The Mystery of Jesus
I should probably save the following for Passion Week next year. However, I wanted to post it now so I could refer to it when I think that “I” have problems, feel lonely, feel misunderstood, am under duress, am going through trials, etc. This is a small taste as to why Scripture can say: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:14-16). For me this helps to better understand Acts 5:41 – “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
~Kevin
“Jesus suffers in His passion the torments inflicted upon Him by men, but in His agony He suffers the torments which He inflicts on Himself. He was troubled. This punishment is inflicted by no human, but an almighty hand, and only He that is almighty can bear it.
Jesus seeks some comfort at least from His three dearest friends, and they sleep: He asks them to bear with Him a while, and they abandon Him with complete indifference, and with so little pity that it did not keep them awake even for a single moment. And so Jesus was abandoned to face the wrath of God alone.
Jesus is alone on earth, not merely with no one to feel and share His agony, but with no one even to know of it. Heaven and He are the only ones to know.
Jesus is in a garden, not of delight, like the first Adam, who there fell and took with him all mankind, but of agony, where He has saved Himself and all mankind.
He suffers this anguish and abandonment in the horror of the night.
I believe that this is the only occasion on which Jesus ever complained. But then He complained as though He could no longer contain His overflowing grief: ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.’
Jesus seeks companionship and solace from men.
It seems to me that this is unique in His whole life, but He finds none, for His disciples are asleep.
Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world. There must be no sleeping during that time.
Jesus, totally abandoned, even by the friends He had chosen to watch with Him, is vexed when He finds them asleep because of the dangers to which they are exposing not Him but themselves, and He warns them for their own safety and their own good, with warm affection in the face of their ingratitude. And warns them: ‘The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’
Jesus finding them asleep again, undeterred by consideration either for Him or for themselves, is kind enough not to wake them up and lets them take their rest.
Jesus prays, uncertain of the will of the Father, and is afraid of death. But once He knows what it is, He goes to meet and offer Himself up. Let us be going. He went forth. (John) [XVIII.4]
Jesus asked of men and was not heard.
Jesus brought about the salvation of His disciples while they slept. He has done this for each of the righteous while they slept, in nothingness before their birth and in their sins after their birth.
He prays only once that the cup might pass from Him, even then submitting Himself to God’s will, and twice that it should come if it must be so.
Jesus weary at heart.
Jesus, seeing all His friends asleep and all His enemies watchful, commends Himself utterly to His Father.
Jesus disregards the enmity of Judas, and sees only in him God’s will, which He loves; so much so that He calls him friend.
Jesus tears Himself away from His disciples to enter upon His agony: we must tear ourselves away from those who are nearest and dearest to us in order to imitate Him.
While Jesus remains in agony and cruelest distress, let us pray longer.
We implore God’s mercy, not so that He shall leave us in peace with our vices, but so that He may deliver us from them.
If God gave us masters with His own hand, how gladly we ought to obey them! Necessity and events are infallibly such.
‘Take comfort; you would not seek me if you had not found me.’
‘I thought of you in my agony: I shed these drops of blood for you.’
‘It is tempting me rather than testing yourself to wonder if you would do right in the absence of this or that. I will do it in you if it happens.’
‘Let yourself be guided by my rules. See how well I guided the Virgin and the saints who let me work in them.’
‘The Father loves all I do.’
‘Do you want it always to cost me the blood of my humanity while you do not even shed a tear?’
‘My concern is for your conversion; do not be afraid, and pray with confidence as though for me.’
‘I am present with you through my word in Scripture, my spirit in the Church, through inspiration, my power in my priests, my prayer among the faithful.’
‘Physicians will not heal you, for you will die in the end, but it is I who will heal you and make your body immortal.’
‘Endure the chains and bondage of the body. For the present I am delivering you only from spiritual bondage.’
‘I am a better friend to you than this man or that, for I have done more for you than they, and they would never endure what I have endured from you, and they would never die for you, while you were being faithless and cruel, as I did, and as I am ready to do, and still do in my elect, and in the Blessed Sacrament.’
‘If you knew your sins, you would lose heart.’─‘In that case I shall lose heart, Lord, for I believe in their wickedness on the strength of your assurance.’─‘No, for I who tell you this can heal you, and the fact that I tell you is a sign that I want to heal you…’
‘I love you more ardently than you have loved your foulness…’
Do small things as if they were great, because of the majesty of Christ, who does them in us and lives our life, and great things as if they were small and easy, because of His almighty power.”
