Whoever wishes to follow Me must be ready to deny himself

Brothers, I have come to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I give you the Truth through what I teach.
I show you the Way through my sacrifice; I trace it out for you, I point it out to you.
But I give you Life through my Death. 

And remember that whoever answers my call and cooperates in the redemption of the world must be ready to die in order to give Life to others. Therefore, whoever wishes to follow Me must be ready to deny himself and follow Me as one newly awakened. Let each one take up his cross as I will take up mine. Let him take it even if it seems too humiliating. Let the weight of his cross crush his human self to free his spiritual self, for whom the cross is not an object of horror but rather one of support and veneration, because the spirit knows. And with his cross, let him follow Me. Be happy and rejoice, for you will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God, while it will be a disgrace to be cowardly in the face of spiritual heroism. Brothers, you say you want to follow me; then do so by the narrower but holy path. Prepare yourselves with courage; you will not be alone, for I will be your support.

I leave you my peace.

Commentary on the message:

Being friends of Jesus and being his followers is not easy. The path to follow is that of the cross, of daily sufferings, of sorrows, of physical illnesses, of humiliations. Following Jesus means placing oneself at the service of those in need, giving all one’s energy to those undergoing trials. This is the only path that leads to Heaven, but it is not a desolate path. There is another traveler with us, who keeps us company and sustains us.

His name is Jesus of Nazareth.