Dear Readers,

In the message I am sharing with you, the Blessed Mother speaks of the power of the Cross. She also addresses important issues concerning the times to come, and She calls us to seriously decide for God. Her words are the strong words of a Mother who wants the good for her children and knows the dangers they are facing. I believe these words will make us reflect on how we live and bear witness to Christ in these both difficult and great times in which the Lord works to snatch His children from the corruption of the world.

I greet and bless you in Christ. God may give you peace.

Stefania Caterina

Message of Our Lady of 14 September 2012 – Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“Dear children,

I bless you on this important day in which you venerate the Cross of My Son. Today you do not only celebrate the memory of His torture but also the memorial of the power that emanates from the Cross. Often you forget the power of the Cross, which is immense, truly immense.

On the Cross, Jesus entrusted Me to John and John to Me. In that moment, My motherhood burst forth in all its power. Motherhood was a gift placed within Me from the moment of My conception, but through the Cross, the Death, and the Resurrection of My Son it became fully active. The same happened within John and many others throughout the centuries. All the graces that God gave you at the moment of your conception and at your baptism would never become active within you without the strength that comes from Jesus’ Cross. The Cross is much more than a symbol that recalls My Son’s Sacrifice: God’s power emanates from it and becomes active through Jesus’ Sacrifice. Therefore, the Cross is placed on the altar: it testifies to the power operating in the Sacrament by virtue of My Son’s Sacrifice. For Christians, the Cross is not a symbol of death; rather, it acts aiming at the resurrection.

Today I call you to renew your faithfulness to My Son, who works in you through the power of the Cross. Each one of you is called to bear your own cross, not to be crushed by it, but to be filled with the strength that emanates from it and that leads you directly to the Resurrection, as long as you bear the cross with love for My Son.

Offer on the altar all the gifts you have received from God so that the power of the Cross may renew and strengthen them in preparation for the particular times that lie ahead: times rich with graces but also filled with battles and harshness which you will have to go through to win. In saying this, I do not mean to frighten you; you have nothing to fear, for God will always give you the strength to accomplish what is asked of you.

As a true Mother, I wish to warn you that difficult times are awaiting you; a mother never hides danger from her children, even if this may upset them. Ensure that the power of the Cross always accompanies you; remain united to Jesus’ Cross, for without it, your gifts cannot flourish and operate in the situations that await you. Without the power of the Cross, the power of the Resurrection cannot be unleashed.

In the times to come, confrontation with the spirit of the world will be inevitable; sooner or later, this will happen. If this were not to occur, you would not be a clear sign of contradiction. Remember that you are a sign of contradiction to the world, just as Jesus was[1]; this is why the world will consider you very troublesome. You will be an ever greater and more evident sign of contradiction. God acts in the hearts of people of goodwill to form a new people for Himself, faithful to Him until the end. This new people will be a great sign of contradiction. The clash between the new people, renewed by the Holy Spirit, and the old one, clinging to its own interests, will be inevitable.

Even in the Church, there will be a sharp contrast between those who are open to the newness of the times and those who are not. It is right for this to happen, for it is the only way God can renew His Church. The Church cannot be merely an association of people united for religious purposes, remaining unchanged over the centuries. The Church is a living people that the Holy Spirit continuously guides and shapes, where individuals are united by the love of Christ to testify to that same love in the world, for the glory of the Father.

New times are dawning for humanity and new paths are unfolding for the people of God. God’s newness is never a violent revolution but rather a process of renewal and transformation that begins in the heart of every person of goodwill and is transmitted to others until it reaches the renewal of the multitudes. It is yeast that leavens the dough, as Jesus explained to you. The same occurred with the coming of Jesus: a few individuals, inflamed by divine love, testified to His teachings and many came to believe. God transforms without destroying because He seeks to recover all the good that resides in each one of you. Even within the Church, there is much good that will not be lost. Nevertheless, My Son wants His Church to manifest the Life of the Trinity in its fullness, the only life that can save you. Therefore, His hand will move through the Church and restore all that has been diverted; He will straighten the winding paths and manifest Himself to His people as the only Lord.

My Lord has sent Me to you many times to help you understand His will, to comfort you on your journey on Earth, a thorny path that I know very well. I have appeared in many places around the world, ceaselessly calling you to goodness, to live a life with God, and to repent. Often I have healed you from infirmity. Like a true Mother, I have bent over you; however, I have not come only to comfort you but to instruct you in the ways of God, and to show you a path. Yet, only a few of you have truly understood this. Often, you have asked only for a blessing, without accepting what I was trying to convey. Like stubborn children, you have continued on your usual path without changing yourselves, content with My caress but never truly throwing yourselves into My arms. You have crowded My Sanctuaries, which you have built yourselves, to present your sorrows, yet you have never accepted what I truly wanted to give you: the Life of God that I carried in My womb and that I hold in My Heart—Jesus.

