61 | I Never Understood Jesus’ Suffering Like This… Until Now (Good Friday Reflection)

Speaker A: 00:00:01

They punched him in the head over 150 times. They spit in his face over 180 times. Over 1,000 insults, 1,000 in almost six hours. And he never responded.

According to the saints, today is Good Friday and I felt something within my heart to share with you. I want to invite you into something that's deeper than just remembering.

Because for a long time I heard the Passion of Jesus, but I never truly understood what he endured until it changed everything for me. Today we don't rush, we stay with Jesus. Just like he asked his disciples to stay awake with him as he prayed.

And if you're listening during the 3 o' clock hour, I invite you to take a moment of silence, grab your rosary, your Bible, and let's stay with Jesus.

If you're tired of feeling unsure about your purpose because you don't know how to hear God clearly and you want simple faith rooted steps to discern his will and move forward with confidence, you're in the right place. I'm Michelle, a cradle Catholic mom of three and a discernment coach for Catholic women.

I learned how to move from confusion and overthinking to hearing God's voice clearly and moving forward with confidence in his will. So if you're ready to grow closer to God, begin discovering how God uniquely made you and experience that mindset transformation.

Grab that laundry, pop in those earbuds and let's go. Lately I've been hearing a lot of this. What does it actually mean to surrender? How do I surrender to God? Do I just stop doing everything?

And I wrestled with that too. But something shifted to me a few years ago and it wasn't from a strategy and it wasn't from a plan.

It was from coming face to face with Jesus and what he actually did for me. And that's when everything started to change.

As we enter into Good Friday, we remember the Passion of Jesus not just as a story, but as something real. I was visiting my family this past weekend and the priest gave a short but it was to the point homily for Palm Sunday.

And to paraphrase what he said, this isn't just a story. This is the execution of God. And that stopped me. And I even have goosebumps right now up and down my arms and legs.

And as you've been listening to me, you know that goosebumps is the Holy Spirit. I've heard that from a couple of Catholic priests saying, when you get those goosebumps, that's the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus willingly.

So back to what I was talking about because Jesus willingly accepted this. He chose this for you and for me. This morning, as I'm listening to a homily from Father Mike Beer, it stopped me in my tracks all over again.

And I just felt like this was something that I needed to share. My story of the surrendering and what Jesus endured. He said.

Now, according to St. Elizabeth, St. Matilda, St. Bridget, St. Catherine, Emmerich, they actually got to see the crucifixion play out. He carried a cross 12ft tall and 8ft wide. He carried it for a mile, for three hours. They punched him in the head over 150 times.

They spit in his face over 180 times. Over 1,000 insults, 1,000 and almost six hours. And he never responded, according to the saints.

Now there were 600 soldiers that were surrounding him, Eddie assigned just to mock him, to spit on him, to push him. The crown of thorns alone has over 100 wounds to his head. He has 20 legitimate holes from the crown of the thorns of which three are fatal.

If they never touched him, he would die from the crown of thorns alone, not counting the 6 inch spikes that went through his hands. We do believe that they had to dislocate.

We actually believe they dislocated both shoulders, not to mention the 16 inch spikes that went through both feet. And according to the saints, they didn't get it right the first time, so they had to back it out and do it again.

They dropped the crucifix twice with him on it. And I invite you to, just to sit with that for a second to soak in part of what we know of what he endured.

And in the Gospel of Matthew we, we read, they spat in his face and struck him and some slapped him, they mocked him, they struck him on the head and they led him away to crucify him. And he said nothing.

Not to even mention how many times they scourged him, they flogged him, taking weapons that were meant designed to rip the flesh off the skin. And I can't even imagine. But again, he said nothing. He didn't defend himself, he didn't walk away. He.

Even in the garden, when he asked for the chalice to pass, he still chose the Father's will. He accepted it fully. And when I really let this sink in, something just broke my heart.

And even now, as I'm telling you this right now, it's breaking my heart even more. Because he didn't have to do any of it. He chose it. He was innocent. And he did not have to go through this because he was not guilty.

He didn't do anything wrong. So to think about that, he did not complain once or speak up as he endured this excruciating pain for you and I. He chose this for you and me.

And I remember thinking back then, if he was willing to go through that for me, how can I keep holding back from him? How can I keep saying later, God, when I have more time, when I feel more ready, no more excuses. And that's where everything changed for me.

Because surrendering stopped being confusing. It becomes simple. Not easy, but simple. It became Jesus, you did that for me. You gave everything for me. I give you everything in return.

I give you my Yes, I am your instrument. Work through me. Jesus, you are the author of my story, my life. I hand over my life to you as you know what is best for me.

When I will not try to control my life. Please help me hand over all control of my life to you. I need your grace to do this. You are God and I am not today. Don't rush past this.

Quiet the noise around you for Jesus. Give him some of your time. And I encourage you to spend some time on Good Friday if you can attend the mass and just meet Jesus.

And if you're unable to, that's fine. Spend some time reading and reflecting on Jesus Passion and the readings for this particular church cycle that we are in.

The readings are John: 18:19

Enter into his last days on earth with Him. Let him speak to your heart and see where he is inviting you.

And if something is stirring in you, that desire to stop holding back, to stop making excuses, to finally say yes to the life that God is calling you to, don't ignore that. That's not random. That's an invitation. Today we don't just remember what Jesus did, we respond.

If you feel called to take that next step in discerning your purpose with God, you can come book a session with me at michellebrannam.com coaching I'll also have the link in the episode description as well. So just to recap, the Passion isn't just a story, it's a real love poured out for you. Jesus chose the cross. He wasn't forced into it.

And when you truly see his sacrifice, it changes how you respond. And surrender isn't complicated. It's your yes to the One who gave everything.

Let us pray in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus, thank you for the cross. Thank you for choosing this for me. I don't want to hold anything back from you anymore.

I surrender my plans, my fears, my control, and I give you my yes, give me the grace to follow you, no matter what it costs. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Now let's take this from head to heart today.

nd be with the Gospel of John: 18:19

Don't rush past this moment and if this episode really spoke to you, come join us inside our free Facebook community, Finding youg Purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms.

And I'd really love to know what really stirred up in your heart from this Remember, my beautiful sister in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose. You were made to do great things. God is within you and you will not fail. I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation. Until then, may God bless you and give you peace. I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

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Okay, time to tackle the laundry and unload the dishwasher. Gotta go. I'll see you next Tuesday for another conversation.