Let it be

"Two hearts, Mother and Son." 

Yesterday I watched the movie the Passion with a dear friend of mine who was watching it for the first time. 

This wasn't my first time watching the Passion movie but it was my first time focusing on Mary's surrender at the Cross.  

Mary's strength was found in her surrender.

Mary had to surrender her Son. 

Her ONLY Son.

God the Father's Son.

Mary had to surrender.

Mary's words "Let it be" stood out to me from the Hallow Pray 40 challenge this past week. 

These are words of surrender.

"Let it be done according to Your word." Luke 1:38

Mary couldn't stop the suffering and torture of her Son''s passion and death. 

She couldn't stop her heart from breaking. 

Two hearts died that day. 

However, Mary, clings to hope when darkness took away her light. 

She continues to pray, "Let it be." 

 Mary stayed with him, watching him sorrowfully to the bitter end.  

Her surrender through the sorrowful mysteries gives me strength to hope as Mary hoped at the Cross and tomb of her most beloved Son.

And he will destroy on this mountain

the shroud that is cast over all peoples,

the sheet that is spread over all nations;

he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,

and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.

This is the Lord for whom we have waited;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Isaiah 25:7-9 

Artwork by Erin K. McAtee

Gift of Surrender

I was listening to a Dynamic Catholic video and was reminded of the power in offering up our suffering.

This Lent has been an act of surrender. 

And here we are on the day of His Passion and Death. 

Our Lord offered up Himself for our salvation.

All for love. 

His words, "I commend my spirit."  

The ultimate GIFT of surrender.

“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us.”

Pope Saint John Paul II 

"But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed." 

Isaiah 53:5 

Artwork by Erin K. McAtee  

This is the Night

This is the night. 

The dark night.

Darkness kissed the night.

The night innocent blood was betrayed.

The night He sweated blood. 

The night His blood was poured out. 

Yet, that same night He gave us something to behold. 

"Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." 

Luke 22:19-20

Body and Blood.

Soul and Divinity. 

Himself poured out for you and for me.

Surely he has borne our infirmities

and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

Isaiah 53:4-7

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 

Images by Erin McAtee 

Not Giving Up

On this Palm Sunday, I listened to Father Mike Schmidt's homily on the Hallow App's Lenten Challenge.

I learned that surrender is not giving up. Surrender is giving access. 

It is an act of trust by accepting God's will and giving Him access to our hearts. 

"Pain on it's own is just painful. Suffering on it's own just hurts. We know that on its own, the cross simply crushes. Without Jesus, pain is just pain. But united with Jesus Christ, your cross and my cross has a new power." 

It means uniting our suffering with surrendering. 

Uniting with the One who surrendered and suffered it all for all of us. 

"Why do we voluntarily embrace suffering as Christians? Because we know that suffering is not senseless. We know that when we say "yes" to God's will in this moment it has power. When we surrender we are participating in the salvation of the world." 

Do not waste your suffering. 

Check out the "Sunday Sermon: Enter the Story" session in Hallow: https://hallow.app.link/AoHbE6KAeIb

O Humble Carpenter.

Lent and Sacrifice go together.  

Lent and Surrender do too. 

We need to make the sacrifice by surrendering our own will to God's will. 

This Lent has shown me that there are opportunities to surrender each and every day. 

Sacrifice becomes Surrender.  

Surrender becomes Sacrifice.

The act of surrender is a yes to sacrifice.  

This Lent has taught me that we are all called to sacrifice and to surrender our hearts to the Lord.

 "Pour out your life in small moments because it's only these moments that add up to the monumental...The only way to live a truly remarkable life is not to get everyone to notice you, but to leave noticeable marks of His love everywhere you go...Love is so large it has to live in the holiness of very small moments of sacrifice." 

Ann Voskamp, Be the Gift 

Notes I took from Ann Voskamp: 

"Not make impressions, make a difference. Not to one up but help each other up."  

Painting by Erin McAtee

 Happy birthday today, Erin! 

Your heart shines beautifully in all of your artwork! Thank you for sharing your beautiful heart and talent!  

The song "Wood and Nails" was playing in my head this morning. 

"O Humble Carpenter" keeps replaying over and over in my mind.

The One who gave the ultimate Sacrifice and the One who teaches us to Surrender. 

Come to Jesus

The Surrender Novena

Day 1

"Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations."

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

I have been listening to the "Lent Pray40" on the Hallow app. and praying with these words to surrender. 

I have learned that surrender is an act of trust. 

 Yesterday I went to the last two episodes of Season 4 of the Chosen.

This Season will pierce a lot of hearts. 

An hour or so after leaving the theater, I had a heat flash, which I am not used to experiencing. 

I sat down, drank some water, ate some food, and felt a lot better. 

However, I knew it was Jesus who was giving me relief. 

I came home and journaled before bed. 

My eyes filled with tears because the exact scripture I had written down was printed at the bottom of my notebook paper without me realizing it.   

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-30 

This was a "Come to Jesus" moment. 

Surrender. Trust.

"Trust is not trust if I need to know why to trust." Fr. Mike Schmitz 

Rest with these words and song lyrics.