She did not say, "I was immaculately conceived," or "I am Mary of the Immaculate Conception," but "I am the Immaculate Conception."

I thought about that. The thought took me back into the eternal decision, the eternal decree of God—his everlasting thought, his conception of the most perfect, most beautiful, most graced of all his creatures.

The thought of Mary, the Mother of his Son, that was in his mind before the world began, when it was without spot or stain, without any shadow of darkness. That was a profound thing to think about.

I thought about it and wondered, "What would she be like?"

"What kind of person would that be like?" I asked God the Father. "What did you think about when you conceived the thought of a perfect creature?"

He answered, "First of all, she would be dispossessed. What stains you most frequently are the things you possess or rather that you let possess you and pull you down. So she would be poor—giving up every shred of possession.

"She would identify with my poor, making herself the poorest of all—having nothing, nothing of her own. She would stand before me and claim nothing. She would be so poor that she would have only what I gave her.

"She would be little, very little, never asserting any shred of greatness of her own. So my greatness could enter and fill her.

"She would be simple. Not tricky or complicated like my other children have become because they have so many things on their mind—conflicting desires at war in them. She would be so simple because she would be totally surrendered to my will. There would be only one thing she desired: to do my will.

"She would be childlike—open and eager to receive everything I would want to pour out on her, receiving from me the gift of life and all that brings life.

"She would be so little, poor, and simple that she would do the ordinary things of everyday life with great love and care, because she loves me.

"She would realize how much I love my human children. She would realize that their ordinary human actions, the living of their daily lives, is so beautiful in my sight that all I ask of them is to do them well and with love.

"She would be so empty of herself and open to my divine power that my love would stream forth. Nothing in herself, no desire or project of her own, no animosity or hostility or fear would block the flow of that love. She would love and pay the cost whatever it is and not count the cost.

"She would live the Good News of my life in her—perhaps never saying it in words but living it. Every moment, every word, every attitude would live the Gospel, would live my tenderness and joy, because all she wanted was to manifest my goodness and glory. She would be open to the guidance of the Spirit. He would lead her every step of the way.

"I would place her in the midst of men. She would lead an ordinary human life, going to the well to get water, going to the stream to wash clothes, going to the shops, doing ordinary things. Going to the celebrations of the village, to the fields to help with the harvest, yet within herself, in her heart, staying in my presence all the time.

"She would be so ordinary that she would be unnoticed—hidden to the eyes of people, and yet so empty of self that my glory would shine in her to lead men to me.

"She would be present and filled with me. She would be so empty of self, so pure of heart, that she would enter the depths of every other human being.

"She would have a vast compassion. She would know and comfort the heart, be a source of gentle comfort, peace, and joy to all who meet her. I would be with her and move into those hearts and bring them my peace, joy, and life through her.

"She would raise from the depths of her being a constant stream of praise and thanksgiving and intercession for all mankind.

"She would be in constant prayer—would be a prayer. Her whole heart would rise to my face in a wordless prayer of longing, joy, thanksgiving, and glory.

"Because she was so empty of self and so filled with me, I would bring my rest, my deep peace, upon her whole being. I would fill her with my eternal peace at all times."

I said to God the Father, "Is that all there is to it?"

He said, "What else do you want?"

"Do you realize," I said to him, "that that’s the Little Mandate?"

He said, "Yes. I know it. What did you expect? Don’t you realize, as you’ve been told so many times, that I gave this house to the Mother of my Son? This is her house. Don’t you think she’s going to form her children after her own likeness?

"Children act like their Mother, don’t they? Don’t you realize she formed her own Son, Jesus, with the same features and characteristics as herself? You are called to put on the mind of Christ."

Then I said to him, "Do you realize the implications of this?"

He said to me, "Do you realize its implications?"

I said, "Do you mean that she is not some figure far off and apart, someone distant and remote, so that there is an impenetrable wall between us and her? Do you mean we share in and connect with this mystery?"

He said, "Don’t you know I was thinking of you, too, before the foundation of the world? Don’t you know that your name rang in my mind, dwelt in my thought, from all eternity? I knew you to be like the Mother of my Son. Don’t you realize that’s why I called you here?

"The trouble with you is that you haven’t gotten over that false notion that you are supposed to bring me some kind of greatness you have accomplished on your own. As soon as you get rid of that, you will begin to see a little bit of the light and understand."

I said, "Oh."

He said, "Listen to what my servant Paul said: Before the world was made, I chose you, chose you in Christ, to be holy and spotless and to live through love in my Presence, determining that you should become my adopted sons and daughters through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:4).

I said, "Oh."

Then I said—tried to say—from the bottom of my heart, "Let it be done, what you have said to me."