HOPE IN SURRENDER
This week is filled with powerful reminders of holy surrender. As you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today, recall his unwavering trust in God’s providence as he gave his life in service to the people of Ireland. His famous prayer, Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me…, is a beautiful model of surrendering all to Christ.
Midweek, we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, a man who embodied surrender in the most profound way. He trusted God’s will completely, taking Mary into his home, fleeing to Egypt, and raising Jesus with quiet obedience. St. Joseph shows us that surrender is not passive but active, it is saying yes to God even when we don’t have all the answers. (Because this is a solemnity, Wednesday is a day of joy and celebration, free from your Lenten sacrifices.)
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"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” ~Luke 6:36-38
Surrender is not easy. It asks you to release control, to lay down your fears and expectations, and to trust that God’s way is better than your own. And yet, Jesus’ words here are an invitation to hope...hope that when you surrender your tendency to judge, you will receive mercy. Hope that when you let go of resentment, you will be forgiven. Hope that when you give freely, you will receive abundance beyond what you can imagine.
Surrendering to Christ does not mean losing yourself; it means finding the freedom you long for. When you anchor your hearts in Him, you are no longer held captive by your own narrow vision, your own need to grasp and control. Instead, you are free to love as He loves: generously, mercifully, without fear. And the promise? That when you live this way, grace comes pouring back into your life, overflowing in ways you never expected.
Where in your life is Jesus asking you to surrender today? Maybe it's in your marriage, where resentment has taken root. Maybe it’s in your parenting, where fear of the future feels overwhelming. Maybe it’s in your own heart, where self-judgment and criticism has made it hard to receive the love and mercy of God. Whatever it is, hear His words as a promise: surrendering to love will never leave you empty.
Let Us Pray:
Jesus, You call me to a life of surrender; not a surrender that leaves me powerless, but one that fills me with Your strength. You remind me that when I let go, You take over. That when I give, You pour back into my life. That when I choose mercy, You cover me in Your grace.
Help me to trust You more. To release my grip on the things I cannot control and to place them in Your hands. To love without condition, to forgive without hesitation, and to give without fear. Anchor my heart in You, Lord, so that I may live in the hope of Your promises, today and always.
Amen.
HOPE For Your Health: Trusting in God's Design
This week, we increase our daily fast to 14 hours, embracing a deeper surrender of comforts, routines, and expectations.
Last night, we finished our Sunday dinner "early", around 5PM, so with increasing the fast to 14 hours, I will not eat again until at least 7AM.
As you are learning throughout this intermittent fasting experience, fasting is not simply about food; it is about trust and surrender. Your body can do this! Do you trust that God’s design for your body and soul can lead you to greater freedom? When you fast, you acknowledge that your deepest hunger is for God, not for the temporary satisfaction of food.
Fasting also calls you to surrender control. Our culture tells you that you should always be in control of your time, your schedule, and even your food. But surrendering control over when you eat reminds you that God is the ultimate provider. He gives you all you need, at the right time, in the right measure. By fasting, you train your heart to wait on Him, rather than indulging every craving on demand.
Beyond food, fasting is also an opportunity to surrender expectations. Do you have thoughts and expectations of how your days should go, how others should act, how your time should be spent. When you fast, you willingly set aside your preferences and comforts, learning to be flexible and open to God’s plans instead of your own. In this way, fasting becomes not just an external discipline, but an internal transformation, one that helps you grow in patience, humility, and trust.
As you embrace this deeper fast this week, remember that your strength comes from the Lord. When you feel hunger or discomfort, you can turn to prayer, offering your small sacrifice as an act of love for a personal intention.
HOPE For Your Marriage:
Sacramental Graces
Marriage is a daily invitation to surrender...not in defeat, but in love. It is the choice to let go of keeping score, to release the need to be right, to offer mercy instead of holding onto past hurts. Jesus’ words in today's gospel remind us that the way you love your spouse, the way you measure out grace, forgiveness, and generosity, will be poured back into your marriage in ways you can not even begin to imagine.
Hope in marriage is found not in control, but in surrender. When you surrender your pride, you make room for real connection. When you let go of judgment, you open the door for healing. When you give selflessly, you create space for love to grow. It is in this daily dying to self...choosing patience over frustration, kindness over criticism, and service over selfishness...that you discover the abundance Jesus promises.
What would happen in your marriage if you gave more than you measured? If you forgave before an apology? If you looked at your spouse with eyes of mercy, even when they least deserve it? Love in marriage is not about equality and being "fair"...it is more about surrendering to the way Christ loves you: mercifully, generously, and without end.
Challenge:
Choose one way to surrender today: surrender a complaint and replace it with gratitude, let go of a small irritation instead of bringing it up, or give an unexpected act of kindness without expecting anything in return. Offer it as a gift, trusting that God will pour grace back into your marriage.
CROCKPOT CORNED BEEF
This recipe has been a St. Patrick's Day tradition on our home for as long as I can remember. I came across the original recipe (New England Boiled Dinner...or something like that) in a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that we received as a wedding gift almost 34 years ago! The cookbook is gone, but the recipe lives on in my head (and my heart) since I have made it so many times!
INGREDIENTS:
3-4# corned beef brisket, with seasoning packet
1 yellow onion, sliced thick
2-3 large carrots, cleaned and cut into 3" pieces
2 teaspoons dried thyme, (or a couple sprigs of fresh thyme if available)
1 quart water (can use Guinness or a stout Irish beer as part of your quart of water to infuse a heartier flavor)
1/2 head of cabbage
1# baby yukon gold potatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the cut carrots and onion into the bottom of a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle the thyme on the veggies.
Place the corned beef, fat side up, on top of the carrots and onions in the slow cooker. Cover with 1 quart of water and sprinkle with the seasoning packet. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours.
Cut the cabbage into 4-6 large chunks. Place the potatoes in the slow cooker around the sides of the corned beef and place the cabbage on top of everything. Cover and cook on high until the corned beef is tender and the cabbage and potatoes are soft (approx.2 hours).
Remove the corned beef from the slow cooker and slice. Place the veggies in a bowl and serve with the meat.
Season with additional salt and pepper on serving plate if desired. Honey mustard is a lovely condiment.
May you never forget what is worth remembering,
Nor ever remember what is best forgotten.
~Irish Blessing
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