In this chapter Fr. Martin takes us with him to the Garden
of Gethsemane Jerusalem on
the way to the Mount of Olives . He uses Mark’s Gospel for his meditation on
the Agony in the Garden. He shares with
us a detailed analysis of the Greek words used by Mark in his account. Our Lord was “greatly distraught” which is
“expressed physically before a terrifying event”. And it is in Jesus’ agony that we are
reminded of the vulnerability of his human nature. Fr. Martin tells us that it
is “in the garden that Jesus shows both his utter humanity and his complete
divinity.”
Our Lord’s human nature asks if this cup cannot just pass
him by, while his divinity gives him the strength to say to the Father your
will not mine. It is here that Jesus
shows us the way we are called to live, we are to place complete trust in God as
he does and to strive to be united with the divine will.
Fr. Martin makes another point when he notes the nature of
Jesus’ prayer which involves complete honesty stating, “an intimate
relationship with the Father means transparency at all times, especially in
times of distress”.
We are reminded that even as we are petitioning God in our
prayers we must share our fears, doubts, hurts and yes even anger with God. This is true of any intimate loving
relationship. It requires complete
honesty as we share our true feelings
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus leads us by example to not
only show us how to pray from the heart but more importantly to trust in God’s
plan for our own life so that we are truly able to say Father as you will.
Questions to Ponder
- When was the last time we faced a crisis be it physical, spiritual or emotional? What was my attitude in prayer over this event? Did I ask God to spare me suffering? Were we able to eventually be at peace in God’s decision in the matter? Were we angry with God for causing or allowing or misfortune? Angry for his slow response?
- Jesus confided in his three friends Peter, John, and Andrew. He told them of his distress and fears. Do we have the courage to share our fears and hurts with an intimate friend? Do we keep our hurts to ourselves, do we even bring them to God at all? When we do, is our prayer more along the lines of God please get me out of this or is it like Jesus, your will be done”?
Deacon Mike McKenna
There are times when I feel like I am facing some crisis every day, be it physical, spiritual, or emotional. Then, there are those times when I am all too aware of the type of crisis I am in, perhaps a personal illness or that of a family member; depression over some loss through illness, job, financial, etc.; or in general a spiritual crisis over the stresses and losses in life. My first response was usually panic over whatever the situation was, then complaining, then eventually going to prayer about it, not necessarily to ask God to spare me, but mostly to get the "why" answers so that if I understood better, my response might be different. Growing up in the late 1950's, with a Catholic school education, taught by all nuns, one of their most popular sayings was to "offer it up to God" for the souls in Purgatory, for someone who is ill or dying, etc.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, this is what makes a difference for me, since there is so much suffering in our lives and in the world, that if I can offer it up to God, it is not just a senseless part of life -- I can offer it up for a sick relative, an addicted friend, praying for the salvation of a loved one, etc., in essence saying "Your will be done", but I will endure it for the good of whomever or whatever I am praying for.