The Blessed Lady appeared and said, "*Hold firm to Jesus and carry your cross. Do not abandon it, of course the evil one will mock you, but be firm and you will overcome. I, your mother followed the way of my Lord and that is why I was so gloriously raised up to Heaven."
Message of the Blessed Lady to Christiana Agbo at Aokpe, Nigeria - 18th August 1995
Many Christians today do not want to identify with the suffering saviour. They only talk about the glorious Christ. They misinterpret the words of our saviour “it is finished” (Jn. 19:30). Only few realize that there is no Easter Sunday without a good Friday. It is either we are caught choosing a Christless Cross or a crossless Christ as we scheme to avoid discomfort.
However, the Saints have continued to teach us that there is no crown without a cross. As Christians, our heavenly Mother reminds us of that very fact of life. We must, each, carry our cross and follow Jesus (Mt. 16:24-26) who has been identified as the suffering servant of Yahweh, daily.
The way of the Lord is the way of the cross. Our Lord recommended it to all his disciples in the passage above and Our Lady did not only implement it but calls on all her children to do the same. Let us also be clear here that there are some situations we find ourselves that we mistake for a cross, thus we either capitulate or become complacent with conditions we ought to deal with.
With St. Martins, we pray: Lord, give me the serenity to bear the things I cannot change (My cross), the courage to change the things I should (some nasty situations I need to challenge and subdue), and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.