Thought for the Day – 10 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Jesus in Gethsemane
“After the last supper, when Judas had disappeared in order to carry out his treacherous plan, Jesus walked, with His other eleven Apostles among the olive trees of Gethsemane.
He took aside three of the most faithful and then went away a few paces from them and prostrated Himself on the ground in fervent prayer.
Being God, Jesus had no need of prayer but He wished to give us an example of how we ought to behave in moments of trial and danger.
Three times He rose and went over to the Apostles, who were tired and had fallen asleep.
He reproached them gently and exhorted them to pray.
“Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed, is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38).
We often have a similar experience.
Temptation assails us from within and, from without and we remain unmoved and inactive.
But how can we escape from danger without the help of God?
The divine help comes to us from grace, which must be sought by prayer.
The electric current ceases, if the switch cuts off it’s contact with the source, from which it is derived.
In the same way, the divine grace of which we are in constant need, is cut off, if we do not remain united by prayer to God, the source of the spiritual life.
Let us learn from our divine model, Jesus, how to watch and pray always, especially in times of temptation and of peril.”
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