Meditation on Gethsemane

Two Gardens

In one garden,
the lie was chosen
over the will of God,
and nature
groaned under the curse
and the grief
and the countless tears
of mankind
that followed.

In one garden,
quietly,
one full moon night
the will of God was chosen
over the lie
and nature knew
the promise of healing
that would free a woeful mankind
of its tears
had begun
in the unfathomable grief of
the one who said yes.

Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.
When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test."

After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."

(And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.)

When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief.
He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test."

Luke 22: 39-46

Meditation on Gethsemane

How slow the moments must have seemed,
there in the garden,
among the olive trees that moonlit night,
as the trees uplifted their branches
in the dappled light and shadow
like arms uplifted in prayer.

Only they managed to stay and watch with you.

The garden grew quiet as your followers fell asleep
one by one,
unable to keep vigil,
even though you asked,
you wanted,
you needed.
Their gentle snoring was almost the only sound.
Did you see Peter
struggling to keep his eyes open,
John nudging him to stay awake,
only to succumb himself?

Was this, then, how it was to begin,
the isolation of the sacrificial victim,
The Father requiring you to give up everything that comforted
as you gazed into the gathering darkness,
even your companions in this long journey,
the witnesses to a loving God's concern.

No crutches or helpers then,
just you and the night.

How quiet it all was.
Did you begin to strain your ears
listening for sounds
of the gathering mob?

Think of all those times when you want to say no. Some of them are quite easy, but some of them are frightening looks into tomorrow. Jesus, for whatever reason, let himself feel all the fear and anguish possible waiting for the passion to begin.

Still, and at huge personal cost, he said yes.

Many of his followers would follow in his footsteps. For me, one of the important martyrs in my faith walk has been St. Perpetua, who left us an account of her struggles, and St. Maximillian Kolbe, who gave up his life so that another might live.

We have been warned that to follow Christ was to take up our own crosses, and to expect rejection, pain, and suffering for the glory of God. Mostly, for us in the US and many other countries, this has been an easy walk. But for many, it has meant choosing God over life.

Prayer: Lord, help us to say yes, even when it is at the greatest personal cost. But especially help us to say yes in those myriad little ways, each and every day we have the chance to be your witness, to choose your way, even when it doesn’t seem to matter, a small deviation, a small choice, an act of kindness, a word of praise, a quick prayer for someone in need. Teach us, to be like you and always say yes.

Amen.

I have been to Gerthsemane. Some of the standing olive trees are over 2,000 years old. The garden is abloom in rosemary- the fragrant but thornlike herb of remembrance.

The Middle Ages Church built to straddle the large flat rock on which Jesus prayed prostrate and bled through his pores from mental agony, is illumined by deep purple stained glass windows, and the interior effect is one of sorrow, like a bruise on the souls of all who enter to see the rcok and to contemplate what occurred there.

There are many places in the Holy Land which are questionable in their claims to be the locations of Biblical events (including the Church of the Sepulchre), but Gethsemane is the real deal.

Outside the Garden, our steps were cautious to avoid the rock throwing youths of the intifada who lay in wait to ambush Israeli vehicles heading up the Mount of Olives.

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