Introductory Prayer:  Lord Jesus, your passion and death are a testimony of your faithful love for your Father and for us. You were faithful to the point of shedding your blood and dying on a cross. No power in heaven or on earth could stop you from loving in a total, faithful and absolute way. Lord, you know how different my love is. You know my love is weak and frail, and prone to fall. Help me to meditate on your example so as to obtain the grace and strength to love you more faithfully.

 

Petition:  Lord, may my meditation on your faithfulness and my weakness in love increase my hope and trust in you, and obtain for me the grace to grow in faithfulness.

 

Gospel: Mk 14:1 - 15:47

 

They went then to a place named Gethsemane. "Sit down here while I pray," he said to his disciples; at the same time he took along with him Peter, James, and John. Then he began to be filled with fear and distress. He said to them, "My heart is filled with sorrow to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake."  He advanced a little and fell to the ground, praying that if it were possible this hour might pass him by. He kept saying, "Abba (O Father), you have the power to do all things. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you would have it, not as I." When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Asleep, Simon? You could not stay awake for even an hour? Be on guard and pray that you may not be put to the test. The spirit is willing but nature is weak."  Going back again, he began to pray in the same words. Once again he found them asleep on his return. They could not keep their eyes open, nor did they know what to say to him. He returned a third time and said to them, "Still sleeping? Still taking your ease? It will have to do. The hour is upon us. You will see that the Son of Man is to be handed over to the clutches of evil men. Rouse yourselves and come along. See! My betrayer is near." Even while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, made his appearance accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs; the chief had sent these people priests, the scribes, and the elders. The betrayer had arranged a signal for them, saying, "The man I shall embrace is the one; arrest him and lead him away, taking every precaution". He then went directly over to him and said, "Rabbi!" and embraced him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him. One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priests slave, cutting off his ear. Addressing himself to them, Jesus said, "You have come out to arrest me armed with swords and clubs as if against a brigand. I was within your reach daily, teaching in the temple precincts, yet you never arrested me. But now, so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled".  With that all deserted him and fled. While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came along. When she noticed Peter warming himself, she looked at him more closely and said, "You too were with Jesus of Nazareth." But he denied it: "I do not know what you are talking about! What are you getting at?" Then he went out into the gateway. At that moment a cock crowed. The servant girl, keeping an eye on him, started again to tell the bystanders, "This man is one of them."  Once again he denied it. A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more, "You are certainly one of them! You are a Galilean, are you not?" He began to curse and swear, "I do not even know the man you are talking about!" Just then a second cockcrow was heard, and Peter recalled the prediction Jesus had made to him: "Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times." He broke down and began to cry.

 

1.   "Sorrowful to the Point of Death."

 

He said to them, "My heart is filled with sorrow to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake." Jesus shares the deep sorrow of his heart with his most intimate followers. He tries to express how deep his sorrow is. His human nature is seeking loyal and faithful support from his closest friends. How many times had Jesus strengthened the apostles when they were weak and comforted them in their trials! He was always faithful. Now, perhaps for the first time, he seeks some human comfort from them. He seeks the consolation of knowing that they will be with him, close to him, helping him carry the weight of the cross. But even this joy is denied him. At the moment when he needs them most, the apostles fail him. Jesus soul is sorrowful to the point of death, and the apostles fall asleep. Contemplate the soul of Jesus stripped of every consolation, left alone by those closest to him. Thank him for his faithful love.

 

2.  "I Don't Even Know the Man."

 

"When she noticed Peter warming himself, she looked at him more closely and said, 'You too were with Jesus of Nazareth.'  But he denied it: 'I do not know what you are talking about!'"  Just a few hours earlier Peter was making bold promises to our Lord: "Even if all abandon you, I will never abandon you. I will die with you." Peter's intentions were no doubt genuine. He desired with all his heart to live by his words and be faithful to Christ. He didnt fail in his desires, but rather in the will to carry them out. He failed because he trusted more in his own strength than in the strength that comes from God. Jesus saw it coming and warned him, Watch and pray, but to no avail. Peter thought he himself was the source of virtue and ended up denying his Lord. How this would later break his heart and help him come to know first hand how much he depended on God! How true were the words of the Master that he was the vine and we are the branches! Our faithfulness depends on him.  

 

3.  "He Broke Down and Began to Cry."

 

Until this moment Peter's fears and self-love dominated his thoughts, words, and actions. He was temporarily seized and controlled by them. His emotions reached fever pitch when the crowd recognized him as one of them. Before he realized what he was saying, he had denied the one he loved most, his Lord and Master. When the cock cried out a second time scales fell from his eyes and he saw the crude reality of what he had done. He had publicly professed that he was ashamed of Jesus. He had betrayed him in such a cowardly way. Intense sorrow filled his heart, and he broke down and began to weep. He prayed like he had never prayed before, asking God for forgiveness. Heartfelt contrition is necessary for true humility, for emptying ourselves of self-sufficiency and making room for the grace of God. Only when we are empty of self can God's grace fill our souls and become the true source of our faithfulness.

 

Conversation with Christ:  Lord Jesus, you call me, like Peter and the apostles, to share in your mission of saving the world through the virtue of faithfulness. You have shown me that the way to fidelity necessarily demands the steep and rugged road of the cross. Contemplating your passion fills my heart with love and gratitude for all you have suffered for love of me. You were faithful throughout Gethsemane, the arrest, trial, scourging, humiliation, crowning of thorns, carrying of the cross, and bloody crucifixion. You know that I am more like Peter than you, filled with noble ideals and heroic resolutions but stubbornly trusting in myself more than your grace. You know how easily I abandon the virtue of faithfulness in my own life. From this day forward I promise to renew my trust and confidence in you, to unite myself with you through intense prayer, and to foment a heartfelt contrition for my failings. Lord Jesus, I trust in you. 

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him. 

1. Does my meditation on the passion of Jesus move my heart to sorrow, contrition, love, and faithfulness? How often do I reflect on Jesus in his passion?

 

2. What does contemplating the faithfulness of the Lord inspire me to do? Draw close to him for strength and light? Seeing how his faithfulness exposes the excuses and sophisms in my own life for what they are, how willing am I to accept his invitation to me to embrace the cross rather than give in to base passions and desires?

 

3. Do I foster loving sorrow for having offended God? What is it that crowds out God's grace in my life? Is it my tendency to self-sufficiency, to trust in self? Do I unconsciously believe that I am the source of virtue and faithfulness? What prevents me from becoming virtuous and faithful, from emptying myself of self? What will I now do to grow in humility and trust in him?