
and gird themselves with new strength. No excuse re-
mains for the foreknown and the damned, angels and men,
since all of them had the means to restrain themselves
against their disorderly passions, equally with the predes-
tined. For they can avail themselves of the graces gratui-
tously obtained for them by most holy Mary and no pay-
ment is required for them.
796. "Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she
shall laugh in the latter day." Another new adornment
and vestment of the valiant Woman are strength and
beauty : strength makes Her invincible in suffering and
in operating against the infernal powers; beauty gives
her exterior grace and admirable decorum in all her
actions. On account of these two prerogatives our
Queen was amiable in the eyes of God, and of the
angels, and of the world. She was not only free from
all reprehension of sin and defect, but She possessed
that double grace and beauty, which pleased and charmed
so much the holy Spirit, when He said, that She was
entirely beautiful and pleasing to Him (Cant. 4, 7).
And where there is no fault to be deplored, there also
is no cause of mourning on the last day, when none of
the mortals shall be without such cause except this our
Lady and her most holy Son. All others were tainted
606 CITY OF GOD
with some defect, for which they must grieve, and on
that day the damned will weep for not having properly
wept over their sins before. On that day this valiant
Woman shall be full of delight and joy, returning thanks
for her own incomparable felicity, as also for the execu-
tion of the divine justice against the wicked and re-
bellious by her most holy Son.
797. "She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the
law of clemency is on her tongue." This great excellency
of the valiant Woman is not to open her mouth for
ought except to teach the fear of the Lord, or in pur-
suance of some work of clemency. This our Queen and
Lady fulfilled in the highest perfection. She opened
her mouth as the Mistress of wisdom, when She said
to the holy archangel : "Fiat mihi secundum verbum
tuum" (Luke 1, 38) and whenever She spoke, it was as
the most prudent Virgin and as one filled with the
knowledge of the Most High, as a Teacher to all, and
as one interceding for the miserable children of Eve. The
law of clemency was always on her lips, as a most kind
Mother of mercy and her intercession and prayer is by it-
self an inviolable law, on which our deliverance depends
in all our necessities ; we are safe, if only we know how
to induce Her to open her mouth and move Her tongue
for our intercession.
798. "She hath looked well to the path of her house,
and hath not eaten her bread idle." It is no small honor
for the mother of a family to keep a strict watch over
all the ways of augmenting most unfailingly its property
and happiness; but in this divine prudence none except
Mary gave an altogether perfect example to mortals.
She alone knew how to investigate and search all the
ways to justice and to find the straight roads by which
with greater security and speed the Divinity can be
THE CONCEPTION 607
reached. She attained to this knowledge so expedi-
tiously, that She outstripped all mortals and even the
cherubim and seraphim themselves. She recognized and
detected good and evil, the height and the depth of
sanctity, the extent of human weakness, the astuteness
of our enemies, the dangers infesting the world and all
that is terrestrial. At the same time She put all her
knowledge into practice, never eating her bread idle,
and receiving neither her soul nor divine grace in vain
(Psalm 23, 4). And thus She merited what follows.
799. "Her children rose up. and called her blessed:
her husband, and he praised Her." Great and glorious
things have the true sons of this Woman said of Her
in the Church militant, calling Her most blessed among
women; and let not those, that have not risen up and
praised Her, call themselves Her children, nor learned,
nor wise, nor devout. Yet although all the saints of
the Church have spoken, being inspired and moved by
her Man and Spouse, Christ and the Holy Ghost, never-
theless it seems as if He has as yet only kept silence
and has not yet risen to publish the countless and ex-
alted mysteries concerning his most holy Mother. I
was given to understand, that they are so great as to be
reserved for revelation only in the triumphant Church
after the last judgment; for it would not be opportune
to manifest them now to this world, which is unworthy
and incapable of understanding such wonders. There
Christ will speak, the Man of Mary, in order to manifest
his and her glory, and for the joy of the saints, the
prerogatives and the excellences of that Lady; there
shall we know them in full. Here it is sufficient, that
we reverently recognize them under the veil of faith,
and that we live now in the hope of fully understanding
these great blessings in the future life.
