“Dear children, May this time be for you a time of prayer and fasting. Return, little children, in love to God Who is your peace. I am with you, little children, and I love you with my motherly tenderness. Thank you for having responded to my call." (With ecclesiastical approval)

Dear children, May this time be for you a time of prayer and fasting. Return, little children, in love to God Who is your peace.

Time is truly precious to us. That is why there is even a saying, “Time is gold.” How we choose to use this moment—time that is more precious than gold—depends entirely on our own will. Our Lady says, “May this time be for you a time of prayer and fasting,” inviting us to use the present time given to us with a focus on prayer and fasting. Whether or not we accept this invitation depends on our will. If we truly consider these things more important than anything else, then we must let go of other things and choose them as our priority. Here, we need to think simply. If prayer and fasting were not important to us, why would Our Lady have said, “May this time be for you a time of prayer and fasting”? Therefore, if prayer and fasting have not yet taken first place in our lives, then this very moment is the time to place them at the center of our lives.

By its very nature, love gives everything. Therefore, if we are to return to God in love, we must surrender everything to Him. We must willingly offer our body, mind, and soul entirely to God. The very means necessary for this are prayer and fasting. Prayer leads us to love God with our hearts, and fasting helps turn our hearts—so often captured by material things and worldly concerns—back toward God. Only through prayer and fasting can we offer our whole selves to God, give Him our love, and come to realize that He alone is our true peace and love. Now is the time for us to return in love to God, who is our peace, through prayer and fasting.

I am with you, little children, and I love you with my motherly tenderness. Thank you for having responded to my call.

In this month’s message, Our Lady uses the expression “little children” twice. Yes, we are Our Lady’s little children. Because we are little, we need a mother’s touch and love more than anyone else. What little children need most is the presence of their mother. Nothing brings greater reassurance to a little child than knowing that a loving mother is always with them. Our Lady reassures us, her beloved little children, saying, “I am with you. I love you with my motherly tenderness,” confirming the loving presence she has for us and comforting us with her motherly love.