2nd Friday of Lent - Meditation "Agony in the Garden"

 

I thought I would preach about Jesus’ agony in the garden. There is a book called “Meditation on the Passion” by Fr. Reginald Wald, I will mostly use his words.

One of the sorrows of His agony in the garden is the knowledge of ignominies and tortures of His Passion as they approach. His whole Passion is vividly before Him. He sees and knows all that will happen: the traitor’s kiss, the blow on the cheek, the unjust sentence, the kicks, the vile spittle, scourging, crowning with thorns, the mocking with the robe, insults, blasphemies, shouts of the people, “Away with Him, crucify Him! Crucify Him! The painful laborious goings and comings from one tribunal to another, Pilate’s unjust condemnation, the way of the Cross, His Mother’s anguish at Calvary, the terrible crucifixion. He felt the pain, heard the shouts, saw the hideous faces beneath the Cross. He saw the souls of Peter and Judas. He saw all this and cried out in anguish, “O Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as though wilt.” Over and over He says these words again. Nearly an hour went by. Then He rises and goes to the three Apostles. Still and unconscious they lie upon the ground, their garments drawn tightly around them due to the chill of the night. They left Him alone in His agony. He wakes them and said, “Simon, could you not watch one hour with Me?” Peter looks to His sorrowful face, and has nothing to answer. He rouses the other two and says, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” They see His pale face, His limbs trembling, His breathing short.

Our Lord returns to pray away from the apostles and says again, “My Father, if this chalice may not pass from me, but I must drink it, thy will be done.” Jesus had offered Himself to take away the sins of the world, and now all the sins came distinctly before Him, every sin and every sinner. The sins of the whole human race is now upon Him. He feels their number, their shamefulness, their malice—and He is to be punished as if He had done all the wicked things—they are all His now. All the penalty of sin, He must bear, all the shame, all the horror. Oh, if we only knew what sin is to God, but we cannot. Our Lord saw all those who would reject His love, refuse to ask forgiveness. He sees the lack of gratitude, the many who would not stand up for Him over the centuries. Oh the pain of it all. Jesus writhed and trembled and shook at the magnitude of atoning by suffering that Divine Justice required of Him for each soul. The repugnance, the disgust, the aversion. His anguish was increased and red drops of blood stood upon His forehead and trickled down the ground. His garments were wet with His blood and the roots of the olive trees were sprinkled with it.

An angel, probably St. Gabriel, comes to console the Lord, by placing thoughts to His mind about the many who would be make it to heaven, the many who would die as martyrs for Him, the conversion of the greatest and small sinners, the humble people who love God and neighbor. He sees all who will console Him by spending time with Him in Adoration, come to worship Him at Mass and receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, the billions who will baptized.

But it was time for His Passion to begin. He sees the army of soldiers coming with lighted torches and is aware how all the Apostles will flee and abandon Him.