Holy Week - Saturday

Saturday was a day of sorrow and disbelief for Jesus' followers. He had been buried Friday before the Sabbath began. They did not know, nor did they understand, that Jesus was not lost forever. Prior to His sacrifice, He told them He would not leave them comfortless. In John 14:26-27, Jesus says:

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We all have our Saturdays. Sometimes life is dark and hard. Sometimes you feel lost. Sometimes you feel hopeless. But Sunday will come. Sunday always comes. You will see the Son. He will give you light. He will give you peace. He will give you hope.

Xoxo

Mattie

Holy Week - Good Friday

On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was tried, condemned, beaten, whipped, spit at, and crucified. Despite the unfairness of His trial and the horrible way they treated Him, He did not end His suffering until His work was finished.

Luke 23: 46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

He made sure His mother was going to be taken care of, and then He was able to finish His work. He endured the darkest, hardest day in the history of the world alone so that we don't have to.

I am so grateful that He loved and loves us enough to sacrifice Himself so that He can be with us through our darkest moments.

Xoxo

Mattie

Holy Week - Thursday

On the Thursday of Jesus' last week of His mortal ministry, He sits down with His disciples for Passover, in what we call the Last Supper. During this time, He institutes the sacrament, washes their feet, and tells them He loves them. He also tells them that they need to do as He did to them. We read this account in John 13:

12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

After their dinner, they went to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus walked off by Himself and prayed to the Father. Throughout the events of the rest of the evening, Jesus gives us many examples of His love and of ways to serve and be His disciples. 

During His time in the Garden, He asked Heavenly Father to remove the cup, but if it be His will, Jesus would do it. I love this example of how to work through any trials or challenges in our lives. We don't have to like them, and they can be really difficult, but we can do it, as Jesus did, by turning to God.

Jesus' example of perseverance during the events of this day is something we can all follow in our everyday lives. He did not let the jeers and taunts get to Him. He did not let the difficulty of the events of the day stop Him from continuing. He knew that His sacrifice was needed for us to be able to return to live with the Father again. His love for us was greater than the discomfort and difficulty of His Atonement and Crucifixion. He pushed through for us. His love and devotion to follow the will of the Father give me comfort in my trials. 

Xoxo

Mattie

Holy Week - Wednesday

We don’t know exactly what happened on Wednesday during the Savior’s last week of His ministry, but there is still so much we can talk about. 

Prior to His last week, Jesus visited His friends Mary and Martha in Bethany. On His way there, their brother, Lazarus, passed away. 

We read in John 11:35-36:

35 Jesus wept. 

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

When Jesus arrives in Bethany, His love for Lazarus, Mary, and Martha is so great, He raises Lazarus from the dead. 

Jesus’ love for us is so great, He suffered and died for us so that we can all live again, as He did when He rose on the third day. 

Xoxo

Mattie

Holy Week - Tuesday

On the Tuesday during His last week of mortal ministry, Jesus spends the day teaching and serving His followers. 

In the book of Matthew chapter 25 verses 35-40, Jesus gives the following parable:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

There are lots of ways to serve those around us, but the most important way is to make sure they know they’re loved and appreciated. As we serve others, we are serving and drawing closer to Him. I love that this leads back to loving God and our neighbors, as we’ve been learning this week. 

Xoxo
Mattie

Holy Week - Monday

On Monday, Jesus cleansed the temple and healed people. I love how this exemplifies the two great commandments we are asked to follow and that He focused on yesterday: love God and our neighbor. 

Jesus shows His love for God by cleansing the temple and creating a holy space for His followers to be able to worship Heavenly Father. He shows His love for His neighbors by healing the sick and blind. I love how Jesus gives us lots of examples of ways to show our love for God and our neighbor throughout His entire ministry. 

While we usually think about showing our love for God in spiritual ways, such as studying our scriptures and serving in the temple, there are other ways we can show our love for God. Just like Jesus, we can create a clean physical space in our homes to give us a holy, clean place where we can worship God. Even just having a clean and holy space in our homes brings the Spirit into our home, making it easier to love and serve our family (and neighbors).

Xoxo
Mattie

Holy Week - Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week,  Jesus Christ’s last week of ministry on Earth. 

Ricky and I were able to discuss Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem today. 

His followers in the city laid down cloaks and palm fronds for Him to walk across as He rode the donkey into town, crying shouts of “Hosanna!”, which means, “please save us”. 

Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was. In Matthew 22:37-40, it states:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The first message Jesus gives in His last week is to love God and our neighbor. I think that is the most poetic and important message He could give at the start of the last week of His life, in which He embodies the spirit of these two commandments by following His Father’s plan in order to save us. 

I’m thankful for Jesus’s example throughout His entire ministry, but especially in His last week. I love the tradition of going through the events of His last week and am so grateful for the opportunity to study it every year. 

Xoxo
Mattie

Prayers to the Father

Jesus Christ shows us throughout His entire ministry, but especially throughout His last week in mortality, of the importance of communication with our Heavenly Father. I love His relationship with Heavenly Father. That is the kind of relationship I am trying to develop with my Heavenly Father. He is always ready and willing to listen, and I love that!

From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' website about Easter week today:

The last week of Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry is filled with prayer. There are the prayers He offers on behalf of His disciples, filled with timeless words of comfort and guidance. But there are also the prayers that He encourages them to offer on their own. He knows that soon His disciples will be without Him, and so He lets them know the importance of praying, encouraging them to ask their Father in Heaven for the things they’ll need to make it through the challenges ahead. Through His words and His example, they learn that when they make the effort to pray to the Father, no matter what happens, they will never be alone.

