Scripture
for meditation; Luke22:39-46
Then he went out and made his way, as was his custom, to the Mount
of Olives; his disciples accompanied him. On reaching the place he said to
them, “Pray that you may not be put to the test.” He withdrew from them about a
stone’s throw, then went down on his knees and prayed in these words: “Father,
if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.”
An angel then appeared to him from heaven to strengthen him. In his anguish he
prayed with all the greater intensity and his sweat became like drops of blood
falling to the ground. Then he rose from prayer and came to his disciples, only
to find them asleep, exhausted with grief. He said to them, “Why are you
sleeping? Wake up, and pray that you may not be subjected to the trial.”
Pope
Benedict XVI concludes: This is what Jesus accomplishes in Gethsemane:
by placing the human will within the divine will the true man is born, and we
are redeemed. Dear brothers and sisters, every day in the prayer of the Our
Father we ask the Lord: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. We
recognize, that is, that there is a will of God with us and for us, a will of
God for our lives, which more and more each day must become the reference point
for our will and for our being. Furthermore, we recognize that “heaven” is where
the will of God is done, and that “earth” becomes “heaven” -- i.e., the place
of the presence of love, of goodness, of truth and of divine beauty -- only if
on earth the will of God is done. In Jesus’ prayer to the Father on that
terrible and wondrous night of Gethsemane, “earth” became “heaven”; the “earth”
of his human will, shaken by fear and anguish, was assumed by the divine will,
so that the will of God might be accomplished on earth. And this is important
for our prayer as well: We must learn to entrust ourselves more and more to
divine Providence, to ask God to conform our wills to His. It is a prayer that
we must make daily, because it is not always easy to entrust ourselves to God’s
will, to repeat the “yes” of Jesus, the “yes” of Mary. The Gospel accounts of
Gethsemane painfully reveal that the three disciples chosen by Jesus to remain
close to him were unable to keep watch with Him, to share in His prayer, in His
adherence to the Father, and that they were overcome by sleep. Dear friends, let
us ask the Lord to grant us the ability to keep watch with Him in prayer; to
follow the will of God each day, even if it speaks of the Cross; and to
experience an ever greater intimacy with the Lord -- in order that a little of
God's "heaven" might be brought to this "earth.” Thank you.
(General Address, February 1, 2012, Translation by Diane Montagna)
Prayer: Our
Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen
My
thoughts: It is very difficult for us to willingly accept pain. We are a
society in fear of any kind of suffering. We will medicate, run and hide, lie
and turn on our fellow man to insure our own security and comfort. The same is
true of our relationship with God. If He is asking us to suffer, if He denies
us our hearts’ desires, our tendency is to turn away from Him and seek comfort
elsewhere. How sad! Pope Benedict so clearly tells us that we must learn to
entrust ourselves more and more to God, and to conform our will to His. Is this
easy? Did Christ sweat blood? Does God
abandon us in this struggle? Was Christ left alone in the garden? We know the
answers to these questions, and we know that God will never leave us alone. He
sent an angel to comfort Christ, and if we stay with God, our Father who loves
us so much, He will always send one to us as well. Look around you; you are not
alone in your struggle. Remain faithful, grow closer to God, and bring heaven
to earth.
Our Prayer
to God: Here is a song I sing when I
feel abandoned by loved ones and, yes, even by God. It reminds me that if I
listen and look carefully, I will see that God‘s love surrounds me. I just have
to believe. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place; I can feel His
mighty power and grace. I can hear the brush of angels’ wings; I see glory on
each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. Repeat three times
and smile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzDGvDZxnuw&feature=related.
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