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THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
1. The Agony in the Garden
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The thought of our sins
and His coming suffering causes the agonizing Savior to sweat
blood. (Luke 22:39-44). |
It is for the love of His Father above all else that Jesus willed to undergo His Passion.
Behold Jesus Christ in His agony. For three long hours weariness, grief, fear and anguish
sweep in upon His soul like a torrent; the pressure of this interior agony is so immense that
blood bursts forth from His sacred veins. What an abyss of suffering is reached in this
agony! And what does Jesus say to His Father? "Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass
from Me." Can it be that Jesus no longer accepts the Will of His Father? Oh! certainly He
does. But this prayer is the cry of the sensitive emotions of poor human nature, crushed by
ignominy and suffering. Now is Jesus truly a "Man of Sorrows." Our Savior feels the terrible
weight of His agony bearing down upon His shoulders. He wants us to realize this; that is
why He utters such a prayer.
But listen to what He immediately adds: "Nevertheless, Father, not My will but Thine be
done." Here is the triumph of love. Because He loves His Father, He places the Will of His
Father above everything else and accepts every possible suffering in order to redeem us.
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Mystery |