Mortification's lead to the Cross

Jesus speaks of a daily cross.  "And he said, if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:22

Is there is such a thing Christianity without a cross?

"Whoever does not take up his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27

This Christianity is without redemption unless the cross is part of it.  Lukewarmness symptoms is when we want to remove the cross or abandon it, or resit doing any form of mortification. To flee from the cross is to turn our backs on holiness and joy we could receive.  Those who abandon mortification is engrossed in their senses of the world and is incapable of any supernatural thoughts.

Mortification is closely related to joy and it is when our hearts can get purified.  When we except the cross in little things; it can be accomplished by carrying out each day, especially during lent. We should avoid being lazy, avoid being selfish, envy and so on. To deal with petty  annoyances is another form of mortification which may occur at work or at home; such as a person with strong personality, a sudden change of plans in the last minute, discomfort in heat or cold. Enjoy these daily "pinpricks"

We need to be courageous not to complain about these little things so we can reach that true joy.  This will help us to grow spiritually through the spirit of penance.  It will help us improve in the virtue of patience, charity and understanding.

We will have setbacks but accept those with humility and start again, so then you be persistent in holiness.