How do we know we are Carrying a Cross for Jesus as a Disciple for the Salvation of Souls?

When we truly repent of our sins with a contrite heart to Jesus, things begin to change! Sometimes we get an experience of actually feeling His Love in our hearts and a beautiful peace. Sometimes we may hear in our minds and truly feel like Jesus said “I Love You”. These are events that are hard to describe if you have never experienced it. St. Teresa of Calcutta had many visions and locutions of Jesus speaking to her saying, “I cannot go alone to the poor people, you carry me with you into them.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/did-you-know-mother-teresa-experienced-visions-of-jesus-60088. Mother Teresa received these visions and locutions for about a year and then a period of dryness, what the Doctors of the Faith call, the dark night occurred. But, Jesus knew this was enough along with the help of the Holy Spirit, to motivate St. Teresa to accomplish everything. Did her cross get heavy at times? Of course it did, but look at what she accomplished! You will know you are serving Jesus by the fruits you produce for Him, Luke 6: 43-45. This is the same for Prophets, Teachers and all Religious. If the fruits don’t point back to Jesus and God’s Word in the Holy Bible, then it is not coming from Jesus, Matthew 7: 16-20! Everything should always point back to Jesus and God Our Father. God has mercy, but it does not supersede His Law! Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law, not replace it, Matthew 5: 17-20. So, as we listen to Priests, Pastors, and Prophets, be sure and know their fruits!

As we grow in our Relationship with Jesus and we are transforming into His image, the cross may get heavy. What does this look like in life you ask? This can come in many ways depending on how God allows. Some of us get Cancer, some of us deal with the death of a loved one, some of us experience a traumatic event. But, these do not come from God you say? True, however He may allow them to occur to make us stronger in our faith, courage, hope and trust in Him to help us grow in our relationship with Him. The best well known example of this type of growth is Dr. Joyce Meyer. She was sexually and physically abused by her own father for many years as a child until Jesus delivered her from that tragic life. And, after all that, she forgave her father and he surrendered to Jesus before he died! Wow, what courage! Now, she evangelizes, gives her testimony on forgiveness and helps others get saved! If you are carrying a heavy cross right now, and offering up your pain and sorrow to Our Lord for the salvation of souls, you are serving Him! And, the more you surrender and come to Him with this cross, the more you grow in your Love for Him. He gives us these graces and sometimes it is hard for us to see them. Also, sometimes, it feels like we are going through the dark night, like St. Teresa of Calcutta, of dryness and not feeling His presence. This makes it difficult, but we have to remember our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, Isaiah 55: 8-11. He makes us more fruitful as we go through these trials with heavy crosses and we never understand until we get to the other side.

So, if you are carrying a heavy cross right now, chances are there is a reason for it that only God knows. Offer it up to Him and allow Him to give you graces to persevere. Ask for these graces to persevere and continue to offer up your pain and at times He may relieve the burden of the cross. It never hurts to seek healing from Priests, Pastors and Lay People who have received the gift of healing from the Holy Spirit, but know that God heals in His time, not ours. So, while you are waiting for that healing, study the lives of the Saints like St. Faustina, and St. Teresa of Calcutta. Also, study people like Dr. Joyce Meyer and understand that God is Our Creator and only He can allow the good, the bad, and the indifferent. If it helps to write or journal your thoughts on paper, do that too, but most importantly turn to Jesus through your suffering! The suffering doesn’t make us Saints. But, how we deal with suffering and turn to God so that He can use it to transform us, and serve others is the road to sainthood. So, if you are going to bear good fruit for Jesus, expect to see a cross somewhere along the way and pick it up and keep going! Never give up, because Jesus never gives up on us as sinners, and He wants all of us to be Saints. We just have to be able to see with our Spiritual eyes, that is His goal for all of us, no matter how much sin we have done. Repent of your sins and turn back to Jesus if you are suffering today and keep praying for His graces, and they will come! Sometimes the grace is learning how to be dependent on Him even for the small matters in life. Remember, we have to be like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. And sometimes a heavy cross humbles us enough to let go of our egos and become like little children to come back to Him!

In the meantime I am posting another video from Revelation Mary preparing us for these times. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mtYRNaqBPAs.