Children, I do not wish to scold you but to help you understand. Once again, I invite you to offer your lives to My Son through My Motherly Heart. Place yourselves and everything you possess in God’s hands, and allow Him to transform you. Renew your thoughts, prayers, and aspirations. Elevate yourselves to God and set aside the things of the Earth. Even if you possess many things, only one truly counts—God’s Love. You will find it when you find Jesus in your heart.

Strive to grow both as human beings and as believers. Cultivate a meaningful relationship with God: it is no longer sufficient to recite prayers hastily or to participate carelessly in rituals. If you wish to be part of the new creation, you must allow the Holy Spirit to renew you completely and remain mindful of your commitment as Christians.

How can you do this? By earnestly beginning a path in the footsteps of Jesus. Throughout the centuries, in various places, I have repeatedly invited you to follow My Son and to live according to His teachings. I showed you how to do it by repeating always the same words, ensuring they may be imprinted in your souls. I repeat those words now: the offering of yourselves to God, the abandonment of yourselves to His will; prayer, penance, renunciation of personal selfishness, and conversion; and, above all, to love God above everything and everyone. These are important words that God has sent Me to tell you, but they remain empty if you do not decide to die to yourselves to rise again as new human beings.

I call you once again to decide for God. My children, there is not much time left to do so, for God is shortening the times. If you remain passive now, you will later find yourselves in great difficulties, as My Son’s hand will pass swiftly and many things will change. Therefore, hasten to seek the Lord; this is a moment of special graces for those who desire to seek God!

My beloved children, I will always be with you and pray for you. Nevertheless, I tell you that the time of My apparitions on Earth is nearing its end. In the times to come, you will be able to feel My presence beside you in spirit only if you are united with God. My apparitions have been an extraordinary grace, freely given to all humanity so that it may convert: but this has not happened. The majority of humanity has not believed in My apparitions; it mocked and opposed those who believed. Even within the Church, they became a topic of endless and pointless debates and disagreements. My presence among you has thus become a sign of contradiction, even in the Church.

Now the time for graces given freely is coming to an end, and God has sent Me to tell you. The Lord, God of the universe, will no longer permit those who do not believe to revile His children or hinder them on their path towards Him. Each of you is called to make a definitive choice: with God or against God; nothing will remain in the middle.

Conversely, for those who believe and walk faithfully before God, new dimensions will open up. The graces rejected by the world and, sadly by many Christians, will be given to the true children of God, those in whom there is no guile. The time of hypocrisy is finished; the time of compromises with the truth is over. Those who are sincere will receive from God the strength and the intelligence to understand in their spirit the signs of the times in order to collaborate with the extraordinary instruments of God, who are all at work in these times.

All those who, in recent years, have consecrated themselves to My Heart with love and sincerity, who have walked with Me, suffered and prayed, will feel Me very near because I will be by their side. My presence will be felt by good and simple souls with the same intensity as they now perceive it in My Sanctuaries.

As I said, My apparitions on Earth will cease; however, the Lord, in His great Mercy, has granted Me what I requested: in My Sanctuaries, special graces will continue to operate. I asked for this grace for you so that you would not be left without help, especially for those among you who have only just decided for God and are not yet able to feel My presence in their spirit. If they are sincere and faithful, they will receive strength and support in My Sanctuaries. Know, though, that graces will no longer be granted to those who visit My Sanctuaries without faith, out of curiosity, as tourists, or with the intention to obtain something, only to forget the graces received. Furthermore, understand that My Sanctuaries will no longer serve as religious markets: they must be places of grace and silence, where the people will remember My coming among you and honour Me as Mother and Queen. The time for human cunning and broken promises is over. No more joking with the Lord. Those who promise to follow Him and be faithful to Him must do so earnestly; this applies to everyone, from the greatest to the lowest among the people of God.

Dear children, do not think that My words are harsh. If I speak in this way, it is because I love you immensely and desire that you may enter the new creation one day. I have reminded you of the seriousness of these times, but I do not want you to feel upset. Everything is in the hands of God, and those who rely on Him will never have to fear anything. However, be prepared to be signs of contradiction before the world, as this will provide you with the opportunity to be true witnesses of Christ.

What I have told you will take place in the times and in the manner set by God, which only He knows. Much will depend on the decisions of people and what comes about within their souls. Therefore, I invite you to say YES to God, letting go of worries and fears. Have faith, and God will fulfil His plans in you, through you, and for the benefit of His children throughout the entire universe. Those who reject God will not be able to take part in His Life. It is painful for Me to say this, but this is the time when God is examining humanity. After so much Mercy on God’s part, now the time of His Justice begins. Justice is as necessary as Mercy for saving humanity from Lucifer’s corruption. However, do not be afraid, for God’s Justice always goes hand in hand with His Mercy; were it not so, who among you could stand before the face of God?

I began this exposition by speaking about the power of the Cross. Now more than ever, this power will be alive and operating among the people of God, keeping the enemy at bay. As your Mother, I tell you: have faith and love God, leave the rest to Him, and He will perfectly accomplish His work. This is not the time to worry about passing matters; now is the time to commit to the Kingdom of God with great responsibility. I am near you and I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

[1] See Lk 2, 33-34