SIMPLE40 - DAY 35 - So It Begins

Katie Donahue
Mar 29
3 min read

Monday of Holy Week

humility

We have just come off of Palm Sunday when Jesus, the King of Kings, enters Jerusalem. He comes not on a war horse, not surrounded by power and prestige, but with gentleness and simplicity, riding on a donkey. The crowds cheer, palms are raised, and yet He does not cling to any of it. He receives it, but He is not defined by it. He knows where He is going.

And then, in today's Gospel reading (John 12:1-11), we are brought into the home at Bethany. Jesus is with those He loves: Martha serving, Lazarus reclining, and Mary…once again choosing the low place. She kneels and pours out costly oil, something precious, something that could have been saved, calculated, justified...and instead, she gives it freely. She anoints His feet and wipes them with her hair. It is deeply personal, deeply humble, and completely without self-consciousness.

These two moments, Palm Sunday and Bethany, sit side by side, and together they show us what humility really looks like.

It is not found in the highs or the lows.

It is found in remaining rooted in truth.

Jesus is praised by the crowd and days later, He will be rejected. Yet nothing about who He is changes. He does not grasp at the praise, nor does He run from what is coming. He continues forward in quiet, humble surrender to the Father.

Mary reflects this same posture. She is not concerned with appearances or opinions. While Judas questions and calculates, Why this waste? Why not something more practical? Mary simply loves. She sees what others do not. She senses the nearness of the Cross and she responds with loving devotion.

This is where everything we have been practicing this Lent comes together. Simplicity has been about clearing space and removing the excess so we can recognize what is essential. And what is essential is this: to be with Him, to know Him, and to respond with love. It keeps us from turning our efforts into performance. It frees us from needing our Lent to “look successful.” It allows us to begin again...quietly, honestly, without discouragement.

Because humility is simply this: living in the truth of who you are before God.

Loved.

Limited.

Dependent.

Gifted.

Called.

As we move towards Christ's Passion, we are not asked to do more, prove more, or fix everything that feels lacking. We are invited to remain, to move in closer, to walk with Him from the donkey…to the table…to the Cross.

Jesus is hailed on Sunday and crucified on Friday. How fickle the heart of humankind.

~Sr. Miriam James Heidland

spiritual Today, spend time praying the Litany of Humility.

Let the words settle slowly.

You do not need to rush.

Simply notice what stirs in your heart.

Ask for the grace to desire God’s will above your own, to be free from the need to be seen, affirmed, or understood.

Stay close.

Keep it simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdjgeCJgv4w

self

If you are feeling like your Lent has not been what you hoped, resist the urge to overthink it.

Begin again.

Today.

Not with pressure, but with peace.

Humility allows you to start fresh without shame. It reminds you that growth is not about perfection, but about returning, again and again, to the heart of Christ.

Let Him meet you in the ordinary moments of today. Let Him lead.

He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the cross, and you will find yourself entirely.

~St. Catherine of Siena

service

In a very practical way, let humility shape how you prepare for the days ahead.

Take time today to plan your meals for the week, including Easter Sunday. Make your grocery list with intention, not haste.

This small act of preparation creates space for peace, for presence, for your family.

Keep it simple.

Keep it rooted.

Keep beginning again.

Let even the ordinary moments carry the fragrance of Christ.

simple recipe "YOU CHOOSE" PROTEIN SMOOTHIE BOWL

Simple, healthy and delicious!

10 oz. frozen berries