The Agony In The Garden

During the next five days of Holy Week, I would like for us to meditate on the Lord's passion by following parts of the sorrowful mysteries from the rosary.

The First Sorrowful Mystery:
The Agony of Our Lord in the Garden

"Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be filled with anguish and distress. And He said to them, "My soul is filled with sorrow even to death. Remain here and stay awake with me." He went a little farther and fell to the ground, with His face touching the earth, and prayed, "Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want." - Matthew 26:36,37-39

We sometimes forget that Jesus, although God, was also fully human. The fear and sorrow He felt in the garden should remind us that He was just like us. He knew what was coming and the worry and anxiety He must have been experiencing was nothing small. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was so afraid of what was about to happen to Him, that He even sweated drops of blood. I've been really worried, stressed, and anxious before, but never have I ever come close to sweating blood. I do know that when I find myself feeling distressed, I throw myself at the mercy of God so that He could save me. But here was the Son of God, suffering, afraid, trembling and pleading with God to save Him, and yet, God didn't remove the cup and Jesus did go to the cross. It wasn't that God abandoned Him, but that God, through His son's suffering, would perform His greatest act of love ever. And Jesus gave up His life freely although He was afraid. No matter the distress that fell upon Him, Jesus made sure to tell God that not His will be done, but that of the Father.

We all go through so many horrible things sometimes. We suffer deeply over things we hope God can rescue us from, but if God didn't save His own son from pain, He will not save us if the end result is a greater blessing. Jesus should be our example as we grieve and suffer. Our Lord loves us so much that He experienced pain in order to relate to our human condition. This is why in all that we ask and in all that we suffer, we should set our eyes on Jesus. Like Him, through the hurt and through the uncertainty, let us pray constantly to God so that we don't let the anxiety and despair lead us to sin. Let us put ourselves in the hands of the Father to deliver us from the pain when it is best for us, not when we think fit. Most importantly, let us trust God enough to know what's best for us, and ask that in all things, His will be done.

For today's prayer, let us join the Mother of our Lord in praying for our needs and for those who are most in need of God's mercy:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

O, My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen.