"From the moment of her immaculate conception, Mary knew that she was to become our Mother"

In the following excerpt from Luisa Picarreta's book(1), the Virgin Mary recalls the nine months during which she carried Jesus in her womb:

"As soon as the little Humanity of Jesus came to live in my womb by the power of the divine Fiat, the Sun of the Eternal Word became incarnate there....And since this little Humanity could not contain so much light, it overflowed outside, investing Heaven and Earth and reaching all hearts. With its ardent rays, it called out to all creatures, saying: "My children, open up to me, give me a place in your hearts. I have come down from Heaven to Earth to form my life in each of you. My Mother is the center where I reside and my children will surround her. In each of them I want to establish my life and my dwelling place."

And this light struck and struck, continuously, and the little Humanity of Jesus groaned and wept. These moans and cries of love were mixed with this light and sent rays of love into all hearts. My daughter, you must know that a new life began for your Mother. I was aware of everything my Son was doing.

In fact, as soon as the little Humanity of Jesus was conceived, it knew all the sufferings that it was going to assume during all its earthly life. Jesus enclosed all the souls in Him because, being God, nobody could escape Him. 

And I, your Mother, followed Him in all He did, and I felt his sufferings in my maternal Heart. Moreover, I was aware of all the souls that, as his Mother, and at the side of Jesus, I was going to generate to grace, to the light and to the new life that my dear Son was coming to bring on Earth.

My daughter, you must know that from the moment of my Conception I loved you like a mother; I carried you in my Heart; I burned with love for you, although I did not understand why this was so. The Divine Will made me accomplish these things, but it kept the secret hidden from my eyes. 

However, at the Incarnation of the Word in my womb, it revealed these secrets to me and made me understand the fecundity of my maternity: I did not become only the Mother of Jesus, but also the Mother of all creatures. Moreover, I understood that I would have to live this motherhood under the double sign of suffering and of love.

Luisa Picarreta, Italian mystic (1865-1947)

From her book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will

(1) This book was written in 1932 by Luisa Piccarreta, the little daughter of the Divine Will, in obedience to her confessor Don Benedetto Calvi