A recent gathering of women had most of them sharing their sorrow over their adult children who no longer practiced the Catholic faith, some of them to the extent that their grandchildren are not baptized.

Jesus understands that pain.

His “Agony in the Garden,” a title given to that evening of the Last Supper right before He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and subsequently arrested, brought Him a depth of sorrow hard to fathom. His anguish was on a grand scale before any physical tortures began.

More than once, preachers have surmised that Jesus, from his garden vantage point, saw all the sins of the world past, present and future. Although that is not stated in the Gospels, it seems reasonable that such a burden could have been added to His human reluctance for the upcoming pain of His Passion. When He asked God the Father to “let this cup pass from me,” perhaps He was being tempted to think it would be all for naught and that all would be lost.

We should stand in awe of Jesus’ courage and the trust He had in His Father when He added, “if it is not possible (to take this away), your will be done!” (Mt. 26:39, 42)

St. Luke’s Gospel describes how an angel came to the garden to strengthen Jesus, and says the experience was such that Jesus’ “sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.” We may wonder if the Agony in the Garden was even worse for Jesus than the scourging, thorns, falls and the crucifixion itself.

When suffering has a purpose, a person can feel a bit better about it. Saints and the rest of us can use our trials and pains and sacrifices to boost our prayers for others. For example, the brother of one of our priests collected intentions from family and friends and prayed for them as he was undergoing cancer treatments.

His Passion and death, but He also knew that not everyone would choose to do so. The anguish a faith-filled parent feels when their child backs away from our Lord is excruciating. How much more so Jesus’ agony since He loves us all with an even greater love.

Whether we are the one who wanders or the one who stays, it is always good to remind ourselves that Jesus’ motivation was and always is love. His love for each individual person is greater than we can comprehend. That love kept Jesus going through the dark hope that His Passion would rescue many. It also certainly contributed to his agony as He saw or sensed the sins of the world — each sinner was and is His precious loved one.

Whether we practice our faith or not, it can be beneficial to ponder our sins as being a matter of turning away from the One who loves us best.

Churchgoers who are mourning their fallen away beloved family members have recourse to prayer for them. Those who have left may not listen to us, but
we can beg God to put others in their paths to inspire them toward the rewards, comforts, challenges and assurances of faith.

Children, young and old, who continue to practice their faith need their parents’ prayers also. No one is above the need of others’ prayers for them.

May we use this holy season of Lent to weep with Jesus in the garden, go forth in the assurance of His unfathomable love and ask Him to help those we love return to Him — the One who loved them even unto death.