#BecauseOfHim, I’m never alone

Jesus told His disciples He would be with them always. He’s here for you too. As you draw near to the Father in prayer, you will draw near unto Christ as well.

Prayer is a powerful way to grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t mean it always comes easily. [It's like anything else–the more you practice, the better you get.] (My thoughts)

I am so grateful for the power of prayer, and for the love and peace that I feel as I communicate with my Father in Heaven through my Savior–His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the example of Jesus on how to communicate with Heavenly Father.

I am also grateful that Heavenly Father is flexible and comes to us as we are. He knows our circumstances, which is super important because sometimes I communicate with Him in ways other than through prayer. There are times where praying the way I do at night or in the morning is just not practical. Sometimes, I am driving and can only shout out loud, "Heavenly Father, please keep me safe from the flying grill rack!" (Yes, this is a true story that did happen this week. On Monday, of all days. What a way to start the week!) But He knows me, and my surroundings, and understands that some situations call for different forms of communication with Him. And I love that He is so understanding. We are truly never alone because He is always with us.

As it is Easter time, it is supposed to be springtime, too, but that has seen a slight ice patch in the road 🤣. Spring is coming–slowly, but it is coming. I am really looking forward to the warmer weather that will most surely bring about more family walks around the neighborhoods and parks! I love walking with Ricky, but I also love seeing families out for strolls. It makes my heart happy to see. We live in such a beautiful world handcrafted by our Heavenly Father for us, I love to be out enjoying and exploring and seeing others get to experience it too!

I hope that this week has been going well for all of you. I hope and pray that all is well with you and your loved ones. 

Xoxo

Mattie

Timeless Words of Peace

Today is Holy Tuesday. Today is the day that Jesus teaches parables and discusses prophecies about Him from the scriptures and prophets. 

From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' website today:

As Jesus Christ continues to teach His followers, one thing becomes clear—Jesus has a deep knowledge and love of the scriptures. Throughout the week, Jesus often quotes the very scriptures He’s fulfilling. For those who listen, prophecies that were by then hundreds of years old become powerful and new. Suddenly, the scriptures don’t seem so ancient. With the help of Jesus Christ, they see that the word of God does not have an expiration date. No matter what era we live in, we can find peace in the powerful parallels between the scriptures and our own lives.

#BecauseOfHim, I feel peace

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” —John 14:27​

Jesus’s teachings are everywhere in the scriptures, and they can fill your life with peace. [Make time to sit and study the scriptures by yourself or with your family and friends. 

(The last sentence is my own comment.)

I am grateful for all of Jesus' teachings, and for His instruction on prophecies, parables, and other scriptures. I am grateful to have the scriptures to look to for His guidance and direction in my life. I am grateful to be able to have the Holy Ghost with me, to be able to help lead me in my life and connect with my Heavenly Parents and my Savior.

Xoxo

Mattie

An Act of Astonishing Bravery

Today is Holy Monday. Today is the day Jesus visited and cleansed the temple.

From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' website today:

During Jesus’s time in Jerusalem, He visits the temple. There, inside His Father’s house, Jesus sees various merchants doing business. To see a place of worship converted into a center of commerce is something that Jesus cannot abide. Speaking with unmistakable authority, He commands them to leave. The cleansing of the temple at Jerusalem was an act of astonishing bravery. We can take courage knowing that Jesus Christ did what He knew to be right, whether it was popular or not.

#BecauseOfHim, I have courage

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” —Philippians 4:13​​

What task feels especially difficult for you right now? It could be setting up a therapy appointment, asking for a raise at work, or reconciling with a loved one. Today, make a plan to accomplish it. Jesus can help you find the courage you need.

Something that has been a challenge for me recently is very personal, so I will not be sharing specifically what it is, but what I have been doing to overcome it has been because of Him. Because of Him, I have chosen to keep pressing forward. Because of Him, I have chosen to continue to have faith in Him. Because of Him, I have been brave in being honest with myself about the things I am going through. Because of Him, I can do hard things.

I am ever so grateful for His example of strength and courage in times of duress! There were many times throughout His life that He needed to have courage, just like all of us! I love that we are able to see how human Jesus really was at times, because it makes it easier to connect with Him when we realize that He knows what we are going through!

Xoxo

Mattie

A Joyful Entrance

Hey! It's been a while since I've posted on my blog! Life has been crazy busy!!


Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, the Savior's last week here on Earth before He was resurrected on Easter Sunday. This is the day that He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, across a path of palm leaves and cloaks thrown down by the crowd of His followers.

From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' website about Easter Week:

On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ rides triumphantly into Jerusalem as His followers draw near Him to lay down cloaks and palm fronds in His path. They surround Jesus with love and praise. In return, they no doubt receive the profound spiritual lift that comes from being in Jesus’s presence. The people in the crowd probably had life experiences just as varied as ours, but all were able to share equally in the joy that comes when we draw closer to Jesus Christ.

#BecauseOfHim, I can have joy

By following Jesus Christ’s teachings, you can find pure joy—a feeling of eternal peace and comfort. Explore what’s possible because of Jesus. Watch this video and consider someone in your life to share it with.

I am so grateful for the joy that Jesus Christ brings to my life! Because of Him, I can have peace in tumultuous times, no matter what my circumstances are. Because of Him, I can be comforted in my sorrows and pains. It was a joyful entrance the day that I was baptized and Jesus Christ really came into my life, but it was even more of a joyful entrance the day that I really invited Him in, and began to understand, know, and love my Savior and my testimony of Him.

May this Easter Week be full of reminders of our Savior, and the sacrifices He made, and the sacrifices that we can make for Him.

Xoxo
Mattie