608 CITY OF GOD
800. "Many daughters have gathered together riches:
thou hast surpassed them all." All the souls, that have
come to the attainment of the grace of the Most High,
are called his daughters; and all the merits, gifts and
graces, which they gained or could gain, are true riches^
for earthly possessions have unjustly usurped the name
of riches. Great will be the number of the predestined :
He that has enumerated the stars by their names knows
it (Psalm 144, 4). But Mary has gathered more riches
than all who are children of Adam and of Herself; She
alone attained such a position, not only so as to be
called their Mother, and they, her children ; but so as to
become the Mother of God himself ; for in this She far
surpasses all the glory that the entire number of the
predestined ever possessed or will possess. And because,
in comparison with these riches and gifts of interior
grace and their corresponding glory the exterior and
apparent outward appearance of women, which is held
in so high esteem by them, is but vanity, Solomon adds
and says :
801. "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; there-
fore the woman that feareth the Lord, shall be praised.
Give her of the fruits of her hands; and let her works
praise her in the gates." The world falsely esteems as
gracious many things, that are not so, and that have no
more of beauty and grace in them than what they derive
from the erroneous judgment of the ignorant; as for
example the outward appearance of virtue in our works ;
the pleasure excited by sweet and eloquent words; wit
and elegance in our speech or behaviour ; the benevolence
of superiors, or popularity. All this is deceitful and
fallacious, no less than the beauty of a woman, which
vanishes in so short a time. She who fears God and
teaches others to fear Him, merits truly the praise of
THE CONCEPTION 609
men and of the Lord himself. And because God him-
self wishes to praise Her, Scripture says : "Give her of
the fruit of her hands:" He proportions his praise also
to the excellence of the deeds publicly known to Her,
and intimates, that these deeds themselves proclaim Her
praise. The praise of men is of small value to one who
degrades herself by her own conduct. Accordingly the
Most High wishes that the deeds of his most holy
Mother shall become manifest in the portals of his holy
Church in so far as is possible and opportune, as I said
above ; while the greater glory and praise is reserved for
Her in the heavenly Church and will endure through all
the ages and ages. Amen.
INSTRUCTION OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN.
802. In this chapter of holy Scriptures thou hast at
thy disposal many points of information for thy proper
guidance; and although thou hast not touched upon all
that it contains, yet I wish, that thou write in thy in-
most heart, as well that which thou hast declared, as
also that which thou hast omitted, and I wish that thou
put it into practice. For this purpose it is necessary,
that thou live retired within thyself, forgetful of all the
visible and terrestrial things, most attentive to the divine
light, which assists thee and protects thy sensible facul-
ties with double vestments against the influences of luke-
warmness and coldness on the way of perfection ; and
it is necessary, that thou resist the incitements of thy
unruly passions. Gird them and restrict them by the
powerful means of the fear of God. Withdrawn from
the deceitful outward appearances, raise thy mind to
the contemplation and the understanding of thy interior
condition and of the paths, which the Lord has shown
thee for seeking Him in secret and for finding Him with-
610 CITY OF GOD
out danger of error. Having once tasted the intercourse
with heavenly things, do not allow thy negligence to
extinguish in thy mind the divine light, that illumines
and enlightens thee in darkness. Eat not thy bread in
idleness; but work without relaxing in solicitude, and
then thou shalt eat of the fruit of thy diligence.
Strengthened by the Lord, thou wilt perform works
worthy of his regard and complaisance and thou wilt run
after the odor of his ointments until thou arrive at their
eternal possessions. Amen.
CITY OF GOD
COMPTFTE EDITION
Conception, 610 pages
$3.00
Incarnation, 608 pagCS
3.00
Transfixion, 790 pages
3.00
Coronation, 668 pages
3.00
ABRIDGMENTS
City of God, one volume popular edi-
tion, cloth, 794 pages
3.00
City of God, short abridgment, cloth,
about 320 pages
1.50
Words of Wisdom from City of God,
cloth, gold top, about 575 pages . .
2.00
Theotokia, 693 pagcs (25,600 verses) .
3.00
Address :
LOUIS W. BERNICKEN
Mount Vernon, Ohio
/'
«ili;irsif*r
Hliiiiiiiiii:
liiiii':
liifiiil
ii •
^11 1
;iiiii
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11