Palm Sunday | iPray with the Gospel
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:14-23, 56
Today we read the whole account of the Passion of Our Lord as an introduction to Holy Week. We see Our Lord in agony in Gethsemane. As He is God, He could see in great detail what was coming. He could see the blows and shoves of the soldiers. He could feel the shackles and chains clamping His Sacred Limbs. He could count the whippings one after another. He could number the thorns of His Crown, the blows of the reed on His Sacred Head. He could hear the mockery and insults, all the blasphemies that would come out of those shouting mouths. He could perceive the weight of the Cross on His Shoulders tearing His already wounded Skin. He could feel the nails piercing His Hands and Feet, the spear breaking His Sacred Heart…
These left scars on His Body but there were also wounds in His Soul: desertion, rejection, abandonment, the betrayal of those He loved. They fell asleep with indifference, ran away with fear, hid with cowardice… And one of them ‘sold’ Him out of greed.
A priest once had a dream. He met the Angel who comforted Our Lord during His Agony. He asked the Angel with curiosity: –’What did you say to Jesus to console Him that night?’ The Angel replied: –‘I talked to Him about you…’ Dear Lord, I love You. I don’t want to fall asleep. I don’t want to run away. I want to comfort You, staying close to Your Mother, during this Holy Week.
This article originally appeared on www.ipraywiththegospel.org. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © George Boronat.
Rev. George Boronat
Rev. George Boronat M.D. S.T.D is a Catholic priest from the Prelature of Opus Dei, working in the Archdiocese of Southwark in London. He is the Chaplain of The Cedars Independent School in Croydon, and also works as Chaplain of Kelston Club & Study Centre (Balham) and Oakwood Independent School (Purley). He has developed his pastoral ministry mainly with young people and is the author of iPray with the Gospel: Resources to Help Young People Pray.
