(BASED ON THE MESSAGES FROM 14TH FEBRUARY TO 18TH APRIL 1985. LENT AND EASTER)
The greatest obstacle in the spiritual life is a wavering and slothful attitude which prevents the soul growing in holiness. In fact, just the opposite happens. Many of the faithful, perhaps after a good start, are settline down to a 'routine' in religious practicde which sooner or later leads to lukewarmness, boredom, and then to lapsing, or even to turning to sects. Stagnation in the spiritual life is a sign of decay. Healthy life, on the other hand, in God's creating is marked by growth. Spiritual life, or life in the Spirit is not exception.
In the first year's programme of 'Spiritual Exercises,' based on the Weekly (Thursday) messages, our Blessed Mother invited us to live a life of prayer and love according to the basic tenets of the Gospel of Jesus, under her guidance. This invitation implied also our acceptance of her guidance by a firm resolve to live according to her messages, as God's messages before she could commence her second year's programme about how to grow in the life of prayer and love. All of this is very much in tune with the teaching of Sts. Peter and Paul.
2 Peter 3:17-18. "Be careful that you do not come to the point of losing the firm ground that you are standing on, carried away by errors of unprincipled people. Instead, continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 3:20-22. "You are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. Every structure knit together in Him grows into a holy temple in the Lord; and you, too, in Him, are being built up into a dwelling-place of God in the Spriit."
To make quite clear that we cannot grow and make progress in the spiritual life until we have really begun to live according to her messages, our Blessed Lady repeats, in this first section of the second year's programme like a patient mother, the most important messages covering the essential areas of spiritual life, urging us to start our pilgrimage of faith with her, and to make progress in what we have begun.
She urges us with such warm love and solicitous concern for our spiritual welfare that our response much be a whole-hearted YES to our heavenly Mother's request, so that she can lead us to the next step, following her way to holiness.