The following story extracted verbatim from the book The Divine Life of the Most Holy Virgin (an abridgement of the The Mystical City of God) by Venerable Mary of Agreda, shows us why God does not immediately grant our prayers even if they were from the His Most Holy Mother Herself.
Our Lady, in turn, shows us why we should present our prayers humbly and never give in to discouragement or despair.
Giving in to the wiles and snares of the devil
A poor woman of low condition who had been baptized in the beginning with the five thousand persons fell dangerously ill, and her sickness being long, she fell from her first fervor and committed a sin by which she lost the grace of Baptism. Lucifer, who ardently desired to win souls among the first children of the Church, assumed the form of a young woman in order to deceive her, and God permitted this for His greater glory. The demon urged her to separate her from those persons who believed in the Crucified. The unhappy woman gave her assent to the words of the evil spirit and added: “But how shall I act with regard to the Queen, who is so good and gracious I cannot help but love her?” “Oh!” replied the demon, “she is more wicked than the others, and you must abhor her in particular. This is most important, otherwise the magistrates and high priests will persecute you, and you will be unhappy. If you will return to your former religion, you shall be cured and be very content.” The pretended woman departed, leaving that unhappy soul corrupted by her words.
A failed effort to cast out the devil
One of the seventy-two disciples who were accustomed to visit the sick entered the house of this woman and, seeing her possessed by the demon, zealously exhorted her to detest her error, but in vain: she refused to make any reply. Seeing her obstinacy, the disciple informed St. John, who went immediately to visit her and tried with great fervor to draw her out of the snares of the demon, but with the same result. The great Apostle was much afflicted, and acquainted the Holy Virgin with circumstance, in the hope that she would apply a remedy. The Mother of God cast an interior look on the sick woman and discovered her dangerous condition.
Our Lady prays for her
Filled with compassion for the poor, misguided sheep, she prostrated herself upon the earth and supplicated her Divine son to apply a remedy to her evil. But the Lord answered not; not because the prayer of the Holy Virgin was disagreeable to Him, but because He desired to listen longer to her charitable pleadings. The Mother of God was not discouraged, but continued to intercede with the Most High; in the meantime she sent one of her Angels to protest her from the snares of the demon and to aid her by holy inspirations. The Angel obeyed, but the woman resisted the grace of God.
Persistent and humble prayers
Deeply afflicted at her deplorable blindness, the Mother of Mercy continued to pray most fervently, saying: “My Lord, God of mercy, look down upon this worm of the earth; chastise and afflict her, but do not allow this soul, marked with Thy divine character and purchased by Thy Blood, to be deceived by the serpent and become the prey of his malice.” The great Queen persevered in prayer, but the Lord delayed to answer, in order that she might give still further proofs of the invincible love of her heart and her ineffable charity for the faithful. She arose from prayer and called St. John to accompany her to the house of the sick woman. She had proceeded from the oratory but a few steps when she was stopped by her Angels, who said: “Great Queen, we cannot allow thee to walk through the city when we can carry thee.” Then she was place on a throne of most brilliant clouds and transported to the chamber of the poor, agonizing woman, who was abandoned by all because she could no longer speak; she was surrounded by a crowd of demons who awaited the moment in which they might bear her soul to Hell.
The devils flee
At the sight of the Virgin Mother, they precipitated themselves into the infernal abyss. She approached the sick woman, called her by her name and, taking her by the hand, spoke the sweet words of eternal life, by which she fortified the unhappy creature. Returning to herself, she said to the Queen of Angels: “My Queen, a woman who visited me a few days ago persuaded that the disciples of Jesus had deceived me and told me that I should separate myself from them and from thee.”
“My daughter,” replied the Mother of beautiful love, “the woman who appeared to thee was the demon, thy enemy. I have come then, on the part of the Most High, to give thee eternal life. Return then to the true Faith, and acknowledge Jesus to be the true God and the Redeemer of the world. Invoke His name, and beg pardon for thy faults.”
Repentance, conversion and a holy death
The poor woman, truly contrite, wept bitterly and received the Sacraments from the Apostles, who had been called to her aid by Angels. Filled with joy she expired, invoking the names of Jesus and Mary. She was cleansed from all her sins and the punishment due to them, and was by Mary, sent immediately to Heaven, attended by heavenly spirits. Then the most Holy Virgin was borne back to her oratory, in which she prostrated herself and thanked the Most High by new canticles of praise.
The Lord willed all these things in order that the Angels, the Apostles, the Saints in Paradise and even the demons might know the incomparable power of the most Holy Virgin; and as Queen of all creatures she had power over all, and that nothing that she could ask could be refused to her.
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