You are listening to the Mystical City of God in a Year podcast.I'm Fr.Edward Looney, and throughout the year I'm reading and reflecting on the four-volume, over 2,500-page work by the Venerable Maria of Agrada.
If you would like to discuss today's readings, I invite you to head on over to Facebook, and there you'll find the Mystical City of God in a Year podcast group page, and you'll be able to share your own thoughts with others who are listening and following along.
If you would like to support this free podcast, you can do so by sending a tip through Venmo to Mystical City of God.Let us now thank God for the life of Venerable Maria of Agrada.
Almighty God, you will that all people know the saving power of Jesus's name.Throughout time, you have sent missionaries to your people who proclaim the good news.
We thank you for sending Sor Maria to the Humano people and planting the seeds of the gospel in their heart and in our land.She taught them the good news and prepared them for baptism.
We look to her example in holy life and wish to be taught by her today. Sora Maria, teach us how to pray and meditate.Teach us how to imitate the virtues of Our Lady.Teach us the mysteries of our faith.
Almighty God, stir aflame in our hearts the same missionary fervor of Sora Maria, so we may be as emboldened as she was to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
God, forever and ever.Amen. Today is day number 318.We are reading from Volume 4, Book 7, Chapter 17, Paragraphs 343 to 352. 343.Thus informed, the apostle was likewise aggrieved and somewhat troubled.
But in the strength of divine grace, he answered the queen, saying, My mother and lady, thy wisdom cannot ignore that the Most High will draw great fruits for his church and for his faithful children from these trials and tribulations.
and that he will assist them in their affliction.We apostles are prepared to sacrifice our lives for the Lord, who has offered his own for the whole human race. We have received great blessings, and it is not just that they remain idle and useless.
When we were little ones in the school of our Teacher and Lord, we behaved like children.
But since He has enriched us with the Holy Ghost and enkindled in us the fire of love, we have lost our cowardice and desire to walk the way of the cross, taught us by His doctrine and example.
We know that the Church is to be established and preserved by the blood of its ministers and children.
Pray thou for us, my lady, that by the divine power in thy protection we gain the victory over our enemies, and that for the glory of the Most High we triumph over all of them.
But if this city of Jerusalem is to bear the brunt of the persecution, it seems to me, my lady, that thou shouldst not wait it here, lest the fury of hell, by inciting the malice of men, attempt some indignity to the tabernacle of God.
The great Queen and Lady of Heaven, full of love and compassion for the Apostles, and all the other faithful, and spurning all fear, would rather have stayed in Jerusalem, in order to visit, console, and encourage all in their impending tribulation.
But this preference, though so holy, she did not make known to St.John.For, as it was the choice of her heart, she preferred to disregard it, and yield in humble obedience to the wishes of the apostles. whom she held as her prelate and superior.
In this objection, giving no direct answer, she thanked the evangelist for his courageous desire of suffering and dying for Christ.
And as for departing from Jerusalem, she told him to command and dispose as he thought fit, for she would obey him in all as his subject and would ask the Lord to guide him by his divine light according to his glory and pleasure.
On getting this consent of the Blessed Mother, affording us such a great example, and reprehending so much our disobedience, the Evangelists propose to go to Ephesus as the confines of Asia Minor.
In suggesting this journey to Most Holy Mary, He said, My Lady and Mother, in order to leave Jerusalem and seek occasion to labor for the exaltation of the name of the Most High, it seems best for us to retire to the city of Ephesus, where thou canst bring forth the fruits of faith which are not to be expected in Jerusalem.
Would I, were one of the angels, who assist at the throne of the Blessed Trinity, so as to serve thee worthily in this journey, but I am only a vile woman of the earth.
The Lord, however, will be with us, and thou shalt have him as a propitious helper, as thy God and thy Son. 345.Having resolved upon this journey, the necessary notice and advice was yet to be given to the faithful in Jerusalem.
The great lady therefore retired to her oratory and prayed as follows.
Most high and eternal God, this humble handmaid prostrates herself before thy royal presence, and from my inmost heart I beseech thee to direct and guide me in thy greater pleasure and goodwill.
I will make this journey in obedience to thy servant John, whose will shall be as thy own.
It is not just that thy handmaid and mother, who has been so favored by the right hand, should take any step which is not for the greater glory and exaltation of thy holy name.
Attend, O Lord, to my desires and prayers, in order that I may act more appropriately and justly. Then the Lord answered her and said, My dove and dearest spouse, I have ordained this journey for my greater pleasure.
Obey John and go to Ephesus, for there in due time I wish to manifest my clemency to some souls through thy mediation and presence.
By this answer of the Lord, the Most Blessed Mary was consoled in the knowledge of the divine will, and she asked the Lord for his blessing and for permission to prepare for her departure at the time set by the Apostle.
Full of the fire of charity, she was inflamed with the desire of promoting the good of souls in Ephesus. of which the Lord had given her hopes.
