‘Crawl on your knee from the point I appeared to you (pointing to where the grotto is) put the crucifix close to the spring embrace and kiss it and wash yourself with the spring.’
Friends, we have been watching with the Mother of Jesus since yesterday. The display of ultimate LOVE.
It is incomprehensible. Although we read about it from the Holy Bible, we have seen it acted by actors, we read about it from Saints and mystics but it is still a mystery, that the most powerful become powerless because of LOVE. Praise be to God for this mystery.
For our Blessed mother, she wrapped everything into silence, that mysterious and divine silence.
Can we comprehend the enormity of her suffering? The lifeless body of her son was given to her to carry. In most cultures, especially in Africa, a mother is not allowed to see the dead body of her child. It is believed that the suffering for such a mother would be too great, and unbearable. But our Blessed Lady carried her dead child. The suffering and agony of having to carry her dead child, is one of the many swords that penetrated through her heart. But she displayed supreme stillness and silently bearing these pains in a most dignified manner.
Our Blessed Mother perfectly understood the sufferings of our Blessed Lord. During the apparition, she constantly asked us to untie the thorns surrounding the heart of Jesus. How do we do this, through our own total conversion to Jesus, meaning we have to constantly purify ourselves by frequenting confession, stripping ourselves of envy, arrogance, pride, anger, gluttony, gossip and all forms of impurities. If we carry on with these bad habits, we show ingratitude to our Blessed Lord, we tighten the thorns around the heart of Jesus. Let us become silently and acutely aware of our shortcomings and rid ourselves of these sins. Is this not the reason why she herself gave us the penance track at Aokpe.
‘Crawl on your knee from the point I appeared to you (pointing to where the grotto is) put the crucifix close to the spring embrace and kiss it and wash yourself with the spring.’ Our Blessed Lady made me practice these instructions in her presence may be so that I do not forget.
Do you notice, throughout the way of the cross, Our Blessed Lady altered no words. She only looked to her son silently because through silence everything becomes clear; it is never in noise and endless complaints. Silence!
Our Blessed Mother had given us a perfect example of how to handle our sufferings in this life. As a father, mother, woman, man, a pastor, husband, wife, she calls us to do one thing. Only one thing; Silence!
As we remain with our Blessed Lady, praying with and consoling her like those courageous women, and St John at the foot of the cross, let us like her practice silence for there is too much noise around, not only the physical noise but the noise in our hearts. Let us silence the internal noise too, friends.
I pray that the grace we have received in this holy season, remain with us forevermore. Amen.
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