Week 3: Contemplating the Passion and Death of Jesus -- Day 2 (Wednesday June 6)

I continue to pray for the gift of being able to feel sorrow with Jesus in sorrow, to be anguished with Jesus' anguish, and even to experience tears and deep greif because of all the afflictions which Jesus endures for me (Spiritual Exercises 203)



The Gospels give the details of the event: Jesus and his disciples leave the upper room to move toward the garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, and goes to pray. He experiences such turmoil of spirit that sweat becomes as drops of blood. Waking his sleepy disciples, he faces the mob, is indetified by the kiss of Judas, and is led away to the house of Annas. I labour to enter as fully into the account as I possibly can (Spiritual Exercises 201 & 202).



We shy away from suffering don't we? Perhaps it's more correct to say that we avoid it at all costs. It's a very natural human response toward self-preservation to minimize pain. The question is, is it the right response? Spend time being with Jesus in his agony and pain, and notice what that doesn in you.

Using Composition of Place read and reflect on the following passage

Matthew 26: 36-67

Questions to Reflect On:

1. What have I learned from my own personal sorrows and pain?
2. How does the narrative of Jesus' suffering help me to find meaning in what can appear to be the absurdityt of suffering?
3. Can healing come through suffering? If so how?
4. How do I deal with the problem of pain in the world?