As I enter the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus, I wonder how many times and in how many places Our Holy Lord suffers alone. How often are we asleep to the suffering of our neighbors around the world?
Welcome to "Preparing for the Passion: A Spiritual Journey through Lent," a weekly series to enrich your observance of the holy penitential season, now coming to a close
By Sylvia
PassionofChrist.ca
Why meditate on the Passion of Our Savior, Jesus Christ?
Nothing could be as beneficial as contemplating what Jesus endured for our sakes upon the Cross. No remedy could be as effective for the healing of our wounded souls as the continuous contemplation on the suffering of Christ. — St. Augustine
Our contemplation on the suffering of Christ makes us grieve our sin so God can forgive us and preserve us from it. — Fr. Manasseh Youhanna, author of The Crucified Jesus.
The Virgin Mary said to St. Faustina, “Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you will be victorious.” — Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 449
This Holy Week, come with me on the Way to Calvary and let us fulfill this Scripture through solemn, quiet contemplation: “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (John 19:37).
In the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus enters a dark garden, requesting that His Apostles, Peter, James, and John stay awake, except they fall asleep as Jesus becomes deeply distressed contemplating the great suffering He would have to endure to redeem His people.
Our Holy Lord is in anguish, sweating drops of Blood as He calls out loudly to the Father:
“Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41).
As we contemplate the suffering of Our Lord in the garden, the Holy Spirit will reveal to each of us some special spiritual treasure that we must hold in our hearts and reflect upon. As I enter the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus, I wonder how many times and in how many places Our Holy Lord suffers alone.
How often are we asleep to the suffering of our neighbors around the world?
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is preparing to carry all our sins on His tender shoulders. Imagine Jesus seeing the future, the wars, the violence, the oppression, the corruption, the impurity of man and the grave injustice.
In His human nature, Our Lord called out for comfort and consolation, while in His divine nature Our Lord resolved to prove to us how much He loves us!
An angel from heaven comes to console Jesus. What can we do to console God and one another?
Jesus is arrested
As I continue my walk to Calvary, I see Our Holy Lord being arrested, innocent of any crime, yet treated like a criminal. I see Jesus waiting in a prison alone, knowing that in the morning He would be crucified. How long and lonely that night must have been.
He was harshly treated, yet he submitted and did not open his mouth. He was silent like a lamb led to the slaughter… (Isaiah 53:7).
Jesus is scourged
Jesus is scourged for our sins. What horrible brutality! I see Our Holy Lord with tears in His eyes enduring this torture for our salvation!
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
— Isaiah 53:3-5
How can it be that mankind despised and rejected Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, True God, True Man? How can it be that we held Him in low esteem?
How can we not adore Him NOW for the suffering He endured to set us free?
Jesus is crowned with thorns
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is crowned with thorns, mocked and spat upon.
His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance,
and His form beyond that of the sons of men —
so shall He startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of Him...
— Isaiah 52:14-15
What courage you had Holy Lord and what infinite love You demonstrated! Please forgive me for my many sins. Please help me to make choices that honor You.
Jesus carries His Cross and is crucified
When you remember the scourged, beaten, disfigured Jesus carrying His Cross up the hill to Calvary, and when you contemplate His pain and realize He did all of this for you, to create a place for you in Paradise — you will be changed!
I see the Blessed Virgin Mary in my contemplation suffering with tears in her eyes as she watches her Holy Son, Our Lord and Savior, carrying the heavy weight of the Cross. “Come all you who pass by along the road, look and see whether there is any pain like my pain” (Lamentations 1:12).
And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put his garments on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, who they pressed into service to bear His Cross (Matthew 27:31-32).
Let us recall the words of Jesus: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
I see Our humble Lord Jesus lying down on the Cross to be crucified, praying “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” ( John 15:13).
I hear the blows of the hammer nailing Our precious Savior to the Cross and I cannot stop my tears from flowing, for we have all caused Jesus so much pain by our sins!
Yet tears are NOT enough, we must PROVE OUR LOVE TO HIM.
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