Flower of Devotion

The Blessed Mother said to the venerable Mary of Jesus:
My daughter! The Holy Spirit, whose wisdom and foresight govern the holy Church, has ordained that the holy Church should celebrate so many different solemn days. And this is not only to renew the memorial of the mysteries of God and the works of redemption, and of the mysteries of my most holy life, as well as the lives of other saints; but also in order that men may be grateful to their Creator and Redeemer, and that they may not forget all those benefits for which they are never sufficiently able to give thanks.
Further, the feasts were instituted for the purpose that the people might devote themselves to pious exercises on these days, and that by outward recollection they might free their spirits from the distractions caused by worldly cares on other days. Further, that by exercising the virtues and receiving the holy sacraments, they may make up for the damage they have suffered to their souls through this distraction; to imitate the virtues and lives of the saints; that they may implore Me for a cause, and obtain for themselves, not only the forgiveness of sins, but in general all the graces and benefits which the mercy of God is ready to bestow upon them by these means.
This is the spirit of the holy Church, with which she, as a loving mother, desires to guide and nourish her children. And I, being the Mother of all, have tried to propitiate all these children of the holy Church and draw them to Myself, so that on this path they may arrive infallibly at eternal salvation. However, the evil one has always tried and continues to thwart My intentions and those of My Most Holy Son. And although it cannot nullify the ordinances of the holy Church, it does at least make the greater part of the faithful unprofitable, and even bring condemnation to many of them. Satan himself will one day stand before the Throne of Justice against them, because they not only do not celebrate these especially holy and solemn days in the spirit of the holy Church, and do not devote themselves to worship and good works in them, but they even commit grievous sins in them, as is usually the case with men who worship carnal and worldly passions. If the faithful of the holy Church in general forget and despise this truth, and insult the holy days and the service of God; if in them they are habitually indulgent in licentious amusements and debauchery, gluttony and drunkenness; if, at the very time when they should be striving to appease the wrath of the Most High, they challenge His justice more, and instead of conquering their unsuspecting enemies, they allow themselves to be conquered, thereby facilitating the triumphs of their malice; Such a course is undeniably very reprehensible by its worthiness of forgetfulness and wicked indifference.