Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Father’s Answer in Christ’s Suffering, and Ours

“And leaving them, He went away again, and He prayed the third time, saying the same words. And there appeared to Him an Angel from Heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in an agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground.  Then He cometh the third time to His disciples and saith to them: Sleep ye on now and take your rest. It is enough, the hour is come. Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise up, let us go up behold he that will betray Me is at hand.”  Matt 26:44-46, Mark 14:41-42, Luke 22:45-46

Thus is Our Lord’s prayer heard. But, let us notice, the answer to the prayer is very different from the words of the petition.  He asked that the chalice might be removed; instead, it is made yet more bitter, by the continued neglect of His chosen three, by the coming ever nearer of the traitor and his band, by His own growing weakness and inability to resist. But there comes along with all this, not mere comfort, but increase of strength; not relief from His burden, but the power to endure yet more; not an end to the agony, but the courage to “prayer the longer”; not rest at last upon the soft grass, but “resistance even unto blood,” so that “His sweat become as drops of blood trickling on the ground.” Is there anything more sublime and yet more human, than that blood-bathed Body? So does God hear prayer; so much farther does God see than we. When we ask for rest, for consolation, He prefers to make us heroes; and when it is over, and we look back, we thank Him that “not our will, but His has been done.” There is no exception to this rule.

Archbishop Alban Goodier – The Crown of Sorrow

3 comments:

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed your talk tonight at Good Shepherd parish. You summerized it beautifully when you said, "we are not saved from suffering, we are saved through suffering' and should embrace our crosses. As a former-evangelical turned Catholic, I could relate to everything you spoke of. I too, believed Catholics were not Christians and was intrigued by Chick Tracts and other literature condemning the Sacraments. During this time of Lent, I will remember how God in His Mercy lifted the veil regarding the Blessed Sacrament - what was once my biggest stumbling block to becoming Catholic amd used that as a gateway to discovering the One True Church founded by Christ on Blessed Peter: The Holy Catholic Church, our Mother and Teacher. God Bless and keep up the good work!

    - Cameron

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  2. Here's praying for His strength to endure, His eyes to see, His lips to be thankful, and His Heart to continue love even more...

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