Thursdays in the Garden: Vigil One: “With Him”

We are about to travel to the Mount of Olives in a 7-Part Retreat consoling and spending time watching and praying with Jesus of Gethsemane. Beginning the First Thursday of Lent and concluding with Holy Thursday… we will make every Thursday of Lent special by going to Gethsemane in prayer. These Thursdays with Our Lord will make for a more beautiful Lent, very meaningful Triduum, and yet more joyous Easter.

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Welcome to the place where you can console and make reparation to Our Lord, where He was most alone and specifically asked for company! You are not here by accident. He is waiting for you. You’ve been invited… thank you for saying YES!

O Jesus, through the abundance of Thy Love, and in order to overcome our hard-heartedness, though pourest out torrents of Thy graces over those who reflect upon Thy most sacred sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane, and who spread devotion to it. I pray Thee, move my soul and my heart to think often, at least once a day, of Thy most bitter Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, in order to communicate with Thee and to be united with Thee as closely as possible.

Amen”

At the Last Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles. He instituted the Eucharist and strengthened them with His own flesh and blood. Then, “…a hymn being sung, they went out unto Mount Olivet” (Mt 26:30). And what song did they sing that night? They would have sung the “Hallel” Psalms (Psalm 113-118) which are joyous, grateful hymns traditionally sung after the Passover meal. The last words of this hymn would have been these:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone
By the Lord this has been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.”
—Annabelle Moseley

Imagine the beautiful voice of Jesus as He sings. It is exquisitely heart-breaking to think of Him singing on the way to His Agony. Let us remember this when we are tempted to complain or worry. What if, rather, we sing a hymn of gratitude and joy… how noble we would be.

Now the time has come to begin our journey on the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane. Get ready. Pack light. Be not afraid of the Agony in which we will keep Christ company. Whether the Agony is experienced as we journey Christ’s Passion and remember His Sacrifice, or whether it is mirrored in our own life as we endure sorrows, we must cultivate an awareness of the opportunity we’ve been given. It is, if we but notice, a privilege just to be there, awake with Him, ready to serve. Can you offer up whatever abandonment or agony you are facing as a gift to console Jesus of Gethsemane?

Are you ready to journey there, bringing hospitality to console Him? What will you sing as you travel?

As we journey up the Mount of Olives, think about the holy mount we ascend. So many important moments in Scripture have happened here. As we head to Gethsemane, translated “the place of the Olive Press,” we begin to think of how, according to the teachings of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the olive tree signifies mercy. In Gethsemane, the sins of the world were pressed upon Christ’s pure being, like an olive press, until He sweated His Merciful Blood.

Tonight, in our first Vigil, we will enter ever more deeply into these words from the Gospel of Matthew: “with Him“.

An important part of the Holy Hour Devotion is taking time for contemplation. And so, as a Lectio Divina reflection:

Read, Meditate, Pray, and Contemplate the following passage of Scripture. Which word or phrase moves you the most spiritually, or speaks to you about something you are going through at this time? Which word calls to you to take new action in your life?

Then Jesus came with them to a country place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples: Sit you here, till I go yonder, and pray. And taking with Him Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to grow sorrowful and to be sad” (MT 26:36-37)

Ponder and pray: “How are YOU with HIM?”

St. Thomas More (1478–1535) often known as the “Man for all seasons,” was the Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII who was a martyr. He was put to death by King Henry VIII for refusing to recognize the King’s 1532–34 declaration making him head of the Church of England. He also refused to support the King’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn. King Henry VIII left a reign of tragedy and terror as he repeatedly divorced and murdered many wives in a row. In the name of Our Lord and His Church, St. Thomas More lost his home, was separated from his family, then lost his life.

St. Thomas was imprisoned in the Tower of London from April 17, 1534 to July 6, 1535, the day of his martyrdom. While St. Thomas More was in prison, awaiting his death sentence to be carried out, he wrote his last book, The Sadness of Christ, all about Jesus of Gethsemane.

Whereas Christ willed the other eight of His disciples to stay somewhat behind Him, Peter, John, and his brother James went further with Him… Peter for the fervor of his faith, John for his virginity, and his brother James, because he was the first of his apostles that should suffer martyrdom for his sake, did indeed far pass and surmount all the rest.

And these three also… were privy to his glorious Transfiguration. He had called them before all others to so wonderful a sight, and they had been comforted with the clear light of His eternal glory… convenient was it, I say, that these three especially, more stronghearted than the others, should be placed nearest about Him at the time of His painful pangs foregoing His bitter Passion.

