Mary‘s arrangments at Zachariah‘s house - The Conception - Bk3 - Ch 18

The Venerable Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda describes how the Virgin Mary arranged her daily exercises when she stayed at Zachariah and Elizabeth's house. Also, how she and St. Elizabeth exchanged in service and humility. Regarding humility, the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us, "...the favors of the Most High and the knowledge of his divine mysteries, in the attentive souls, engender a kind of love and esteem of humility, which raises them up with a strong and sweet force, like that which causes fire to ascend, like the gravity which causes a stone to fall, each of them striving to reach its own and natural sphere. This is done by the true light, which places the creature in the possession of a clear knowledge of itself and attributes the graces to the proper source, whence all perfect things come (James 1:17); and thus it brings all things into correct balance. And this is the most proper order of right reason which overthrows and as it were exerts violence against the false presumption of mortals. On account of this presumption of pride the heart, wherein it lives, cannot strive after contempt, nor bear it, nor can it suffer a superior over itself, and is offended even at equals; it violently opposes all in order to place itself alone above all fellow creatures. But the humble heart is abased in proportion to the benefits it received, and in its interior quietly grows a desire or an ardent hunger for self-abasement and for the last place; it is violently disturbed in not finding itself esteemed as the inferior of all and in being deprived of humiliation."