~Blaise Pascal
~Kevin
“Jesus suffers in His passion the torments inflicted upon Him by men, but in His agony He suffers the torments which He inflicts on Himself. He was troubled. This punishment is inflicted by no human, but an almighty hand, and only He that is almighty can bear it.
Jesus seeks some comfort at least from His three dearest friends, and they sleep: He asks them to bear with Him a while, and they abandon Him with complete indifference, and with so little pity that it did not keep them awake even for a single moment. And so Jesus was abandoned to face the wrath of God alone.
Jesus is alone on earth, not merely with no one to feel and share His agony, but with no one even to know of it. Heaven and He are the only ones to know.
Jesus is in a garden, not of delight, like the first Adam, who there fell and took with him all mankind, but of agony, where He has saved Himself and all mankind.
He suffers this anguish and abandonment in the horror of the night.
I believe that this is the only occasion on which Jesus ever complained. But then He complained as though He could no longer contain His overflowing grief: ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.’
Jesus seeks companionship and solace from men.
It seems to me that this is unique in His whole life, but He finds none, for His disciples are asleep.
Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world. There must be no sleeping during that time.
Jesus, totally abandoned, even by the friends He had chosen to watch with Him, is vexed when He finds them asleep because of the dangers to which they are exposing not Him but themselves, and He warns them for their own safety and their own good, with warm affection in the face of their ingratitude. And warns them: ‘The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’
Jesus finding them asleep again, undeterred by consideration either for Him or for themselves, is kind enough not to wake them up and lets them take their rest.
Jesus prays, uncertain of the will of the Father, and is afraid of death. But once He knows what it is, He goes to meet and offer Himself up. Let us be going. He went forth. (John) [XVIII.4]
Jesus asked of men and was not heard.
Jesus brought about the salvation of His disciples while they slept. He has done this for each of the righteous while they slept, in nothingness before their birth and in their sins after their birth.
He prays only once that the cup might pass from Him, even then submitting Himself to God’s will, and twice that it should come if it must be so.
Jesus weary at heart.
Jesus, seeing all His friends asleep and all His enemies watchful, commends Himself utterly to His Father.
Jesus disregards the enmity of Judas, and sees only in him God’s will, which He loves; so much so that He calls him friend.
Jesus tears Himself away from His disciples to enter upon His agony: we must tear ourselves away from those who are nearest and dearest to us in order to imitate Him.
While Jesus remains in agony and cruelest distress, let us pray longer.
We implore God’s mercy, not so that He shall leave us in peace with our vices, but so that He may deliver us from them.
If God gave us masters with His own hand, how gladly we ought to obey them! Necessity and events are infallibly such.
‘Take comfort; you would not seek me if you had not found me.’
‘I thought of you in my agony: I shed these drops of blood for you.’
‘It is tempting me rather than testing yourself to wonder if you would do right in the absence of this or that. I will do it in you if it happens.’
‘Let yourself be guided by my rules. See how well I guided the Virgin and the saints who let me work in them.’
‘The Father loves all I do.’
‘Do you want it always to cost me the blood of my humanity while you do not even shed a tear?’
‘My concern is for your conversion; do not be afraid, and pray with confidence as though for me.’
‘I am present with you through my word in Scripture, my spirit in the Church, through inspiration, my power in my priests, my prayer among the faithful.’
‘Physicians will not heal you, for you will die in the end, but it is I who will heal you and make your body immortal.’
‘Endure the chains and bondage of the body. For the present I am delivering you only from spiritual bondage.’
‘I am a better friend to you than this man or that, for I have done more for you than they, and they would never endure what I have endured from you, and they would never die for you, while you were being faithless and cruel, as I did, and as I am ready to do, and still do in my elect, and in the Blessed Sacrament.’
‘If you knew your sins, you would lose heart.’─‘In that case I shall lose heart, Lord, for I believe in their wickedness on the strength of your assurance.’─‘No, for I who tell you this can heal you, and the fact that I tell you is a sign that I want to heal you…’
‘I love you more ardently than you have loved your foulness…’
Do small things as if they were great, because of the majesty of Christ, who does them in us and lives our life, and great things as if they were small and easy, because of His almighty power.”
~Blaise Pascal
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