Conversations between Mary and Elizabeth - Bk3 - Ch19

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes some of the conversations the Blessed Virgin Mary had both with the angels of her guard and with her cousin Elizabeth. The Blessed Virgin Mary continually stresses the importance and benefits of humility, also right-sized relationships with others, and prudent use of time. She said, "According to this doctrine you must so regulate your terrestrial occupations, whatever they may be, that you do not lose your time, which can never be recovered. Whether you eat, labor, rest, sleep or watch, in all times and places, and in all occupations, adore, reverence, and look upon your great and powerful Lord, who fills all things and conserves all things (1 Corinthians 10 3 and Matthew 11 29). I wish also that you pay special attention to that which moved and incited me most to perform all acts of humility; namely, the thought that my divine Son came in the guise of humility in order to teach the world this virtue in word and example, to inculcate the hate of vanity and pride and rooting out its seed sown by Lucifer among mortals in the first sin. His Majesty gave me such a deep knowledge of how much He is pleased with this virtue, that in order to be allowed to perform only one of the acts mentioned by you, such as sweeping the floor or kissing the feet of the poor, I would have been ready to suffer the greatest torments of the world. You will never find words to express the love for humility which I had, nor to describe its excellence and nobility. In the Lord, you will know and understand what you cannot describe in words."