I will now relate how the Blessed Mary, in obedience to her Son's, our Savior's will, came to Saragossa in Spain to visit St.James in what year and day this happened and what took place on this occasion.
All this solicitude of Our Great Mother and Lady was centered upon the increase and spread of the Holy Church
consolation of the apostles, disciples, and other faithful, and in defending them from the persecutions and assaults prepared by the infernal dragon and his hosts.
In her matchless charity, before she departed from Jerusalem to take up her abode in Ephesus, she ordered and arranged many things both by herself and through her holy angels,
in order, as much as possible, to provide all that seemed proper for the needs of the Church in her absence, for at that time she had no knowledge of the duration of her sojourn or of her return to Jerusalem.
The most effectual service she could render to the faithful was her continual prayer to secure the assistance of the infinite power of her Son for the defense of the apostles and the faithful against the proud and vaunting schemes of Lucifer's wickedness.
The most prudent mother knew that among the apostles, James would be the first one to shed his blood for Christ our Savior, and because she loved him in a special manner, as I have stated above, she offered up more particular prayers for him than for the other apostles.
While the Heavenly Mother continued in these prayers, on one of the days, the fourth, before leaving for Ephesus, she felt in her chastest heart new and sweetest affections, as was usual, when she was about to receive some signal favor.
They are called Words of the Lord in the language of Holy Scriptures.Responding to them as the Mistress of Holy Science, the Most Blessed Lady said, Lord, what dost thou command me to do?What dost thou desire of me?
Speak, O Lord, for thy handmaid heareth. Repeating these words, she saw her divine Son descending in person to visit her.
And seated upon a throne of ineffable majesty, and accompanied by innumerable angels of all the heavenly choirs and hierarchies, with all his court the Lord entered the oratory of his most blessed Mother, and the humble and devout Virgin worshipped him in deepest reverence from the inmost of her purest soul.
Then the Lord spoke to her, saying, My most beloved Mother, of whom I have received human being, For the salvation of the world, I am attentive to thy petitions and holy desires, and they are pleasing to me.
I shall defend my apostles and my church, and I shall be their father and protector.It shall not be overcome, nor the gates of hell prevail against it."Matthew 18, 18.
As thou already knowest, it is necessary for my glory that the apostles labor with my grace. and that at the end they must follow me to the cross and to the death I have suffered for the whole human race.
The first one who is to imitate me therein is my faithful servant James, and I wish that he suffer martyrdom in the city of Jerusalem. in order that he come hither and for other purposes of my glory and thine.
I desire thee to visit him in Spain, where he is preaching my name.I desire, my mother, that thou go to Saragossa, where he now is, and command him to return to Jerusalem.
But before he leaves that city, he is to build a temple in thy name and title, where thou shalt be venerated and invoked for the welfare of that country, for my glory and pleasure, and that of the most blessed Trinity.
348 The great Queen of Heaven accepted this commission from her divine Son with new jubilee of her soul, and with sincerest gratitude she answered, My Lord and true God, let thy holy will be done in thy servant and mother for all eternity.
and let all the creatures praise thee for the admirable works of kindness done to thy servants. I, O Lord, bless and magnify Thee in them, and give humble thanks for them in the name of the entire Church, and in my own name.
Grant me, my son, that in the temple Thou commandest to be built by Thy servant James, I may be permitted to promise the special protection of Thy almighty arm, and that this sacred place shall be part of my inheritance for the use of all those that call with devotion upon the Holy Name, and ask me to intercede for them with Thy clemency.
349.Christ our Redeemer answered her, My mother, in whom I am well pleased, I give thee my royal word, and I shall look with special clemency, and fill with blessings all those who with devotion and humility call upon me through thy intercession in that temple.
In Thy hands have I deposited and consigned all my treasures, as my Mother who holds my place and power.Thou canst signalize that place by depositing therein Thy riches, and promising in it Thy favors.
For all will be fulfilled according to Thy will and pleasure. Again, the Most Blessed Mary thanked her Son and God for this promise.
Then, at the command of the Lord, a great number of the angels that accompanied her formed a royal throne of a most resplendent cloud and placed her thereon as the Queen and Mistress of all creation.
Christ the Savior gave them His blessing and ascended with the rest of the angels to heaven. The purest mother, born by the hands of the seraphim and accompanied by her thousand angels and the rest, departed body and soul for Saragossa in Spain.
Although this journey could have been made in the shortest moment of time, the Lord ordered the angels to move along singing hymns of praise and jubilee to their queen and choirs of sweetest harmony.
Some of them sang the Ave Maria, others the Salve Sancta Parens and Salve Regina, and others the Regina Caeli Laetare, etc.Choir answering choir in such harmony and concord of sounds as no human act could ever attain.
The Great Lady, also with a heart as humble as this favor, was exalted opportunely, responded referring all this glory to the Most High.She repeated many times, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, Sabaoth.Have pity on the poor children of Eve.
