After the Last Supper, Jesus leads the Apostles across the Kidron valley to the Garden of Gethsemane (meaning, “wine press”) at the base of the Mount of Olives to begin His Passion in the Agony in the Garden.
Jesus instructs His Apostles to pray to not fall into temptation (Lk 22:40) and takes Peter, James and John aside, reveals His severe sorrow, and urges them to stay awake (Mt 26:36-38). Separating, Jesus dreads the horrors of His coming Crucifixion in His human nature and falls on His face, acknowledging the Almighty Father’s Divine Power (Mk 14:36), asks to be relieved of the Passion, but accepts the Father’s will. Attacked by Satan (Lk 22:53), an angel comforts Jesus (Lk 22:43). In agony (meaning, a painful struggle against evil), Jesus prays and sweats blood (Lk 22:44) and, in less than an hour, finds Peter, James and John sleeping; He rebukes and warns Peter to pray to not succumb to Satan (Jn 22:31; Mt 26:40-41). Jesus leaves to pray alone a second time, again returns to find them sleeping, and leaves for a third time a pray (Mk 14:39-41).
Returning, Jesus wakes and rebukes the sleeping Apostles, revealing He will now be betrayed into the “hands of sinners” (Mk 14:41). The Satan-inspired Judas (Jn 14:30) arrives with several hundred heavily-armed Roman soldiers and Jewish Temple police. When Jesus confronts them, they confirm they are seeking “Jesus of Nazareth” and Jesus responds, “I AM” (Ex 3:14), supernaturally knocking the soldiers to the ground. Jesus confronts them again, asking, “Who do you want” and they reply “Jesus of Nazareth”; Jesus confirms His identity again and demands they let His Apostles go. After Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss (Mk 14:45), Peter cuts off the high priest’s slave’s ear with a sword; Jesus rebukes Peter, revealing He can call upon an infinite number of angels for protection (Mt 26:51-53) and miraculously heals the slave’s ear (Lk 22:51). Jesus again confronts the soldiers, His Apostles abandon Him (Mk 14:48-52) and He is arrested and bound.
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Be awed by the astounding manly Fortitude of Jesus in the Agony of the Garden: Divine Person of the Trinity, Jesus suffers the incomprehensible cost of all the sins of mankind; in His Human Nature, Jesus dreads the horror of Crucifixion and sweats blood (Lk 22:44), a rare and extremely painful condition (hematidrosis); Divine King, Jesus witnesses the betrayal and abandonment of His chosen Apostles.
- Grow in deep contrition for sin
Realize: Every Catholic man should reflect upon the Agony of Jesus in the Garden and seek the fruit of deep sorrow and contrition for his countless sins.
Believe: Reflect upon Christ’s Agony in the Garden (CCC 612) and Contrition for Sin (CCC 1451-1454, 1457, 1480, 1492).
Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Gift of Knowledge so I constantly recall Christ’s agony in the Garden and have deep sorrow and perfect contrition for my many sins.
Obediently be conformed to God’s Will
Realize: To battle sin, every Catholic man can regularly keep a holy hour to meditate upon Christ’s Agony in the Garden and receive the fruit of obedience to God’s will.
Believe: Reflect upon Jesus’ perfect Obedience to the Father’s Will (CCC 532, 615, 1009) and Adoration of Christ (CCC 2096, 2628).
Pray: Jesus, Perfection of Obedience, help me build the Virtue of Obedience (a part of Justice) so I set aside time for a holy hour of Adoration and become more obedient to Your will.