The First Sorrowful Mystery

The Agony in the Garden

May/June 2009

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Wrestling with God

“Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples went with him... Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed. ‘Father,’ he said, ‘if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:39-44

Reflection

Jesus is in turmoil. Until now, he avoided the final confrontation with the authorities in Jerusalem. Now he feels it is time. God is call­ing him to give his final witness. In the evening, he invites his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray for discernment and strength. He thinks of that first Garden, the Garden of Eden, where life began. How different this place of Gethse­mane is. He prays to God, asking for deliverance. He agonizes; he feels no peace. His disciples sleep; he feels alone in this dark turmoil. His heart pounds; he sweats heavily. He bor­ders on panic. Eventually, Jesus feels an uplifting, a lightening, as though an angel is appearing before him. He realizes that it is in doing God’s will that he will receive peace. He speaks aloud to his Creator, “Not my will, however, but your will be done.”

One of the root meanings of the word “agony,” from the Greek agon, is “to wrestle.” How often have we wrestled or agonized over a decision. How often have we spent a sleepless night discerning what to do. We go though the same experience of Jesus in Gethsemane, seeking God’s will in our lives. This is particularly intense for us when we are facing death, either our own or that of a loved one. How we would like to forego the cup of suffering. How hard it is to be courageous like Jesus and surrender our will to that of our Creator.

Mission Call

Scarboro missioners are called to be present to those in agony. Some suf­fer a personal agony, such as an illness or a death in the family. Others suffer a social agony: hunger, poor wages as low as a dollar a day, sick­ness with no recourse to health care, children in schools without desks or books. These are the Gethsemanes that last more than one night; these are the agonies that can last a lifetime.

As we pray the rosary, let us ask for strength when we go through a time of agony. Let us ask for courage for those going through a time of indecision. Let us remember peoples throughout the world who live the agony of poverty and exploitation.

Amazon Word

An emergency meeting for all priests, Sisters, and lay missionar­ies working in the Makuxi reserve is called on December 20. It is 2004 and earlier in the year, three missionar­ies were kidnapped by forces work­ing against the native-only reserve. Several Church lawyers are at the meeting. They advise us that Brazil’s president might sign a decree ratify­ing the reserve that very day. “If you can put off going into the reserve, do so. Your lives may be at risk.” A Sis­ter and I had planned to leave in the afternoon for Christmas masses in the communities. We put off our trip. In the evening at another meeting, the lawyers indicate that the reserve will
be ratified at a later date. We left the next morning for the Christmas visits. The reserve is ratified in April 2005. In situations like these, we indeed ago­nize to discern God’s will.

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