Thine is the glory, thine the power and majesty.Thou alone art holy, the Most High and the Lord of all the celestial armies and of all creation. The angels then would respond also to the songs of the Virgin, so sweet in the hearing of the Lord.
Proceeding in this manner till about midnight, they arrived in Saragossa.The most fortunate Apostle St.James was encamped with his disciples, outside of the wall, running along the banks of the river Ebro.
In order to engage in prayer, he had separated some distance from his companions. Some of his disciples had fallen asleep and others were absorbed in prayer, all of them far from expecting the strange event.
The procession of the angels spread out somewhat and sang still louder, so that not only St.James but also his disciples could hear them from afar.
Those that were asleep awoke and all of them were filled with interior sweetness and wonder, with heavenly consolation. which caused them to remain speechless with admiration and to shed tears of joy.
They saw in the sky a most brilliant light, brighter than that of the sun, but it was not diffused beyond a certain space and seemed like a large luminous globe.Lost in admiration and joy, they stood motionless until called by their teacher.
Through the miraculous effects which they felt within them, the Lord wished to prepare them for what would be manifested to them concerning this great mystery.
The holy angels placed the throne of their Queen and Lady within sight of the Apostle, who was still wrapped in most exalted prayer, and heard much more plainly the celestial music, and saw more of the light than his disciples.
The angels bore with them a small column, hewn of marble or jasper, and not a very large image of their queen, made of some other material.
This image was carried by the angels with great veneration during that night, and the angels, exerting their skill in fashioning the things of nature, had prepared all this for the occasion. 352.
Seated on her throne in the cloud and surrounded by the angelic choirs, the Queen of Heaven manifested herself to St.James.In wonderful beauty and refulgence, the Great Lady far outshone all the angels.
The blessed apostle prostrated himself upon the earth and in deepest reverence venerated the mother of his creator and redeemer.He was shown at the same time the image and the pillar or column in the hands of some of the angels.
The loving queen gave him her blessing in the name of her divine son and said, James, servant of the most high, be thou blessed by his right hand.May he raise thee up and show thee the light of his divine countenance. All the angels answered, Amen.
The Queen of Heaven continued, My son James, this place, the most high and omnipotent God of heaven, has destined to be consecrated by thee upon earth for the erection of a temple and a house of prayer where, under my patronage and name, he wishes to be glorified and magnified, where the treasures of his right hand shall be distributed, and all his ancient mercy shall be opened up for the faithful through my intercession.
if they ask for them in true faith and sincere piety.In the name of the Almighty, I promise them great favors and blessings of sweetness and my protection and assistance, for this is to be my house and temple, my inheritance and possession.
A pledge of this truth and of my promise shall be this column, with my image placed upon it, and the temple which thou shalt build for me shall remain and be preserved together with that holy faith until the end of the world.
Thou shalt immediately begin to build this temple of God, and after thou hast completed it, thou shalt depart for Jerusalem, for my divine Son wishes thee to offer the sacrifice of thy life in the same place where he offered his, for the salvation of the human race.
This concludes our reading today for day number 318.We've been reading from volume 4, book 7, chapter 17, paragraphs 343 to 352.
In today's reading, we hear how Our Lady is sent by her Son, that she has that moment in which she communicates with her Son, the Son speaking to her heart, but she's seeing the Son as well, and then transported by angels to Spain and there to communicate with St.
James the Apostle, in a sense to prepare him one day for his martyrdom in Jerusalem.
I think what's very interesting here is that Jesus tells our lady that she's to go and tell James that he's going to build a temple, a sanctuary that will be in honor of the Blessed Mother, that people will go and ask her in her session, and that grace will pour out.
So this Marian shrine is ordained by God.God desires it.God wishes it to be there.And St.James is going to be the reason why it is there.But what's interesting too is that Our Lady is still alive.And here Jesus is telling her this.
And so she knows, just as she said in that magnificat, all generations will call me blessed, she knows that in this place, that she will be called blessed from generation to generation.
She knows that even when her life on earth is completed, that people are going to be honoring her.And I just think that that is something to marvel at, that this is something that is happening now in our reading,
about something that will take place for years to come.And you can visit that shrine in Saragossa.You can visit the church of Our Lady of the Pillar.I've been there.It's a beautiful place.
And it's a place where you pray and where grace can be obtained. Think about all these other apparitions of Our Lady and she says, build a church here, build a church here in Boreng, Belgium.Build a church so people can come on pilgrimage.
And so these sanctuaries to Our Lady have multiplied all over the world.And what Our Lord wished to do in Spain, He's able to accomplish in all of these shrines throughout the world.I'm Fr.
Edward Looney, and throughout the year I'm reading and reflecting on the four volumes of The Mystical City of God.I'm grateful you joined me today, and I hope you'll join me again tomorrow. Until then, may God bless you and Mary pray for you.
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