Flower of Devotion

When Saint Mechtilde learned from the revelation God’s most kind and most merciful favor towards the holy virgins, and with great thanksgiving she marveled at this great divine humility, and the Lord said to her:
“I honored virgins in three things before all the saints. First, in that I love them before all creatures. When Mary, the first of the virgins, made a vow of chastity to Me, I bowed towards Her with such great goodness that I no longer delayed the fulfillment of the eternal decree of salvation of the world, but descended from Heaven and poured myself entirely into Her.
Secondly, I made the virgins rich above all the saints, because I gave them all My goods and everything that I suffered as their special possession.
Thirdly, I have given them glory above all the blessed. For when they come to Me, I lift myself up and lean towards them, I speak to them in a unique and mysterious way, and I accept them before others into the grace of the most intimate union.”
Then said Saint Mechtilde: “Ah, most gracious God! What must be the virgins you have chosen for such high privileges?” The Lord replied, “Noble, rich and beautiful. For the true virgin whom I have chosen as my Bride must be noble in humility. She should regard herself as nothing and wish to be considered contemptible and insignificant among all creatures. The more humble she is, the more noble she will be in heavenly glory. I will add my humility to hers, so that from it she will be able to obtain the highest nobility.
She should also be beautiful, that is, patient. For the more patient she is, the more beautiful her sufferings will be. Moreover, I will add to it the brightness that I had from the Father before the foundation of the world, for perfect adornment. After all, a virgin should be rich in virtue. She should accumulate for herself the treasures of all virtues, to which I will then add the incomparable riches of My virtues, so that she will overflow and be inexpressibly rich in eternal happiness.”