And so among the other reasons why our Savior deigned to take upon Himself these feelings of human weakness, this one I have spoken is not unworthy of consideration — I mean that having made Himself weak for the sake of the weak, He might take care of other weak men by means of His own weakness. He had their welfare so much at heart that this whole process of His agony seems designed for nothing more clearly than to lay down a fighting technique and a battle code for the fainthearted soldier who needs to be swept along, as it were, into martyrdom.”

by Annabelle Moseley

Sometimes wonderful, bright graduate students of mine have asked me questions over the years like, ‘But why does He need us to stay awake; He’s God’ or “why does He seem disappointed with the three apostles… didn’t He, in His all-knowing, know that they would fall asleep?” I would always answer them that it is a beautiful mystery that while Jesus is fully divine, He is also fully human and like ourselves, desires company in His time of Agony. It is amazing to wrap our heads around the fact that God desires our friendship. God once, so tenderly and fatherly, sought to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, while those new sinners, once pure and now laden with guilt, hid themselves away and were then banished from the Garden. Now God has invited man back into the Garden to be with Him once again seeking their friendship and company there as He gets ready to begin the Passion that will conquer death and sin that began long ago in a Garden.

Do the three friends companion Him? No, they fall asleep. And we understand them, don’t we? It’s the human condition. We have spiritually and literally fallen asleep countless times when God would have us stay awake. But we are called to train our souls to “watch and pray” that we might not be put to the test. — from Awake with Christ

Let’s think about Saints Peter, James and John sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane. Which apostle would you choose to wake up in Gethsemane and why?

Do you choose Peter… because the first Pope should be witnessing the Agony of Our Lord and bringing Jesus his strong faith as consolation? Are you being called to pray for stronger faith this Lent?

Do you choose James… because he will be the first among the apostles to be martyred and so could offer his great hope in God, even in the face of suffering? Are you being called to pray for more hope this Lent?

Or do you choose John… because he is known as Christ’s Beloved Apostle and embodies the virtue of love? Are you being called to pray for an increase in Love or Caritas this Lent?

Whichever apostle you choose, pray in a special way the corresponding “Act of” prayer below, The Act of Faith, the Act of Hope, or the Act of Love. Take the time to really reflect upon it and savor each word as you pray. Offer this act of Faith, Hope, or Love to console Jesus in the Garden. Then ask the apostle you lovingly chose to pray for you and to intercede for you that you may grow in this Theological Virtue, especially this Lent.

O MY GOD, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I believe that Thy Divine Son became Man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.

O MY GOD, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and Life Everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.

O MY GOD, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

by Annabelle Moseley

Here is a personal reflection I will share with you now.

One night when I was nine years old, my mother came into my room and told me that my Grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer and only had months to live. We talked about it together for some time and cried. One of the greatest lessons my mother ever taught me was something she said that night. She told me that Grandpapa would grow weaker, and that he might start to look different. She said that even though I was just a child, would see my beloved grandfather look differently and it would be hard to see these sorrowful changes, I mustn’t ever be afraid of him; and I mustn’t let him feel embarrassed. Especially because I was a child, she explained, he would worry for me. He wouldn’t want me to be scared, or overwhelmed.

I resolved to heed her words. I would let him see in my face only admiration. That guidance from my mother was a touchstone moment for me, as it would determine the way I would henceforth approach life. And so, when she left the room, I prayed, asking Mary for strength and Jesus to look over Grandpapa. I wiped the tears away and decided I had to do something—to put the sorrow somewhere, to be of some help. I noticed a pile of construction paper and crayons on my desk and made a vow, then and there, that I would make a card for Grandpapa every remaining day of his life. My daily cards depicted all of the things he and I did together, always showing him wearing his signature tie, and always drawing at least one red heart. I had to do something daily… so that he would know I was WITH him. —from Our House of the Sacred Heart

What would St. Thomas More say about this story?

The ordinary acts we practice everyday at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”

Blossoms are falling from the tree—
but while you’re still here and so am I,
Let me love you lavishly.

Gold pollen is falling from the tree—
but while you’re still here and so am I,
Let me love you lavishly.

Red leaves are falling from the tree—
but while you’re still here and so am I,
Let me love you lavishly.

Snow drops are falling from the tree—
but while you’re still here and so am I,
Let me love you lavishly.

I remember with a sigh
the day I learned that you would die
But while you’re here and so am I—
Let me love you lavishly.

—Annabelle Moseley

Let us not forget, as we linger in the Garden, that Our Lord’s mother suffers with her Son. We will take a moment to pray the Seven Sorrows Devotion.

We are already With Him in Gethsemane. How can we continue to accompany Him throughout this week in Lent?

• Make an altar in your home with a Lenten theme.
• Attend Eucharist Adoration.
• Visit a needy or sick relative or friend.
• Call a lonely soul.
• Shop for, or bake for, someone who could use cheering up, and drop them off with a visit.

Praise for Awake with Christ

Annabelle Moseley’s own words sum up the more than implicit spiritual marriage that can come into the life of a Christian family when she speaks, in her own words, of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane: “I’ll share this cup too. Not just in the sweet – but in the bitter, like a marriage vow.”

In all this is a book which develops the liturgy of the “Domestic Church” and, perhaps in a modest way, it opens up the liturgical life of the family somewhat like the rule of St. Benedict for the monastic family. If, then, you are not already immersed in a rule of life, I invite you to consider this “domestic rule” rule and, as you go through its pages, to take on more and more of Annabelle Moseley’s lived recommendations for the domestic Church.”

—Francis Etheredge, father of 11, and author of 17 books